Fungicidal properties of individual components of copper–ethanolamine-based wood preservatives

The importance of copper–ethanolamine-based wood preservatives is increasing. These preservatives usually consist of copper as a fungicide, ethanolamine as a fixative, and secondary fungicides (boron, triazoles) and other additives (water repellents, fixatives, wax emulsions, etc.). Questions arise as to how each of these ingredients interacts with wood-decay fungi, and whether there are any synergistic effects between the components. In order to elucidate these questions, Norway spruce wood specimens were impregnated with five different aqueous solutions consisting of one single component only and of complete formulation of five different concentrations. These specimens were exposed to two brown-rot fungi, Antrodia vaillantii and Gloeophyllum trabeum, as well as to the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor for 8 weeks according to mini block procedure. In parallel, petri dishes with nutrient medium containing different quantities of ingredients and of complete wood preservative were inoculated with the same fungal species, and their growth was compared with growth on media without chemicals. The results showed that both experimental methods give similar results. In general, there was no synergistic effect determined. Ethanolamine did not decrease fungicidal properties of the system, while on the other hand octanoic acid has a positive effect on the growth of brown-rot fungi. The minimal effective concentration of tested copper–ethanolamine preservative was determined by the minimum effective concentration of the most fungi-toxic ingredient.