Progress 07/23/07 to 07/23/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Wood preservatives improve the life expectancy of wood products and help to extend our forest resource. The increasing availability of new types of preservatives has created uncertainty for users who had some familiarity with conventional preservative treatments. These inquiries often lead to further questions about specification of treated wood and code compliance. Researchers published information on the expected service life, corrosion, environmental concerns and alternative products available for Government users of industrial treated wood products. Estimates of service life are increasingly used to compare life cycle costs of building materials. Because of a lack of published data for treated wood, some users assume relatively low service life for wood in comparison to alternative materials. Researchers published options for making additional treated wood service life information available to engineers and others who are comparing construction materials. Wooden bridges, whether historic covered bridges or current highway timber bridges, can be vulnerable to damage from biodegradation or fire. Only about 800 of over 10,000 covered bridges built in the United States are still standing, and many of those are suffering from biodeterioration. The remaining covered bridges are also vulnerable to damage by intentionally or accidentally set fires. Modern timber bridges, which represent an important component of the transportation resource, can also be vulnerable to fire and decay. With funding provided by the Federal Highway Administration, Forest Service and university researchers collaborated to evaluate methods of protecting wooden bridges from fire and biodegradation. This research and the resulting recommendations were consolidated into a guide that provides detailed information on factors that contribute to vulnerability, best practices for minimizing vulnerability, selecting and applying supplemental preservative treatments, use of fire retardants, and fire protection technology. The information will be used by historic preservationists and transportation maintenance personnel in their efforts to extend the life of both historic and modern wooden bridges. In response to confusion between the visual differences between mechanical and biological damage to preservative-treated piles, researchers conducted thorough testing of specimens, wrote a general technical report and informational ⿿Tech-line to clarify that the suspected biological damage was indeed mechanical damage from salt. This information was subsequently featured in Pile Driver magazine. Termination Report--Wood preservation research has shown that the minimum length of time currently required by industry standards for field testing preservative-treated wood provides only about 50% confidence that a product will be durable in the long term, but extending the testing by only 2 more years increases that confidence to 85%. Small test specimens that degrade an average of 2.2 times faster may not reflect performance of larger commercial products. Improving interpretation of accelerated testing results is needed to answer fundamental questions about the specimen size and minimum duration of testing needed to provide meaningful results for new preservatives. Technology transfer manuals were developed to provide guidance of preservative treatment specifications and guidelines for new timber bridges and bridge components, preservation and rehabilitation of historic covered bridges and use of treated wood in boardwalks and structures in the National Forests, including structures over sensitive wetlands. PARTICIPANTS: Participants Department of Housing and Urban Development Oakridge National Laboratory Department of Energy National Institute of Standards and Technology Bureau of Land Management Federal Highway Administration National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration ARS Southern Regional Research Center Natural Resources Conservation Service Northeast Lumberman⿿s Association American Plywood Association Western Wood Preservers' Institute Western Wood Products Association Composite Panel Association American Wood Protection Association Southern Forest Products Association National Institute for Standards and Testing Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association Canadian Wood Council Forest Products Society ISO Technical Committee TC 92 ASTM International American Forest & Paper Association American Wood Council Coalition for Advanced Wood Structures International Union of Forest Research Organizations National Association of Home Builders Research Center National and International Universities and Research Institutions TARGET AUDIENCES: Consumers, contractors, Government agencies, universities, industry, and standards associations
Impacts
Manuals that guide users of preservative treated wood assists with design specifications of new structures and maintenance of existing structures are needed. Good practices for preservative treatment and options for reducing leaching in-service are also needed. Historic covered bridges and current timber bridges can be vulnerable to damage from decay, insects or fire. Minimizing those risks with maintenance procedures and remedial treatments and technologies will protect timber bridges from damage and prolong their service life. Educating users of treated wood on expected service life, environmental concerns and alternative products will provide them with proper information to make an informed choice for their next construction project.
