Modification of Wood by a Water-Repellent Compound Used in the Textile Industry: Boron Release and Termite Resistance

IRG/WP 09-40447

S N Kartal, E Terzi, B Erilkun, Y Imamura

In the study, wood specimens were treated with disodium octoborate tetrahydrate (DOT) and a commercial water and oil repellent compound, FORGUARD M®, a weak cationic emulsion containing dipropylene glycol monomethylether, water and solids in its formulation and used in the textile industry. There were two different processes for preservative treatments: double and single treatments. The leaching process was conducted according to Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) K 1571. Leachates sampled from the leaching cycles for 10 days and extracts from the treated wood were analyzed with an ICP spectrometry. Contact angle measurements were also done for water-repellent properties of modified wood. Specimens were exposed to the subterranean termites, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, in laboratory conditions. Modification resulted in nearly 50% less boron leaching in both single and double treatments at 0.5 and 1% DOT concentration levels in comparison with DOT-only treated specimens. More boron release was seen in the specimens treated with 0.1% DOT and FORGUARD M® when compared to 0.5 and 1% DOT + FORGUARD M® treatments. Contact angles increased from 56 degrees exceeding 100 degrees in modified wood specimens. All unleached specimens showed perfect protection against termites; however, mass losses in control specimens and leached specimens were nearly 30%. After modification of wood treated with 0.5 and 1% DOT and FORGUARD M®, about 50% of total boron remained in these specimens after leaching course increased termite resistance of modified wood. In general, the termite mortalities were in good accordance with the mass losses that occurred in the specimens.


Keywords: chemical modification, dipropylene glycol monomethylether, boron release, water repellent, termite resistance

Conference: 09-05-24/28 Beijing, China


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