RECYCLING OF DECOMMISSIONED CCA-TREATED WOOD INTO VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: MCINTIRE-STENNIS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0224770
• Project Start Date: Jan 1, 2011
• Project End Date: Dec 31, 2015
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY
202 HIMES HALL
BATON ROUGE,LA 70803-0100

Performing Department
School of Renewable Natural Resources

Non Technical Summary
Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) continues to be widely used as a leading wood preservative for industrial uses in the U.S. Inevitably, most CCA-treated wood products are eventually removed from service and must be disposed. Landfilling of this material is becoming increasingly impractical due to negative environmental impacts and regulations, increasing liability risks, and rising tipping fees. Disposal of CCA-treated wood is a potential long-term environmental and legal liability. An ideal method to handle decommissioned CCA-treated wood is to (1) economically convert this material into other treated products and (2) utilize the decommissioned material as an environmentally-friendly feedstock for other industries. Both options are particularly appealing if incorporated into an economically viable closed-loop recycling program. Both methods will extend the service life of the original treated product and reduce the amount of preservative-treated material that is landfilled. The objectives of this study are to investigate the potential of recycling decommissioned CCA-treated guardrail posts to (1) produce composite guardrail blocks, which connect the guardrail post to the adjacent metal guardrail and (2) convert severely weathered guardrail posts to adhesives and other chemicals by liquefaction technology. The input of the recycling system will be decommissioned guardrail posts; the output will be compression molded composite guardrail blocks, recycled CCA preservative, adhesives, and preservative-free wood for other value-added industries. The success of this proposed research will lead to the development of a closed-loop recycling system for decommissioned CCA-treated highway guardrails and establish the viability of this new environmentally-friendly industry in Louisiana. The development of the proposed recycling system will contribute to rural economic development, create new jobs, and provide multiple environmental benefits to the State.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
403	0650	1070	100%

Knowledge Area
403 - Waste Disposal, Recycling, and Reuse;

Subject Of Investigation
0650 - Wood and wood products;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology;

Keywords

wood preservatives

chromated copper arsenate

landfilling

wood recycling

wood blockout

Goals / Objectives
The objectives of this study are as follows: (1 )Determine the non-destructive modulus of elasticity of CCA-treated highway guardrail posts. (2) Evaluate the durability of composite blockouts made from different ratios of decommissioned CCA-treated wood and untreated wood. (3) Develop finite element models to assess the performance and optimize the design of CCA-treated guardrail blockouts. (4) Determine optimal liquefaction of CCA-treated, decayed wood and processing wastes.

Project Methods
Task 1 Property Characterization of Decommissioned Treated-Wood The raw materials for this study will be the decommissioned CCA-treated guardrail posts. The servicing life, preservative content, and mechanical properties of the posts will be identified and evaluated. Statistical models will be developed to address the degradation process of the posts in the outdoor service. The initial evaluation will also determine the overall soundness of the post. Heavily decayed posts will be immediately reduced to small particles for Task 4. Posts that have been mechanically damaged, but still contain sound wood, can be used for Task 2. Task 2 Production and Test of Molded Guardrail Blockouts Decommissioned CCA-treated highway guardrail posts will be reduced to flakes that will be used to make molded guardrail blockouts. Compression, impact, and durability tests will be conducted to assess the properties of the blocks. Task 3 Finite Element Analyses and Optimization Design Finite element analyses will be conducted to analyze the compressive and impact strain and stress distribution and failure modes of the guardrail blockouts. Optimization analyses will be carried out to design the composite blockouts. Task 4 Wood Liquefaction The decayed wood and processing wastes from Task 2 will be reduced to particles for the wood liquefaction study.

Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/15

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this research includes companies that are involved with the manufacture, treating, use, and disposal of non-residential use preservative-treated wood. The major users of this material is utility companies and telecommnications companies. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The PI continues to pursue professional development through professional associations and as the Director of a ISO 17025 accredited testing lab. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Journal papers, professional presentations, e-Extension What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Highway guardrail assemblies play an important role in enhancing the safety of motorists. Guardrail assemblies contain three main components: (1) galvanized steel rails, (2) posts, and (3) blockouts. The purpose of the blockout is increase the distance to the rail from the post and reduce the interaction of the vehicle with the post. It is essential that the blockouts are durable so that that the guarail assembly can properly function. The goal of this study was to explore the feasibility of using recycled CCA-treated wood to produce a composite blockout. Decommissioned blocks were chemically analyzed and contained residual CCA that is consistent with over ten years of service. The used bocks were reduced to particles, combined with polypropylene plastic and used to make composite blockouts with varying amounts of wood, plastic, block particles, and resin. Group one yielded superior results: internal bond (108 psi), modulus of rupture (2,536 psi), modulus of elasticity (440,250 psi), linear expansion (0.632 in.), and thickness swelling (12.6%). A finite element analysis was conducted on Group 1 and revealed that a guardrail assembly comprised with wood/plastic blockouts should perform similar to one with solid wood blockouts. The development of the composite blockout will provide the motoring public and tax payers with a low-cost, high-performance blockout and enhance environmental stewardship. The success of the overall project will lead to the development of a durable, green composite blockout. The most significant result indicates that recycled treated wood and recycled plastic can be combined to make a durable highway guardrail blockout. We now have the knowledge of how to fabricate a durable, composite blockout.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Huang, X.D., C.Y. Hse, and T.F. Shupe. 2015. Evaluation of the performance of laminated composite grading bamboo/Epoxy material for wind turbine blades technology. BioResources. 10(1):660-671.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Xie J., C.Y. Hse, T.F. Shupe, and T. Hu. 2015. Physico-chemical characterization of lignin recovered from microwaveassisted delignified lignocellulosic biomass for use in biobased materials. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. DOI: 10.1002/app.42635.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Sun, L., C.Y. Hse, T. Shupe, M. Sun, X. Wang, and K. Zhao. 2015. Isolation of an endophytic fungal strain with potential antimicrobial and termiticidal activities from Port-Orford-Cedar. Journal of Economic Entomology. 108(3):962-968
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Xie, J., J. Qi, C. Hse, and T.F. Shupe. 2015. Optimization for microwave-assisted direct liquefaction of bamboo residue in glycerol/methanol mixtures. Journal of Forestry Research: 26 (1): 261-265.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2015 Citation: Huang, X., C.Y. Hse, and T.F. Shupe. 2015. Study of moso bamboos permeability and mechanical properties. Emerging Materials Research. 4:130-138.

Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience for this research is all parties involved in the life cycle of preservative-treated wood: wood preservative manufacturers, wood treaters, major purchasers of treated wood (utilities and telecommunications companies), and landfills. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The PI has presented findings from this research at the American Wood Protection Association Annual Meeting and the Intenational Research Group on Wood Protection Meeting. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The PI has served as a speaker at the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry pesticide applicator recertification program. In this capacity, the PI is able to relay information from his research to wood preservative industry personnel. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Future work will focus on manfacturing and testing composite blocks for highway guardrail applications.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Laminated hollow wood composite poles represent an efficient utilization of the timber resource and a promising alternative to solid wood poles, which are commonly used in the power transmission and telecommunication lines. Five laminated hollow wood composite poles with taper and plywood webs, functioning as the nodes in bamboo, were made and tested in cantilevered static bending. Results indicated that node-like webs had a positive effect on the integrity, static bending properties, and shear resistance of the members tested, and their strength performance is comparable to that of the solid wood composite poles. However, the laminated hollow wood composite poles with taper showed slightly lower resistance to horizontal shear as compared to the members without taper.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Xie, J., X. Huang, J. Qi, C.Y. Hse, and T.F. Shupe. 2013. Effect of anatomical characteristics and chemical components on microwave-assisted liquefaction of bamboo wastes. BioResources 9(1):231-240.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Xie, J., J. Qi, C.Y. Hse, and T.F. Shupe. 2013. Effect of lignin derivatives in the bio-polyols from microwave liquefied bamboo on the properties of polyurethane foams. BioResources 9(1):578-588.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Xu, J., J. Jiang, C.Y. Hse, T.F. Shupe. 2013. Effect of methanol on the liquefaction reaction of biomass in hot compressed water. Energy & Fuels. 27:4791-4795.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Huang, X.D., C.Y Hse, and T.F. Shupe. 2013. Study on the mould-resistant properties of Moso bamboo treated with high pressure and amylase. BioResources. 9(1):497-509.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Xie, J., C.Y. Hse, and T.F. Shupe. 2014. Liquefaction behaviors of bamboo residues in a glycerol-based solvent using microwave energy. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. 131(9):40207 (DOI: 10.1002/app.4027).
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Lee, S., H. Pan, C.Y. Hse, A.R. Gunasekaran, and T.F. Shupe. 2014. Characteristics of regenerated nanocellulosic fibers from cellulose dissolution in aqueous solutions for wood fiber/polypropylene composites. Journal of Thermoplastic Composite Materials. 27(4):558-570. DOI: 10.1177/0892705713484739.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Sun, Q-N., C.Y. Hse, and T.F. Shupe. 2014. Effect of different catalysts on UFM resin synthesis. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. 131(16):40644 (DOI: 10.1002/APP.40644).
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Xu, J., J. Jiang, C. Hse, and T.F. Shupe. 2014. Preparation of polyurethane foams using fractionated products in liquefied wood. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. 131(7):40096 (DOI: 10.1002/APP.40096).