Publications
- Eberhardt, T.L.; Lebow, S.; Reed, K.G. 2012. Partial dissolution of preservative-treated wood with a cellulose solvent system of lithium chloride in N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidinone: Separation of copper from potential lignocellulosic feedstocks. Chemosphere 86(8): 797-801.
- Halverson, Steve; Lebow, Stan; 2011. Observed relationships between wood density and solution uptake during pressure treatment. In: Proceedings, one hundred seventh annual meeting of the American Wood Protection Association. Fort Lauderdale, FL, 2011 May 15-17. Volume 107. Birmingham, AL: American Wood Protection Association, c2011: p. 93-98.
- Clausen, Carol A.; Lebow, Stan T. 2011. Reuse and disposal. In: Managing treated wood in aquatic environments, pp. 435-449.
- Clausen, Carol A.; Lindner, Daniel L. 2011. Shading aboveground L-joint and lap-joint tests: Comparison of white pine and sugar maple test assemblies. Forest Products Journal 61(3): 265-269.
- Hayward, Dennis; Lebow, Stan T.; Brooks, Kenneth M. 2011. Methods for mitigating the environmental risks associated with wood preservatives. In: Managing Treated Wood in Aquatic Environments, pp.407-433.
- Ibach, Rebecca; Lebow, Stan T. 2012. Wood preservative testing. In: McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology, 2012. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012: 317-319: ISBN : 978-007-177403-1.
- Kirker, G.T.; Blodgett, A.B.; Lebow, S.T.; Clausen, C.A. 2011. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of extractives of naturally durable wood. In: Proceedings, one hundred seventh annual meeting of the American Wood Protection Association. Fort Lauderdale, FL, 2011 May 15-17, Volume 107. Birmingham, AL: American Wood Protection Association, c2011: p. 41-44.
- Kirker, G.T.; Blodgett, A.B.; Lebow, S.T.; Clausen, C.A. 2012. Above ground field evaluation and GC-MS analysis of naturally durable wood species. In: Proceedings IRG Annual Meeting (ISSN 2000-8953) IRG/WP 12-10764, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2012 May 6-10.
- Kirker, Grant T.; Glaeser, Jessie; Lebow, Stan T.; Green III, Frederick; Clausen, Carol A. 2011. Physical deterioration of preservative treated poles and pilings exposed to salt water. General technical report FPL-GTR-203. Madison, WI : U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 2011: 5 p.
- Kirker, Grant T.; Prewitt, M. Lynn; Schultz, Tor P.; Dieh, Susan V. 2012. Community analysis of preservative-treated southern pine (Pinus spp ) using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis Part 1: Fungal field study. Holzforschung, Volume 66, pp. 521⿿527, 2012.
- Lebow, Stan; Kirker, Grant; White, Robert; Amburgey, Terry; Barnes, H. Michael; Sanders, Michael; Morrell, Jeff 2012. Guide for in-place treatment of covered and timber bridges. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, General Technical Report, FPL-GTR-205, 2012
- Kirker, Grant T.; Prewitt, M. Lynn; Diehl, Walter J.; Diehl, Susan V. 2012. Community analysis of preservative-treated southern pine (Pinus spp.) using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis. Part 2: Bacteria field study. Holzforschung 66: 529⿿535.
- Lebow, Stan; Wacker, James; 2011. Common questions and concerns from government users of industrial treated wood products. In: Proceedings, one hundred seventh annual meeting of the American Wood Protection Association. Fort Lauderdale, FL 2011 May 15-17: Volume 107. Birmingham, AL: American Wood Protection Association, c2011: p. 218-221.
- Lebow, Stan; Woodward, Bessie; Halverson, Steven; West, Michael. 2012. Field tests of the efficacy of zinc and fatty amine in preventing colonization by copper-tolerant fungi. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation 70: 74-78.
- Morris, Paul; Laks, Peter; Lebow, Stan. 2011. Standardization of naturally durable wood species. Proceedings, One Hundred Seventh Annual Meeting of the American Wood Protection Association, Mariott Harbor Beach Hotel, Fort Lauderdale, FL. 2011 May 15-17, pp. 154-164.
