Date: Apr 13, 2015 Author: Sam Grobart Source: Bloomberg (
click here to go to the source)
Think much about particle board? You should. It's in everything from the chairs we sit on to the houses we live in.
Problem is, the close cousin of plywood is usually made using urea formaldehyde to help bind the wood particles together. The substance has been classified as a known human carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency.
One company, Ecovative Design in upstate New York, has figured out how to replace urea formaldehyde with with an unlikely alternative: mushrooms. Not whole mushrooms like you'd find on a pizza, but the root structure of mushrooms, called mycelium. Mycelium does as good a job as any binding wood particles, but will break down into harmless organic matter when disposed.
For now, Ecovative is using mycelium in particle board and packaging materials, but it's possible that mushroom tech could find its way into other materials used in construction, healthcare and other industries.
That's food for thought.
Bloomberg's profile of Ecovative Design is the latest installment of The Spark, which looks at innovators finding solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems.