Progress 01/01/13 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience for this research was producers and users of preservative-treated wood. This includes the wood preservative manufacturers, wood preservation treaters, and major purchasers such as railroad companies, utilities, and telecommunicatioins. The target audience also includes residential users of treated wood and the solid waste landfill industry. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The PI is actively involved in several professional organizations that have an interest in the project. The PI continues to seek professional development oportunities by particpating and presenting findings from the project at the American Wood Protection Association Annual Meeting as well as the International Research Group on Wood Protection and others as appropraite. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results have primarily been disseminated by a variety of means to reach the diverse target audiences. Technical papers have been published, oral presentations have been made at conferences that are primarily attended by industry personnel. Also, the results have been summarized into non-technical short articles for the LSU AgCenter internet and the national eXtension system. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? The PI plans to conduct pilot-scale research to determkne the economic feasibility of a CCA removal process that was previously patented. The process involves microwave-assisted liquefaction to seperate the heavy metals from the wood in spent treated wood waste.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The major accomplishment in the past reporting period was a better understanding of the strength and stiffness properties of finger-jointed and solid wood small clear samples cut from composite poles fabricated from small diameter timber. The strength and stiffness of finger-jointed small clear samples were compared with the strength and stiffness of solid wood small clear samples and the strength and stiffness of composite poles. Finger-jointed samples tested in a perpendicular orientation yielded the lowest bending strength but were not significantly lower than samples tested in a parallel orientation. Therefore, finger joint orientation was not a significant factor regarding the strength of the poles. The bending strength of composite poles was usually lower than the strength of the solid wood samples but higher than the strength of finger-jointed samples cut from the poles. However, the bending stiffness of the composite poles was substantially higher than the bending stiffness of both solid wood and finger-jointed samples cut from the poles.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Creffield, J.W., M. Lenz, D.K. Scown, T.A. Evans, J.-H. Zhong, B.M. Kard, J.R.B. Hague, K.S. Brown, E.D. Freytag, J.P. Curole, W.R. Smith, and T.F. Shupe. 2013. International field trials of pyrethroid-treated wood exposed to Coptotermes acinaciformis in Australia and C. formosanus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in China and the USA. Journal of Economic Entomology. 106(1):329-337.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Qi, J. J. Xie, C.Y. Hse, and T.F Shupe. 2013. Analysis of Phyllostachyspubescens bamboo residues for liquefaction: Chemical components, infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetry. BioResources 8(4):5644-5654.

Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Research at a pilot plant is current underway with cooperators in China. The findings from this project have been disclosed to stakeholder groups in the form of refereed papers, non-technical publications, and academic presentations. A US patent, 8,043,399, has been awarded and is entitled "Process for Rapid Microwave-Enhanced Detoxification of CCA-Treated wood." Four refereed papers, two poster presentations, four nonreferred articles, five oral presentations, and four eExtension articles were disseminated in 2012. Several additional referred articles are currently in review. PARTICIPANTS: T. Shupe (PI), LSU AgCenter. TARGET AUDIENCES: wood preservation industry, telecommunications industry, landfill industry PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
The amount of wood residue is commonly used as a measurement of the extent of wood liquefaction. Characterization of the residue from wood liquefaction provides a new approach to understand some fundamental aspects of the liquefaction reaction. The Klason lignin content of the residues decreased while the holocellulose and alpha cellulose contents increased as the PW increased. A peak at 1735 cm, which was attributed to the ester carbonyl group in xylan, disappeared in the FT-IR spectra of the residues from liquefied wood under a sealed reaction system, indicating significantly different effects of atmospheric versus sealed liquefaction. The crystallinity index of the residues was higher than that of the non-treated wood particles and slightly increased with an increase in the P/W ratio. The SEM images of the residues showed that the fiber bundles were reduced to small-sized bundles or even single fibers as the P/W ratio increased from 1/1 to 3/1, which indicated that the lignin in the middle lamella had been dissolved prior to the cellulose during liquefaction.

