Furfurylation protects timber from degradation by marine wood boring crustaceans

Abstract

We fed furfurylated and control wood to gribble. Our results imply that furfurylation of wood protects against degradation by gribble without the reliance on broad spectrum biocides and can reduce costs associated with damaged wooden structures.

Review of Wood Modification and Wood Functionalization Technologies

“…Furfurylation has been found to postpone biodeterioration in the sea, both regarding shipworm and gribble [91,122,123]. An effect of the solvent during impregnation on the durability has been found.…”

“…The exact mechanisms have not been fully elucidated [99]. An increase in material hardness most likely plays a role [131], as it makes the material more difficult to ingest for the animals, but enzyme non-recognition during digestion might also be involved [122].…”

“…Furthermore, it is unknown how changes to the furfurylation process affect wood recalcitrance. When it comes to termites and marine wood borers, even less is known, and the situation is more complicated, as presence of a FA polymer in (part of) the lumina seems to play a role in addition to modifications within the cell wall [99,122].…”

Developing a Unilaterally Surface-Densified Wood Composite with Excellent Performance through Surface Impregnation of Furfuryl Alcohol Resin

“…Preparation of the FA Impregnation Solution. Appropriate amounts of FA and MA were added into a mixture solution of ethanol and deionized water to prepare the impregnation solution with different concentrations of FA (15,20,25, and 30 wt %). The amount of MA used as a catalyst accounted for 6 wt % of FA.…”

“…Furfuryl alcohol (FA), a biomass-derived chemical, can be derived from the hydrogenation of furfural usually obtained by hydrolysis of agricultural residues rich in pentosan, such as corncobs, bagasses, and wheat straws. , Benefiting from its extensive source, renewability, and environmental friendliness, FA was introduced into the wood modification industry as early as the 1950s, and it still arouses widespread interest nowadays. , As a promising reagent for wood modification, an FA monomer solution with strong polarity and low molecular weight can readily penetrate into wood cell wall structure, followed by self-cross-linking or linking to cell wall components upon acidic catalysts and heating. − The surface color of wood changes to form a dark brown in the presence of an acid catalyst at high temperatures, which shows a similar appearance of the modified wood to precious tropical hardwood . Furthermore, the furfurylated wood also exhibited lower moisture-absorption properties, excellent dimensional stability, improved density, and hardness compared to the unmodified wood. , However, increased brittleness of wood cell walls due to the filling and expansion effects caused by curing resin is inevitable, which would result in a decrease in the mechanical strength of modified wood .…”