Environment

Mushrooms – the new Styrofoam alternative?

Mushrooms – the new Styrofoam alternative?
One and a half liters of petrol are used in the production of every cubic foot of Styrofoam, but EcoCradle is produced naturally with 100 percent biological yield
One and a half liters of petrol are used in the production of every cubic foot of Styrofoam, but EcoCradle is produced naturally with 100 percent biological yield
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One and a half liters of petrol are used in the production of every cubic foot of Styrofoam, but EcoCradle is produced naturally with 100 percent biological yield
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One and a half liters of petrol are used in the production of every cubic foot of Styrofoam, but EcoCradle is produced naturally with 100 percent biological yield
EcoCrade can be used as mulch for your garden, where it will improve moisture retention and add nutrients
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EcoCrade can be used as mulch for your garden, where it will improve moisture retention and add nutrients
EcoCrade can be used as mulch for your garden, where it will improve moisture retention and add nutrients
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EcoCrade can be used as mulch for your garden, where it will improve moisture retention and add nutrients
EcoCrade can be used as mulch for your garden, where it will improve moisture retention and add nutrients
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EcoCrade can be used as mulch for your garden, where it will improve moisture retention and add nutrients
EcoCrade can be used as mulch for your garden, where it will improve moisture retention and add nutrients
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EcoCrade can be used as mulch for your garden, where it will improve moisture retention and add nutrients
EcoCradles feedstock can be changed to modify the properties and look of the product
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EcoCradles feedstock can be changed to modify the properties and look of the product
EcoCradle has all the same properties as other custom-molded expandable polystyrene, but without the ecological disadvantages
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EcoCradle has all the same properties as other custom-molded expandable polystyrene, but without the ecological disadvantages
EcoCradle can be composted, used in the garden or sent to a landfill, and it will decompose naturally
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EcoCradle can be composted, used in the garden or sent to a landfill, and it will decompose naturally
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In an age where many oil fields are in terminal decline and our dependence on petroleum reaches critical proportions, it is simply crazy that with every Styrofoam-packaged item consumers purchase, one cubed foot of Styrofoam representing 1.5 liters of petrol is thrown away. Moreover, in the U.S., Styrofoam is said to take up 25 percent of the space in landfills. A much better-sounding alternative is to use naturally-produced EcoCradle. It's created from useless agricultural by-products and mushroom roots, has all the same properties as other expandable polystyrene (EPS), and is fully compostable.

The EcoCradle production process begins by identifying a locally-sourced economically useless by-product from agriculture, for instance corn husks in China, buckwheat husks and oat hulls in the U.S., or soybean husks in Spain. They are cleaned, cooked, cooled and pasteurized with basic equipment and inoculated with mycelium, the root systems of mushrooms. The material is then pressed into a mold for whatever the end-product will be. Over the next five days, the filamentous mycelium use the energy in the agri-wastes to self-assemble a biocomposite chitinous polymer matrix of lignin and cellulose, made from millions of tiny fibers and the husks that don't get digested.

EcoCradle has all the same properties as other custom-molded expandable polystyrene, but without the ecological disadvantages
EcoCradle has all the same properties as other custom-molded expandable polystyrene, but without the ecological disadvantages

The material itself can have many of the same properties we would expect from Styrofoam. It can be insulating, fire-retardant, moisture-resistant, vapor-resistant, and can absorb mechanical and acoustical impacts. It can be used for heavy items, or for shipping food and perishables – by changing the seed husk, material properties such as density, resilience, surface finish, feature resolution and the look of the material can be altered to suit. It's reliable, easy to use and compares favorably with other custom-molded foams like EPS in density. Furthermore it is cost-competitive with existing synthetics.

Eco-Cradle has four main principals:

  • It uses a local, cheap and otherwise useless feedstock. Food crops or bio-fuel crops are avoided
  • The material is self-assembling, requiring no manufacturing, petroleum, or water and grows efficiently utilizing nature's own processes in about 5-7 days
  • The input material and output final product is the same, therefore 100 percent biological yield is achieved
  • The use of natural polymers have been in use for millions of years, and therefore are not going to damage Earth's ecosystems
  • EcoCrade can be used as mulch for your garden, where it will improve moisture retention and add nutrients
    EcoCrade can be used as mulch for your garden, where it will improve moisture retention and add nutrients

    As if it didn't already tick all the green boxes, the final product can actually contribute to your local ecosystem as it is fully compostable, and if broken up and used as mulch in your garden will improve soil moisture retention and add nutrients. Additionally, it is anaerobically compostable, so there is minimal ecological impact if you send it to a landfill where it can decompose without the presence of oxygen.

    There are no allergens, as the process doesn't use any spores, and since both the growth of the material and the decomposition of the material are 100 percent natural, they need neither heat or pressure, and use ten times less energy than traditional materials. The price of this and other polystyrene alternatives is also not linked to the volatile prices of oil and gas.

    EcoCradle can be composted, used in the garden or sent to a landfill, and it will decompose naturally
    EcoCradle can be composted, used in the garden or sent to a landfill, and it will decompose naturally

    Ecovative has patented its EcoCradle product and it is already available for purchase. It is growing the product at a pilot plant on Green Island, New York, using hydroelectric power that produces no greenhouse gas emissions. Eben Bayer of Ecovate will be speaking at a number of events around the U.S. in November.

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    6 comments
    6 comments
    Facebook User
    The only potential flaw that I can see is the problem of attraction to vermin who are lured by the food/nest uses to warehouses etc. This is what killed the use of pop-corn as packaging. But maybe they have thought of this?
    Alien
    Interesting... Could this approach be used with by-products (i.e. husks) from palm oil production? If so, it could be a valuable innovation in many parts of the world.
    More information please.
    Tannith Cattermole
    Alien: Ecovative say they try always to identify agri-wastes from other crops that are otherwise useless. I suspect that husks from palm oil would suit just fine as the husks are used to provide energy to the mycelium, and to provide structural support.
    Piers: Ecovative also say that EcoCradle is non-nutritious and unlikely to taste good. As for nesting, I couldn\'t say, but they welcome questions at their site.
    matthew.rings
    Just read an article about using milk-proteins clay to create packing peanuts that break down in 40-90 days after exposure to moisture...
    Terotech
    Is nobody going to query \"it takes one litre of petrol to make one cubic foot of styrofoam\"? Nuff said?
    Terotech
    Sorry, one point FIVE litres to make one cubic foot of styrofoam, my mistake but even more commercially unbelievable.