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Update on the Distribution of Termites and other Wood-boring Insects in Europe
2020 - IRG/WP 20-10960
In Europe, most of the timber used in construction is made from softwood species that are poorly or not durable against wood-boring organisms (beetles, termites, decay fungi). Timber with a moisture content of less than 20% can be attacked and degraded by different species of insect whose larvae consume wood and significantly reduce its mechanical strength. The risk of attack by wood-boring insect...
M Kutnik, I Paulmer, D Ansard, M Montibus, C Lucas


Effect of long-term immersion in fresh and salt water on mould growth on Scots pine (Pinus Sylvestris L.) wood
2020 - IRG/WP 20-10962
Wood exposed outdoors will eventually be degraded by fungi, depending on exposure and material characteristics. Numerous wooden constructions in the Røros municipality have existed since the 17th century, but wood used in recent repairs have decayed faster than expected. Before 1970 timber was mainly transported by log driving or rafting, and the logs were immersed in water for longer or shorter ...
M Sand Austigard, J Mattsson


Durability of Eucalyptus globulus floating structures mussels trough in marine environment against marine borers in the Atlantic coast of Spain
2020 - IRG/WP 20-10965
In Spain, since forever damages caused by marine borers are frequent in wood elements and wood structures located in sea water conditions. Galicia is a region located in the North West of Spanish, above Portugal, characterized by their typical estuaries, where since ancient times, the natural production of mussels from floating structures mussels trough. Since ever, wood species selected to build ...
D Lorenzo, M Touza, J Fernández-Golfin, A Lozano, J Benito


New methods for estimating the volume of shipworm tunnels supported by image analysis
2020 - IRG/WP 20-20668
In marine environment, the main threat for wood is the bioerosion by woodborers, both peracarid crustaceans (such as gribbles Limnoria and pincher scuds Chelura) and bivalve molluscs (shipworms, Teredinidae). The damage caused by gribbles on wood structure is surficial and easy identifiable, whereas the damage caused by shipworms is internal, therefore not evident, inducing unexpected crashes wit...
I Guarneri, M Sigovini, E Keppel, D Tagliapietra


Monitoring of wood preservatives exposed to weathering: Extraction and analysis methods of organic biocides from treated wood and collected rain runoff
2020 - IRG/WP 20-30753
Weathering is the cause of numerous damages for outdoor joineries. Protection of wood using a preservative treatment covered with a coating is a process widely used to limit these damages. However, biocides from preservative treated wood are prone to degradation and leaching, having a direct influence on the joinery service life. This document deals with extraction and analytical methods for bioci...
O Ouali, K Le Ménach, E Raphalen, L Podgorski, S Legay, H Budzinski


Yellow birch fire-protection using polyelectrolytes complexes
2020 - IRG/WP 20-30755
Fire protection has been a major challenge in wood construction for many years. The demand for high-performance, environmentally friendly treatments respecting the physical and chemical characteristics of the material has been accentuated in recent years. Halogenated fire-retardant (FR) compounds were commonly used from the 70’s for their low-cost and high efficiency. They are able to form radic...
M Soula, F Samyn, S Duquesne, V Landry


Water interactions in wood polyesterified with sorbitol and citric acid
2020 - IRG/WP 20-40888
Polyesterifcation of wood with sorbitol and citric acid seems to be a promising chemical wood modification technique that is both low-cost and produced from bio-based chemicals. An interesting aspect of the modification is the interaction of water with the polyesterified wood since the relationship with moisture appears to be unique compared to other wood modification systems. This communication p...
G Beck, A Treu, E Larnøy


Studying amount, location and state of water in modified wood at moisture levels relevant for fungal degradation
2020 - IRG/WP 20-40889
Water is an essential parameter for fungal degradation of wood, but degradation primarily occurs at high moisture levels at water potential in the range of -4 to -0.1 MPa, which corresponds to 97-99.9% relative humidity. At these moisture levels, water is present in the wood structure both in and outside of cell walls. The majority of previous studies on the interaction between wood and water for ...
M Fredriksson, E Engelund Thybring, Ramunas Digaitis


