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Field Performance of Refractory Species Treated with MCA
2017 - IRG/WP 17-30706
Micronized copper azole (MCA) has been used extensively over the past decade to preserve southern pine, and other wide sapwood species. Treatment of refractory species is less common, in part due to concerns about treatability and resulting efficacy. To address these concerns, white spruce and Pacific silver fir stakes, and lodgepole pine and red pine posts, were pressure-treated with multiple ret...
R Stirling, J K Ingram, P I Morris


Controlled deposition of copper nanoparticles using wood inherent architecture as natural template
2017 - IRG/WP 17-40783
As one of the most abundant renewable biomass resources, wood can be used as templates for synthesizing functional nanoparticles with controlled shapes and sizes. In this study, copper nanoparticles were synthesized with controlled shapes and sizes using poplar wood as the natural inexpensive and renewable templates. The crystal structure and morphologies of the copper nanoparticles were character...
Youming Dong, Kaili Wang, Yutao Yan, Jianzhang Li, M Hughes, Shifeng Zhang


Treatability of beechwood railway sleepers with potential creosote substitutes
2017 - IRG/WP 17-40790
Maintenance of an efficient railway infrastructure still requires the use of wooden railway sleepers, particularly because wooden sleepers have more favourable properties for intensified vibrations than concrete or steel sleepers. Creosote, used for decades for the impregnation of railway sleepers, will possibly no longer be available for this application due to European legislation. This reveals ...
N Pfabigan, E Habla, R Gründlinger


Borate and Copper Naphthenate Dual Treatment of Bridge Timbers-Borate movement over time
2017 - IRG/WP 17-40795
Preservative treated wooden bridge ties in the South Eastern USA have a service life of about 15 to 20 years, which falls well below the average service life of 40 years of railroad cross ties (sleepers). It has been shown that cross tie life is significantly extended using borate dual treatment and this is now commercialized in bridge timbers using borate inserts. In previous research, it was dem...
J-W Kim, J D Lloyd


Dual Borate and Copper Naphthenate Treatment of Bridge Timbers:- Potential Performance Enhancements and Cost Savings
2017 - IRG/WP 17-40797
Dual treatment technology combining diffusible preservatives with oil borne preservatives, widely used for crossties in the USA, has now also been commercialized with bridge ties/timbers. In order to understand the implications of these changes, the historic service life of creosote treated bridge timbers in northern and southeastern USA were considered as well as field test data for both creosote...
J Lloyd, C Brischke, R Bennett, A Taylor


A Green and Novel Technology for Recovering Copper and Wood from Treated Wood Waste – Part II: Optimization, copper metal recovery, and process design
2017 - IRG/WP 17-50326
The US consumes 70 million pounds of copper and produces 580 million cubic feet treated wood annually. The EPA disallows burning and reusing treated wood waste due to health/environmental concerns. Vast quantities of copper and wood are landfilled. Two safe and low cost extraction systems, citric acid and ammonium citrate, were identified in Part I of this study. In Part II of the study, effects o...
S Chen, R Patel


Review of Leaching Experiments of CCA-Treated Wood and Wood Treated with Copper-based Alternatives
2017 - IRG/WP 17-50330
The objective of this study was to compare leaching rates of various wood preservatives from treated wood and the tests used to gather this information. The preservatives compared included CCA and the copper-based alternatives, MCQ, ACQ, and MCA. The tests compared included AWPA E11, SPLP, TCLP, and environmental leaching tests. Among all of the tests evaluated, environmental tests most closely si...
A Jones, J Marini, H Solo-Gabriele


Uncertainty in life cycle assessment of preservative treated wood – copper and freshwater ecotoxicity
2017 - IRG/WP 17-50331
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method for quantifying the environmental impacts of a product over the life cycle. In the last years, there have been a growing application of LCA in developments of environmental product declaration (EPD), which is utilised by professional procurement of materials for buildings. For legislative issues, LCA have also been used to assess application of creosote to t...
L G F Tellnes


