Researchers have turned old, unwanted mattresses into safe and sustainable building insulation using fungi. Mattresses are one of the hardest household items to recycle, since they are durable, bulky, and often end up in landfill. The team grew a common fungus together with shredded mattress foam to create a new material that is solid and lightweight. Their research is published in the journal Scientific Reports.
The process involves fungal roots binding to the waste, forming natural mineral compounds that can resist extreme heat, remaining stable even when exposed to temperatures close to 1,000°C. The material performed well as an insulator, with heat-blocking ability very close to commercial insulation products already used in homes and buildings.
This approach is both practical and environmentally responsible, using fungus that is closely related to strains used in food production and medicine, and relying on common, widely used chemicals.
They hope that with further development, this fungus-based material could be used as fire-resistant insulation, building panels, or even shaped for future construction methods such as 3D-printed building elements.
The team says, “Our work shows how combining biology with waste materials, while leveraging deep manufacturing science, can lead to smart, low-impact solutions that better the environment and the lives of everyone.”
You can read the original article at techxplore.com