Pinewood was modified by vacuum impregnation with various aqueous lignin solutions of low concentration (0.5-1.0%) and its decay resistance was tested by the standard procedure EN 113. Five lignin types were tested against three brown rot and one white rot fungi. The bio-durability of wood was considerably increased by the treatment. The highest effect of modification was for alkali, kraft, hydrolysis lignins and industrial lignosulfonate, when mass losses of wood for brown-rot fungi were negligible. The effect of the modification with certified lignosulfonates was insignificant. Chemical analysis revealed that phenols, which are leached from lignin and are adsorbed by wood in the impregnation process, could act as a biocide. The hydrophilic properties of wood either did not change (certified lignins) or were enhanced because of some change in the pore structure (industrial lignins). Further tests are needed to verify the positive effects of this technologically simple and environmentally friendly treatment.

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In our study, early period degradation (10 days) of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) sapwood by the brown-rot fungus Coniophora puteana (Schum.: Fr.) Karst. (BAM Ebw.15) was followed at the wood chemical composition and ultrastructure-level, and highlighted the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). An advanced decay period of 50 days was chosen for comparison of the degradation dynamics. Scanning UV microspectrophotometry (UMSP) analyses of lignin distribution in wood cells revealed that the linkages of lignin and polysaccharides were already disrupted in the early period of fungal attack. An increase in the lignin absorption A(280) value from 0.24 (control) to 0.44 in decayed wood was attributed to its oxidative modification which has been proposed to be generated by Fenton reaction derived ROS. The wood weight loss in the initial degradation period was 2%, whilst cellulose and lignin content decreased by 6.7% and 1%, respectively. Lignin methoxyl (-OCH3) content decreased from 15.1% (control) to 14.2% in decayed wood. Diffuse reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (DRIFT) spectroscopy corroborated the moderate loss in the hemicellulose and lignin degradation accompanying degradation. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectra and spin trapping confirmed the generation of ROS, such as hydroxyl radicals (HO∙), in the early wood degradation period. Our results showed that irreversible changes in wood structure started immediately after wood colonisation by fungal hyphae and the results generated here will assist in the understanding of the biochemical mechanisms of wood biodegradation by brown-rot fungi with the ultimate aim of developing novel wood protection methods.

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A newly developed thermo-hydro treatment (THT) for use in a one-stage heat treatment process was examined by focusing on the form stability-related properties of European aspen (Populus tremula), birch silver (Betula pendula), and gray alder (Alnus incana). In particular, wood specimens were subjected to THT in a saturated steam atmosphere in a pilot-scale autoclave heated between 140 and 180°C for 1-3 h. Several parameters of untreated and treated samples after several soaking and drying cycles were compared, namely, the changes in the volumetric swelling, swelling in the radial and tangential directions, cell wall total water capacity, and antiswelling efficiency (ASE). Due to repeated wetting in the cyclic water submersion-drying test, the original ASE of 73% decreased to 65% (180°C for 1 h), and the original ASE of 33% decreased to 5% (140°C for 1 h). Wood modified at 170°C presented good results that were not significantly lower than wood treated at higher temperatures while consuming less energy to deliver ASE improvement and was selected as optimum. To increase the ASE by 1%, the amount of energy consumed was decreased by 41%, 39%, and 17% compared with the treatment regimes of 160°C for 1 h, 160°C for 3 h, and 180°C for 1 h, respectively. The new THT regime led to improved long-term dimensional stability due to the cross-linking of cell wall polymers, which resulted in increased cell wall rigidity.