[Utilization of mycelial waste of antibiotic production in the technology of kilned construction materials]

At present the main part of the mycelial waste of antibiotic production is collected in sludge lagoones, discarded to the sewage treatment system or burnt. The mycelial waste is one of the causes of the environmental pollution. It contains a significant quantity of valuable substances, such as lipids, carbohydrates, proteins and amino acids. The inorganic portion of the waste includes the compounds of calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, silicium and phosphorus. The levels of the above substances in the mycelial waste allow using it as organic mineral additives in making expanded clay aggregate gravel with the use of low quality clay and loam. It may be also used as the burn-out of the raw material charge in making burnt bricks and other burnt building materials. By its calorific value the mycelial waste is equal to brown coal or peat. It was shown that the structural and mechanical properties of the mixtures of the mycelium and clay depended on the moisture content of the composition and the proportion of its components. The mycelial waste provided a decrease in the optimal temperature of burning by 40-50 degrees C. The production tests at the expanded clay aggregate plants showed that the bulk weight of expanded clay aggregate might be lowered by 50-100 kg/m3 and the usual additives with the use of petroleum products might be completely excluded from the technological process. The use of the mycelial waste for manufacture of burnt building materials provides saving of the fuel energy sources and improvement of the quality of the finished product. It is also important from the ecological viewpoint.