Fungal damage of wood causes the degradation of cell-wall components, resulting in changes in the chemical structure and mechanical properties (Schmidt 2006; Witomski et al. 2016). However, the aesthetic performance of the wood material can also be influenced by fungal discoloration (Eaton and Hale 1993).
In our previous studies, wood modification with maleic anhydride (MA) combined with sodium hypophosphite (SHP) showed enhanced dimensional stability and reduced affinity of the cell-wall material to water of the treated wood (Kim et al. 2021a,b). Since the moisture within the wood influences biological resistance (Thybring and Fredriksson 2021), it is likely that the modification with MA and SHP changes the durability of the treated wood. In this study, the biological durability of wood treated with MA combined with SHP was investigated.
Keywords: chemical modification, fungal degradation, surface mould growth, timber
Authors
Injeong Kim
Wood Science and Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden
Lone Ross
Division of Forest and Forest Resources, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Norway
Gry Alfredsen
Division of Forest and Forest Resources, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Norway
Olov Karlsson
Wood Science and Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden
Dennis Jones
Wood Science and Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden
George Mantanis
Department of Forestry, Wood Sciences and Design, Laboratory of Wood Science and Technology, University of Thessaly, Greece
Dick Sandberg
Wood Science and Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden
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