Outside Track: Bio-based building materials can be ‘less sustainable’

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Bristol, UK – Mycelium composites made from fungi and agricultural residue, can have a bigger environmental impact than conventional fossil fuel based materials, suggests a new study.

Writing in Scientific Reports, University of Bristol scientists explained that the impact is due to production of those biobased materials requiring high amounts of electricity.

And, they add, the problem is greater in countries such as South Africa where fossil fuel remains the main source of electricity. This is further compounded by mycelium composites’ shorter lifespan, leading to multiple replacements over the duration of long-term applications.

Lead author Stefania Akromah explained: “Mycelium composites are considered a sustainable alternative to traditional fossil fuel derived materials. However, the sustainability of these materials depends on various location-specific factors like resource availability, economic structures, cultural practices, and regulations.”

She added that the focus of the research had been to determine whether mycelium composites production was sustainable in Africa and to identify which manufacturing processes had greatest potential to cause environmental damage.

“It was interesting to find that even a technology that is generally perceived as sustainable can sometimes have a greater environmental impact than conventional fossil-fuel-based materials. This highlights the importance of life cycle assessment studies and the need to carefully consider all factors, including energy sources and lifespan, when evaluating new materials," warned Akromah.

“Africa faces heightened vulnerability to climate change impacts owing to its limited financial resources, making it crucial to mitigate these impacts as much as possible.”

However, the team concluded that the overall potential damage on the environment caused by mycelium composite technology could be lessened by incorporating alternative energy sources such as firewood.

Prof Steve Eichhorn , director of the Centre for Doctoral Training in Composites, Science and Manufacturing (CoSEM), which funded the study, said the research demonstrated that the importance of Life Cycle Assessments taking into account geographical considerations and cultural practices in order to calculate sustainability.

“The right decisions can then be made to ensure that manufacturing has as low an impact as possible, while also contributing to local economies and African livelihoods,” he said.

The Bristol team now plans to evaluate mycelium composite technology’s environmental impact under various scenarios, comparing the composite footprint with other emerging green materials and investigating the economic feasibility and social implications of the technology to evaluate its sustainability.

Article from Process Engineering, an associate publication of European Rubber Journal