[P008] Poster

1:00 PM - 1:50 PM JST(4:00 AM - 4:50 AM UTC)

[P04-476] Thermal Conductivity of Mycelium-Based Insulation Composites Derived from Spent Mushroom Substrate

○Giwon Goh¹ (1. Chosun University / Graduate School, Department of Chemical Engineering / Prof. Shin's Lab (Korea))

Keywords:

Mycelium Based composites,Insulation,Thermal Conductivity,Perlite Reinforcement,Custom Built Measurement

The transition toward sustainable building materials necessitates the development of renewable and low-carbon insulation systems to replace petroleum-based materials. Mycelium-based composites (MBCs) have attracted attention as promising bio-derived insulation materials due to their ability to convert low-value biomass into lightweight and porous structures through fungal growth. However, reported thermal conductivity values of MBCs vary significantly across studies, largely due to differences in material composition, microstructure, and measurement methodologies. In this study, the thermal conductivity of MBCs was evaluated under steady-state conditions using a comparative cut-bar technique to ensure one-dimensional heat transfer and improved measurement reliability. Particular attention was given to the influence of surface densification (outer skin layer) and mineral filler incorporation on thermal performance. Preliminary experiments were conducted on four types of samples: untreated MBCs, MBCs with surface skin layers removed, and perlite-reinforced MBCs with varying contents (10 wt% and 20 wt%). The removal of the surface skin resulted in a noticeable decrease in thermal conductivity, indicating that surface densification plays a significant role in heat transfer behavior. In contrast, although perlite addition reduced bulk density, it led to an increase in thermal conductivity, suggesting that density alone is not a sufficient predictor of thermal performance in such heterogeneous porous systems. These findings highlight the importance of considering both structural characteristics and measurement conditions when evaluating the thermal properties of mycelium-based insulation materials. This work provides preliminary insights toward establishing more consistent and reliable evaluation approaches for bio-based insulation systems.