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The degradation of wood surfaces by water
1984 - IRG/WP 3289
Thin radial/longitudinal sections (~100 µ) of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) and lime (Tilia vulgaris), were exposed to deionised water over the temperature range 25-65°C. Losses in wet tensile strength and toughness occurred rapidly at temperatures from about 50°C upwards. After about 2 months' exposure pine lost some 10-30% of its tensile strength and 20-60% of its toughness. For lime...
W B Banks, P D Evans


An attempt to develop a direct and reliable method for testing the preventive action of preservation treatments of wood against fungal decay
1980 - IRG/WP 2139
In wood preservation there are two classical ways for assessing the reliability of preventive treatments against wood decay: the laboratory tests in which the various parameters are evaluated independently and the field tests or service tests in which those parameters are acting together in the natural environment. One has always tried to build bridges between the two types of experiments and to e...
M Fougerousse


Soft rot decay of Belian (Eusideroxylon zwageri) wood
1995 - IRG/WP 95-10119
The heartwood of Belian (Eusideroxylon zwageri), an East Malaysian timber species, is naturally durable due to its certain unique anatomical features and high content of extractives. The timber can tolerate years of exposure to hazardous conditions in ground contact and other situations without any significant loss in its strength. A few Belian transmission poles sampled from one locality in Saraw...
A H H Wong, A P Singh


Fungal associates of Buprestis langi Mannerheim colonizing stored douglas-fir logs
1997 - IRG/WP 97-10220
Buprestid beetles are important colonizers of dead and dying conifers. The larvae of these beetles initially mine a gallery beneath the bark, then tunnel deep within the log. These beetles can cause extensive damage to wood, but it is their frequent association with internal fungal decay that causes the greatest concern. Many insects are capable of vectoring fungi that enhance their prospects for ...
C M Garcia, M Y Giron, J J Morrell


Comparison of the effects of borate, germanate and tellurate on fungal growth and wood decay
1992 - IRG/WP 92-1533
The tetra-hydroxy borate ion is known to undergo complexation with polyols and has been shown to inhibit dehydrogenase enzymes in this way. It has been previously suggested that this complexation is responsible for the inhibition of fungal growth and the protection of boron treated timber. Other ions that have the ability to complex with polyols have also been shown to inhibit dehydrogenase activi...
J D Lloyd, D J Dickinson


Soluble nutrient content in wood and its susceptibility to fungal discoloration and decay in above ground and ground tests
2000 - IRG/WP 00-10336
The objective of this comprehensive study was to reveal the impact of soluble nutrients in wood on its susceptibility to fungal discoloration and decay in various tests, which is important for the test methodology and standardisation. Seven tests were carried out including pure culture above and ground contact tests, above ground field test and laboratory ground contact tests. The samples containi...
O M Caballero, N Terziev


Distinguishing isolates of Aureobasidium on the basis of their ability to utilise lignin breakdown products as a sole carbon source
1996 - IRG/WP 96-10151
Wild isolates of Aureobasidium were obtained by dilution plating from a ca 20 year old painted pine window frame. Four isolates were obtained from the paint/wood interface region and four isolated from regions deep in the wood. The isolates were then used to inoculate liquid cultures containing ferulic acid, a lignin breakdown product, present as the sole carbon source. Ability of the isolates to ...
M W Schoeman, D J Dickinson


Microbial decay of an archaeological wood
1994 - IRG/WP 94-10053
A light and transmission electron microscopic investigation of an archaeological wood was undertaken to determine the cause of its deterioration. The wood came from a bulwark constructed in early 1100 in the lake Tingstäde Träsk on the island Gotland in Sweden. The samples of the wood, which was identified as Pinus sylvestris, were taken from a depth of 0.85 m below the bottom level. The wood wa...
A P Singh, T Nilsson, G F Daniel


Microscopic characteristics of microbial attacks of CCA-treated radiata pine wood
1993 - IRG/WP 93-10011
Light and electron microscopic observations were made of CCA-treated radiata timbers, which had been placed in service in a vineyard soil as supporting poles and as part of a house pile, to determine the cause of their deterioration. The house pile had failed in service after between 9 and 13 years and was of particular interest because decay was more severe in deeper regions than at the surface a...
A P Singh, R N Wakeling