- Woodward, Bessie M.; Hatfield, Cherilyn A.; Lebow, Stan T. 2011. Comparison of wood preservatives in stake tests: 2011 progress report. Research Note FPL-RN-02. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 120 p.
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Progress 07/23/07 to 07/23/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: This project is complete. PARTICIPANTS: This project is complete. TARGET AUDIENCES: This project is complete. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: This project is complete.
Impacts
This project is complete.
Publications
- Clausen, Carol A.; Yang, Vina W. 2011. A rapid colorimetric assay for mold spore germination using XTT tetrazolium salt. IRG/WP ; 11-20462. Stockholm, Sweden : IRG Secretariat, 2011: [11] p.
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Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Wood preservatives improve the life expectancy of wood products and help to extend our forest resource. Copper-based chemical preservatives, namely chromated copper arsenate (CCA) and ammoniacal copper arsenate (ACA), are used to extend the service life of wood products. CCA- and ACA-treated wood have been in use for decades, and it has become accepted as standard practice to treat with a specific amount of chemical (0.4 lb/ft3 retention) when the wood will be used in contact with the ground. A review of durability data from field plots ranging in age from 20-61 years indicated that durability was notably diminished when wood is treated below that retention and that 0.4 lb/ft3 appears to be the minimum treatment retention to ensure long-term ground contact protection. In wood preservation, higher treatment pressures have the potential to improve preservative penetration, but they may also reduce mechanical properties. Researchers evaluated the effect of treatment pressure on the treatment quality and mechanical properties of red pine lumber. They showed that treatment at all pressures caused small reductions in modulus of rupture and work to maximum load. However, there were no significant differences in bending properties between the pressures evaluated, indicating that higher pressures can be used without additional sacrifice of wood properties. Molecular methods are being used to study the complexity and succession of microbiological activity that occurs during the decay process when performance of treated wood is evaluated in a field test. The method, called T-RFLP creates a ⿿fingerprint of each microbial species present in a wood specimen. When this technology was first used to compare wood treated with two different preservatives, there were notable shifts in the fungi and bacteria between treatment types. Both chemicals appeared to change the pattern of microbial succession from beginning to end of the study. T-RFLP will provide new insights into microbial activity throughout all stages of field performance for treated wood products
Impacts
Conventional preservatives, such as creosote, pentachlorophenol and CCA, and the newer copper-based systems are all susceptible to increasing environmental regulatory pressures. Current methodologies to determine the durability of preservative-treated test specimens are inefficient, and long-term field testing is required to insure that a treatment is effective. Better accelerated test methods to predict performance will reduce the time needed for the development and acceptance of new environmentally-preferable preservatives. Understanding the mechanism of natural durability in under-utilized and invasive wood species and evaluating the treatability of these wood species with preservatives will create new marketable commodities while improving the health of our National forests. Guidance to users of preservative-treated wood assists with design specifications of new structures and maintenance of existing structures. Good practices for preservative treatment and options for reducing leaching in-service are also needed.
Publications
- Green, Frederick; Arango, Rachel A.; Lebow, Stan T. 2010. Field testing of the experimental wood preservative N'N-naphtaloylhydroxylamine: five and eight years results. In: Proceedings, one hundred sixth annual meeting of the American Wood Protection Association, Savannah, GA, 2010 May 23-25: vol. 106. Birmingham, Al: American Wood Protection Association, c2010: 192-196.
- Hastrup, Anne Christine Steenkjaer; Howell, Caitlin; Jensen, Bo; Green, Frederick 2011. Non-enzymatic depolymerization of cotton cellulose by fungal mimicking metabolites. International biodeterioration & biodegradation 65(3): 553-559.
- Woodward, Bessie; Hennon, Paul; Lebow, Patricia; Lebow, Stan 2011. Durability of Alaska yellow-cedar in stake tests. [Abstract]. In: Proceedings, One hundred sixth annual meeting of the American Wood Protection Association: 2010 May 23-25: Savannah, GA. 106: 117.
