KR0173122B1 - Method of reducing pitch quantity from pulp - Google Patents

Abstract

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Description

Pitch Content Reduction Method of Wood Pulp

The present invention relates to the paper industry and more particularly provides a method for reducing the resin content of wood used to make mechanical or chemical wood pulp.

Resin, commonly called pitch, is a product naturally found in many wood types and is not important for paper production. The presence of resin in pulp is generally considered a negative factor that can adversely affect the quality of pulp and paper made from pulp. In addition, in the pulping process, the resin may form into deposits on the inner surfaces of the tubes and devices, which may clog during normal operation. This requires an iterative and tedious cleaning process, which in the meantime leads to serious problems with maintenance and productivity, since production is interrupted.

In the paper industry, paper wood, typically in the form of wood chips or sawdust, is often stored outdoors for days, even weeks, before being introduced into the pulping process.

In one aspect, outdoor storage appears to promote gradual degradation of the resinous component. This degradation is due in part to some chemical reactions, for example hydrolysis of glyceride components and oxidation of saturated components and in part to microbial action. However, the constituents of the resin, such as waxes, are only partially or not at all degraded by such oxidation or hydrolysis mechanisms and are generally present in the pulp.

In another aspect, outdoor storage is economically advantageous, but outdoor storage can adversely affect the properties of the pulp because bacterial or fungal infections can develop during storage and significantly degrade wood chips.

Over the years, especially in summer, wood chips are often infected by fungal types, which usually appear dark in wood. This staining indicates that the mycelia of the fungus (hyphae) infiltrated deeply into the wood and into ray ray tissue cells and resin tubes. Initially, infections of wood piles are generally localized but can spread, particularly in warmer climates. Since the staining of wood can persist in pulp and paper made from it, the invading dark color has been considered very unpleasant so far, and it was common practice to remove the site of infection of the pile before spreading.

Surprisingly, according to the present invention, the invading fungi of the present application, for example, the invading dark (blue) fungi, can substantially degrade the resin content of the wood, and the dyeing is not a major drawback, which greatly affects the properties of wood for pulp making It has been found to have a beneficial effect. It also not only reduces the problems associated with resin presence in the pulp, but also improves the strength properties of the paper.

The present invention provides a method for reducing the resin content of wood, including applying an inoculum of resin degradable, wood invasive fungus (hereinafter referred to as invasive fungus) to wood and maintaining an effective environmental condition to promote fungal growth. to provide.

By resin is meant any material that is insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents such as ethanol, methylene chloride, diethyl ether, benzene / alcohol mixtures and the like. Various types of resins exist and include, for example, terpenes, ditefenic acid, fatty acids, esters, glycerides, waxes and alcohols.

The wood to be treated according to the method of the present invention may be hardwood or softwood, including birch, oak, poplar, dogwood, too-chestnut and conifers, for example pine, cedar, spruce, fir (yield), yew All kinds of pines are preferred, including but not limited to cypress, larch and larch.

Wood forms suitable for use in the method of the present invention include timbers, all types of mechanical pulp and refined wood pulp (preferably) which are cut with or without bark. It is advantageous to keep the wood pulp in an accumulated mass.

Cleaved timbers can be conveniently inoculated by applying invading fungal inoculum either cross-sectional or over the trunk, which can favorably promote infection.

Mechanical pulp refers to any well known mechanical pulping treatment or pulp to which at least one step of such treatment is applied, and therefore still contains relatively high content of lignin, for example at least 60% of the original lignin content. The pulp is, for example, pulp from the first stage of the thermomechanical pulping process.

Purified wood pulp refers to any part of wood obtained as a result of applying mechanical or shear forces to timber to obtain small pieces or particles of various surface areas, suitable for use in the first stage of any pulp manufacturing process. Wood chips and sawdust represent two conventional refined wood pulp.

The wood to be treated is preferably fresh wood, ie freshly cut timber or wood chips made from freshly produced, preferably fresh timber. In some cases, however, aged wood may also be used.