Observations on the performance of copper-based wood preservatives in fungal cellar (soil-bed) tests
1994 - IRG/WP 94-20047
Fungal cellar (soil-bed) tests are considered to be an important tool for the evaluation of the performance of ground contact wood preservatives. Facilities of this type have been established world wide although caution has been exercised in their introduction into standard testing methods for the approval of wood preservatives. This is the result of concerns over the variability in the biological...
G R Williams, D Rudolph, M E Hedley, J A Drysdale, R F Fox


Effect of cyclic change of temperature on fungal growth and mass loss
1994 - IRG/WP 94-10065
For estimating the effect of cycling change of temparature on fungal growth, four Japanese species, sugi (Cryptomeria japonica), hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa), akamatsu (Pinus densiflora) and buna (Fagus crenata), four fungal species, Tyromyces palustris, Gloeophyllum trabeum, Coriolus versicolor, Pycnoporus coccineus, and five temperature conditions, 10, 20, 27, 35°C and cyclic temperature (20°...
K Suzuki, K Okada


Curing conditions for a low formaldehyde etherificated melamine resin
1998 - IRG/WP 98-40108
Waterbased methanol etherificated melamine formaldehyde resins have the potential to increase the resistance of impregnated wood against wood destroying fungi. Previous studies indicated that the resin with the lowest formaldehyde content tested showed the best results regarding fungal resistance, dimensional stability and formaldehyde emissions after curing. In the present paper the influence of ...
D Lukowsky, R-D Peek, A O Rapp


The probable mechanism of action of boric acid and borates as wood preservatives
1990 - IRG/WP 1450
The tetrahydroxyborate ion [B(OH)4-] acts by complexation with poly-ols and probably attacks decay fungi through extracellular substrate sequestration; intracellular substrate sequestration; enzyme inhibition; and change in membrane function. Work was carried out to investigate this further and to try to explain certain phenomena observed in the area of boron preservation. The effect of Na borate ...
J D Lloyd, D J Dickinson, R J Murphy


Effects of alkali treatment on some mechanical and chemical properties of creosote treated oaks
1991 - IRG/WP 2366
To date, there is a lack of information on the effects of chemical treatment on the performance of creosote preservative treated oak sleepers. This factorial experiment was designed to analyze three main effects: species (Quercus alba and Quercus rubra) creosote treatment (treated and untreated), and alkali (NaOH) soaking (0, 1, and 10 percent). The modulus of elasticity (MOE) and fiber stress at ...
P Chow, A J Reinschmidt, E J Barenberg, L C Chang


Biodegradation of wood in wet environments: A review
1997 - IRG/WP 97-10217
Wood in wet environments is attacked and degraded by soft rot fungi and erosion and tunnelling bacteria, which are more tolerant to high moisture and reduced oxygen conditions than basidiomycetes, such as white and brown rot fungi. Since basidiomycetes are normally more aggressive and can degrade wood faster than soft rot fungi and bacteria wood in wet environments can survive longer. In fact, arc...
A P Singh, Yoon Soo Kim


Assessment of wood decay in small-scale unsterile soil-bed tests
1997 - IRG/WP 97-20111
This study is concerned with the investigation of wood decay in small-scale unsterile soil-bed tests. Tests were performed with untreated heartwood samples from five hardwood species of different natural durability classes ranging from highly perishable to very resistant. Our results confirmed the critical role of soil moisture content on wood decay. The highest decay rates were observed at moistu...
L Machek, A M Derksen, R Sierra-Alvarez


Statistical evaluation of 'micro-bending' samples for classification of wood attacking fungi
1992 - IRG/WP 92-1544
Micro-specimens from both hardwood and softwood were exposed to selected species of field isolated fungi. The strength reduction and weight loss caused by these fungi were determined. A statistical procedure was then developed to classify the fungi into brown-, white-rot, or non-decay fungal categories based on these data. The procedure reveals the extent of hazard a fungus poses to wood members. ...
B Goodell, Jing Liu, A Homola, J Jellison, J Shottafer