- Kirker, Grant T.; Diehl, Susan V.; Prewitt, M. Lynn; 2010. The usual suspects: Fingerprinting microbial communities involved in decay of treated southern yellow pine. In: Proceedings, one hundred sixth annual meeting of the American Wood Protection Association. Savannah, GA, 2010 May 23-25: vol. 106. Birmingham, AL: American Wood Protection Association, c2010: 127-133.
- Lebow, Patricia; Lebow, Stan; Nelson, William 2010. Effect of treatment pressure on treatment quality and bending properties of red pine lumber. Forest Products Journal 60(5): 447-452.
- Lebow, Stan T.; Hatfield, Cherilyn A.; Woodward, Bessie 2010. Long-term durability of CCA and ACA: How is 0.4 doing? In: Proceedings, one hundred sixth annual meeting of the American Wood Protection Association. Savannah, GA, 2010 May 23-25: vol. 106. Birmingham, AL: American Wood Protection Association, c2010: 174-183.
- Lebow, Stan; Clausen, Carol; 2010. Challenges in accelerated testing of durable wood products. In: 2009 wood and fiber product seminar: VTT and USDA joint activity. 2009 September 22-23. VTT symposium: 263. Helsinki, Finland: VTT, c2010: p.128-136. ISBN: 9789513875893 (soft back ed.): 951387589X (soft back ed.): 9789513875909 (electronic ed.): 9513875903 (electronic ed.)
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Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Wood preservatives improve the life expectancy of wood products and help extend the life of our forest resource. Several advances were published on treatability, leachability, and preservative performance. One study evaluated the penetration of boron into framing lumber as a function of initial moisture content, storage moisture content, and borate formulation. The results indicated that relatively low borate concentrations, rapid drying conditions may limit penetration of boron from spray applications. In situations where high humidity is maintained in a structure, substantial diffusion is possible. Long-term durability of chromate copper arsenic (CCA) and ammoniacal copper arsenate was evaluated. The data from this review indicated the current retention is an appropriate choice for comparison to test formulations for use in ground contact. Another study compared the durability of two stake sizes in southern Mississippi. The smaller stake size is not a reliable indicator to the durability of the larger stake size and, by extension, the durability of in-service material. Soil and sediment samples collected over 11 years after construction of a CCA-treated boardwalk. Elevated concentrations of copper, chromium, and arsenic were occasionally found in sediments as much as 3 m (10 ft) from the boardwalk. A review of preservative treatments in wood bridge applications evaluated the performance of different preservatives used in wood bridges, and provided bridge owners with current information on plant-applied preservatives, in-place remedial treatments, testing procedures, and specifications to be used as tools for maintenance and repair of existing or new bridges. A chapter on Wood Preservation was written for the Centennial edition of the Wood Handbook.
Impacts
Conventional preservatives, such as creosote, pentachlorophenol and CCA, and the newer copper-based systems, will face increasing environmental regulatory pressures. Mitigation of the environmental impacts of preservative-treated wood is critical to insure that treated wood does not adversely affect water quality. Good practices for treatment and options for reducing leaching in-service are needed. Current methodologies to determine the durability of preservative-treated test specimens are inefficient, and long-term field testing is required to insure that a treatment is effective. Better accelerated test methods to predict performance will reduce the time needed for the development and acceptance of new environmentally-preferable preservatives. Guidance to users of preservative-treated wood assists with design specifications of new structures and maintenance of existing structures.
Publications
- Lebow, Stan; Lebow, Patricia; Clausen, Carol; Halverson, Steve; Burley, Joseph. 2010. Pressure treatment with a water-based chlorothalonil formulation. In: Proceedings of 105th American Wood Protection Association, San Antonio, TX. 2009 April 19-21. Birmingham, AL: 105: 249-254.
- Lebow, Stan; Lebow, Patricia; Halverson, Steven. 2010. Penetration of boron from topically applied borate solutions. Forest Products Journal 60(1): 13-22.
- Lebow, Stan; Woodward, Bessie ; Lebow, Patricia; Clausen, Carol 2010. The need for performance criteria in evaluating the durability of wood products. Journal of Istanbul University Forestry Faculty 58(2): 31-41.
