This study tests the hypothesis that X-ray micro-computed tomography will be able to visualize the distribution of copper in wood treated with a micronized wood preservative containing copper carbonate. A small wood block measuring 12 x 12 x 19 mm was cut from a 2.4 m x 51 mm x 51 mm southern pine batten that had been treated with a micronized wood preservative. Tomograms of the wood block were obtained using an X-ray micro-CT device over a period of 14 hours and the phases in tomographic images with different densities were identified. These phases corresponding to wood (earlywood and latewood), void space and copper were visualized in 2 and 3 dimensions using volume rendering software. We observe that copper accumulates in rays and resin canals where it forms a grid-like network particularly in the first two growth rings near the surface of the treated wood block. Less copper is present in subsequent growth rings because some of the resin canals in latewood do not contain copper, and fewer rays contain copper. We conclude that X-ray micro-CT is a useful technique for visualizing the spatial distribution of copper in wood treated with a micronized wood preservative. Future research will use X-ray micro-CT to visualize the distribution of copper in wood’s finer capillary network and also use numerical techniques to quantify the spatial distribution of copper in the microstructure of treated wood.

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