Fungal decay of wood in service results in billions of dollars (U.S.) in losses annually. Recent environmental restrictions, both U.S. and international, are limiting and eliminating the use of broad-spectrum, heavy metal biocides for wood preservation. Restrictions result primarily from problems with disposal. New wood preservatives need to be developed and tested which specifically target key elements in the sequence of fungal decay mechanisms. Our laboratory has been experimenting with chemicals which inhibit pectin hydrolysis during incipient brown-rot and white-rot decay in southern pine sapwood (Inter. Biodeter. Biodegrad. 39:103). In the present paper these results are extended to include the tropical hardwood Ochroma pyramidale (balsa). Balsa blocks (24x18x12mm) were exposed to two brown-rot fungi and one white-rot fungus in ASTM soil block tests for 10 weeks. CCA (6.4 km/m3 ) was compared with the calcium binding agent N,N-napthaloylhydroxylamine (NHA; 1.6, 3.2 & 6.4 km/m3 ) in leached and unleached blocks. CCA protected balsa with minimal weight loss (> 7.4%) with no leaching effects. NHA (6.4 km/m3 ) protected balsa (0.3-1.2%) weight loss but leaching raised the weight losses to 25% with the brown-rot fungus Tyromyces palustris. We conclude that NHA can protect balsa against G. trabeum and T. versicolor with comparable efficiency to CCA (leached and unleached) but not T. palustris.

Download document (337 kb)
free for the members of IRG. Available if purchased.

Purchase this document