User:Shield349/Greensulate
Greensulate is The Greensulate is a trademark product for a renewable and biodegradable organic piece of material that can be used for thermal insulation, fire insulation and even used in packaging, in place of the regular Styrofoam, or to provide protection during handling of the product.
Greensulate is made of very common and generally cheap agricultural by-products of rice, buckwheat and cotton seed. The mix is used as a base for the growth of a type of mushroom called pleurotus ostreatus or ,Oyster Mushroom, Mycelium which is added to the mixture right after the addition of Hydrogen Peroxide to avoid the growth of undesired mushrooms or other organic plants. The whole is put into the desired molds then put in a dark environment. It is then dried to prevent further growth of mushroom throughout the material, thus preventing moss or fungus allergy due to exposure to the product.
History
The creation of greensulate Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre first met at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as mechanical engineers. They first started by trying out different cultures of mushrooms and study their proprieties as insulators. They quickly noticed that by manipulating the growth environment, they were able to shape the propriety of the material: strength, flexibility and temperature tolerance. In 2007 a $16,000 dollar funding from the national collegiate inventors and Innovators Alliance; by the time, the students were corporate under the name of Ecovative Design. A year later, many other members join their team and won a $700,000 prize at the PICNIC green challenge at Amsterdam. The first trial of the Greensulate product as a new type of green insulator is being currently tested at a Vermont School Gym.
Technical Specifications
Density Level ______________Low Density________Medium Density
Density_____________________4 lbs/ft³__________6 lbs/ft³
R-Value_____________________3 per in___________3 per in
Compressive Yield Strength____25 psi___________25 psi
Compressive Modulus__________315 psi__________315 psi
Flexural Strength³____________25 psi___________26 psi
Flexural Modulus⁴_____________236 psi__________236 psi
References
- ^ Amber Cleveland, “Commencement 2007: Graduate Develops “Growable” Solution to Energy Issues.”, May 4, 2007, “[1]”, Retrieved November 28, 2009
- ^ Heimbuch, Jaymi, Greensulate: building industry warms up to mushrooms.” Ecogeek.org May 30, 2008, “[2]”, Retrieved November 28, 2009
- ^ Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, “Environmentally Friendly Organic Insulation Uses Mushroom Spores”, 2007, May 7, “[3]”, Retrieved November 28, 2009
- ^ Boch, Adam. “Staying Cool: Green insulation gets warm reception.” Scientific American. May 28, 2008. “[4]”, Retrieved November 28, 2009
- ^ Jeremy Hsu, “Invention Awards: Eco-Friendly Insulation Made From Mushrooms.”, May 26, 2009, “[5]”, Retrieved November 28, 2009
- ^ Binder, Libuse. “Ecovative Design: Making Magic Out of Mushrooms.” Earth 911. May 11, 2009. “[6]”, Retrieved November 28, 2009
- ^ “[7]”, Retrieved November 28, 2009
External links