Mycelium
Mycocycle
The fact that recycled tyre rubber can continue to be useful in various applications after its service on the road may come as a surprise, but some uses are more unexpected than others. One such surprising application is the potential use of tyre granulate as a plant nutrient. Researchers have discovered a method for breaking down and transforming components of tyre rubber using fungal mycelium. This has led to a new phase of research to explore potential applications, including in agriculture and urban planting of trees. Tyre rubber contains a range of additives, but recent advancements in research have shown that mycelium – the underground network of roots developed by fungi – can process or break down some of these substances to benefit plants and whole eco-systems.
In autumn 2024, Swedish Tyre Recycling began a collaboration with the research company Mycocycle to investigate the practical applications of this discovery. Mycocycle is experimenting with tyre granulate, starting with the examination of whether mycelium can remove specific substances from the granulate. This could open new opportunities for material recycling. The next phase of the research will focus on transforming substances from tyre shreds into nutrients. There is already observed potential, and in the future, tyre shreds could become a regenerative alternative to chemical fertilisers. Today’s chemical fertilisers provide the three essential nutrients – nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus – that plants need. In nature, these nutrients are made available through mycelium in an ecosystem were organisms exchange substances symbiotically. The addition of chemical fertilisers disrupts this natural system, which can lead to the death of mycelium and thus reduce the soil’s natural fertility. Swedish Tyre Recycling hopes that by using customised granulate and specifically selected mycelium in fields, they can enhance the natural nutrient process as a complement to chemical fertilisers. Previously, there have been related concepts, such as composting, but this approach of combining technical materials with mycelium in this manner is entirely new.
The study also includes examining whether crops cultivated in areas with high levels of tyre granulate might contain traces of carcinogenic substances.
"Managing potentially hazardous substances, such as PAHs from tyres, is an integral part of the project. Although we are still at an early stage, given the increasing nutrient deficiency in soils, it is worth exploring the significant potential here. Cultivation methods and fastgrowing crops have resulted in humans getting less nutrition through food today than we did 40 years ago, despite eating more. This trend needs to be reversed. We want to examine how biological and technological cycles can support each other. It may be controversial, but it cannot be right for those cycles to always be kept separate,” says Fredrik Ardefors, CEO of Swedish Tyre Recycling.
Inspired by the circular processes in forests that transform end-of-life trees into valuable soil, Mycocycle is developing cost-effective and sustainable methods to leverage the biochemical capabilities of fungi for cleaning up construction debris, rubber, and other industrial pollutants, much like how they decompose fallen wood in the forest. The scientists cultivate and test various fungi, seeking species with enzymes that can effectively break down and detoxify waste, rapidly converting it into harmless materials as the fungi weave into their own root-like structures, resulting in new types of bio-based ingredients. The biomass produced by the fungi is fire and water-resistant, exceptionally light and durable, and can be utilised in the production of flooring, concrete, insulation products, and more, replacing petrochemical polymers currently in use. Mycocycle is thrilled to collaborate with Swedish Tyre Recycling to advance research into the mycological degradation of crumb rubber.
Website: mycocycle.com
Instagram: mycocycle
Email: customerservice@mycocycle.com
Country: USA
