Abstract
Essential oils and their derivatives have a long history of safe usage as antimicrobial agents in food industry. In this study various essential oils and extracts from plants were screened for their ability to inhibit wood decay and termite attack in laboratory decay and termite resistance tests using treated wood specimens. In the laboratory decay resistance tests, wood specimens treated with essential oil compounds were subjected to brown-rot fungus, Tyromyces palustris, and white-rot fungus, Trametes versicolor for three months. The specimens were also subjected to termite attack by subterranean termites, Coptotermes formosanus for three weeks in laboratory conditions. The formulation with cinnamaldehyde (DF3) was found to be effective against both the brown-rot and white-rot fungi used in the study. However, the formulation with cinnamic acid (DF8) was able to protect wood specimens against only the white rot fungus and about 50% mass loss occurred in the specimens subjected to the brown-rot fungus. The mass losses in the wood specimens treated with cassia oil containing formulation (DF4) showed that cassia oil was effective against both fungi. The wood tar oil and dodecanal compounds also inhibited fungal decay in the specimens. The wood specimens treated with the formulations used in termite resistance tests were more resistant against the termites when compared to specimens treated with the formulations in decay resistance tests. Even after severe weathering process, treated wood specimens showed resistance against the subterranean termites. Results suggest that essential oils and plant extracts might be important to develop new wood preservatives that are less harmful to the environment and humans than recently available ones.
Zusammenfassung
In der Nahrungsmittelindustrie werden ätherische Öle und deren Derivate bereits seit langem als sichere antimikrobielle Mittel eingesetzt. In dieser Studie wurde in Laborprüfungen anhand behandelter Holzproben untersucht, inwieweit sich verschiedene ätherische Öle und Pflanzenextrakte zur Hemmung von Holzfäule und Termitenbefall eignen. In Laborprüfungen zur Fäuleresistenz wurden die Holzproben mit ätherischen Ölen behandelt und für drei Monate dem Braunfäulepilz Tyromyces palustris sowie dem Weissfäulepilz Trametes versicolor ausgesetzt. Die Holzproben wurden ebenfalls einem dreiwöchigen Termitenbefall unter Laborbedingungen ausgesetzt. Dabei wurden die Bodentermiten Coptotermes formosanus verwendet. Die Rezeptur mit Zimtaldehyd (DF3) erwies sich sowohl gegen Braun- als auch gegen Weissfäulepilze als wirksam. Dagegen bot die Rezeptur mit Zimtsäure (DF8) nur einen Schutz gegen Weissfäulepilze. Bei Braunfäulepilzen ausgesetzten Proben war ein Masseverlust von 50% zu verzeichnen. Die Masseverluste in den Holzproben, die mit Rezepturen, die Kassiaöl (DF4) enthielten, behandelt wurden, zeigten, dass Kassiaöl gegen beide Pilze wirksam ist. Holzteeröl und Dodecanal-Verbindungen hemmten ebenfalls den Pilzbefall in den Proben. Die Holzproben, die mit den in Termitenresistenzversuchen verwendeten Rezepturen behandelt wurden, zeigten sich gegen Termitenbefall resistenter als Proben, die mit den in Fäuleresistenzversuchen verwendeten Rezepturen behandelt wurden. Sogar nach starker Bewitterung erwiesen sich die behandelten Proben als resistent gegen Bodentermiten. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass ätherische Öle und Pflanzenextrakte bei der Entwicklung neuer Holzschutzmittel, die für die Umwelt und den Menschen weniger schädlich als die bereits erhältlichen Mittel sind, eine wichtige Rolle spielen können.
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Kartal, S., Hwang, WJ., Imamura, Y. et al. Effect of essential oil compounds and plant extracts on decay and termite resistance of wood. Holz Roh Werkst 64, 455–461 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00107-006-0098-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00107-006-0098-8