Wood processing waste – contamination with microscopic fungi and contents of selected bioactive compounds

Abstract

Wood processing work stations produce contaminants that affect air quality in plant production facilities. A significant portion of these contaminants consists of spores and hyphae of microscopic fungi. Their presence in respirable and settled dust directly affects the health of the employees working in those facilities. Moreover, microscopic fungi interact with the components of wood, causing its degradation. Thus, several factors affecting the quality of ambient air were analyzed in samples collected from all accessible locations where wood waste is accumulated in the plant. The samples were tested for their concentrations of ergosterol, total phenolics, and antioxidant activity as well as their contents of endogenous wood sterols such as desmosterol, cholesterol, lanosterol, stigmasterol, and beta-sitosterol. The analyses showed that wood waste, despite the varied location and exposure time, promotes the growth of microscopic fungi. Several significant correlations between the analyzed parameters became evident, which made it possible to design the sterol bioconversion mechanism for wood, taking place as a result of the growth of microscopic fungi on the wood material.