Process and apparatus for producing mycelium biomaterial

Abstract

The process for producing mycelium biomaterial provides fresh oxygen to the growing mycelium biomaterial while removing waste heat and waste carbon dioxide by forced aeration through large volumes of material. In a first phase of fungal expansion, humidified air at a programmed temperature is passed upwardly and through a fungal inoculated substrate of discrete particles to allow the fungal inoculum to expand and dominate the substrate. Nutrient is added to the inoculated mixture and a second phase of fungal expansion is performed wherein humidified air at a programmed temperature is passed upwardly and through the nutrient enriched fungal inoculated substrate to allow the fungal inoculum to bond the discrete particles into a self-supporting biocomposite. The process and apparatus of the invention allows for the processing of grown materials bound by mycelium at depths of greater than 6″ and particularly in the range of from 24″ to 28″.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.