Microscopic analysis of wood infected by invading fungi reveals that the fungus invades the ray tissue cells of both the softwood and hardwood and the resinous tube of the softwood during growth. Typically, more than 50% of the parenchymal cells and tubes of infected wood chips are invaded. Invading fungi appear dark on wood and cannot be easily mowed flat. Under appropriate growth conditions, the invading dyed fungus is characterized by staining at least 6 mm below the inoculation surface of the wood as compared to known surface growing dyed fungi. Another type of invading fungus does not give wood any color. These fungal species (not classified as dyed fungi) are a few limited classes, for example Ophiostoma nigrocarpum. A more detailed description of total invasive fungi is found in Boyce's Forest pathology, 3rd edition, 1961, McGraw-Hill Book Company.

Invasive dyed fungi include fungi that show a dark color (eg black, dark blue and dark gray dye), sometimes faint colors of wood, with shades of gray or all gray shades from very light gray to medium gray. Dark fungi are preferred for use in the process of the present invention.

Invasive fungi typically include an incomplete state associated with opiostomatals, as well as genus classified into the Ascomycetes or Deuteromycetes group, more particularly Ophiostomatales subclass. It is found in a wide range of genera including the genus Examples of such genera include Herringtn T.C., New combination in Ophiostoma or Ceratocystis species with Leptographium anamorphs, Mycotaxon, 1987, 28: 39-43 and Herrington T.C. Ceratocystis, as defined by reference to the general concepts mentioned in Cobb FW, Leptographium root disease conifers, 1988, page 1-39, APS press, St Paul, Minnesota. ), Ceratocystiopsis, Grapium, Leptographium, Ophiostoma, Pialocephala, Sporrix, as well as Sporthrix Ainsworth and Bisby's dictionary of fungi. 1983. 7th edition, Commonwealth mycological institute, Kew, Surrey, England, including but not limited to Rhincladiella and Hyalodendron. Other examples of genera that can find invasive fungi of limited species (not classified as opiostomatals) include Alternaria, Cadophora, and chlordium (as defined in the above-mentioned documents by Wexworth et al.). Chloridium, Diplodia, Dactylella, Fusarium, Homodendron, Homonema, Phyalophora, Sphaeropsis, Tricospho Trichosporium, Codinaea and Valsa. Preferred fungi are found in the genus including Chloridium, Dactilella, Pialophora and Genus as well as incomplete conditions (particularly preferred) associated with Genus or Opiostomatals classified Opiostomatals. More preferably, the fungus is found in Ceratosistis and Opiostoma (most preferred).

A list of species is provided below to illustrate the various invading fungi. Come from this list. Mr. Opiostoma. Are seratosis and el. Represents leptographium. The same species may be represented by several strains, which represent different sources or regions identifying the same species, but may vary by region. The list also indicates that fungal species can naturally infect a variety of wood species or woods. Whether species and genus are applied to wood or fungi, they are used in the present invention in the sense defined by the general classification law.

61, 62, 64, 65, 68-74, 76, 77, 79, 83, 84, 89, 91, 93, 94, 96-120, 124-150, 153, 154, 157 Of particular interest are 158, 162, 165, 166, 171, 175, 181, 189 and 190.

Hazy color fungi can also be isolated into variants or mutants from the parent strain that are found in nature or appear dark. Inoculation, eg by serial dilution, of a culture of dark fungus, for example 5 to 9 days old, which results in naturally blurred variants or mutants that appear as light gray to medium gray spots. Typical. These are collected and grown into individual isolates. Alternatively, they can also be produced by experiment. Preferred faint color fungi exhibit good growth viability similar to that of dark color fungi, for example.

In nature, invading fungi, such as blue stained fungi, are usually heterookaryotic. In fact, during incubation the nuclei are separated from cells in various combinations that change the characteristics of the strain. However, homokaryotic strains can be selected because of their stable properties and may be preferably used in the process of the present invention. It is also possible to select as follows: Aspergillus spores of a heterocarotitic strain are by definition homo homotic. Therefore, the spores can be recovered and separated separately. For example, it may be inoculated on a solid growth medium at a dilution concentration that allows for separate growth. The resulting strains are then tested for their homocarotitic properties. Alternatively, two heterocarotitic strains can be hybridized together and the lineage is analyzed as described above.

Invasive fungi for use in the process of the invention are advantageously characterized by at least one of the following properties:

a) does not substantially reduce the cellulose content of the wood, b) is not pathogenic for biomaterials, c) can grow in different wood species, d) can grow in different wood, e) competitive non-sterile Can grow strongly or rapidly in the environment (ie its growth is hardly inhibited by the presence of other microorganisms), f) inhibits the growth of other microorganisms.

