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In a time of climate change, bio-based circular economy is becoming more important than ever before. A longer service life of wood products will lead to a longer storage of carbon and lower emissions of greenhouse gases. Biodegradation is an essential process in the nutrient cycling of forest ecosystems. The same degradation also takes place in our wooden constructions where brown rot fungi are the most common and most destructive organisms involved. Brown rot fungi preferentially attack the two most frequent wood species in Sweden, spruce and pine and are particular challenging because they cause faster loss of strength than white rot, resulting in greater damage within a short period of time. Wood degradation is globally combated with preservatives. Due to their toxicity to humans and the environment, alternatives with low environmental impact have been developed. The most promising and sustainable alternative is wood modification. However, to be able to further optimize and develop targeted and powerful protection systems, fungal degradation mechanisms need to be understood. This project will provide an exhaustive insight into brown rot degradation in modified wood for the industry to develop products with a prolonged service-life for a better use of forest resources. The project will also develop functional markers for service-life predictions of wood in constructions, important in the competition with greenhouse gas intensive materials like steel, concrete and aluminium.
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