Iris Colletion – Biocomposite

Long description

The agribusiness is considered the largest economic activity in Brazil and agricultural and livestock production has reached continuous records of productivity. Currently, Brazil is one of the largest food producers in the world, standing out as the 3rd largest exporter in the world and with a projected growth rate of 2.5% per year. At the same time that food is produced, harvested and processed, a huge amount of plant material (straws, bagasse, shells, etc.) is generated. It is estimated that in the case of grains, the production is approximately 2 tons of plant material for each ton of grain harvested. This means that all financial, environmental and personnel resources invested by the farmer end up being primarily aimed at producing a material that does not have food purposes, part of these lignocellulosic residues are left abandoned in the field (and 30% could be used for another purpose without affecting soil quality). Fungi are microorganisms that naturally play the role of decomposers of organic matter and have the ability to multiply in solid substrates. During its growth, the fungus acts as a particle aggregator, producing rigid structures that can be molded. Mush is a pioneer and, to the best of our knowledge, the only company in Brazil to develop a technology for producing fungal biocomposites. This material is produced from the growth of a fungus on a lignocellulosic material, where the first acts as a particle aggregator of the second, acting as a glue. From that was develop the Iris Colletion.

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