Effect of Physisporinus vitreus on wood properties of Norway spruce. Part 1: Aspects of delignification and surface hardness
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Christian Lehringer
,
Gerald Koch
Abstract
The white rot fungus Physisporinus vitreus is currently tested for several biotechnological applications such as permeability improvement of refractory wood species or the optimization of the acoustic properties of wood for violins. The enzymatic activity of P. vitreus results in the degradation of pit membranes and simultaneous alterations of the tracheid cell wall structure in wood of Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst]. By this means, selective delignification and simultaneous degradation occur in the latewood tracheids at short incubation times. To study the delignification of individual cell wall layers in latewood tracheids, cellular UV-microspectrophotometry was applied to wood of Norway spruce that had been incubated for between 3 and 9 weeks. By means of this technique, the progressing delignification was demonstrated in the latewood tracheid secondary walls. Moreover, local delignification in close proximity to hyphal tunneling, cavities, and notches was evident. Additionally, the mechanical changes were measured (a) at the macroscopic level by Brinell hardness test and (b) at the cellular level by nanoindentation. Brinell hardness was significantly reduced with increasing incubation time which was attributed to the partial delignification. Unlike Brinell tests, results from nanoindentation tests did not show a clear effect of fungal activity because of the material heterogeneity and the high spatial resolution of this technique. The present study provides methodological approaches for the investigation of wood-fungus interactions and contributes to a better understanding of the characteristics of wood decay at the subcellular level caused by the white rot fungus P. vitreus. Moreover, it establishes the basis for a subsequent chemical analysis, for which the results will be the topic of a second paper in this series.
©2011 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Original Papers
- Lignocellulosic biorefinery: process integration of hydrolysis and fermentation (SSF process)
- Study of stilbene and resin acid content of Scots pine heartwood by electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS)
- Radical scavenging characteristics of condensed tannins from barks of various tree species compared with quebracho wood tannin
- Two-step hydrolysis of nipa (Nypa fruticans) frond as treated by semi-flow hot-compressed water
- Effect of acetic acid addition on chemical conversion of woods as treated by semi-flow hot-compressed water
- Oxidative cleavage of non-phenolic β-O-4 lignin model dimers by an extracellular aromatic peroxygenase
- Surface chemistry of vessel elements by FE-SEM, μ-XPS and ToF-SIMS
- Application of FT-NIR-DR and FT-IR-ATR spectroscopy to estimate the chemical composition of bamboo (Neosinocalamus affinis Keng)
- Chemical modification of lignin assisted by microwave irradiation
- Acidic oxidation of kraft lignin into aromatic monomers catalyzed by transition metal salts
- Effect of Physisporinus vitreus on wood properties of Norway spruce. Part 1: Aspects of delignification and surface hardness
- Effect of Physisporinus vitreus on wood properties of Norway spruce. Part 2: Aspects of microtensile strength and chemical changes
- Mode I critical stress intensity factor of wood and medium-density fiberboard measured by compact tension test
- Effect of oxalic acid pretreatment of wood chips on manufacturing medium-density fiberboard
- Experimental investigation of stress wave propagation in standing trees
- Relationships between mechanical properties of oak timber (Quercus robur L.)
- Estimating mechanical properties and specific gravity for five-year-old Eucalyptus tereticornis having broad moisture content range by NIR spectroscopy
- Effect of morphological variability of incrusted pit membranes on efficiency of transverse compression to improve liquid uptake
- Short Notes
- Performance of biopolymer films with reinforcing cellulose-containing fillers from pine pulp and bark and birch sawdust
- Efficacy of two organic biocides with co-added antioxidants
Articles in the same Issue
- Original Papers
- Lignocellulosic biorefinery: process integration of hydrolysis and fermentation (SSF process)
- Study of stilbene and resin acid content of Scots pine heartwood by electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS)
- Radical scavenging characteristics of condensed tannins from barks of various tree species compared with quebracho wood tannin
- Two-step hydrolysis of nipa (Nypa fruticans) frond as treated by semi-flow hot-compressed water
- Effect of acetic acid addition on chemical conversion of woods as treated by semi-flow hot-compressed water
- Oxidative cleavage of non-phenolic β-O-4 lignin model dimers by an extracellular aromatic peroxygenase
- Surface chemistry of vessel elements by FE-SEM, μ-XPS and ToF-SIMS
- Application of FT-NIR-DR and FT-IR-ATR spectroscopy to estimate the chemical composition of bamboo (Neosinocalamus affinis Keng)
- Chemical modification of lignin assisted by microwave irradiation
- Acidic oxidation of kraft lignin into aromatic monomers catalyzed by transition metal salts
- Effect of Physisporinus vitreus on wood properties of Norway spruce. Part 1: Aspects of delignification and surface hardness
- Effect of Physisporinus vitreus on wood properties of Norway spruce. Part 2: Aspects of microtensile strength and chemical changes
- Mode I critical stress intensity factor of wood and medium-density fiberboard measured by compact tension test
- Effect of oxalic acid pretreatment of wood chips on manufacturing medium-density fiberboard
- Experimental investigation of stress wave propagation in standing trees
- Relationships between mechanical properties of oak timber (Quercus robur L.)
- Estimating mechanical properties and specific gravity for five-year-old Eucalyptus tereticornis having broad moisture content range by NIR spectroscopy
- Effect of morphological variability of incrusted pit membranes on efficiency of transverse compression to improve liquid uptake
- Short Notes
- Performance of biopolymer films with reinforcing cellulose-containing fillers from pine pulp and bark and birch sawdust
- Efficacy of two organic biocides with co-added antioxidants
