IRG Documents Database and Compendium


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Your search resulted in 735 documents. Displaying 25 entries per page.


Preservative treatment of Golla cane (Daemonorops jenkinsiana) by pressure process
2007 - IRG/WP 07-40379
The feasibility of preservative treatment of golla cane (Daemonorops jenkinsiana (Griff) Mart). by pressure process has been studied using water borne preservatives CCB (copper-chrome-boron). