(CNN) A hard, bell-shaped mushroom that grows on the decaying bark of trees has been used as a fire starter for centuries, earning it the nickname “clam mushroom”.
Now, researchers are taking a closer look at the molecular structure of these powerful organisms – and they discovered it could hold the secret to replacing some types of plastic.
Part of the fungus, officially called Fomes fomentarius, was found to have similar structural strength to plywood or leather but at a lighter weight, according to Stadiums Published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.
“F. fomentarius fruit bodies are an ingenious lightweight biological design that is simple in structure but efficient in performance,” the study notes. “Cultivating materials with simple materials is an alternative solution to address costs, time, mass production, and the sustainability of how materials are made and consumed in the future.”
What makes F. fomentarius so strong
F. fomentarius—sometimes also called “hoof fungus” because of its visual resemblance to horse hooves—harvested in the wild has long been used by humans to feed fire. It is also used to make several items of clothing, including hats. However, mushrooms have recently piqued the interest of the scientific community, according to research.
Researchers at the VTT Technical Research Center in Finland sought to analyze the internal structure of the fungus F. fomentarius in greater depth, and to discern the precise structure that gives the fungus its unique strength and light weight. Study co-author Dr. Bizman Mohammadi, a senior scientist at VTT, said what they found was very promising.
Mold has structural integrity similar to certain plastic qualities and can be used to replace shock-absorbing materials used in items such as football helmets and other sports equipment; Heat and sound insulator. Even consumer product parts, such as headphone parts, said Mohammadi via email.
Mohammadi adds that F. fomentarius “has a very hard protective outer layer, a softer, spongy middle layer, and a strong and rigid inner layer that can (respectively) outperform different classes of synthetic and natural materials.”
Possible use of F. fomentarius
Researchers suggest no The tinder mushroom must be harvested from the wild and intended for industrial processing. Mohammadi notes that this would not be economically feasible, and that F. fomentarius needs seven to ten years to grow to a large size. Fungi, very common in the Northern Hemisphere, play an important role in their ecosystem, blooming on the decaying bark of beech and birch trees to aid in the decomposition process.
But Mohammadi says researchers have taken promising steps to grow the fungus or similar species in a laboratory environment.
“With the advancement of industrial biotechnology, we expect metric tons to be produced in a matter of weeks unlike wild mushrooms which take years to grow,” Mohammadi wrote in an email. “For example, in our research institute, we have a 1,000 liter trial scale bioreactor that can be implemented.
“However, like any other start-up technology, it will take several years of research and development to be fully realized.”
