Performance of CCA wood preservative and CCA treated wooden materials (pole, anchor log, cross-arm etc) with special reference to Bangladesh (Series 1)

IRG/WP 05-40318

G N M Ilias

Wood is an important renewable natural resources produced by plants which is without question oldest and versatile construction material. It is composed of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. Cellulose and hemicelluloses accounts for about two-thirds of the dry weight of the wood which perform the major structural role. Lignin is the remaining one-third of the wood which holds the cellulose and hemicelluloses together as a structural unit like the mortar between bricks in a house. Wood is excellent due to its unique characters and properties such as, availability, economical, easy transportation and installation, physical and chemical properties, renewability, strengths, versatile uses, density, durability, flexibility, toughness with elasticity, treatability, beauty, reusability, conductibility of heat, sound and electricity etc. In the present day, timber and timber products are widely used all over the modern world, and thus a lot of researches have been done on timber and timber products, and different technologies have also been discovered. For human livelihood, use of timber and timber products are very closely related especially to the people of third world countries, like Bangladesh. Without the use of timber and timber products the daily life of peoples of the third world countries is going to be impossible. From timber very essential products like papers, wooden frame or partition for making shelter or houses, fuel, construction of bridges, poles for electric and telecommunication lines or posts for house building, rail way sleepers, under ground pilling for civilization, furniture, packing boxes, boat and ship are prepared. Timber has a strong drawback of its short life span or durability period especially sapwood of all timber species and heartwood of some timber species. In general, some living organisms which are natural enemies of wood use it (wood) as a source of food, shelter and as a place for the incubation of their young. The wood enemies are – fungi, insects, marine animals etc. But now it is proven science that the life spans or durability of all timber species could be extended several times (40 – 50 years or more) by using preservative treatment. So, preservative treatment of wood has a grate role on the enhancement of durability of wood. Therefore, the selection of appropriate preservative is very important science. Some timber species are more capable of accepting preservative treatment than others, depending upon a number of factors such as, selection of appropriate preservative, appropriate timber species, appropriate seasoning process and appropriate treatment process. In this article selection, use and performance of appropriate preservative would be discussed. The choice of preservative was predominantly creosote or its solutions with coal tar, pentachlorophenol and copper naphthenate were confirmed as a standard preservative in 1950s. But with the first development and patent of CCA salt formulation by Dr. Sonti Kamesam in 1933 in India, use of water borne preservative was started. That time the trade name of the patented CCA preservative was ‘ASCU’. The oxide formulation of CCA was patented by Boliden AB in Sweden during 1950s. In 1950, AWPA patented oxide based CCA into two types A and B. In 1969, AWPA formulated oxide based CCA type – C. Meantime the effectiveness of CCA – C as oxide formulation is proven as the best and mostly used on good faith. CCA can protect the attack of the most unprotected soft rot fungi and can also protect wood from the attack of other decay fungi, termites, beetles, marine borers, carpenter ants etc. Protection capability of CCA depends on penetration, retention and degree of fixation in wood. Performance records of CCA (type – c oxide formulation) are the highest among all other wood preservative available. Some records of the best performances of CCA are available all over the world. CCA treated wood, wood products and poles are in service in a very high hazards areas for 70, 50, 66, 42, 32, 44, 22, and 26 years in India, United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA), New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, Papua New Guinea and Bangladesh respectively and expected that the treated woods will be in service for several years. CCA treated wooden poles, jetty etc are performing better than SPC and steel poles in service without any damage in brackish water as well as in normal water for last 26 years in Bangladesh.


Keywords: CCA, poles, performance, Bangladesh

Conference: 05-04-24/28 Bangalore, India


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