&EPA
www.epa.gov
science in ACTION
BUILDING A SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION FOR SOUND ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS
Ecovative Design: Greensulate
GROWING AMERICA'S GREEN ECONOMY WITH RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
2009 EPA SBIR Contract Recipient
Growing mushrooms for your
insulation? This project is one of
many ways that EPA is working to
promote green building - in this case,
by funding the development of an
environmentally-friendly
construction material.
Ecovative Design, is an
environmental start-up company
based in Troy, New York founded in
2007. With the help of seed money
from EPA's Small Business
Innovation Research program
(SBIR), the company is developing a
new product to replace synthetic
foams used in packaging and
construction. "We take agricultural
byproducts like rice hulls, cottonseed
hulls, and buckwheat hulls, and we
bond them together using fungal
mycelium - you can think of it as
mushroom roots" says chief
scientist, Gavin Mclntyre.
Ecovative Design injects living
mushroom cells into a mixture of
water, hydrogen peroxide, mineral
particles, and agricultural
byproducts. The cells grow into a
fungal mycelium, a tangled web
made up of thousands of root-like
strands that hold the hulls and other
materials together. The product is
then dried to kill the mycelium.
Ecovative Design calls the material
"Greensulate™." The technology
uses the vegetative growth stage of a
benign fungus mycelium:
P.ostreatus, I.obliquus,
F.formentariusA.arvensis. The
material has comparable strength
and insulation values as basic
expanded polystyrene or Styrofoam.
Greensulate™ is made from plant
waste and is completely
biodegradable. "It takes about one-
tenth as much energy to produce as
synthetic foams since it literally
grows itself' and Mclntyre says it's
also non-flammable.
Greensulate is also cost-competitive
since the raw materials are
agricultural wastes. Ecovative
Design plans to develop a network
of manufacturing facilities that
would use only agricultural wastes
from nearby farms, to minimize the
impact of transportation. Regional
production reduces greenhouse gas
emissions and energy consumption
while taking advantage of domestic
agricultural byproducts.
Mclntyre says Greensulate™ could
replace polystyrene for a wide range
of uses including structural cores in
wind turbine blades, boats,
surfboards, lightweight vehicle
panels, household insulation, and
packaging materials.
Ecovative Design claims that even
though Greensulate™ is designed to
decompose in a compost pile or
garden, it won't break down or
attract pests when used in building
construction. Greensulate could
potentially retail for one-half the cost
of petrol-foams, reducing a
customer's initial capital building
expense.
Under the EPA SBIR contract
Ecovative Design constructed a
prototype production line. Several
panels were grown and installed in
both residential and commercial
applications in the Northeast. During
this process, typical weather and
handling conditions had no impact
on the Greensulate™.
Total EPA Investment
$70,000
Return on EPA Investment
Ecovative Design has conducted
material performance testing of
Greensulate. Additional funds have
been leveraged. Packaging material
is now on the market. Greensulate
expected to be produced in 2011.
Company grew from 2 to 18
positions after SBIR award.
OTHER AWARDS
ASME Grant
National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators
Alliance Grant
York State Energy Research and
Development Authority Grant
OTHER LINKS:
EPA Project reports:
http://www.epa.gov/ncer/greensulate
Ecovative Design:
http://www.ecovativedesign.com
EPA SBIR site:
http://www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir
CONTACT: James Gallup, EPA SBIR
Program Manager, (202) 343-9703
gallup.iamesfaiepa.gov
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
------- |