It is also advantageous for fungal strains selected for use in the methods of the invention to naturally infect the wood species to be treated.

Inoculum is a composition comprising fungal agents of invading fungi, for example fungal cultures or fungal preparations derived from fungal cultures. The inoculum is preferably biologically pure, ie there are few microorganisms which are not invading fungi or derived from biologically pure cultures. Biologically pure cultures of the desired fungi can be obtained in liquid or solid form by methods well known in the art. Cultures performed on solid substrates are particularly interesting because the resulting cells are dry resistant. Typically, the fungal culture is a mixture of at least two different fungal forms, ie mycelium and spores, each of which may continue to prevail as the culture grows. Certain spore types more particularly appear as yeast-like cells in liquid culture. Fungal preparations, such as spore suspensions, can be prepared from fungal cultures by standard techniques. For use in the methods of the invention, the inoculum contains a fungal culture or fungal preparation comprising at least 50%, more preferably at least 80% and most preferably at least 90% of spores, preferably yeast-like cells. Include.

The inoculum may be in liquid form or dried form (eg lyophilized form). If the inoculum is stored in dry form before use, it can be applied as is or diluted. If dry inoculum is applied to wood, it is advantageous to wet the wood separately. In the process of the invention, it is particularly preferred to freeze at least -10 ° C, preferably at least -15 ° C, suitably about -20 ° C, before using the inoculum.

Inoculum may also include additives such as preservatives or stabilizers. Examples of preservatives or stabilizers include silicon dioxide, skim milk, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol and sugars such as fructose, glucose and sugar.

The inoculum may contain one or several fungal species. Alternatively, several inoculum containing a single species may be applied to the wood simultaneously or in subsequent steps.

Inoculum can be intentionally applied to wood in a variety of ways. Typically the inoculum is applied in a systematic or organizational manner. For example, the inoculum is distributed over the outer surface of the timber cut into wood masses, for example purified wood pulp piles, preferably at regular intervals. More preferably, the inoculum is spread in a homogeneous manner, ie almost throughout the wood mass. However, it is not necessary to inoculate each individual wood chip, sawdust particles and the like. As little as 10% and even less, but preferably at least 20%, more preferably about 50% and most preferably about 85% of the individual pieces as the uninoculated pieces and the inoculated pieces accumulate on contact Will be inoculated. On growth, the infection will spread very easily.

Sufficient and even inoculation of wood ingots generally reflects the fact that fungi grow almost all over the wood ingots. However, for unknown reasons, it may occur that some wood ingots, especially the outer layer of the purified woodpulp pile, show some growth or no growth at all compared to the rest of the wood pile.

In one preferred embodiment, the inoculum is sprayed onto wood chips or sawdust before being released in the purification process but before accumulating into piles. For example, wood chip manufacturing apparatuses are generally provided with means of transporting the newly produced chips and transporting them in an accumulation pile. The spray applicator containing the inoculum formulation is connected to the end of the carrier so that it is sprayed when the carrier, preferably the chip is suspended in the air, for example when crossing freely or tumbling with the chipper, or away from the carrier. It is convenient to let.

Alternatively, the inoculum may be applied to the wood chip pile by spraying it onto the accumulation pile more or less continuously than during the accumulation of the wood chip pile.

In another embodiment, the previously inoculated and incubated chips may be dispersed in new chips to complete or enhance inoculation according to the present invention. Such inoculum does not appear to be biologically pure. However, at least 40%, preferably at least 50% of the inoculum is an invasive stain fungus, thus reflecting the previous inoculation.

After inoculation, the accumulated mass is kept in a state in which growth of fungi is promoted in almost the entire mass. In most cases the invention is easy to carry out in the open air, and therefore, on the basis of the fact that the ingots are subject to a wide range of climatic conditions, the maintenance of a certain set of ideal conditions throughout the entire treatment period is usually too difficult to achieve and often practically unnecessary. Do. In general, it is sufficient to substantially maintain the ingot at the temperature at which the fungi grow, while avoiding the high temperatures at which the fungi die. In addition, the invading strain is advantageously selected from those suitable for the local temperature conditions. Many fungi show slightly moderate growth at or below 0 ° C., but generally at a temperature of at least 10 ° C., for example 10 ° C. to 40 ° C., more preferably 15 ° C. to 33 ° C., most preferably 22 ° C. It would be more suitable to reach temperatures of from 28 ° C. Over the years, the use of different fungi, each suitable for seasonal temperatures, is of course within the scope of the present invention.