Limiting Polysaccharide Motion Protects Wood From Decay
2020 - IRG/WP 20-40890
It is well known that chemical modifications to improve decay resistance also reduce the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of wood. The mechanism of this action, however, has been the subject of much debate. Several groups have suggested that decay resistance is a result of lower diffusion rates of fungal degradation agents through the wood cell wall. A recent paper explained the fundamental prin...
C G Hunt, S L Zelinka, J E Jakes


Investigations into the use of Maleic Anhydride/Sodium Hypophosphite as a Wood Modification Process
2020 - IRG/WP 20-40891
The formation of crosslinked bonds between wood constituents is believed to be an effective way to stabilize wood against wet conditions. The possibility to use maleic anhydride (MA) combined with sodium hypophosphite (SHP) as crosslinking agents was studied, using Scots pine sapwood and a model compound. The modified wood showed weight gain and bulking effect after treatment and subsequent Soxhle...
I Kim, D Jones, O Karlsson, D Sandberg, O N Antzutkin, F Ullah Shah


Elucidation of reactive sites of wood modified with acetic anhydride: Insights from density functional theory calculations
2020 - IRG/WP 20-40892
Density functional theory (DFT) was employed to investigate the interaction of cellulose and lignin with acetic anhydride for explaining the wood modification process. Atoms in molecules (AIM) and reduced density gradient (RDG) along with non-covalent interaction (NCI) plots were used to analyse the intermolecular bonding characteristics. Cellulose was modelled with a cellobiose unit (dimer of glu...
V Ponnuchamy, A Sandak, J Sandak, R Herrera Diaz


Long-term field exposure of wood-plastic composites processed on a commercial-size extruder
2020 - IRG/WP 20-40894
Wood-plastic composites (WPC) contain wood fiber (or flour), thermoplastics and additives and are exposed to UV light, moisture, and biological deterioration in outdoor installations. Accelerated laboratory tests can help to predict the durability of WPCs, but long term evaluations are needed to validate these results. Field exposed above-ground WPC deck boards (30.5 x 139.7 x 609.6 mm) and in-gro...
R E Ibach, C M Clemmons, N M Stark


Biological durability of sapling wood
2020 - IRG/WP 20-10967
Sapling-wood products from different wood species such as willow (Salix spp.) and Common hazel (Corylus avellana) are frequently used for gardening and outdoor decoration purposes. Remaining bark is suggested to provide additional biological durability. Even for temporary outdoor use it seemed questionable that durability of juvenile sapwood can provide acceptably long service lives of horticultur...
C Brischke, L Emmerich, D G B Nienaber, S Bollmus


Comprehensive protection of timber in seawater
2020 - IRG/WP 20-10970
The hazard of wood in seawater can be divided into two areas: Below the water level, shipworm (Teredo navalis) and gribble (Limnoria lignorum) can attack non-resistant or insufficiently protected wood; above the water level, there is a risk by wood-destroying fungi and, to a lesser extent, insects. In a national project funded by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU, German Federal Environmenta...
E Melcher, J Müller, T Huckfeldt


Potenzy of Azadirachta indica heart wood extracts as wood bio-preservative against termite attack
2020 - IRG/WP 20-10972
Extractives in wood are one of the main reasons for wood resistance against bio-degradation. The chemical compositions of extractives from matured Azadirachta indica that are known to be very resistant against bio-degradation were studied to assess their role as wood preservative. Ethanol and toluene were used in the extraction of these compounds from the heartwood of Azadirahcta indica. Chemical ...
L O Aguda, O B Olajide, O Y Aguda


Impact of fungal decay on the bending properties of wood
2020 - IRG/WP 20-20671
Wood used outdoors is generally prone to fungal degradation, and its impact on the structural integrity of wood is an immanent factor for service life planning with timber. Wood decayed to very small mass losses can suffer from a significant reduction in mechanical strength and elastic properties. Hence, the latter are preferred indicators to detect decay in wood durability studies. Numerous previ...
S Bollmus, P B van Niekerk, C Brischke


The role of specimen format in wood durability testing
2020 - IRG/WP 20-20672
The experimental basis for testing the biological durability of wood are often incubation experiments with wood-destroying basidiomycetes. Numerous parameters can affect the mass loss by fungal decay (MLF) in laboratory durability tests and therefore being decisive for the resulting durability classification. Among others, the dimension of the wood specimen and the time of incubation impact on fun...
C Brischke, L K Grünwald, S Bollmus