Can CCA be substituted as reference preservative?
2018 - IRG/WP 18-20641
While field testing of wood protective formulations remains probably the best method to find out the effective preservative concentration, the use of chrome-copper arsenate (CCA) as reference becomes debatable due to environmental and legislative reasons. This emerges from the European standardization bodies who have discussed reference alternatives that can omit the use of CCA. The present debate...
N Terziev, M Jebrane, P Larsson Brelid, N Morsing, P-O Flaete, P Torniainen, J S Kim, G Daniel


Influence of different triazoles as co-biocides in wood preservatives on efficacy and the environmental impact
2018 - IRG/WP 18-50333
In this study we investigated the efficacy and impact on the environment of different co-biocide triazoles in wood preservatives. Four different formulations (all containing 9.5% Copper) contained individual and combinations of cyproconazole, tebuconazole, propiconazole as co-biocides. Four formulations were tested according to EN 113 and EN 84 (ageing) to determine the brv for each formulation. T...
M Klamer, T Jensen, S Bang-Achton, E Morsing


Accumulation of copper in parenchyma cells in southern pine wood treated with micronized and amine-copper preservatives
2019 - IRG/WP 19-20657
Our previous research used X-ray micro-computed tomography to examine the micro-distribution of copper in southern pine wood treated with a micronized wood preservative (MCA) and an amine-copper preservative (ACQ). We found that copper in wood treated with MCA was mainly concentrated in fusiform rays (rays containing resin canals), and in vertical (axial) resin canals. A similar, although not iden...
D Feng, M L Turner, A Limaye, M A Knackstedt, P D Evans


COPPER NAPHTHENATE: A Product for All Seasons: Protecting the Americas’ Infrastructure for Over 100 Years and Potential for Expanded Usage in Europe
2019 - IRG/WP 19-30738
This paper is a brief review of the history and use of the wood preservative Copper Naphthenate, with a focus on use patterns within the USA and opportunities for expansion in Europe and Canada. This paper reviews how copper naphthenate has performed to preserve and protect cellulosic and wooden items essential to critical infrastructure, and why it is the ideal choice for use in the replacement o...
M H Freeman, J A Brient, M Manning


Boron dual-treatments for Douglas-fir utility poles: Tracking boron migration over time
2019 - IRG/WP 19-30739
The potential for using boron pressure-treatment prior to over-treatment with conventional, heavy-duty wood preservatives to limit internal decay in-service was investigated in two field tests on Douglas-fir utility poles. Pole sections were pressure-treated with disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT) and then over-treated with either pentachlorophenol or copper naphthenate in oil. Alternatively, ...
J Cappellazzi, M J Konkler, J J Morrell


Relative efficacy of various oxine copper formulations against brown-rot fungi
2019 - IRG/WP 19-30741
This paper investigates the relative resistance of three different oxine copper formulations (oil-borne, water-borne, water-borne with pH-adjustment) as a preservative treatment for wood against brown-rot fungi. Impregnated southern pine sapwood cubes were exposed to R. placenta and G. trabeum cultures in a soil-block test. After eight weeks, the weight losses of the cubes were examined in relatio...
M Petruch, J Lloyd, A Taylor


Effect ofNano-Copper Oxide on Decay Resistance of Pistachio Twig-Plastic Composite
2019 - IRG/WP 19-30750
The goal of our study was to investigate the decay resistance of pistachio twig-plastic composite treated with nano-copper oxide against the white rot fungus Trametes versicoloer and the brown rot fungus Coniophora puteana. For this purpose, wood–polypropylene composites (WPCs) containing different loadings of nano-copper oxide, namely 0, 1, 2 and 3 percent (W/W), were made from pistachio (Pista...
M R M Farahani,S Pourabdollah


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


Effect of damage to polyurea coatings on metal losses from ammoniacal copper zinc arsenate treated Douglas-fir pile sections
2019 - IRG/WP 19-40867
Metal-based preservatives remain the most widely used treatments for protecting wood in soil or water contact. While these treatments are highly effective, one drawback is a tendency for small amounts of metal to migrate into the surrounding environment. The greatest risk in this regard is copper because many organisms are highly sensitive to this metal. While post treatment practices can reduce ...
M J Konkler, J J Morrell


