National Institute of Forest Science: "Microorganisms Enhance Acoustic Quality of Instrument Wood"

The National Institute of Forest Science announced on July 11 that it has developed an eco-friendly treatment technology that enhances the acoustic properties of wood for musical instruments by utilizing wood-decay fungi, a type of microorganism.

Wood-decay fungi are fungi that invade wood tissue and decompose components such as cellulose and lignin to obtain nutrients. The Institute has also completed a patent application for the technology developed using these fungi.

In the study, it was scientifically confirmed that when eight types of wood, including maple and alder?commonly used in the production of string instruments?were treated with wood-decay fungi, key acoustic properties such as the acoustic constant and acoustic conversion efficiency improved.

The acoustic constant and acoustic conversion efficiency are indicators used to quantitatively evaluate acoustic quality. It is known that higher values are advantageous for the transmission of sound vibrations.

In particular, comparative experiments with the eight types of wood-decay fungi showed that the Ceriporia lacerata strain demonstrated excellent improvement effects.

Alder treated with this strain showed up to a 21% increase in acoustic constant and up to a 37% increase in acoustic conversion efficiency. The Institute also explained that maple's acoustic constant improved by 29%, and its acoustic conversion efficiency improved by 35%.

This technology is a biological treatment method that utilizes naturally derived microorganisms without chemical processing, and it is considered advantageous in that it can provide high-quality wood required for instrument making.

Lee Suyeon, a researcher at the Wood Industry Research Division, stated, "This study is significant in that it developed an eco-friendly technology to enhance the acoustic performance of wood using microorganisms, thereby contributing to the development of high value-added wood materials. The Institute will continue to pursue convergence research to strengthen the competitiveness of the wood industry."