Timber treatment or lumber treatment in forestry describes the intensive treatment of timber with chemical agents to increase its durability and ability to be used in an otherwise inappropriate situation like inground use. Timber or lumber may be treated with a preservative that protects it from being destroyed by insects, fungus or exposure to moisture. A decidous beech forest in Slovenia. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Lumber. ... Durable - the ability to endure. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Lumber. ... A preservative is a natural or synthetic chemical that is added to products such as foods, pharmaceuticals, paints, biological samples, etc. ... Classes & Orders See taxonomy Insects are invertebrate animals of the Class Insecta, the largest and (on land) most widely-distributed taxon within the phylum Arthropoda. ... Divisions Chytridiomycota Deuteromycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Fungus growing on a tree in Borneo A fungus (plural fungi) is a eukaryotic organism that digests its food externally and absorbs the nutrient molecules into its cells. ...

Hazards

Unfortunately, many of the timber treatments have proven to be extremely hazardous both to the workers and the environment; as a result many treatment centres have been forced to close and undertake massive environmental restoration and remediation. With many of the chemicals having a long period through which they are highly dangerous, the legacy of the chemical cocktails can probably never be totally eliminated. Environmental restoration is a term common in the citizens’ environmental movement. ... Remediation is the removal of pollution or contaminants from land, including sediments in waterways, for the general protection of the environment or, quite commonly, from a brownfield site so that it can be reused. ... A chemical substance is any material substance used in or obtained by a process in chemistry: A chemical compound is a substance consisting of two or more chemical elements that are chemically combined in fixed proportions. ... A cocktail. ...

Preservatives

Timber or lumber that is treated with a preservative generally have it applied through combined vacuum and pressure treatment. The preservatives used to pressure-treat lumber are classified as pesticides. Treating lumber provides long-term resistance to organisms that cause deterioration. If it is applied correctly, it extends the productive life of lumber by five to ten times. If left untreated, wood that is exposed to moisture or soil for sustained periods of time will become weakened by various types of fungi, bacteria or insects. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Lumber. ... Look up Vacuum in Wiktionary, the free dictionary For other uses, see vacuum (disambiguation) A vacuum is a volume of space that is empty of matter, including air, so that gaseous pressure is much less than standard atmospheric pressure. ... Pressure (symbol: p) is the force per unit area acting on a surface in a direction perpendicular to that surface. ... A cropduster spreading pesticide. ... Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ...

Creosote

Creosote is one of the oldest wood preservatives, and was originally derived from a wood distilate. It often collects inside chimneys causing a fire hazard. Creosote is considered a carcinogen and a chronic poison and has been removed from general sale in Australia. It is still used for railway sleepers and utility pole. Creosote is the name used for a variety of products: wood creosote, coal tar creosote, coal tar, coal tar pitch, and coal tar pitch volatiles. ... Chimney stacks on a Newcastle upon Tyne building A chimney is a system for venting hot gases and smoke from a stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. ... Ferroconcrete sleepers A variant fastening of rails to wooden sleepers A railroad tie, cross tie, or sleeper is an oblong object used as a base for railroad tracks. ... Pole carrying telephone, electricity and Cable TV equipment. ...

Chromated copper arsenate (CCA)

