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Growth behavior of wood-destroying fungi in chemically modified wood: wood degradation and translocation of nitrogen compounds

  • Lukas Emmerich EMAIL logo , Maja Bleckmann , Sarah Strohbusch , Christian Brischke , Susanne Bollmus and Holger Militz
Published/Copyright: February 15, 2021
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Holzforschung
From the journal Holzforschung Volume 75 Issue 9

Abstract

Chemical wood modification has been used to modify wood and improve its decay resistance. However, the mode of protective action is still not fully understood. Occasionally, outdoor products made from chemically modified timber (CMT) show internal decay while their outer shell remains intact. Hence, it was hypothesized that wood decay fungi may grow through CMT without losing their capability to degrade non-modified wood. This study aimed at developing a laboratory test set-up to investigate (1) whether decay fungi grow through CMT and (2) retain their ability to degrade non-modified wood. Acetylated and 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU) treated wood were used in decay tests with modified ‘mantle specimens’ and untreated ‘core dowels’. It became evident that white rot (Trametes versicolor), brown rot (Coniophora puteana) and soft rot fungi can grow through CMT without losing their ability to degrade untreated wood. Consequently, full volume impregnation of wood with the modifying agent is required to achieve complete protection of wooden products. In decay tests with DMDHEU treated specimens, significant amounts of apparently non-fixated DMDHEU were translocated from modified mantle specimens to untreated wood cores. A diffusion-driven transport of nitrogen and DMDHEU seemed to be responsible for mass translocation during decay testing.

Keywords: acetylation; chemical wood modification; DMDHEU; durability; fungal growth; nitrogen analysis
Corresponding author: Lukas Emmerich, Wood Biology and Wood Products, University of Goettingen, Buesgenweg 4, D-37077 Goettingen, Germany, E-mail:

  1. Author contribution: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.

  2. Research funding: None declared.

  3. Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.

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Received: 2020-12-03
Accepted: 2021-01-12
Published Online: 2021-02-15
Published in Print: 2021-09-27

© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Original articles
  3. Specific heat capacity of wood between −140 and 50 °C in dry and wet state
  4. Growth behavior of wood-destroying fungi in chemically modified wood: wood degradation and translocation of nitrogen compounds
  5. Characterisation of compound middle lamella isolated by a combination of wet-beating, sedimentation, and methanol dialysis
  6. Review
  7. A review of lignin hydrogen peroxide oxidation chemistry with emphasis on aromatic aldehydes and acids
  8. Original articles
  9. Fibre development in an intensified mechanical pulping process
  10. Tensile properties of finger-jointed lumber under high-temperature and oxygen-free conditions
  11. Predicting strength of Finnish birch veneers based on three different failure criteria
  12. Non-fluorine surface modification of acetylated birch for improved water repellence
  13. Ultrasonic cavitation driven fabrication of organic solvent free lignin/prochloraz nano capsules to promote resistance to photolysis and rain wash, and provide extended release performance
https://doi.org/10.1515/hf-2020-0252
Keywords for this article
acetylation; chemical wood modification; DMDHEU; durability; fungal growth; nitrogen analysis

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Original articles
  3. Specific heat capacity of wood between −140 and 50 °C in dry and wet state
  4. Growth behavior of wood-destroying fungi in chemically modified wood: wood degradation and translocation of nitrogen compounds
  5. Characterisation of compound middle lamella isolated by a combination of wet-beating, sedimentation, and methanol dialysis
  6. Review
  7. A review of lignin hydrogen peroxide oxidation chemistry with emphasis on aromatic aldehydes and acids
  8. Original articles
  9. Fibre development in an intensified mechanical pulping process
  10. Tensile properties of finger-jointed lumber under high-temperature and oxygen-free conditions
  11. Predicting strength of Finnish birch veneers based on three different failure criteria
  12. Non-fluorine surface modification of acetylated birch for improved water repellence
  13. Ultrasonic cavitation driven fabrication of organic solvent free lignin/prochloraz nano capsules to promote resistance to photolysis and rain wash, and provide extended release performance
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