Natural Compounds for Wood Protection against Fungi—A Review

Abstract

Wood is a renewable, versatile material with multiple applications and the largest terrestrial pool of sequestered carbon. However, it is susceptible to degradation, mainly caused by wood-decaying fungi. Since several traditional wood preservatives have been banned owing to their detrimental effects on humans and the environment, extending the lifespan of wood products using new generation natural preservatives is an imperative from the perspectives of human health and environmental protection. Several natural compounds of plant and animal origin have been tested for their fungicidal properties, including essential oils, tannins, wood extractives, alkaloids, propolis or chitosan; and their enormous potential in wood protection has been shown. Although they are not free of limitations, the potential methods to overcome their drawbacks and enhance their bioactivity already exist, such as co-impregnation with different polymers, cross-linkers, metal chelators or antioxidants. The presence of the discrepancies between laboratory tests and the field performance, as well as legislation-related problems resulting from the lack of standards defining the quality and performance of natural protective formulations, however, create an urgent need for further thorough research and arrangements. The collaboration with other industries interested in the utilisation of natural active compounds will reduce the associated costs, thus, will facilitate the successful implementation of alternative antifungal agents.

Caffeine Interactions with Wood Polymers

“…Modern wood-preserving substances are supposed to be environmentally friendly and safe in terms of health. A suitable alternative to the previously used chemicals can be found in certain natural wood or plant extracts, oils, or individual substances with biocidal effects produced by plants for their own protection against pests [6][7][8][9][10].…”

Impact of Cellulose-Rich Organic Soil Amendments on Growth Dynamics and Pathogenicity of Rhizoctonia solani

“…Oak wood is characterized by the presence of hydrolyzable tannins [52,57], whereas elder wood contains cyanogenic glycosides and lectins [59,60]. These compounds are moderately toxic to some decay fungi [61][62][63][64] and possibly altered the growth of R. solani in this study, which developed relatively small or thin mycelia on oak and elder sawdust, respectively.…”

Recovery of antifungal compounds from wood and coffee industry side-streams and residues for wood preservative formulations

“…by performing structural and chemical modification of wood, such as ThermoWood® and acetylated wood, which can also reduce the decay rate caused by fungi (Peterson andThomas 1978, Yilgör andKartal 2010). In addition to these alternative treatments, the bio-based chemicals have a significant potential to inhibit decay fungi, which has kept them in the focus of many research groups aiming towards natural wood preservation (Singh and Singh 2012, Teacă et al 2019, Broda 2020.…”

“…The feedstock used for extracting the potential bio-based antifungals to be used in preservative formulations will also vary depending on the country or region. There is a high heterogeneity between the potential preservatives extracted from different feedstocks (Broda 2020). Shipping of the most effective bio-based preservatives from other countries would cause a higher environmental impact and increase the price of the wood preservatives.…”