B.S.G. + Mycelium

2022 - 2023

Brewer's spent grain (B.S.G.) is a byproduct of the brewing industry, consisting of wet grains (mostly malted barley) used during 'mashing,' the first step of the brewing process. Breweries produce up to 2 kg of BSG for every 5 liters of beer, typically disposing of it by composting or turning it into animal feed. However, we believe BSG can achieve higher environmental benefits by being transformed into a new sustainable material for product design and construction, potentially replacing petroleum-based plastics in some applications. Even after the brewing process, BSG remains rich in proteins and other nutrients. We hypothesized using it as a substrate in a mycelium-based composite material. By isolating a mycelium strain and training it with only malt extract, we defined the ideal process for producing mycelium panels on pure BSG within a year. This sustainable material is biodegradable, soil-enriching, compact, slightly elastic, highly insulating, fire retardant, and easily moldable, making it an excellent substitute for petroleum-based foams like expanded polystyrene (EPS).
Because of these properties, we collaborated with Matilde Cini to use the material as packaging for shipping her ceramic products and created sandwich panel prototypes for thermal insulation in building construction.

In collaboration with industrial designers Ona Joan and Alvise Rizzo.