- Lebow, Stan; Woodward, Bessie; Halverson, Steven; Arango, Rachel. 2010. Stake tests of Northeastern species treated with copper-based preservaties: Five-year results. Research Note FPL-RN-0314. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 17 p.
- So, Chi-Leung; Lebow, Stan; Eberhardt, Thomas; Groom, Leslie; Shupe, Todd 2010. Application of near infrared spectroscopy to preservative-treated wood. In: Proceedings of the 1st advanced biomass science and technology for bio-based products symposium. 2007 May 23-25. Beijing, China. p. 125-130.
- Bigelow, Jake; Lebow, Stan; Clausen, Carol; Greimann, Lowell; Wipf, Terry 2010. Preservation treatment for wood bridge application. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board No. 2108. Washington, DC: Transportation Research Board of the National Academies. p. 77-85.
- Clausen, Carol A.; Green, Frederick; Kartal, S. Nami. 2010. Weatherability and leach resistance of wood impregnated with nano-zinc oxide. Nanoscale Research Letters 5: 1464-1467.
- Lebow, Stan 2010. Wood preservation. In: Wood Handbook: Wood as an engineering material. Gen. Tech. Rept FPL-GTR-190. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. Chapter 15. 28 p.
- Lebow, Stan; Foster, Daniel 2010. Soil and sediment concentrations of chromium, copper, and arsenic adjacent to a chromated copper arsenate-treated wetland boardwalk. Forest Products Journal 60(2): 183-189.
- Lebow, Stan; Hatfield, Cherilyn ; Evans, James. 2010. A comparison of the durability of two stake sizes in southern Mississippi. In: Proceedings of the 105th American Wood Protection Association, San Antonio, TX. 2009 April 19-21. Birmingham, AL: American Wood Protection Association 105: 66-72.
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Progress 10/01/08 to 09/30/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Wood preservatives play a role in improving the life expectancy of wood products and help to extend the life of our forest resource. Test method development and improvement continues to be a research emphasis in order to ensure reliable field performance for treated wood products. One study compared average ratings of stake tests after 3, 4, 5, and 7 years' exposure to their subsequent ratings after 11 years. The data showed that 3 years of exposure is insufficient to evaluate a preservative intended for use in ground contact high hazard areas. Even slight evidence of vulnerability after 5 years may be a predictor of inadquate future performance. In another study, wood treated with two types of copper-based preservatives was leached using two soil exposure methods and one water immersion method. Both soil exposure methods produced higher variability than the water immersion method, but appeared to produce a range of values similar to field exposure. Accelerated leaching methods are needed to better estimate emissions from treated wood used above ground or above water. Three laboratory leach methods were evaluated on preservative treated wood-continuous immersion, dip immersion, and simulated rainfall. The research rate per unit surface area was generally greatest with the simulated rainfall or constant leaching methods, but the relationship between methods was dependent on the leaching characteristics of the specific preservative formulation. Lowest emissions were seen in small samples exposed to dip immersions. In a related study, an evaluation of pressure treatment with borax-copper (BC) preservative to protect wood exposed above-ground or in-ground contact, the boron component readily leaches within 1 year, leaving copper as the sole biocide. Copper losses in field exposed specimens were greater than those in laboratory tests. It was concluded that the efficacy of BC as a pressure treatment in exposed applications is a function of copper retention. Method development for treated wood waste disposal continues to be a critical need. Low-temperature pyrolysis offers a feasible option for wood-waste management and the recovery of a variety of useful chemicals. Using a novel quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy method, the effect of chromate copper arsenate (CCA) wood presrevative on the yield and composition of pyrolysis products was investigated. It was shown that CCA components have a signficiant influence on the thermal decomposition behavior of CCA-treated wood and accelerated the weight loss of wood and oxidation of the char. Utilizing a different approach to address the same problem, FPL researchers developed a chemical extraction method that relies on heat and a pH shift to remove chemical components from CCA-treated wood flakes so that the "cleaned" wood flakes can be fabricated into secondary products, such as flake board.
