SBIR Phase I: Gel-Assisted Casting of a Self-Assembling Biocomposite Material

SBIR 第一阶段：自组装生物复合材料的凝胶辅助铸造

• 批准号: 1113674
• 负责人: Emily Carroll
• 金额: $ 14.99万
• 依托单位: Ecovative Design LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-07-01 至 2011-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1113674&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Gel; Assisted; Casting

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop an innovative, environmentally benign process for forming net shape products of superior quality and performance from dissimilar biomaterial components. Plastics and foams are dependent upon inherently unsustainable raw materials, require a high embodied energy to produce, and do not readily biodegrade at the end of their useful lives. This project will focus on the further development of an alternative material system: a self-assembling biocomposite which is literally grown in the dark using fungal tissue to bind heterogeneous particles of agricultural waste. The biodegradable material exhibits mechanical properties that rival synthetic foams and offers the potential to transform the multi-billion dollar protective packaging and structural cores industries. However, the thin-walled plastic forms used to shape resulting products during growth have a limited service life and must be replaced frequently. Removing or reducing dependence on these forms, through development of a gelatinizing growth substrate and process, will increase sustainability and yield, and reduce costs to further incentivize widespread adoption. The proposed research will answer questions that will determine whether this gel-assisted casting process is technically and commercially feasible, and therefore laying the groundwork for a Phase II project.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is difficult to overstate. Conventional methods of producing low-cost, high strength-to-weight ratio materials for protective packaging and building construction use up to 10% of the world's petroleum as feedstock and consume considerable energy in the production process. Mycological material technology eliminates the need for fossil fuel feedstock and currently requires only one-eighth of the energy to produce an equivalent volume as compared to synthetic foam. In addition, the products are non-toxic, fire-retardant, and readily biodegradable. The commercial potential is high, as products made of this material, as currently manufactured, already successfully compete in the marketplace with products made of expanded polystyrene and expanded polypropylene. The benefits to society at large include safer materials, the transition to regional manufacturing which will bolster local economies, the use of domestic byproducts as the primary raw material, lower energy consumption, and a production method which creates less waste and pollution. The successful completion of this project will help United States manufacturers to emerge as world leaders in the production and supply of sustainable materials, with the potential to serve numerous global markets.

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将开发一种创新的、对环境无害的工艺，从不同的生物材料部件形成质量和性能优异的净形产品。塑料和泡沫依赖于固有的不可持续的原材料，需要很高的具体能量来生产，并且在使用寿命结束时不容易生物降解。该项目将专注于进一步开发一种替代材料系统：一种自组装生物复合材料，它实际上是在黑暗中生长，使用真菌组织结合不同种类的农业废物颗粒。这种可生物降解材料表现出与合成泡沫相媲美的机械性能，并提供了改变数十亿美元的保护包装和结构芯材行业的潜力。然而，用于在生长过程中成形所得产品的薄壁塑料模板的使用寿命有限，必须经常更换。通过开发胶化生长基质和工艺，消除或减少对这些形式的依赖，将增加可持续性和产量，并降低成本，以进一步刺激广泛采用。拟议的研究将回答一些问题，这些问题将决定这种凝胶辅助铸造工艺在技术和商业上是否可行，从而为第二阶段项目奠定基础。这个项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力怎么夸大都不为过。生产用于防护包装和建筑建筑的低成本、高强度/重量比材料的传统方法使用高达10%的世界石油作为原料，并在生产过程中消耗大量能源。真菌材料技术消除了对化石燃料原料的需求，与合成泡沫相比，目前只需要八分之一的能量就可以生产同等体积的产品。此外，该产品无毒、阻燃、易生物降解。商业潜力很大，因为目前制造的这种材料制成的产品已经成功地在市场上与发泡聚苯乙烯和发泡聚丙烯制成的产品竞争。对整个社会的好处包括更安全的材料，向区域制造业的过渡，这将提振当地经济，使用国内副产品作为主要原材料，更低的能源消耗，以及产生更少废物和污染的生产方法。该项目的成功完成将有助于美国制造商在可持续材料的生产和供应方面成为世界领先者，具有服务于众多全球市场的潜力。