This Company Is Using Mushrooms To Reduce Plastic Waste (cnn.com) 29
The New York-based biotech startup Ecovative wants to replace plastic with mycelium, the below-ground root-like structure of a mushroom, writes CNN Business.
pgmrdlm shared their report: The company says it has developed a way to grow mycelium into specific shapes and sizes. The method, according to Ecovative, involves taking organic plant waste and inoculating it with mycelium. After the mycelium grows through and around the agricultural materials, it binds them together, providing a natural alternative to packaging materials made out styrofoam.
It's a process that takes about a week with minimal water and electricity consumed to make the parts. At the end of the mycelium substance's useful life, you can break it up and you can put it in your own garden. "So it's a nutrient, not a pollutant," said Ecovative's CEO and co-founder Eben Bayer .
The company also believes mycelium could play a major role in construction, as mycelium building materials are both insulative and structural and can be used in the same ways as conventional building material, Bayer said. In fact, packaging materials may be just the start. The startup has its eyes on another audacious goal: building organs. "My dream is to one day grow a lung and seed it with lung cells and use the mycelium to create the capillary network and use the human cells to create the actual lung," said Bayer.
The company's vision "has helped Ecovative attract millions from investors like 3M Company, the conglomerate behind Post-it notes and Scotch tape, and even a $9.1 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense," reports CNN, adding that CEO Bayer believes the use of mycelium "really has boundless possibilities."
Ecovative is now even developing plant-based meats, including Mycelium bacon.
pgmrdlm shared their report: The company says it has developed a way to grow mycelium into specific shapes and sizes. The method, according to Ecovative, involves taking organic plant waste and inoculating it with mycelium. After the mycelium grows through and around the agricultural materials, it binds them together, providing a natural alternative to packaging materials made out styrofoam.
It's a process that takes about a week with minimal water and electricity consumed to make the parts. At the end of the mycelium substance's useful life, you can break it up and you can put it in your own garden. "So it's a nutrient, not a pollutant," said Ecovative's CEO and co-founder Eben Bayer .
The company also believes mycelium could play a major role in construction, as mycelium building materials are both insulative and structural and can be used in the same ways as conventional building material, Bayer said. In fact, packaging materials may be just the start. The startup has its eyes on another audacious goal: building organs. "My dream is to one day grow a lung and seed it with lung cells and use the mycelium to create the capillary network and use the human cells to create the actual lung," said Bayer.
The company's vision "has helped Ecovative attract millions from investors like 3M Company, the conglomerate behind Post-it notes and Scotch tape, and even a $9.1 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense," reports CNN, adding that CEO Bayer believes the use of mycelium "really has boundless possibilities."
Ecovative is now even developing plant-based meats, including Mycelium bacon.
Mycelium bacon? (Score:2)
Even Homer approves [myawesomequotes.com].
What about crossing borders? (Score:2)
This sounds like a great idea, but stop and consider the potential for spread of disease, should these fungi become infected with some pathogen.
I can't see many of the world's border protection forces willing to give this a free ride.
Re: (Score:3)
Once it dries out, it dies. And in that condition it's probably no more likely to carry pathogens than the now-common paper pulp packaging inserts.
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well still it's funky to put something in your garden thats called the thing which made it and which eats up stuff and acts like a nanovirus from the description of it.
yeah probably its not an actual issue at all and it doesn't stay alive in normal conditions at all.
they should call the thing something else than the thing that produces it? I think? the blurbs a little bit confusing on that subject. whats clear is that they want all the investment money right now and not just some of it but literally all of
Re: (Score:2)
A lot could be done to reduce the amount of packing material to start with. Amazon are pretty bad at sending large boxes for small items. Farnell (Element 14) are some of the worst. I ordered 5 items, and got 5 jiffy bags over 2 days. Then on the 3rd day I got another jiffy bag because they only sent 6 of 10 washers I ordered in the first bag. The second bag came from another country because they are apparently really bad at moving stock between warehouses as needed.
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Companies really need a "I'm not in a hurry, please optimize shipping/packaging as much as possible even if it adds a few days" checkbox.
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They should also offer nominated day delivery for free. Save on redeliveries that could have been avoided.
Is this how it starts? (Score:2)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Re: (Score:2)
Mushroom (Score:4, Funny)
How is this news? Articles from 2012 and 2017... (Score:3)
Ecovative is now even developing plant-based meat (Score:3)
Ecovative is now even developing plant-based meats, including Mycelium bacon.
Is made of pig parts? No? Then it's not bacon. Is it plant based? Yes? Then it's not meat.
Re: Ecovative is now even developing plant-based m (Score:4, Funny)
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Some ice-cream isn't really ice or cream either. Chicken of the Sea isn't made of aquatic chickens. Shanghai noodles aren't much like the noodles they eat in Shanghai. You don't want to know what's in Turkey Twizlers.
Gas isn't a gas either, it's liquid petroleum. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea isn't a democracy or a republic.
Who cares anyway? If it tastes good and isn't too bad for you then I'm happy with it, especially if it didn't require raising and slaughtering a pig.
Re: (Score:1)
Mushrooms are not plants! (Score:2)
They are mushrooms!
Which branched off of animals!
How the hell do you all casually discuss this, and not a single person even knows??
US education surely covers that in primary school too.
awesome idea (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Now, to get the mushroom to grow faster.
Give em some steroids, and hormones , and maybe a little antibiotics , just to be safe.
How big of a Discovery is it? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
This being Slashdot, I'd have been very disappointed if this reference had not been made by someone, and I'm glad you beat me to it.
And in answer to your question, no, not yet, but since they *are* working on making mycelial bacon, maybe we'll be able to Burn ham for the fuel to do that. ;)
Badger badger badger badger (Score:3)
Mushroom MUSHROOM!!
Plant-based?? (Score:1)
Mushsrooms are not plants!!
They branched off of animals! (But are their own thing.)
Did you fail *primary* school? Holy shit.
Re: (Score:1)
Mushsrooms are not plants!! They branched off of animals! (But are their own thing.)
Did you fail *primary* school? Holy shit.
It also uses plant waste. I would guess if it's mostly plant, then it could be considered "plant based". "The method, according to Ecovative, involves taking organic plant waste and inoculating it with mycelium. After the mycelium grows through and around the agricultural materials, it binds them together, providing a natural alternative to packaging materials made out styrofoam."
Self-cleaning (Score:2)
Popcorn? (Score:2)
What happened to the idea of using popcorn as packing material?
It's actually plant-based and probably faster than growing mushrooms