Impacts
At the present time, the use of CCA, creosote, and pentachlorophenol will continue for many industrial and commercial applications. However, these conventional preservatives, as well as the newer copper-based systems, will face increasing environmental regulatory pressures. Mitigation of the environmental impacts of preservative-treated wood is critical to insure that treated wood does not adversely affect water quality. Good practices for treatments and options for reducing leaching in-service are needed. Current methodologies to determine the durability of preservative-treated test specimens are inefficient, and long-term field testing is required to insure that a treatment is effective. Better accelerated test methods to predict performance will reduce the time needed for the development and acceptance of new environmentally-preferable preservatives. Alternative disposal methods for preservative-treated wood waste continue to be a critical need to divert that material from our landfills as it is removed from service.
Publications
- Fu, Qirong; Argyropolous, Dimitris S.; Lucia, Lucian A.; Tilotta, David C.; Lebow, Stan T. 2009. Chemical yields from low-temperature pyrolysis of CCA-treated wood. Research Paper FPL-RP-652. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 18 p.
- Humphries, Matt; Lebow, Stan; Moses, David. 2009. Wood preservatives: Choosing the right one (technical abstract). Wood Design & Building: 41-44.
- Lebow, Stan T.; Lebow, Patricia K.; Woodward, Bessie M.; Halverson, Steven A., Abott, William; West, Michaelm. 2009. Efficacy of a borax-copper preservative in exposed applications. Research Paper FPL-RP-655. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 11 p.
- Lebow, Stan; Halverson, Steven 2008. Comparison of methods for evaluating ground-contact copper preservative depletion. Proceedings, 104th annual meeting of the american wood protection association. 2008 May 18-20;Portland, OR. Birmingham, AL: American Wood Protection Association: Birmingham, AL: 55-60.
- Lebow, Stan; Lebow, Patricia; Foster, Daniel. 2008. Estimating preservative release from treated wood exposed to precipitation. Wood and Fiber Science 40(4): 562-571.
- Lebow, Stan; Woodward, Bessie; Lebow, Patricia. 2008 Observations on the predictive value of short-term stake tests. Proceedings, 104th annual meeting of the american wood protection association. 2008 May 18-20: Portland, OR. Birmingham, AL: American Wood Protection Association: 85-88.
- Sabo, Ronald; Winandy, Jerrold E.; Clausen, Carol A.; Basta, Altaf. 2008. Remediation and recycling of WBP-treated lumber for use as flakeboard. Proceedings, 104th annual meeting of the american wood protection association. 2008 May 18-20; Portland, OR. Birmingham, AL: American Wood Protection Association: 256-266.
- Shupe, Todd; Lebow, Stan; Ring, Dennis. 2008. Causes and control of wood decay, degradation and stain. Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA. Publication 2703. 27 p.
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Progress 10/01/07 to 09/30/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: In cooperation with Iowa State University Bridge Engineering Center, Iowa Department of Transportation and Iowa Highway Research Board, a field evaluation guide was published for timber preservative treatments for highway applications. Researchers studied the field effectiveness of various preservative treatments currently in service on Iowa roadway projects and determined if specifications and evaluation metrics were adequate for proper protection of timber bridges and bridge components. The report provides recommendations on preservative treatment specifications and guidelines for new timber bridges or bridge components. It also identified the need for a standardized bridge maintenance and inspection program for existing bridges along with training and education of bridge maintenance personnel. ⿿Regional Biodeterioration Hazards in the United States, has been published in Development of Commercial Wood Preservatives by the American Chemical Society. The rate of wood biodeterioration varies considerably by geographic region across the United States. This review examines the current state of knowledge of biodeterioration hazard zones including the classic Scheffer climate index, aboveground exposure, wood in ground contact and geographic implications for attack by termites and other insects. The chapter makes an important contribution to our understanding of the factors that affect the durability of wood products used outdoors in the United States. A study evaluating the ability of borax-copper (BC) preservative to protect wood exposed in ground contact showed that, although pressure treatment with BC can extend the ground-contact durability of wood in northern climates, it may be better suited to protection of wood used aboveground. Research on thermochemical remediation of CCA-treated wood demonstrated that soaking treated wood flakes in hot oxalic acid and raising the pH mid-point during the process enhanced the chemical extraction of copper, chromium, and arsenic from the treated wood. The combined effect of temperature, pH, and mixing during the process reduced the extraction time to 2 hours, a significant improvement over the time required in other remediation processes.
