Cross-evaluation of effectiveness of geotextiles for protection of wood from marine wood borer attack in the Northern Adriatic Sea

Guarneri, Irene (author), Humar, Miha (author), Lesar, Boštjan (author), Shipway, J Reuben (author), Sigovini, Marco (author), Tagliapietra, Davide (author), Müller, Johann (author)

Wood materials undergo recycling in marine ecosystems through abiotic and biotic breakdown processes. Marine wood borers, including shipworms and gribbles, exploit wood as both habitat and food source, representing biodeterioration from an economic perspective and biodegradation from an ecological viewpoint. Shipworms excavate tunnels using their shells as rasping tools, while digestion relies on bacterial endosymbionts; larvae settle through minute holes, often rendering surface damage imperceptible while compromising structural integrity. Gribbles inflict surface-to-interior erosion, particularly in tidal zones. Wood enters marine systems naturally or anthropogenically, and sunken waterlogged wood sustains these specialised communities. X radiography provides a non-destructive method to visualise internal damage and evaluate wood durability. The study assessed whether geotextile coverings could prevent wood borers infestation of wooden specimens. Replicates of round pine wood coated with geotextile were deployed in the Venice Lagoon and the Port of Koper from 2018 for long-term exposure. The Venice Lagoon features shallow waters, salinity gradients, and strong biological activity, with shipworms and gribbles causing severe biodegradation. The Port of Koper presents similar favourable conditions for xylophagous organisms, with more stable salinity. Radiographic monitoring showed that geotextile-protected panels remained intact over time (rating 0, no attack, on EN275 standards), while untreated control panels rapidly deteriorated. In Venice, X-rays confirmed the absence of shipworm attack in protected samples, with wood blackening suggesting anoxic conditions incompatible with borer survival. In Koper, no signs of degradation were observed after three years or even after six years of exposure. These results demonstrate that geotextile protection effectively prevents wood borer attack offering a promising means of protection to both modern wooden structures and wooden archaeological heritage in coastal settings.

• Language: English
• Keywords: wooden coastal structures, wood durability, geotextile protection, Northern Adriatic Sea
• Work type: Other
• Typology: 1.08 - Published Scientific Conference Contribution
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication version: Author Accepted Manuscript
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 11
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-183294
• UDC: 630*8
• COBISS.SI-ID: 280916483
• Publication date in RUL: 10.06.2026

Record is a part of a monograph

• Title: IRG documents database and compendium
• Place of publishing: Stockholm
• Publisher: IRG Secretariat
• Year: 2004
• COBISS.SI-ID: 82640387

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: lesene obalne konstrukcije, vzdržljivost lesa, zaščita z geotekstilom, sredstva za zaščito lesa, severni Jadran