Main article: Chromated copper arsenate

An extremely common preservative developed in the 1930s. In CCA treatment, copper is the primary fungicide, arsenic is a secondary fungicide and an insecticide, and chromium is a fixative which also provides ultraviolet (UV) light resistance. Recognized for the greenish tint it imparts to lumber, CCA is a preservative that was extremely common for many decades, however it contained arsenic. The chemicals may leach from the wood into surrounding soil, resulting in concentrations higher than naturally occurring background levels. A study cited in Forest Products Journal found 12–13 percent of the chromated copper arsenate leached from treated wood buried in compost during a 12-month period. Once these chemicals have leached from the wood they are likely to bind to soil particles, especially in soils with clay or soils that are more alkaline than neutral. In the United States on 1 January 2004 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began restricting the use of CCA in treated lumber in residential and commercial construction, with the exception of shakes and shingles, permanent wood foundations, and certain commercial applications. This was in an effort to reduce the use of arsenic and increase environmental safety. However some consumer outlets such as Home Depot were still reported to be selling CCA lumber long after the ban went into effect. Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) is a wood preservative used for timber treatment, in use since 1930s. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic brown Atomic mass 63. ... Fungicides are pesticides for destruction or development prevention of fungi. ... General Name, Symbol, Number arsenic, As, 33 Chemical series metalloids Group, Period, Block 15, 4, p Appearance metallic gray Atomic mass 74. ... An insecticide is a pesticide whose purpose is to kill or to prevent the multiplication of insects. ... General Name, Symbol, Number chromium, Cr, 24 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 6, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Atomic mass 51. ... Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength shorter than that of the visible region, but longer than that of soft X-rays. ... General Name, Symbol, Number arsenic, As, 33 Chemical series metalloids Group, Period, Block 15, 4, p Appearance metallic gray Atomic mass 74. ... Soil is material capable of supporting plant life. ... A compost bin full of autumn oak leaves Compost is the decomposed remnants of organic materials (those with plant and animal origins). ... Quaternary clay in Estonia. ... For the battery, see alkaline battery The word alkali can mean:- In chemistry, an alkali is a specific type of base, formed as a carbonate, hydroxide or other ionic salt of an alkali metal or alkali earth metal element. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... EPA redirects here. ... The word shingle has several distinct meanings in the English language: Photograph of wood shingles, also called shakes, as used in roofing. ... A foundation is a structure that transmits loads from a building or road to the underlying ground. ... The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is a home improvement retailer that aims for both the do-it-yourself consumer and the professional in home improvement construction. ...

Alkaline copper quaternary

Alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ) is a preservative made up of copper, a fungicide, and quaternary ammonium compound (quat), an insecticide which also augments the fungicidal treatment. Since it contains high levels of copper, ACQ-treated lumber is five times more corrosive to common steel, according to American Wood Preservers Association (AWPA) test results. It is necessary to use double-galvanized or stainless steel fasteners in ACQ lumber. The U.S. began mandating the use of ACQ in end-consumer lumber in 2004. Fungicides are pesticides for destruction or development prevention of fungi. ... Quaternary ammonium cation. ... Categories: Chemistry stubs ... An insecticide is a pesticide whose purpose is to kill or to prevent the multiplication of insects. ... The old steel cable of a colliery winding tower Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ... Galvanization, named after the Italian scientist Luigi Galvani, was originally the administration of electric shocks (in the 19th century also termed Faradism, after Michael Faraday). ... In metallurgy, stainless steel (inox) is defined as a ferrous alloy with a minimum of 10. ... A fastener is a hardware device that mechanically joins or affixes two or more objects together. ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in...

Other copper compounds

These include copper azole (CA), copper chromate, copper citrate, acid copper chromate and ammoniacal copper zinc arsenate (ACZA). The CA treatment is an alternative to CCA and ACQ in the United States and Canada. AZCA is generally used for marine applications.

Borate preservatives

Unlike most other preservatives, borate compounds do not become fixed in the wood and can be washed out. Therefore they cannot be used where they will be exposed to water. The borate ion is BO33-. A borate is a compound of the borate ion with metallic elements. ...

Oil-based preservatives

These include pentachlorophenol, copper naphthenate, and creosote. All of them are toxic and are generally not used in consumer products. Creosote is a tar-based preservative that was commonly seen on telephone poles before it was withdrawn from production due to toxicity. Pentachlorophenol (C6HCl5O) is a man-made (i. ... Creosote is the name used for a variety of products: wood creosote, coal tar creosote, coal tar, coal tar pitch, and coal tar pitch volatiles. ... This article is about the black liquid. ... A telegraph post, telegraph pole or telephone pole is a post or pole upon which telephone network equipment is situated. ...

