Mushroom Could Replace Plastics? Hoof Fungus Shows Remarkable Abilities; Can Be Used to Create Ultra-Lightweight, High-Performance Materials

A good mushroom can potentially replace plastics! One of the most pressing environmental issues today is plastic pollution because most are not disposed of properly and end up in the waterways and oceans. But a particular species of mushroom is both biodegradable and durable enough to replace plastics.

Hoof Fungus Mushroom Could Potentially Replace Plastics

A new study focused on hoof fungus (Fomes fomentarius ) and its remarkable ability to yield a wide range of materials with different properties. This type of mushroom can be used to produce materials that are soft and spongelike, to tough and woody, The Verge reported.

They studied the architecture of the mushroom and the researchers were stunned by its structure, which could pave the way for a sustainable building block in our lives.

Pezhman Mohammadi, one of the authors of the new paper and a senior scientist at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, said when something beautiful starts to form, nature doesn't just do it for beauty, there must be a purpose.

Hoof fungus or tinder fungus looks like a horse's hoof growing out of a tree trunk that's how it got its name. The researchers noted that in the future, the mushroom can be used to create a new class of ultra-lightweight, high-performance materials.

This fungus is special because it has three layers, each of which has unique qualities that could be applied in various contexts. For example, an extremely durable outer crust might be employed to provide an impact-resistant covering for windshields. Next, there is a middle layer that is gentle to the touch and can resemble leather. The innermost third layer resembles wood.

The research team examined each layer and evaluated its possible applications using cutting-edge imaging methods and mechanical strength testing. There's already interest in building mushroom-based materials, packaging and textiles. Mohammadi and his team have even created a prototype set of headphones using its thread-like structure called mycelium.

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When Will Mushroom Replace Plastics?

It will still take a long time before mushrooms can replace plastics. They cannot be taken from forests since doing so would seriously harm the ecology.

For the market, the mycelium would have to be mass-produced. Also, they have to modify the fungus' genome to highlight particular qualities.

Additionally, more study and testing must be conducted to ensure that the final products hit the ideal balance between biodegradability and consumer-acceptable durability.

The study was published in the journal Science Advances.

What Is Hoof Fungus?

Hoof fungus has several names, including tinder fungus, false tinder fungus, tinder conk, tinder polypore or ice man fungus. It's a species of fungal plant pathogen found in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America, according to iNaturalist.

They are shaped like a horse's hoof, hence the name hoof fungus. They vary in color from silvery grey to almost black. However, most are brown.

They typically live on trees long after they have died and changed from a parasite to a decomposer. It is not suitable for eating but has been used as the main ingredient of amadou, a material used primarily as tinder. It's also used to make clothing and other items.