Abstract
Wood vinegar is the aqueous phase of the liquid produced
during the slow pyrolysis of wood. It has the potential
to be used as a pesticide against various weeds, insects
and molluscs. Due to divergent feedstocks, pyrolysis
processes and storing conditions, the chemical
composition of wood vinegar varies between producers and
time. The aim of our current study was to use the copse
snail Arianta arbustorum (Linnaeus) as a biological odour
detector to identify the effective compounds behind the
repellent effect of wood vinegar. We also studied whether
variation in the chemical composition of wood vinegars
from different producers impacts repellency efficiency.
Of the tested constituents, acetic acid, furfural and
ether-soluble (mainly aldehydes, ketones, lignin
monomers) and ether-insoluble ("wood syrup") fractions of
the water extract of wood vinegar induced a clear
repellent effect on snails, but their effects were
considerably lower than the effect of wood vinegar. Thus
the repellent effect of wood vinegar is due to a larger
set of its chemical constituents rather than to a
specific compound. All tested wood vinegars induced a
clear repellent influence on snails, but differences
existed between the products of different retorts. These
differences were at least partly due to differences in
the products' organic material content. According to our
studies, A. arbustorum can sense quality differences
between wood vinegars, even below 10% dilutions. We
suggest that utilizing the avoidance behaviour of A.
arbustorum is an easy, non-costly method for monitoring
the quality of slow pyrolysis liquids but also hitherto
unknown environmental contaminants.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 53-60 |
Journal | International Journal of Environmental Research |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2015 |
MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Keywords
- Arianta arbustorum
- wood vinegar
- repellent
- pyrolysis liquids
- slow pyrolysis