Hand-held electronic nose (HHEN) for dry rot detection in buildings

The wood decay fungus Serpula lacrymans is responsible for "dry rot", causing extensive damage to building timbers. A fully portable system for detection of dry rot is currently undergoing site tests. A portable electronic nose system is being developed for detection of wood decay fungi metabolising on building timbers. It utilises solid phase microextraction (SPME) headspace sampling combined with a detector made up of an array of metal oxide semiconductor sensors coupled to electronics and pattern recognition software. Results from field trials indicate that the system is able to specifically detect the presence of dry rot volatiles with high sensitivity.