Publications

• Shupe, T.F. 2012. Understanding mold. CMS/e-Extension.
• Shupe, T.F. 2012. Continuous flow reactor advances treated wood industry. Research Matters. School of Renewable Natural Resources. P. 11.
• Shupe, T.F. and C. Piao. 2012. The termiticidal properties of superhydrophobic wood surfaces treated with ZnO nano rods and stearic acid. European Journal of Wood and Wood Products. 70:531-535.
• Xu, J., J. Jiang, C.Y. Hse, T.F. Shupe. 2012. Renewable chemical feedstocks from integrated liquefaction processing of lingocellulosic materials using microwave energy. Green Chem. DOI: 10.1039 c2gc35805k.
• Shang, L., G. Han, F. Zhu, J. Ding, T. Shupe, Q. Wang, and Q. Wu. 2012. High-density polyethylene-based composites with pressure-treated wood fibers. Bioresources 7(4):5181-5189.
• Hse, C.Y., T.F. Shupe, H. Pan, and F. Feng. 2012. Veneer-reinforced particleboard for exterior structural composition board. Forest Products Journal. 62(2):139-145.
• Hse, C.Y., T.F. Shupe, B. Yu, and H. Pan. 2012. Process for rapid microwave-enhanced detoxification of CCA treated wood. U.S. Patent No. 8,043,399.
• Shupe, T.F. and C.Y. Hse. 2012. Utilization of waste polyethylene bags in the manufacture of particleboard. In: IUFRO Division 5 Conference. Estoril, Portugal. July 8-13, 2012. P. 80.
• Shupe, T.F. 2012. Continuous flow reactor advances treated wood industry. School of Renewable Natural Resources. Summer 2012. P. 11.
• Shupe, T., C. Hse, and H. Pan. 2012. Rapid microwave-assisted acid extraction of metals from chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated southern pine wood. In: Society of Wood Science and Technology Annual Conference. August 27-31, 2012. Beijing, China. (CD proceedings).
• So, C.L., T. Shupe, T.L. Eberhardt, and L.H. Groom. 2012. A spectroscopic study on the fuel value of softwoods in relation to chemical composition. At: Society of Wood Science and Technology Annual Conference. August 27-31, 2012. Beijing, China. (CD proceedings).
• Shupe, T.F. 2012. New CCA recycling process. CMS/e-Extension.
• Shupe, T.F. 2012. Hydrothermal (HT) processing of plant biomass for petrochemical and bio-energy products. CMS/e-Extension.
• Shupe, T.F. 2012. Proper disposal of preservative-treated wood. CMS/e-Extension.
• Shupe, T.F. 2012. Marine wood borers. CMS/e-Extension.

Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The findings from this project have been disclosed to numerous stakeholder groups in the form of refereed papers, non-technical publications, and academic presentations. Moreover, technology has been developed to improve a US Patent awarded to the PIs group in 2006. The current disclosure has been submitted to the US Patent Office by the LSU AgCenter Office of Intellectual Property. Six refereed papers, two poster presentations, and one oral presentation featuring technology from the project were disseminated in 2011. The project has made strides in reclaiming heavy metals from CCA-treated wood. The process uses relative low temperature, short reaction time, and a relatively small amount of organic reagents. The technology is an effective and economically feasible technique for recycling of spent CCA treated wood. Current efforts are exploring the effect of particle size and other wood preservatives. PARTICIPANTS: T.F. Shupe (PI), LSU AgCenter. TARGET AUDIENCES: wood preservation industry PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
The goal of this work is to develop an environmentally friendly and economically viable method for recycling decommissioned preservative treated wood. The wood preservation industry contributed over 4 billion dollars to the US economy. Moreover, the demand for CCA treated wood products has increased since the early 1970s, as a result of high demand of treated wood products for residential application such as decks and fences, and industrial products such as utility poles, timbers and marine pilings. Approximately 150 million pounds of CCA preservatives were used in the production of preservative-treated wood in 2010, enough wood to build 435,000 houses. About 28.8 million pounds of CCA was consumed by the US treating industry in 2004. Large volumes of this material will be coming out of service for decades to come. With an expected average service life between 20 to 40 years, the amount of spent CCA treated wood will expand greatly from current amounts of 3 to 4 million cubic meters per year to near 12 cubic meters per year in the US and Canada within the next 15 years. This project will continue to develop outputs that help maintain the long term viability of the US wood preservation industry.

Publications

• Hse, C.Y., T.F. Shupe, B. Yu, H. Pan, and Z. Zheng. 2011. Process for rapid microwave enhanced detoxification of CCA treated wood. US Patent 8043399.
• Du, T., T.F. Shupe, and C.Y. Hse. 2011. Antifungal activities of three supercritical fluid extracted cedar oils. Holzforschung 65 277 284.
• Sun, Q.N., C.Y. Hse, and T.F. Shupe. 2011. Characterization and performance of melamine enhanced urea formaldehyde resin for bonding southern pine particleboard. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. 119 3538 3543.
• Shupe, T.F., C. Piao, C. Lucas. 2011. The termiticidal Properties of superhydrophobic wood surfaces treated with ZnO nano rods. Eur J Wood Prod. DOI 10.1007/s00107-011-0563.