Development and mould technology for biocomposite structures (Application for thermoinsulated bio plates)

Abstract

Biocomposite materials are a combination of two or more different biomaterials at the macroscopic level, with competitive mechanical and insulation properties, relatively stable when exposed to high temperatures and tailorable. In this paper, materials are with a vegetative part of fungi (mycelium-mesh structure of hyphae) which are increasingly used to create biocomposites with unique processing technology. The vegetative part of a fungus called mycelium, can serve as a natural binder for products made of biocomposite and acts like a self-assembling adhesive by digesting and adhering to the surface of specific organic matter. This paper presents the development of mould technology to set the biocomposite structure and test its mechanical characteristics. The primary purpose of the mould is to bring the loose natural material into a solid preparation following the standards ASTM D7250 and ASTM D1037, which include testing the technologically prepared and hardened sample for tensile and pressure. Development and moulding of biocomposite are the technological processes of drying after sowing mycelium so a variant of the mould with a perforated upper part was used to harden the samples thoroughly.