On the 17th of September, in a pond in Mas Rajols farm, Volterra’s team tested a new prototype of Green Floating Filters (GFFS) in Spain for their project LIFE Biomass C+. This prototype was a result of a collaboration between Volterra and the US Company Ecovative, which produces mycelium based products.
This new prototype is made from agricultural waste (wood chips) bonded by mycelium substrate. It is 100% biodegradable and contributes to the circular economy. Ecovative sent some samples to Volterra with the objective of exploring new uses and possible new applications for their materials.
Moreover, Volterra carried out some trials of this prototype in collaboration with the Spanish company Mycelio, partner in the project LIFE MycoRestore. Mycelio, a mushroom producer is very interested in the results of the Biomass C+ trials as they could provide the building block materials for the GFFS manufacturing.
As part of MycoRestore, Mycelio will expand their business model to produce mushroom substrate using pruned wood biomass from a 300 ha of forest near their production facility which will be sustainably managed by LIFE project partner Social Forest. As a result, Mycelio could potentially provide the mycelial building block materials for GFF manufacturing.
Using Typhas provided by UPM, Volterra placed 4 trays in a pond, as can be seen in the photos below. The material, as expected, coped very well with the weight of the saplings and retained its floatability. Different from the other Biomass C+ prototypes, made out of artificial materials, this one will degrade; however it is important that the trays keep their stability until the Typhas grows enough and floats by itself.
