Effect of Different Temperature and Anaerobic/Aerobic Conditions on the Decay Characteristics of PAOs

In order to analyze the effect of different temperatures on PAOs decay, a lab scale EBPR culture with PAOs over 90%±2% of the entire bacterial was used under different conditions (10℃ anaerobic, 10℃ aerobic, 20℃ anaerobic, 20℃ aerobic). The results show that the decay rate increases with the increase of temperature; the average rate during 1~9 days is (respectively: 10℃ anaerobic, 10℃ aerobic, 20℃ anaerobic, 20℃ aerobic) 0.053/d, 0.50/d, 0.072/d, and 0.145/d; the cell death rate is 0.019/d, 0.017/d, 0.019/d, and 0.03/d, which accounts for 35.8%, 34%, 26.4%, and 20.7% of the decay rate, respectively. The concentration of PHA and glycogen decreases during the decay period. And Glycogen degrades quickly in anaerobic conditions than in aerobic conditions under the same temperature. The glycogen degrade rate is higher with the increase of temperature under the same anaerobic and aerobic conditions.     

Decomposition Dynamics and Nutrient Release Pattern from Leaf Litters of Five Commonly Occurring Homegarden Tree Species in Mizoram,India

Leaf litter decomposition and nutrient release patterns from five common multipurpose tree species—viz., Artocarpus heterophyllus, Mangifera indica, Areca catechu, Citrus sp., and Tamarindus indica, found in homegardens of Mizoram—were evaluated using a litter bag technique. The result of the study indicates a varying pattern of decomposition and nutrient release (N&P) among the species. Citrus sp. and T. indica were found to be the most labile species with comparatively much higher decay constant and faster nutrient release. Initial nitrogen concentration, lignin content, and lignin/N ratio of foliage litter showed significantly higher (p < .01) correlation with the decay coefficient and were found to be the important determinants in the decay process. The initial slow release and immobilization of N in A. heterophyllus and M. indica leaf litter reflect their potential as a source of nitrogen storage and effective mulching material. While litter from T. indica and Citrus sp. can provide the short-term nutrient need, foliage for the other three species may supply the long-term nutrient requirement for the understory crops in such agroforestry systems.     

Chemical modification of wood: A short review

Abstract

For most markets for wood, it is used without any treatments or modifications. When wood is used in adverse environments, it may be treated with chemicals to help prevent decay, improve water resistance, reduce the effects of ultraviolet radiation or increase fire retardancy. Many of these treatments involve the use of toxic or corrosive chemicals that can harm the environment. Chemical modification of wood provides an alternative by providing protection against water, decay, UV and thermal degradations by bonding chemicals to the cell wall polymers that do not leach out. Dimensional stability and decay resistance are two major properties that can be greatly improved by simple reactions with acetic anhydride.     

Effect of fungal exposure on the strength of thermally modified Norway spruce and Scots pine

Abstract

Thermal modification at elevated temperatures changes the chemical, biological and physical properties of wood. In this study, the effects of the level of thermal modification and the decay exposure (natural durability against soft-rot microfungi) on the modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rupture (MOR) of the sapwood and heartwood of Scots pine and Norway spruce were investigated with a static bending test using a central loading method in accordance with EN 408 (1995). The results were compared with four reference wood species: Siberian larch, bangkirai, merbau and western red cedar. In general, both the thermal modification and the decay exposure decreased the strength properties. On average, the higher the thermal modification temperature, the more MOE and MOR decreased with unexposed samples and increased with decayed samples, compared with the unmodified reference samples. The strength of bangkirai was least reduced in the group of the reference wood species. On average, untreated wood material will be stronger than thermally modified wood material until wood is exposed to decaying fungi. Thermal modification at high temperatures over 210°C very effectively prevents wood from decay; however, strength properties are then affected by thermal modification itself.     

Decay resistance of sapwood and heartwood of untreated and thermally modified Scots pine and Norway spruce compared with some other wood species

Abstract

Thermal modification has been developed for an industrial method to increase the biological durability and dimensional stability of wood. In this study the effects of thermal modification on resistance against soft- and brown-rot fungi of sapwood and heartwood of Scots pine and Norway spruce were investigated using laboratory test methods. Natural durability against soft-rot microfungi was determined according to CEN/TS 15083-2 (2005) by measuring the mass loss and modulus of elasticity (MOE) loss after an incubation period of 32 weeks. An agar block test was used to determine the resistance to two brown-rot fungi using two exposure periods. In particular, the effect of the temperature of the thermal modification was studied, and the results were compared with results from untreated pine and spruce samples. The decay resistance of reference untreated wood species (Siberian larch, bangkirai, merbau and western red cedar) was also studied in the soft-rot test. On average, the soft-rot and brown-rot tests gave quite similar results. In general, the untreated heartwood of pine was more resistant to decay than the sapwood of pine and the sapwood and heartwood of spruce. Thermal modification increased the biological durability of all samples. The effect of thermal modification seemed to be most effective within pine heartwood. However, very high thermal modification temperature over 230°C was needed to reach resistance against decay comparable with the durability classes of “durable” or “very durable” in the soft-rot test. The brown-rot test gave slightly better durability classes than the soft-rot test. The most durable untreated wood species was merbau, the durability of which could be evaluated as equal to the durability class “moderately durable”.     

