IRG Documents Database and Compendium


Search and Download IRG Documents:



Between and , sort by


Displaying your search results

Your search resulted in 327 documents. Displaying 25 entries per page.


Biodegradation of creosote by white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium and a strains of Pseudomonas
2017 - IRG/WP 17-50329
The aim of this study was to determine degradation effectiveness of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) contained in creosote by white rot fungus and bacteria. The following two species of bacteria Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas sp. as well as Phanerochaete chrysosporium fungus characterised by the ability to decompose aromatic compounds were selected for experiments. Bacterial strains were...
J Zabielska-Matejuk, A Stangierska, A Kropacz, E Kaczorek


Response of the symbiotic flagellate protists community of subterranean termites to sublethal amounts of biocides
2018 - IRG/WP 18-10911
Subterranean termites are quite efficient at extracting nutrients from lignocellulose. Their ability relies not only on the digestive tract physiology but also on symbiotic relationships established with flagellate protists and bacteria. This work aimed to screen the response of the flagellate protists community of the subterranean termite Reticulitermes grassei Clément to the ingestion of differ...
S Duarte, T Nobre, P Borges, L Nunes


Degradation of Eucalyptus transmission poles varies across regions in Zambia
2018 - IRG/WP 18-30727
Evidence from literature shows that Eucalyptus poles treated with creosote last over 30 years before replacement. However, in Zambia, the life span of such poles has reduced to 5-10 years. The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with degradation of treated Eucalyptus poles and how these varied across regions in the country. A total of 1200 poles were assessed in three differen...
P Ng’andwe, D Chungu, E Ncube


Effects of wood protecting biofinish and linseed oil on fire behaviour and leachability of the fire retardant
2018 - IRG/WP 18-30728
A wood protecting biofinish is based on a protective and decorative fungal-based coating and a linseed oil impregnation (called Xyhlo biofinish). This biofinish enables the long-term use of wood in outdoor applications without using toxic chemicals. The fire resistant properties of materials used in buildings are very important. Since Xyhlo biofinish is relatively new, only little information is ...
S Rensink, E J van Niewenhuijzen, M F Sailer


A Synergistically Stabilized Oil-in-Water Paraffin Pickering Emulsion Used in Wood Treatment
2018 - IRG/WP 18-40840
Pickering emulsions (emulsions stabilized by solid particles) are attractive as they have strong similarities with traditional surfactant-stabilized emulsions. In this study, an oil-in-water (O/W) paraffin Pickering emulsion system with satisfying stability and small droplet size distribution was developed by hydrophilic silica particles and traditional surfactants as mixed emulsifiers. The drople...
J Jiang, J Cao


Chemical composition, antitermite and antifungal activity of Dacryodes edulis oleoresin
2019 - IRG/WP 19-20653
Damages to wood structures and other cellulosic materials caused by wood destroying insects and fungi are estimated to several billions of dollars each year in the world. Among these, termites are considered as one of the most economically important pests for wooden structures. In the past, several wood protection chemicals like CCA, creosote, lindane or pentachlorophenol have been used. However, ...
W F Bedounguindzi, K Candelier, P E Engonga, Se Dumarcay, M-F Thevenon, P Gerardin


Economic and Alternative Preservative Research with an Overview of its Impact on the Dynamics of Wood Tie Markets and Railroads
2019 - IRG/WP 19-30751
This presentation will discuss the Railway Tie Association’s (RTA) efforts in economic research for the North American wood tie industry, along with decades-long research into improving wood preservation processes and its resulting economic impact for railroads. Ongoing research is continuing to expand the knowledge-base by comparing existing standard creosote (C) and borate-creosote (B-C) dual...
J C Gauntt


Potential Use of the Pigment from Scytalidium cuboideum and Chlorociboria aeruginosa as an UV-light Protection Additive in Oil Finishes
2019 - IRG/WP 19-40868
UV-light degradation of wood is one of the top reasons for consumer replacement of outdoor wooden structures. This type of degradation is seldom mechanical, and is instead often motivated by loss of aesthetics (graying). There are numerous commercial products available on the market that deal with this loss of color, many of which contain added pigments to ‘rejuvenate’ or ‘revitalize’ grey...
S M Vega Gutierrez, D W Stone, R He3, P T Vega Gutierrez, Z M Walsh, S C Robinson


