Introduction to wood deterioration and preservation
Published: 2003
Publication Name: Wood Deterioration and Preservation ACS Symposium Series
Publication URL: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/bk-2003-0845.ch001
Abstract:
Wood-degrading fungi, insects, bacteria and marine borers cause damage resulting in billions of dollars being spent on repair and replacement of wooden structures every year. The equivalent of one-tenth of the forest products produced every year is estimated to be destroyed by these agents. Although wood degradation results in an enormous waste of resources, without wood degrading organisms our world would be buried under cellulose and lignin debris, as these organisms are among the few that efficiently recycle lignocellulosic carbon. Further, in recent years some of the mechanisms employed by microorganisms to degrade wood have been used in bioindustrial processes to benefit humans. For example, fungal-based oxidative reagents are being examined in biopulping and biobleaching processes, and microbial enzymes from wood degrading organisms have been used in systems ranging from wastewater cleanup to the production of fuels from biomass. Wood degrading agents therefore cause many problems, but also greatly benefit