Durability of thermally modified Norway spruce and Scots pine in above-ground conditions

Abstract

One of the main objectives of thermal modification is to increase the biological durability of wood. In this study the fungal resistance of Norway spruce and Scots pine, thermally modified at 195°C and 210°C, was studied with a lap-joint field test. Untreated pine and spruce and pine impregnated with tributyl tin oxide (TBTO) and copper, chromium and arsenic (CCA) were selected as reference materials. The evaluations were carried out after 1, 2 and 9 years of exposure. After 1 and 2 years of exposure mainly discoloration was detected. Only the untreated pine was slightly affected by decay fungi. There were significant differences in the decay ratings of untreated and thermally modified wood materials after 9 years in the field. While the untreated wood materials were severely attacked by decay fungi or reached failure rating, only small areas of incipient decay were detected in the thermally modified samples. Thermally modified pine was slightly more decayed than thermally modified spruce. The only wood material without any signs of decay was CCA-treated pine, since some of the TBTO-treated pine samples were also moderately attacked by fungal decay. The results of the lap-joint test had a good correlation with mass losses in a laboratory test with brown-rot fungi.     

Fungal–copper interactions in wood examined with large field of view synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy

ABSTRACT

The goal of this study was to demonstrate how synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) can be used to better understand the mechanisms of copper tolerance in wood decay fungi. Copper is a major component in commercial wood preservatives as it is toxic to many wood decay fungi. However, certain fungi are copper tolerant and can attack preservative-treated wood, resulting in structural damage to treated wood members. Here we used large-field XFM to visualize six different elements (K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn) in the mycelia and wood inoculated with four different species of brown rot wood decay fungi. Wood blocks were partially dipped into a solution of copper sulfate, exposed to fungi in malt extract agar petri dish assays for nine weeks, and then imaged and compared to blocks that were partially dipped in water. The blocks were imaged immediately adjacent to an end-matched control that was placed in malt extract agar petri dish assays for 9 weeks, but not exposed to the fungi so that the differences in the elemental distributions could be directly compared. The colonized wood and mycelia were rich in K, Ca, Mn, and Fe; however, the elements and the spatial distribution in the mycelia and wood differed across fungal species. The most interesting results were the maps showing the copper distribution. While three of the four fungi grew on the copper-rich region of the wood, only one species, Fibroporia radiculosa, dramatically reduced the copper concentration in the region of fungal growth.     

Distribution of stem decay in the beech trees of the Azerbaijan and its impact on the output of commercial wood

To determine the distribution of stem decay in the beech stands of Azerbaijan, we sought to identify the species, number, and height of attachment of fruiting bodies;the extent of decay in tree trunks growing under different conditions;and its influence on the trees’ commercial wood. The research was conducted on three farms representing the most common forest types of the Greater Caucasus within Azerbaijan. Examination of the presence of fruiting bodies in the tree trunk revealed that stem decay is the most common infection in beech (Fagus orientalis) stands, especially in fresh, moist areas, with less infection under dry growing conditions. In this work, the length, diameter, and volume of decay were studied by infecting the trunks of 93 model trees affected with mushrooms in 1–4 m cuttings. Our results showed that as the age of the stand increased, extent, diameter, and volume of decay increased significantly: the extent of decay from 1.47 to 6.43 m;the diameter of the decay from 8.15 to 32.7 cm;and the volume of decay from 2.5 to 13.2%. The relationship between age and the specified indicators is presented graphically. Using data obtained from the same sample of trees, we determined the expected and actual yield of commercial wood by age class. We determined that stem decay in beech stands leads to a decrease in the yield of commercial wood on average from 25.1% in the middle-aged to 14.8% in overmature plantations, respectively, with an estimated yield of 40.8–62.7%. Here we present mathematical models of the output of commercial wood from the infected part of the stands by age classes with the use of average data on the extent of decay in model trees.     

赤潮对引发赤潮藻类的种群稳定性影响的研究

研究结果表明,藻类种群数量一直较大,经常发生赤潮的藻类,种群会不稳定,藻类种群会发生衰退概率增大;藻类种群数量一直较小的藻类,偶尔发生赤潮,也会发生种群衰退概率增大.赤潮是藻类种群大量繁殖的结果,而经常发生赤潮又使藻类种群衰退概率增大,繁殖和衰退是矛盾的统一体,因此种群的更替是赤潮普遍的现象.