2018 Railway Tie Survey and the Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials Rulemaking Activities
2019 - IRG/WP 19-50352
This presentation will discuss a survey AAR recently completed on the management of used crossties in the North American rail industry. Approximately 23 million new wood ties are purchased and installed in the North American rail network every year. The presentation will show the number and percentage of ties which are managed by reused in track, reuse in commercial, agricultural or residential la...
R Fronczak, S Smith


Chemical composition and performances of slow pyrolysis by-product from sugarcane bagasse for wood protection
2020 - IRG/WP 20-30752
Pyrolysis distillate or bio-oil, a by-product of biomasses’ slow pyrolysis in the char-making process, has been traditionally used as bio-pesticides by Asian farmers. Due to its large composition of bio-active chemicals, bio-oil obtained from various biomass has become of interest in many applications, including wood protectants. This study aims to characterize the chemical composition of bio-oi...
F D Boer, M-F Thévenon, J-M Commandre, M Fournier


Impregnation of railway sleepers - Investigation of a system-sleeper as an alternative for creosote treated sleepers
2020 - IRG/WP 20-40896
For nearly 200 years wooden railway sleepers are impregnated with creosote. After initially using vacuum pressure processes for impregnation, empty-cell processes have been developed quickly and are used until today. Because of political developments, creosote will probably be banned on the European market in the near future. The Fürstenberg-System-Sleeper, which combines for Europe innovative as...
M Starck, A Heidel, C Brischke, H Militz


Evaluation of weathering and termite resistance of the Myoung-oil as a Korean traditional coating agent
2022 - IRG/WP 22-10996
This study investigated the applicability of Myoung-oil (MO) as an eco-friendly preservative of Korean wooden cultural properties and buildings. Wood test specimens painted with various concentrations of MO were exposed in the external environment. Then color change and wettability of the wood surface were evaluated and compared depending on the exposure time. As a result of exposure for 12 months...
S-M Yoon, Y Park, W-S Jeon, H-M Lee, J-G Park, K Dal Nam, W-J Hwang


Efficiency of three resin fractions from Aucoumea Klaineana Pierre, Canarium schweinfurthii Engl and Dacryodes edulis (G. Don) H. J. Lam from Gabon combined with Tebuconazole as wood preservatives
2022 - IRG/WP 22-10998
Pure resins from Aucoumea Klaineana, Canarium schweinfurthii and Dacryodes edulis were harvested and then hydro-distilled to obtain essential oils and purified resins fractions. Due to the potential leaching and volatility hazards of the compounds that constitute these fractions, resins and essential oils were combined with tebuconazole to produce both antifungal and anti-termite wood preservative...
W F Bedounguindzi, K Candelier, P Edou Engonga, S Dumarcay, M-F Thevenon, P Gerardin


An Update on the Status of Industrial Heavy-Duty Preservatives in Europe
2022 - IRG/WP 22-30762
Creosote has been used for over 150 years for preservation of heavy duty industrial timbers such as railway sleepers, utility poles, and agricultural posts. The regulatory regimes in place today across Europe (eg EU & GB Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR)) require a detailed assessment of the environmental and human health properties of wood preservatives at both the active substance and product l...
S Uphill, H Griffiths, M Giannuzzi, A Hughes


A novel wood preservation technology improving durability and water-related properties
2022 - IRG/WP 22-40926
A newly developed silicone oil (Archroma Management GmbH, Switzerland) was tested for wood modification purposes. Scots pine sapwood was treated with aqueous solutions of this silicone oil and showed a penetration of the modification agent into the wood cell wall. Both, biological durability and moisture-related properties, experienced significant improvements by the modification. Besides, the mod...
L Emmerich, H Militz, M Vila


Glued laminated poles - Progress report after 43 years of testing
2023 - IRG/WP 23-20692
In 1979, a number of glued laminated poles treated with CCA and creosote were placed in a greenhouse in Uppsala, in the Simlångsdalen test field in south-western Sweden and in a power lane in Vuollerim in northern Sweden, in order to study their resistance against biological degradation. The test poles were treated in a two-step process. All laminations of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) were first...
J Jermer, M Westin, N Terziev


Challenges in managing very long-term field tests
2023 - IRG/WP 23-30779
Field testing of wood preservatives has been on-going in Petawawa, Ontario, Canada since at least 1937. Many of the treated roundwood posts from these early experiments are still in test, and include preservatives still used today, including creosote, copper naphthenate, pentachlorophenol and CCA. Performance data from selected experiments more than 50 years old are reported and we discuss some of...
R Stirling, D Wong