Fungal remediation of CCA-treated wood
2004 - IRG/WP 04-50210
This study evaluates oxalic acid accumulation and bioremediation chromated copper arsenate (CCA) treated wood by three brown-rot fungi, Fomitopsis palustris, Coniophora puteana, and Laetiporus sulphureus and ten mold and staining fungi, Aspergillus niger, Aureobasidium pullulans, Gliocladium virens, Penicillium funiculosum, Rhizopus javanicus, Ceratocystis pilifera, C. peceae, Alternaria alternata...
S N Kartal, Y Imamura


The mechanism of leaching of copper-chrome-arsenic preservatives from treated timber in saline waters
1976 - IRG/WP 374
A mechanism for the leaching of copper-chrome-arsenic preservatives is proposed on the basis of theoretical calculations and experimental studies using timber subjected to a range of water types of different ionic compositions. Complex formation by copper (II) and chromium (III) with chloride and hydroxide ions is shown to affect the leaching rate. Of even greater importance is the salt effect on ...
J Irvine, S-E Dahlgren


Production of exraxellular hydrogen peroxide and oxalic acid by brown-rot fungus Poria placenta
1995 - IRG/WP 95-10112
Hydrogen peroxide and oxalic acid have been suggested to be essential in the degradation of wood carbohydrates by brown-rot fungi. Hydrogen peroxide has been suggested to be one of the diffusible low molecular weight agents produced by brown-rot fungi for the degradation of wood carbohydrates by generating highly active radicals. The production of hydrogen peroxide and oxalic acid by Poria placent...
A-C Ritschkoff, M Rättö, J Buchert, L Viikari


Degradation of lignin model compounds with coordinated copper in the presence of peroxide
1998 - IRG/WP 98-10282
A novel diffusible system capable of decomposing lignin model compounds with copper, coordinators and peroxides has been proposed. When pyridine was used as a copper coordinator, two synthetic dyes, Poly-R and RBBR were intensively decolorized with Cu(II) and H2O2 in aqueous solutions at room temperature. Although reactions with Cu(II) and H2O2 produce a strong oxidant, hydroxyl radical, via a Fen...
K Koller, K Messner, T Watanabe


Termite and fungal resistance of in situ polymerized tributyltin acrylate and acetylated Indonesian and USA wood
2000 - IRG/WP 00-30219
Wood [Indonesian pine (IP), Indonesian Jabon (IJ) and USA southern yellow pine (USP)] was either in situ polymerized with tributyltin acrylate (TBTA) or acetylated and then exposed to termite and fungal degradation both in laboratory tests and field exposure. The TBTA woods had an average weight percent gain (WPG) of 11% for IP, 12% for IJ, and 10% for USP. The acetylated woods had a WPG of 15-27%...
R E Ibach, Y S Hadi, D Nandika, S Yusuf, Y Indrayani


Factors affecting resistance to sapstain infection in freshly felled softwood logs
2003 - IRG/WP 03-10467
Previous studies in the UK have shown a marked difference in the susceptibility of logs of five softwood species to infection by sapstain fungi over a 4 month field trial. Recently this result has been confirmed and the rank order of greatest to least susceptibility in these commercially important species is lodgepole pine > Scots pine > Norway spruce > Japanese larch > Sitka spruce. C...
E J Young, R A Eaton, J F Webber, M A W Hill


Degradation features of waterlogged archaeological compression wood
1998 - IRG/WP 98-10258
The degradation characteristics of waterlogged archaeological compression wood excavated in South Korea were examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Degradation of Pinus compression wood occurred mainly in the inner part of S2 layer. In contrast, the outer part of S2 layer remained relatively intact. CLSM and TEM showed the erosion type of ...
Yoon Soo Kim, A P Singh


The rôle of lignin in the nutrition of several Australian termites
1983 - IRG/WP 1191
The ability of Nasutitermes exitiosus (Hill), Coptotermes acinaciformis (Frogatt), Coptotermes lacteus (Froggatt) and Mastotermes darwiniensis (Froggatt) to degrade 14C-lignin preparations was examined. The lower termites were unable to degrade lignin. Nasutitermes exitiosus was able to cause a 5-8% degradation of hardwood lignins and a synthetic lignin. It failed to degrade the lignin of Pinus ra...
L J Cookson


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