Mycomaterial processing in liquid medium
A system and method for making a biopolymer-based fungal mat is described. The system includes a plurality of fresh fungal materials, a mass balance, a liquid chemical solution and a vacuum tumbler drum. The method comprises the steps of harvesting the plurality of fresh mycelium material and marking them for identification, then weighing the initial mass of the mycelium materials is carried out. The liquid chemical solution is decanted into the vacuum tumbler drum distributed with the mycelium material. Thereafter, vacuum is applied to the vacuum tumbler drum and the drum is rotated to ensure thorough mixing and refreshing of the liquid chemical solution at the mycelium surface. The process of vacuuming and rotating the drum is repeated and the fungal mat is formed. The fungal mat is removed from the vacuum tumbler drum for draining away surface moisture thereon to provide a dried fungal mat.
1 . A method for making a biopolymer-based fungal mat, comprising:
harvesting a plurality of fresh fungal materials from a substrate inoculated with a fungal tissue;
marking each of the plurality of fresh fungal materials for identification by creating a plurality of punch holes oriented along a proximal end of each of the plurality of fresh fungal materials;
weighing and recording initial masses of each of the plurality of fresh fungal materials using a mass balance;
providing a liquid chemical solution having a solvent-to-chemical ratio from 0:100 to 100:0 and temperatures ranging from 10° C. to 60° C.;
decanting the liquid chemical solution into a vacuum tumbler drum;
distributing at least one of the plurality of fresh fungal materials across the vacuum tumbler drum on respective sides of a perforated divider disposed within the vacuum tumbler drum, the perforated divider being configured to permit flow of the liquid chemical solution while reducing self-adherence among the at least one of the plurality of fresh fungal materials;
sealing the vacuum tumbler drum and applying vacuum to the vacuum tumbler drum to pull open a porous fungal structure of the at least one of the plurality of fresh fungal materials and to facilitate ingress of the liquid chemical solution therethrough;
rotating, using variable speed control, the vacuum tumbler drum at a rotational speed between 0.5 and 10 RPM to ensure thorough mixing and refreshing of the liquid chemical solution at a surface of the at least one of the plurality of fresh fungal materials and to prevent stagnant surface layer chemical concentration on the surface of the at least one of the plurality of fresh fungal materials;
repeatedly vacuuming and rotating the vacuum tumbler drum thereby providing liquid chemical solution uptake by the at least one of the plurality of fresh fungal materials to form the biopolymer-based fungal mat; and
removing the biopolymer-based fungal mat from the vacuum tumbler drum, draining away surface moisture thereon, and drying the biopolymer-based fungal mat to provide a dried fungal mat, the dried fungal mat including uniformly translucent regions.
2 . The method of claim 1 wherein weighing the initial mass of each of the plurality of fresh fungal materials with the mass balance allows quantification of a mass of chemicals retained in the fungal mat after drying.
3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of fresh fungal materials comprises mycelium.
4 . The method of claim 1 wherein repeatedly vacuuming and rotating the vacuum tumbler drum comprises, for each cycle, applying vacuum to a target vacuum level indicated by a display or dial associated with the vacuum tumbler drum and rotating the vacuum tumbler drum for a user-selected run time.
5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising optically reading the plurality of punch holes using a sensor, thereby permitting an automated identification and tracking of the plurality of fresh fungal materials.