“Currently there are halogenated and non-halogenated fire retardants that have health and environmental concerns,” she explains. This is in stark contrast to commercial fire retardants, Huynh tells Physics World. (Courtesy: RMIT)Ī further benefit is that when mycelium does burn, it produces only carbon dioxide and water. The research team: (l-r) Nattanan (Becky) Chulikavit, Tien Huynh and Everson Kandare in their lab at RMIT’s Bundoora campus. As well as slowing down the transfer of heat, it prevents volatile materials in the layers beneath it from escaping into the combustion zone. This layer of char has a two-part protective effect. Instead of bursting into flames, as the Grenfell cladding did, an exposed surface made of mycelium decomposes to form a gritty black substance called char. Charring fungus has a protective effectįor Kandare, Huynh and colleagues, the source of mycelium’s appeal lies in the way it behaves when exposed to fire and other sources of radiant heat. The hope is that such sheets could replace flammable cladding panels like the ones that contributed to the deadly Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 Londoners in 2017. The second group, led by nanoengineer Everson Kandare and biotechnologist Tien Huynh of RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, used mycelium to create compressed sheets of fire-retardant material. Webinars Tune into online presentations that allow expert speakers to explain novel tools and applications.
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