Longterm Performance of Treated Timbers in Marine Exposures
2020 - IRG/WP 20-10969
The performance of preservative-treated or modified woods in marine exposures was evaluated at test sites in Newport, Oregon, USA and Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. All samples have exhibited excellent performance at the Newport, Oregon site, while attack was more aggressive at the sub-tropical Brisbane site. Acetylated wood as well as samples treated with 7.3% chromated copper arsenate (CCA-T...
M Konkler, A R Zahora, J Norton, J J Morrell


Treatability of South African-grown Eucalyptus grandis with water-borne copper azole and disodium octaborate tetrahydrate wood preservatives
2021 - IRG/WP 21-40920
This study investigated the treatability of the sapwood and heartwood of sawn Eucalyptus grandis with copper-azole (CuAz) and disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT) water-borne preservatives towards improving its durability for enhanced use in structural solid wood applications. The results obtained showed that, at a moisture content of 12 ± 1%, sawn E. grandis sapwood can be impregnated to a mea...
A A Alade, Z Naghizadeh, C B Wessels


Evaluation of Decay Resistance of Copper-based Preservatives Treated-Wood exposed to different field test sites in Korea
2022 - IRG/WP 22-20679
In Korea, preservative treated wood is required to have a stamp on the surface which contains information such as wood species, use categories, and the company that treated the wood. Such stamping is necessary to safely and appropriately use the treated wood. Since majority of treated wood is being used outdoor environment, the treated wood must have efficacy against wood decay fungi or termite. I...
W-J Hwang, S-M Yoon, Y Park, Y-S Choi, H-M Lee, J-W Kim


Measurement of copper concentration in Cu-HDO treating solutions by handheld XRF
2022 - IRG/WP 22-20685
Copper based preservatives diluted in water dominate the wood preservative industry around the world. Periodically measurements and adjustments of the concentration of treating solutions must be performed as a part of the quality control at the treatment plant to achieve desired quality of the preservative treated wood. Many analytical methods are time consuming and must be performed under laborat...
P O Flaete


Copper-octanoate - a potential reference preservative replacement for CCA in field test standards?
2022 - IRG/WP 22-20688
Finding a CCA reference replacement for use in standardised test methods is of high priority since this chemical is being phased out and may in the near future be banned also for experimental and approval purposes. In this paper we assess the possibility to replace CCA reference preservative with an historical copper octanoate product. There is a huge amount of lab and field test data available fo...
R Ringman, M Westin, M Klamer, A Christof, F Friese


Analysis of wooden shingles after seven years of exposure
2022 - IRG/WP 22-20690
Wood is a traditional roofing material in the Alpine regions. In the 17th century, wooden roofing was typically used on more important buildings. Still, today it is predominately used on huts and houses in the hilly regions of northern and north-western Slovenia. Because wooden roofing is expensive, we investigated the possibility of extending the service life of the roofing through impregnation a...
M Humar, B Lesar, D Kržišnik, E Keržič, B Jemec


Brief introduction to a research project on preparations of various paste formulations from boron, fluoride and copper for supplemental treatments
2022 - IRG/WP 22-30759
Wood preservatives to be used for supplemental purposes are present in various forms such as powders, liquids, rods, pastes, or gels. Boron compounds have been receiving a lot of attention in supplemental treatments since they have good mobility in wood. Application of boron compounds via internal treatments is vital to stop decay to be occurred inside the wood since large wood elements are too th...
E E Soytürk, D Bakır, E Terzi, C Köse, S N Kartal


Copper Naphthenate – A Data and Capability Update
2022 - IRG/WP 22-30771
The efficacy of copper naphthenate against wood decay fungi and wood destroying organisms has been well documented from international field tests as well as decades of commercial service. The use of copper naphthenate has been dramatically expanded due to its proven performance, non-restricted use, minimal environmental impact, and superior end of life options. Extensive demand and interest has al...
J-W Kim, J D Lloyd


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