Tall oil in combination with eugenol for wood protection
2023 - IRG/WP 23-30787
The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility to use tall oil in combination with eugenol for wood protection. The idea was that the eugenol would increase the decay resistance of the tall oil while the tall oil would decrease the leaching of the eugenol. The results show that an impregnation liquid of 31,5% tall oil, 3% eugenol and 65,5% methanol increased decay resistance of pine sa...
R Ringman, M Westin


Modification of wood by fast pyrolysis bio-oil – the NewWave project concept for bio-based wood treatment
2023 - IRG/WP 23-40990
The NewWave project aims to contribute to building a circular economy by introducing sustainable raw materials in different manufacturing lines, replacing toxic chemicals and lowering the environmental footprint of the products. The raw materials are obtained from the thermochemical fractionation of biomass. This process converts biomass residues by fast pyrolysis into Fast Pyrolysis Bio-Oil (FPBO...
A Sandak, J Sandak, F Poohphajai, R Herrera Diaz, A Gubenšek, K Butina Ogorelec, L Kiezebrink, K J Swager, H Heeres, B van de Beld


Evaluation of the effectiveness of soaking of high-temperature plywood in low-temperature oil-based wood
2023 - IRG/WP 23-40991
We conducted a preliminary investigation to determine if soaking high-temperature plywood in a low-temperature preservative solution could achieve deeper penetration of the preservative, even in plywood made with refractory wood species such as Japanese larch. Specimens cut from commercial plywood (Japanese larch) were stored at various temperatures before being soaked in the preservative solution...
T Miyauchi, S Isaji, H Shibui, N Furuta, J Miyazaki, H Matusnaga


Enhancing UV resistance and decay resistance of wood by nanoparticle dispersed linseed oil nanoemulsion
2024 - IRG/WP 24-20706
Enhancing increasing demand for eco-friendly and cost-effective wood coatings and preservatives has led to the development of water-borne formulations and use of non-toxic and natural materials such as vegetable oils and waxes. The aim of this study was to improve the UV resistance and decay resistance of wood by nanomaterial dispersed linseed oil emulsions. Highly stable nanoemulsions of linseed ...
R Bansal, R Kumar, K K Pandey


Benefits of borate dual treatment
2024 - IRG/WP 24-20710
Treatment of railroad ties with borate followed by over-treatment with creosote or copper naphthenate, called dual treatment, has become standard practice for ties being installed in higher decay hazard areas of the U.S. This paper provides an overview of why that has happened. Borate preservative presents very low human health and environmental risk. It diffuses through even hard to treat hear...
S T Smith, J D Lloyd, S McKinney


Why preserved wood is used for infrastructure
2024 - IRG/WP 24-20711
This article provides an overview of the reasons why preservative-treated wood, and creosote-treated wood in particular, products have been and continue to be selected for the infrastructure of civilization. Wood is a remarkable and renewable building material, offering high strength, light weight, flexibility, and availability. Preservation by creosote treatment adds great durability to the woo...
S T Smith


Potential of heartwood extracts as wood preservatives combined with linseed oil in 8-year above-ground and in-ground field trials
2024 - IRG/WP 24-20719
The current study assessed the efficacy of heartwood extracts from Tectona grandis, Dalbergia sissoo, Cedrus deodara, and Pinus roxburghii, combined with linseed oil, as protectants for two non-durable wood species against termites and decay fungi. Stakes measuring 45.7 × 1.9 × 1.9 cm and blocks measuring 12.5 × 3.75 × 2.5 cm of the sapwood of southern pine (Pinus sp.) and cottonwood (Populus ...
M E Mankowski, G T Kirker, B Hassan


Studies on the treatability of selected pine species and corresponding efficacies of a new non-biocidal treatment
2024 - IRG/WP 24-20721
Wood decay caused by fungi may reduce the service life of wood in outdoor applications. Since moisture conditions in wood occur as one of the most crucial parameters for fungal decay, chemical modifications, which affect the latter, may increase the resistance of wood against such organisms. Usually, pine sapwood is easier to chemically treat than heartwood, as the former generally shows good perm...
T R da Silva Lins, L Emmerich, H Militz, P H Gonzales de Cademartoni, R J Klizke, M Pereira da Rocha


Previous Page | Next Page