Tung oil

Tung oil has been known about for hundreds of years in China, where it was used as a preservative for wood ships. The oil penetrates the wood then hardens to form an impermeable hydrophobic layer up to 5mm into the wood. As a preservative it is effective for exterior work above and below ground, but the thin layer makes it less useful in practice. It is not available as a pressure treatment. Some manufacturers recommend tung oil as a stabiliser for CCA. Tung oil is used as a wood finishing product. ... In chemistry, hydrophobic or lipophilic species, or hydrophobes, tend to be electrically neutral and nonpolar, and thus prefer other neutral and nonpolar solvents or molecular environments. ... Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) is a wood preservative used for timber treatment, in use since 1930s. ...

Naturally rot-resistant woods

This includes Western Redcedar, Huon Pine, Merbau, Ironbark, many cypresses and Coast Redwood. These species are resistant to decay in their natural state, due to high levels of organic chemicals called "extractives", mainly polyphenols. Extractives are chemicals that are deposited in the heartwood of certain tree species as they convert sapwood to heartwood. However, many of these species tend to be prohibitively expensive for general construction applications. Species Thuja plicata Western Redcedar, Thuja plicata, a species of thuja, is an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to the northwestern US and southwestern Canada, from southern Alaska and British Columbia south to northwest California and inland to western Montana. ... Binomial name Lagarostrobos franklinii The species Lagarostrobos franklinii, known as Huon Pine or Macquarie Pine, is a species of conifer growing mainly in the wetter southeastern corner of Tasmania, Australia. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the conifer family Cupressaceae (cypress family). ... Binomial name Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl. ... Polyphenols are a group of plant chemical substances, characterized by the presence of more than one phenol group per molecule. ... A tree trunk as found at the Veluwe, The Netherlands Wood is a material found as the primary content of the stems of woody plants, especially trees, but also shrubs. ... A tree trunk as found at the Veluwe, The Netherlands Wood is an organic material found as the primary content of the stems of woody plants, especially trees, but also shrubs. ...

Huon pine was used for ship hulls in the 19th century, but overharvesting and huon pine's tremendously slow grow rate makes this now a specialty timber. Merbau is still a popular decking timber and has a long life in above ground applications, but it is considered unsustainably logged (see Illegal logging) and is too hard and brittle for general use. Huon pine is so rot resistant that fallen trees from over 20000 years ago are still commercially valuable. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Ironbark is a good choice where available. It is harvested from both old-growth and plantation in Australia and is highly resistant to rot and termites. It is most commonly used for fence posts and house stumps. The aviation term ROT stands for rate one turn. ... Families Mastotermitidae Kalotermitidae Termopsidae Hodotermitidae Rhinotermitidae Serritermitidae Termitidae A termite (also known as a white ant) is any member of the order Isoptera, a group of social insects that eat wood and other cellulose-rich vegetable matter. ...

Sodium silicate-based preservatives

The use of sodium silicate as a timber treatment began in 2005, after an environmental toxicologist's research on allergies and autism branched into her developing a method for rendering sodium silicate insoluable (rendering a pervasive barrier of amorphous glass) once the lumber has been treated with it. The toxicologist's then-14-year-old son conducted much of the early research through his 10th grade science fair project, which took first place in chemistry. This treatment preserves wood from moisture and insects and possesses some flame-resistant properties. Sodium silicate treated lumber is considered a safer alternative to both CCA and ACQ. Sodium silicate, also known as water glass, is a compound used in cements and textile processing. ... Flame retardants are materials that inhibit or resist the spread of fire. ...

See also

• Sodium silicate#Timber Treatment

Sodium silicate, also known as water glass, is a compound used in cements and textile processing. ...

External links

• Case Studies in Environmental Medicine - Arsenic Toxicity
• Timber Treatment Technologies' chart of sodium silicate applications, including wood preservation
• Brief Popular Science article about sodium silicate-derived timber treatment