Abstract
In the future, we can expect increased requirements to the health and ecological integrity of biocides used for the protection of wood against bio-attacks, and it is therefore necessary to search for and thoroughly test new active substances. Caffeine has been shown to have biocidal efficacy against wood-destroying fungi, moulds and insects. The aim of the research was to determine whether the effectiveness of caffeine, as a fungicide of natural origin, is affected by a different type of treated wood. Norway spruce mature wood (Picea abies), Scots pine sapwood (Pinus sylvestris), and European beech wood (Fagus sylvatica) were tested in this work. The samples were treated using long-term dipping technology or coating (according to EN 152:2012) and then tested against selected wood-destroying brown rot fungi according to the standard EN 839:2015, wood-staining fungi according to EN 152:2012, and against mould growth according to EN 15457:2015. The penetration of caffeine solution into wood depth was also evaluated using liquid extraction chromatography, as well as the effect of the treatment used on selected physical and mechanical properties of wood. The test results showed that the type of wood used and the specific type of wood-degrading agent had a significant effect on the effectiveness of caffeine protection. The most resistant wood was the treated spruce, whereas the most susceptible to deterioration was the treated white pine and beech wood. The results of the work showed that caffeine treatment is effective against wood-destroying fungi at a concentration of 2%, and at 1% in some of the tested cases. It can be used as an ecologically acceptable short-term protection alternative against wood-staining fungi in lumber warehouses and is also partially effective against moulds. It also does not have negative effects on changes in the physical and mechanical properties of the tested wood species.
Highlights
Wood products can be damaged by bio-attack during storage, transport, or assembly, but under suitable humidity conditions in end products, e.g., wooden structures, wooden buildings, exterior and interior furniture, etc
In our work we tested the effect of 1% and 2% concentration of aqueous caffeine solution applied via dipping on spruce, white pine, and beech woods against brown rot wooddestroying fungi Coniophora puteana, Gloeophyllum trabeum, and Poria (Rhodonia) placenta
The coating application was tested against wood-staining fungi Aureobasidium pullulans and Sclerophoma pithyophila
Summary
Wood products can be damaged by bio-attack during storage, transport, or assembly, but under suitable humidity conditions in end products, e.g., wooden structures, wooden buildings, exterior and interior furniture, etc. In addition to the longterm protection of built-in products, the use of caffeine as a method of short-term protection of lumber and semi-finished products is offered, for which the biggest risk is the studied moulds [15] and insects [13], and wood-staining fungi [1]. This topic has not yet been thoroughly researched. Lumber degraded in this way significantly loses its price, and it is forbidden to subsequently use it for food packaging and in building structures [1]
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