In mild climatic conditions, it is not necessary to influence the environmental temperature, and the inoculated ingots can be left outdoors without special maintenance measures. In cold climatic conditions, it is desirable to provide a temperature maintaining means suitable for inoculated ingots. It may be placed on or on a inoculated ingot inoculated with a heat retaining cover (eg, a giant plastic sheet or concrete igloo or any similar structure) capable of internally heating and radiating radiant heat. Alternatively, the ground base on which the inoculated mass is placed may be provided with a plurality of holes for discharging warm air or steam. If a heating means is provided, it would also be desirable to adjust the wet state to avoid excessive drying. In light of this, heat or steam venting means would be appropriate.

The time the infection progresses in purified wood pulp can vary considerably depending on a number of factors, including the desired amount of resin removal, temperature and wetting conditions, the original microbial state of the wood, the amount of inoculum used and the particular fungus. However, generally satisfactory results may be obtained after 4 to 45 days, preferably 7 to 35 days. Under preferred conditions, a very effective result, for example about 20% or more, may be obtained with a pitch reduction 5-25 days after inoculation.

The treatment of the cutting timber is usually slightly longer and can extend for two months and longer than the treatment period of the purified wood pulp.

Wood, such as wood chip piles, treated according to the process of the present invention and incubated for less than 6 weeks, have an amount of chips in the process pile that exhibits visible growth of dark invading fungi, preferably at least 25% of the total amount of chips. Is substantially different from the untreated pile in that it is 35%, more preferably 50%.

Wood treated according to the method of the present invention is suitable for use in any of the conventional pulping processes such as mechanical, thermomechanical, chemical mechanical, chemical thermomechanical and chemical pulping processes. After this treatment, pulp or bleaching of the pulp is usually carried out, and if necessary, the bleaching step may be slightly adjusted to exclude residual dyeing of the final product.

In the following examples, unless otherwise stated, the resin is quantified according to the standard TAPPI process T204 om-88, slightly modified as follows.

Using pruning shears, cut the wood chips to about 1 cm wide. The chopped wood is oven dried at about 60 ° C. overnight and then ground to sawdust using a Thomas-Wiley Intermediate Mill with a 20-mesh screen. 4 g of dried sawdust is mixed with about 20 ml of methylene chloride (dichloromethane-DCM) and the resulting mixture is shaken overnight at room temperature to remove extractable components from sawdust. The liquid is then pipetted out of the mixture and filtered by 0.45μ organic filter. The recovered liquid is evaporated overnight at room temperature. Transfer the transfer into the oven at about 60 ℃ 30 minutes to further remove methylene chloride. The pitch content is obtained by weighing the residue after removing methylene chloride and expressing the product in mg pitch per gram of substrate extracted with methylene chloride.

In the following examples, unless otherwise specified, used wood chips were harvested in Virginia, USA, using a mixture of two-thirds of the mixture and freshly cut timber that had been aged outdoors for about three months. Made from one yellow pine.

In the following examples, F1 is an Ophiostoma peceae species, G1 is a Ceratocystis adiposa species, I1 is an Ophiostoma piliferum species (first isolate), C1 is also an opiostoma Philippirum (Secondary) and E1 is a Graphium sp., Each selected from the above mentioned Southern Hwangsong wood chips found in a pulp and paper mill process in Virginia. It is isolated and produced from the sample and used as a biologically pure culture in the following examples.

In the following examples, the inoculated chips and control chips are placed in a sealed plastic bag during the treatment period. In this experiment the chips are frozen at -20 ° C until use.

In the examples below, the two control samples in the experiments performed with the non-sterile chips represent the frozen control and the true control. Frozen controls represent wood chips early in the experiment. The true control represents wood chips grown by natural microbial populations during the course of the experiment. The decrease in pitch content of the true control indicates degradation occurring naturally by the microorganisms originally present in the chip.

The invention is further illustrated further as follows:

Example 1

A 200 g sample of unsterilized winter wood chips is inoculated with cultures F1, G1 and I1 prepared and harvested on solid malt agar plates. The inoculated chips are then incubated for 3 weeks at room temperature. The pitch content compared to the pitch content of the frozen control is shown below.