Impacts
At the present time, the use of CCA, creosote, and pentachlorophenol will continue for many industrial and commercial applications. However, these conventional preservatives, as well as the newer copper-based systems, will face increasing environmental regulatory pressures. Mitigation of the environmental impacts of preservative-treated wood is critical to insure that treated wood does not adversely affect water quality. Good practices for treatment and options for reducing leaching in service are needed. Current methodologies to determine the durability of preservative-treated test specimens are inefficient, and long-term field testing is required to insure that a treatment is effective. Better accelerated test methods to predict performance will reduce the time needed for the development and acceptance of new environmentally-preferable preservatives. The market potential of a diverse range of underutilized and small diameter hardwood and softwood species could be markedly improved by treating with preservatives.
Publications
- Sabo, Ronald; Clausen, Carol A.; Winandy, Jerrold E. 2008. Thermochemical remediation of preservative-treated wood. In: 39th annual meeting of the internatioinal research group on wood protection: 2008 May 25-29: Istanbul, Turkey. Doc. IRG/WP 08-50254. Stockholm, Sweden : IRG Secretariat: 15 p.
- Lebow, Stan T.; Highley, Terry 2008. Regional biodeterioration hazards in the United States. In: Development of commercial wood preservatives : efficacy, environmental and health issues. Schultz, T.P.; Militz, H.; Freeman, M.H.; Goodell, B.; Nicholas, D.D., eds. Washington, DC : American Chemical Society ; [New York] : Distributed by Oxford University Press, c2008. ACS symposium series ; 982: p.120-141, Chapter 6.
- Bigelow, J.J.; Clausen, C.A.; Lebow, S.T.; Greimann, L. 2007. Field evaluation of timber preservation treatments for highway applications. Bridge Engineering Center, Iowa State University: 89 p.
- Lebow, S.; Woodward, B.; Lebow, P. 2007. Ground-contact durability of borate-copper treated wood. In: 103rd annual meeting of the american wood protection association, 2007 May 6-8: St. Louis, MO 103: 82-87.
- Lebow, S.; Archer, K.; Manning, M. 2007. 2006 Report of subcommittee T-8, Composites. In: 103rd annual meeting of the american wood protection association, 2007 May 6-8: St. Louis, MO 103: 245-248.
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Progress 10/01/06 to 09/30/07
Outputs
In cooperation with USDA Forest Service Technology and Development program, a manual was developed for the selection and use of preservative-treated wood and alternatives to treated wood for Forest Service recreational structures. As the wood industry continues to undergo a transition from chromated copper arsenate (CCA) to alternative preservative systems, there will be a research emphasis on preservative systems that are more closely matched to the building application and exposure environment. Copper currently remains the primary biocide component used to protect wood used in contact with the ground, but preservatives containing boron or organic biocides are being assessed for long-term performance as they gain acceptance. In a study on preservative retention and penetration methodology, alkaline copper quat-treated timbers showed that near infrared spectroscopy appears to be ideally suited to provide rapid and detailed analysis of the preservative treatment. The
effect of drying, treatment schedule and source of wood were evaluated as potential causes of variability in preservative penetration in sapwood of pine species. The results indicated that penetration was influenced by anatomical properties inherent to the geographical source of the wood. Treatment schedules with longer pressure periods provided adequate penetration, but also resulted in higher weight gains. The method of drying appeared to have no affect on preservative penetration. The relative ability of three types of wood preservative to inhibit attack by Formosan or native subterranean termites was evaluated over a period of 24 months. Results showed that Formosan attack was more severe for all preservative treatments. Termites preferred to attack the center of the end-grain of the specimens where preservative was either absent or at a low concentration. CCA, with the lowest overall penetration, was more effective than either of the borate treatments indicating that the efficacy
of shell treatments in preventing termite attack is a function of the type of treatment. Heartwood from dead and live Alaskan yellow cedar was evaluated for durability against decay fungi. Results indicated that dead Alaskan yellow cedar is suitable for many aboveground applications long after tree death, but wood from live or dead trees does not perform well in contact with soil.
