Greensulate
Encyclopedia
Greensulate is a renewable and biodegradable material that can be used for thermal insulation
, fire insulation and also as a substitute for styrofoam
and other plastics used in packaging and other applications.
Greensulate is made of common and generally cheap agricultural by-products of rice
, buckwheat
and cottonseed. The mix is used as a base for the growth of the oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus. Fungal cells are added to the mixture after the addition of hydrogen peroxide
to inhibit the growth of undesired fungi or plants. The whole is put into the desired molds then put in a dark environment, permitting growth of a fungal mycelial network
to bind the mixture. It is then dried to prevent further fungal growth, thus preventing moss or fungus allergy
due to exposure to the product.Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, “Environmentally Friendly Organic Insulation Uses Mushroom Spores”, 2007, May 7, “http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070506085628.htm”, Retrieved November 28, 2009
as mechanical engineers. They started by testing different cultures of mushrooms and studying their proprieties as insulators. They found that by manipulating the growth environment, they could influence the properties of the material, such as strength, flexibility and temperature tolerance.
In 2007 they received a $16,000 dollar funding from the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance
(NCIIA); by that time, the students were corporate under the name of "Ecovative Design". A year later, many other members joined their team and they won a $700,000 prize at the PICNIC green challenge at Amsterdam. As of May 2009, the first trial of Greensulate is being conducted at a Vermont school gym.
Thermal insulation
Thermal insulation is the reduction of the effects of the various processes of heat transfer between objects in thermal contact or in range of radiative influence. Heat transfer is the transfer of thermal energy between objects of differing temperature...
, fire insulation and also as a substitute for styrofoam
Styrofoam
Styrofoam is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company for closed-cell currently made for thermal insulation and craft applications. In 1941, researchers in Dow's Chemical Physics Lab found a way to make foamed polystyrene...
and other plastics used in packaging and other applications.
Greensulate is made of common and generally cheap agricultural by-products of rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, buckwheat
Buckwheat
Buckwheat refers to a variety of plants in the dicot family Polygonaceae: the Eurasian genus Fagopyrum, the North American genus Eriogonum, and the Northern Hemisphere genus Fallopia. Either of the latter two may be referred to as "wild buckwheat"...
and cottonseed. The mix is used as a base for the growth of the oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus. Fungal cells are added to the mixture after the addition of hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is the simplest peroxide and an oxidizer. Hydrogen peroxide is a clear liquid, slightly more viscous than water. In dilute solution, it appears colorless. With its oxidizing properties, hydrogen peroxide is often used as a bleach or cleaning agent...
to inhibit the growth of undesired fungi or plants. The whole is put into the desired molds then put in a dark environment, permitting growth of a fungal mycelial network
Mycelium
thumb|right|Fungal myceliaMycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus, consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. The mass of hyphae is sometimes called shiro, especially within the fairy ring fungi. Fungal colonies composed of mycelia are found in soil and on or within many other...
to bind the mixture. It is then dried to prevent further fungal growth, thus preventing moss or fungus allergy
Allergy
An Allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. Allergic reactions occur when a person's immune system reacts to normally harmless substances in the environment. A substance that causes a reaction is called an allergen. These reactions are acquired, predictable, and rapid...
due to exposure to the product.Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, “Environmentally Friendly Organic Insulation Uses Mushroom Spores”, 2007, May 7, “http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070506085628.htm”, Retrieved November 28, 2009
History
The creators of greensulate, Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre, met at Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteRensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
as mechanical engineers. They started by testing different cultures of mushrooms and studying their proprieties as insulators. They found that by manipulating the growth environment, they could influence the properties of the material, such as strength, flexibility and temperature tolerance.
In 2007 they received a $16,000 dollar funding from the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance
National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance
The National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance is a private 501 organization that funds and trains faculty and student innovators to create successful, socially beneficial businesses...
(NCIIA); by that time, the students were corporate under the name of "Ecovative Design". A year later, many other members joined their team and they won a $700,000 prize at the PICNIC green challenge at Amsterdam. As of May 2009, the first trial of Greensulate is being conducted at a Vermont school gym.