Example 2

F1 (1.5 × 10) after sterilization of 300 g sample of summer wood chips (October pile) Spore), G1 (1.0 × 10) Spore), I1 (1.2 × 10) Spores) or spore suspensions of G1 and I1. The chips are wetted with 10 ml of water / 100 g of wood chips to promote the growth of fungi. Chip samples are incubated in this state for 11 or 27 days at room temperature and the pitch content is measured. The results of comparing the frozen and non-frozen controls are shown below.

Example 3

I1 is grown at 25 ° C. below in a 2 l volumetric (200 rpm) flask containing 500 ml of liquid basic malt extract. The inoculum consists of a 5 mm agar plug containing spore forming fungi. Spore production rate of I1 during incubation is measured as reported below.

After 48 hours of incubation, the growth of spores using plate dilution is 11 × 10 It was found to be colony forming units / ml.

The 48 hour liquid culture is centrifuged and the pellet is resuspended in a small amount of water to give a concentrated suspension, to which 10% dry skim milk is added as stabilizer. The suspension constitutes an inoculum suitable for use in the process of the present invention.

Example 4

Two 12-ton wood chip piles each are used to conduct an outdoor experiment in early December at a location in Virginia, southern United States.

Wood to be inoculated is prepared from approximately 60% of chips from freshly cut wood and 40% from chips stored outdoors for at least 3 months. Wood chips have an average pitch content of 34 mg / g.

Concentrate the inoculum of I1 in about 3 x 10 in 10 liters of distilled water. Dilute with water to contain spores about 2 × 10 Provide spores / chip kg. 10 l inoculum is intermittently sprayed onto the chip load used to form pile II and also on pile II after pile formation. Tarp transparent plastics to files I (not inoculated) and II. Pile I remains unheated and the temperature sensor shows temperatures in the pile ranging from -5 ° C to 10 ° C. Pile II is heated by feeding warm air down the pile to obtain a temperature of 20-25 ° C. in most cross sections of the pile. The forced air heater is in a structure with a cider block sides and a wire mesh screen saw that separates the chip from the heater.

After 15 days of incubation, the chip samples are randomly taken from each pile constituting two samples, each about 135 kg, followed by a thermomechanical pulping process. The pitch content of the resulting pulp is then measured. The average pitch content of pulp derived from pile I and pile II is 27 and 21 mg / g, respectively.

The physical properties of the pulp and paper obtained from the pulp (including rupture factor, tearing interest, break length and stretch) are investigated according to standard procedures. Materials derived from pile II (pulp or paper) have better properties than those derived from pile I or untreated new wood chips.

Example 5

Store October chips at 4 ° C for 1 week before inoculating fungi. 400 g of the sample was inoculated with the fungi shown below and each inoculation had a total of about 10 Includes spores. 15 ml of water per 100 g of chip is added to some samples to determine the effect of the wet state on pitch decomposition. The results are shown below.

The weight of the chip is also measured before and after 25 days of incubation. There is almost no loss of moisture in culture.

The greatest decrease in pitch is observed in a shorter time in the sample when inoculating I1 and G1 simultaneously.

Example 6

October chip samples are inoculated with different inoculum as reported below. Pitch content is measured after incubation for 21 days.

The results indicate that inoculum concentration can affect the pitch degradation process.

Example 7

65 g of the split chip samples (autumn pile, frozen and stored) mixed with 5 ml of water are sterilized, cooled at room temperature and inoculated with the fungi shown below. The sample is kept at room temperature for 21 days. The results compared to the control are shown below.

Example 8

Cultures of I1 are grown for 6 days in standard liquid malt extraction medium. The culture is then centrifuged and the pellet resuspended in fresh malt extract to obtain a 25-fold concentration.

Spore viability is analyzed immediately and also stored for 2 weeks at various temperatures followed by plate dilution analysis in malt agar. The results are shown below.

In a second experiment, cultures 5 days old of I1 are centrifuged, frozen at -20 ° C and lyophilized. Spore growth is analyzed by plate dilution analysis in malt agar after storage for 1 week at various temperatures. The results are shown below.

The liquid I1 culture is centrifuged and resuspended in the minimum volume of skim milk. Spores are stored for 2 weeks and the results are shown below.

Therefore, spores may be stored by freezing or lyophilizing at −20 ° C. without losing the viability of the spores.

