Academics

Podcast explores renewable, biodegradable construction materials

The September episode of Growing Impact explores a seed grant project that looks to use mycelium, the root structure of fungi, as a renewable, biodegradable building material with a small carbon footprint. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The latest episode of the Growing Impact podcast features Benay Gürsoy Toykoç, an assistant professor of architecture at Penn State. On the episode, the College of Arts and Architecture researcher discusses her seed grant project that looks to use mycelium, the root structure of fungi, as a renewable, biodegradable building material that has a small carbon footprint.

“The building industry, according to reports, has a big share in global carbon emissions,” Gürsoy Toykoç said. “In the United States alone, the building sector accounts for about 37% of all greenhouse gas emissions.”

She added that at the world will need alternative building materials to keep up with the demand of the construction industry.

“The resources we use for these [construction] materials are limited,” she said. “If we continue to build at this pace, they will run out. We need to find sustainable alternatives for building materials.”

Growing Impact is a podcast by the Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE). It features Penn State researchers who have been awarded IEE seed grants and discusses their foundational work as they further their projects. The podcast is available on multiple platforms, including Apple, Google, Amazon and Spotify.

Last Updated September 1, 2021

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