Copper linoleate, a "fixed" copper soap has been developed and evaluated in South Africa over a 30-year period. The initial product, an organic solvent based preservative has been tested in pine poles against termites and fungi. Results indiate that the product has performed well against existing heavy duty wood preservatives such as CCA and creosote in long term field trials (30 years). The paper describes the basic formulation of copper linoleate and the reaction and possible fixation mechanisms of copper linoleate with wood lignin. The paper moves on to describe further work on an emulsifiable version of copper linoleate for use as a water borne wood preservative. The performance of this product is evaluated in accelerated trials to obtain comparative performance data. The emulsion-based product addresses a need for a low-toxicity, waterborne, heavy duty wood preservative. The paper also considers some of the physical properties of the product and outines the remaining barriers for its industrial commercialisation.

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