Example 9

Attempt to ferment fungus I1

10 L fermentation I1 is carried out in a 201 Chemap fermentor. The medium consists of 20 g malt extract (dipco) and 2 g yeast extract per liter. The pH of the medium after autoclaving is 5.9. Inoculum is 3 × 10 100 ml of growth medium containing spores / ml. Fermentation is carried out by aeration at 9.41 / min with stirring at 600 rpm at a temperature of 25.1 ° C. Foaming is inhibited with 20% vesicle B emulsion (Sigma, diluted to 20% strength). pH, dissolved oxygen and temperature are measured during the process. The sample is then periodically removed to analyze the cell number.

* Oxygen levels are reported in percent saturation.

Examination of the sample under the microscope shows a higher percentage of mycelial than observed in shake flasks, especially during the initial procedure. After 44 hours, the yeast-like form becomes dominant. Increased aeration during fermentation can change the form during growth. Lower aeration rates or more inoculum can result in yeast-like conditions initially in culture. Yeast-like growth and subsequent sporulation conditions may be desirable in storage testing due to their higher growth capacity.

Example 10

An outdoor experiment involving two chip piles, each 2.5 tons, was conducted in early August in South Carolina, United States. Wood chips are made from freshly cut southern yellow pine, and piles are piled on plastic sheets.

Fungal inoculum was grown for 5 days in liquid culture (750 ml volume in 2% malt, 0.2% yeast and 2 L flask) at 25 ° C. and stored in 10% skim milk at −20 ° C. It is composed of cells similar to yeast of (dark blue strain). Spray the inoculum onto the chips as piles accumulate and 1 kg of wood chips 10 Inoculate with viable fungal cells. Only one file is processed, the other is the counterpart.

After 4 weeks, chip samples are taken randomly from each file. The pitch content of each sample is measured and the average content is calculated for each file. The results are shown in the table below.

Examine the number of microorganisms in each pile. Chips randomly taken from the piles are individually placed on solid culture medium (malt and yeast extract agar) and analyzed for the number of microorganisms growing therefrom. The results are shown below.

* Percent of infected chips.

Example 11

A 2 L three-necked flask containing 750 ml of 2% malt and 0.2% yeast extract is sterilized, inoculated with an opiostoma Filipferrum TAB 28 plug grown on malted yeast agar. After sterilization the pH of the medium is 5.9. The culture is stirred for 36 hours at 160 rpm under 25 ° C. and then harvested. Samples are removed periodically for later analysis. Light microscopy revealed early mycelium with long mycelium at 18 hours and yeast-like cell dominant (95% of culture) after 36 hours.

Example 12

100 g of wood chips, faint variant of I1 10 Inoculate spores. The chip is incubated for 2 weeks at room temperature. After incubation, the pitch content of the control and treated samples is 2.3% and 1.9%, respectively.

Example 13

Southern Hwangsong wood chips after about 1 to 2 weeks and exhibiting blue salts are recovered individually. From this fungal isolates are obtained, grown and identified. About 10 per ml of each isolate Inoculate sterilized wood needles with spores and incubate for 2 weeks at room temperature. After incubation, the pitch content is measured. The results are shown below.

Claims (10)

A method of reducing the resin content of wood, comprising applying an inoculum of resin degradable, wood invasive fungus (hereinafter referred to as invading fungus) to wood and maintaining an effective environmental condition to promote fungal growth. The method of claim 1, wherein the wood is in the form of purified wood pulp. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the invading fungus is a dark invading fungus. The genus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the invading fungus is classified as a subclass Ophiostomatales, genus containing an incomplete state associated with opiostomatals and alternaria, cadopora ( Cadophora, Chloridium, Diplodia, Dactylella, Fusarium, Homodendron, Homonema, Horaloema, Phyalophora, Speropsis (Sphaeropsis), Trichosporium, Codinaea Balsa genus method selected from the group comprising fungi. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein said invading fungus is a fungus of a genus selected from the group consisting of opiostoma and ceratostistis. The method of claim 1 comprising applying an inoculum that is a composition comprising a fungal material of invading fungus selected from a fungal culture and a fungal agent derived from the culture. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said fungal material contains at least 50% spores. The method of claim 1, comprising spraying the inoculum on the wood. A composition for reducing the resin content of wood, comprising both the fungal material of the invading fungus and a stabilizer. 10. The composition of claim 9, wherein said fungal material comprises at least 50% spores.