Fungi could be the next big thing in fireproofing: Here's how

Jul 24, 2023

Fungal fireproofing materials could help to protect the environment by reducing the need for harmful chemicals in traditional fireproofing materials. Image: Pexels/Marek Kupiec

Tien Huynh

Senior Lecturer in the School of Sciences, RMIT University

Everson Kandare

Associate Professor, School of Engineering, RMIT University

Nattanan Chulikavit

PhD Student, School of Engineering, RMIT University

The Big Picture

Explore and monitor how Science is affecting economies, industries and global issues

A hand holding a looking glass by a lake

Crowdsource Innovation

Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:

Science

Mycleium is the vegetative root-like structure of fungi. It’s usually hidden from view underground. Image: Shutterstock

Our mycelium material can be used as a thin, wallpaper-like fireproofing layer.

Have you read?

The material could be used as a consolidated laminate with a thickness of about 4.5mm.

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.