Impacts
At the present time, the use of CCA, creosote, and pentachlorophenol will continue for many industrial and commercial applications. However, these conventional preservatives, as well as the newer copper-based systems, will face increasing environmental regulatory pressures. Mitigation of the environmental impacts of preservative-treated wood is critical to insure that treated wood does not adversely affect water quality. Good practices for treatment and options for reducing leaching in-service are needed. Current methodologies to determine the durability of preservative treated test specimens are inefficient, and long-term field testing is required to insure that a treatment is effective. Better accelerated test methods to predict performance will reduce the time needed for the development and acceptance of new environmentally-preferable preservatives. The market potential of a diverse range of underutilized and small diameter hardwood and softwood species could be
markedly improved by treating with preservatives.
Publications
- Archer, K.; Lebow, S. 2006. Wood preservation. In: Primary wood processing; principals and practices, 2nd ed, Walker, J., ed.; Springer, Dordrecht, Netherlands: 297-337. Chapter 9.
- Lebow, S. 2006. Environmental impact from a preservative-treated wetland board. In: USDA Forest Service Research & Development 2005 highlights; 2006 July: 25
- Lebow, S.T. 2006. Historic structure preservation. In: USDA Forest Service Research & Development 2005 highlights; 2006 July: 40
- Lebow, S. 2007. A primer on wood as dock construction material. Marina Dock Age: 51-54.
- Woodward, B.M.; Lebow, S.T.; Evans, J. 2007. Statistical evaluation of field performance of preservative treated stakes [Abstract]. In: Forest Products Society 61st international convention; 2007 June 10-13; Knoxville, TN: 16.
- Lebow, S.T.; Woodward, B.M.; West, M. 2007. Performance of a borax-copper preservative in exposed applications [Abstract]. In: Forest Products Society 61st international convention; 2007 June 10-13; Knoxville, TN: 16.
- So, C.L.; Eberhardt, T. L.; Lebow, S.T.; Groom, L.H. 2007. A preliminary study of preservative retention and penetration in ACQ-treated timbers using near infrared spectroscopy. In: Wood Protection 2006, Barnes, H. Michael, ed.; 2006 March 21-23; New Orleans, LA. Forest Products Society: Madison, WI: 367-370.
- Forest Products Laboratory. 2006. Wood preservation and biodeterioration research at the Forest Products Laboratory. Madison, WI: Forest Products Laboratory: 8 p.
- Lebow, S.T.; White, R.W. 2007. Durability of wood in construction. In: Vallone, E.A.; Baumeister, T. III; Sadegh, A. L., eds. Marks standard handbook for mechanical engineers, 11th edition, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill: 6-129-6131.
- Lebow, S.T.; Shupe, T.; Woodward, B.; Via, B.; Hatfield, C.A. 2006. Formosan and native subterranean termite attack of pressure treated SPF wood species in Louisiana. Wood and Fiber Science 38(4): 609-620.
- Lebow, S.T.; Lebow, P. 2007. Role of moisture in above ground leaching. In: 38th annual meeting of the international research group on wood protection; 2007 May 20-24: Jackson Hole, WY. Doc IRG/WP 07-50245. Stockholm, Sweden: IRG Secretarial: 15 p.
- Groenier, J.; Lebow, S.T. 2006. Preservative-treated wood and alternative products in the Forest Service. USDA, Technology and Development Program, TE42G01: 44 p.
- Lebow, S.T. 2007. Preservative treatments for building components. In: Proceedings, Wood Protection 2006, Barnes, H. Michael, ed.; 2006 March 21-23; New Orleans, LA. Forest Products Society: Madison, WI: 57-64.
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