Biobo

Mycotech Lab adopts what they call a “Circular Economy Practice” that incorporates their Mylea Leather production and waste into the life cycle of the Biobo Panel. The Biobo Panel is a composite board that uses recycled cutting waste from their mushroom products and bound together with mushroom mycelium as an adhesive. Unused mushroom waste from both these processes are composted as fertilizer that feeds back into the local agroforestry industry in West Java, Indonesia. 

The manufacturing cycle for Mycotech products (Mylea Leather and Biobo Panel) involves the same steps: Sieving, Sterilization, Incubation, Separation, Boiling, Dyeing and Drying, Tenacity testing, Pressing, and Cutting. Collaborating with local farmers, agricultural waste (cassava, corn, sugarcane, and sawdust) is collected, sieved, and packed into bags. The waste-filled bags are then sterilized in an autoclave. Once sterilized, spores are added to the bags and stored in an incubation room. 

Depending on the thickness and dimension of the product, local weather, and humidity, the bags are left in incubation for 14-30 days. After incubation, the mushroom material is separated for Mylea or Biobo use, the former has to be boiled in order to prevent fungal growth. After Mylea is dyed, both Mylea and Biobo are dried and made more durable. 

While the Mylea Leather is tested for tensile strength, the Biobo materials are pressed into a composite board that utilizes mycelium as a glue. Then, the board is cut into tiles of various sizes, the excess materials can be recycled to make a mosaic pattern in the creation of future Biobo panels. 

Currently, Biobo Panels are past the prototyping phase and are in mass production.

Those interested in Mycotech Lab products are invited to contact them through their website;