Future development of durability assessment of wood, according to typical usage of preservative-treated wood and naturally durable wood in Japan
2020 - IRG/WP 20-20675
A market of preserved wood products in Japan has two unique histories. First is the market shift to residential ground sills from utility poles and sleepers; the other is the stop of CCA treatment caused by the new effluent standard. In 2018, around 85% of preserved wood products used for residential ground sills were treated with non-CCA such as Cu-based agents. Since the market of treated wood h...
T Osawa, W Ohmura, H Kurisaki


Development of procedures for sampling, testing, and classification to determine the biological durability of wood and wood products
2020 - IRG/WP 20-20676
This paper informs about a research project, which deals with several shortcomings and a lack of clarity within EN 350:2016. The project started in January 2020, will run for 3 years, and is operated by the Institute of Wood Technology Dresden (IHD) and the University of Goettingen (UGOE). Determination and classification of durability of wood and wood products against wood-destroying organisms ...
W Scheiding, K Jacobs, S Bollmus, C Brischke


Monitoring uptake and penetration of pesticides during impregnation of pine (Pinus sylvestris) and spruce (Picea abies) wood with bio-based microemulsion gel formulations
2020 - IRG/WP 20-30756
Even in dry state wood is susceptible to biological degradation. Preservation against biological decay in exposed conditions is conventionally achieved by impregnating the wood with pesticides applied at professional and industrial levels. Impregnation of wood with preservatives is a complex process that involves wood macro- and microstructure, and the physical characteristics of woods. Here we fo...
D Messaoudi, K Ruel, J-P Joseleau


A summary of decay performance with citric acid and sorbitol modification
2020 - IRG/WP 20-40898
Application of wood-based products as construction materials is one piece of the big puzzle to mitigate climate change. Wood is susceptible to biological deterioration. Environmentally motivated legislation is making the use of biocides less attractive from a commercial perspective. Ideally, a wood modification technology should be of low cost, water based and make use of thermal curing. This rese...
G Alfredsen, E Larnøy, G Beck, J Biørnstad, L R Gobakken, C A S Hill, A Treu


Durability of acetylated Radiata pine: Laboratory tests and performance in practice
2020 - IRG/WP 20-40899
Wood acetylation is an established process to enhance biological durability and dimensional stability of lower valuable wood species without the use of biocides. Acetylated Radiata pine (ACCOYA® wood) has been on the market for more than 10 years now, starting in 2007. Numerous lab tests have confirmed the high durability of acetylated Radiata pine. Here, additional data with four Radiata pine ...
K Jacobs, W Scheiding, B Weiß


Fungal colonisations in and on industrially manufactured acetylated glulam in UC 3
2020 - IRG/WP 20-40900
This poster paper describes one of the first cases where industrially acetylated glulam was colonized by wood-destroying fungi after less than 10 years of exposure in use class 3.2. Remarkable is that fruiting bodies of white as well as brown rot fungi were found on one and the same bench element. The first visible wood destroying fungi was the white rot fungus Schizophyllum commune followed by th...
J Müller, E Melcher, T Potsch


Macro biological degradation of wood treated with sorbitol and citric acid – first results from marine environment and termite exposure
2020 - IRG/WP 20-40901
Most European wood species are rapidly and severely degraded in termite-infested areas and the marine environment. There is a need for new solutions, especially in the marine environment, since we lack wood preservatives approved for marine applications in Europe. Several wood modification systems show high resistance against both marine borers and subterranean termites. However, the existing comm...
A Treu, L Nunes, E Larnøy


Biofinish: A Functional Wood Surface Treatment based on Aureobasidium
2020 - IRG/WP 20-40903
Xyhlo Biofinish is a natural and environmentally friendly wood protection concept based on linseed oil impregnation and a fungal-based coating. It emerged in the late 1990s and has been developed over the past 15 years into an industrially applicable process in the Netherlands. The combination of linseed oil impregnation and a surface treatment with the living fungus Aureobasidium extends the serv...
S Rensink, M Sailer, S Roukens, J Gerber, H van der Mel, K Potgieter, J Spit, R Bulthuis, C Struck, M Bennink


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