Biological degradation of torrefied wood and charcoal

Kymäläinen, Maija; Havimo, Mikko; Keriö, Susanna; Kemell, Marianna; Solio, Juha

doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2014.10.009

Cited by 20 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(29 reference statements)

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“…showed that the surface may still be colonized by fungi. Similar results were reported by Kymäläinen et al [233] after torrefied wood and charcoal field storage experiments, where naturally occurring fungi were reported to colonize the material, despite soluble sugars mostly being depleted in the manufacturing process. Studies published on commercial [234] and contact heated samples [216] have been rather inconclusive, but wood species seems to affect the decay rate [234].…”

Section: Biodeterioration and Weatheringsupporting

confidence: 89%

Review of Wood Modification and Wood Functionalization Technologies

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Emmerich

et al. 2022

Forests

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Wood modifications are becoming popular as a way to enhance the performance of wood, either to make it more durable, improve the performance of wood, or give it new functionality as a multifunctional or smart material. While wood modifications have been examined since the early 1900s, the topic has become a dominant area of study in wood science over the past decade. This review summarizes recent advances and provides future perspective on a selection of wood modifications, i.e., the methods that are currently commercialized (acetylation, furfurylation, and thermal modification), a rediscovered ancient practice (charring), a family of polymerization modifications that have so far made it to the pilot scale, and examples of novel wood-based functional materials explored at laboratory scale.

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Section: Biodeterioration and Weatheringsupporting

confidence: 89%

Review of Wood Modification and Wood Functionalization Technologies

Zelinka

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Emmerich

et al. 2022

Forests

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“…The Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) technique is the common technique used by different authors to characterize the morphology of archaeological objects such as wood. It was generally used as a powerful non-destructive method to verify the extent of structural decay and to identify the specie of wood, as well as to determine the nature of microbiological attacks [12,[14][15]. By combining this analytical technique and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), we can obtain information about composing elements inside the wood [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scanning Electron Microscopy examination of the surface of softwood attacked by fungus

Fellak,

Rafik,

Haidara

et al. 2022

MATEC Web Conf.

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The morphological structure of the surface of four Cedrus atlantica softwood samples was monitored by scanning electron microscope. The obtained results have shown formation of cracks on the surface of samples with deterioration of the majority of cellulosic fibers. The alteration of wood structure and decomposition of carbohydrates exploited by scanning electron microscopy images could act as a confidential sign of an advanced stage of wood decay by biological attacks, leading upon time to the extinction of this natural wealth. It appeared that the studied samples were attacked by brown-rot fungus selectively decaying the cell wall of softwood materials. The scanning electron microscope morphological observation revealed that microfibril distribution was heterogeneous and dynamic contact angles increase significantly during exposure to the non-controlled environmental conditions.

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“…As charcoals are increasingly enriched in condensed aromatic rings during carbonisation, they have long been thought to be insensitive or weakly sensitive to biodegradation because of their carbon structure and possibly, the presence of carbonisation by-products that inhibit enzymatic activities 39 . However, there is compelling evidence for a significant biodegradation of charcoal with time and therefore, a modification of its initial geochemical signatures 40 , 41 . As charcoals are often considered as being composed of a highly condensed carbon structure, most investigations into biodegradation have focused on the oxidation of the aromatic structure.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the carbonisation temperatures recorded by ancient charcoals for δ13C-based palaeoclimate reconstruction

Mouraux

Delarue

Bardin

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Ancient charcoal fragments, produced by the use of wood as fuel in archaeological contexts or during natural or anthropic forest fires, persist in soil and sediments over centuries to millennia. They thus offer a unique window to reconstruct past climate, especially palaeo-precipitation regimes thanks to their stable carbon isotope composition. However, the initial δ13C of wood is slightly modified as a function of the carbonisation temperature. Carbonisation-induced 13C fractionation is classically investigated through a transfer function between experimental carbonisation temperatures and the carbon content. This approach assumes that the carbon content is conservative through time in ancient charcoals and neglects the potential impact of post-depositional oxidation occurring in soils and sediments. In the present study, we first show that post-depositional oxidation can lead to a large underestimation of past carbonisation temperatures, thereby minimising the estimation of carbonisation-induced 13C fractionations and possibly biasing δ13C-based climate reconstructions. Secondly, by combining carbon content, Fourier-transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy, we propose a new framework to assess the carbonisation temperatures registered in ancient charcoals. This new framework paves the way to reassessing δ13C-based climate reconstruction.

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Biological degradation of torrefied wood and charcoal

Cited by 20 publications

References 29 publications

Review of Wood Modification and Wood Functionalization Technologies

Review of Wood Modification and Wood Functionalization Technologies

Scanning Electron Microscopy examination of the surface of softwood attacked by fungus

Assessing the carbonisation temperatures recorded by ancient charcoals for δ13C-based palaeoclimate reconstruction

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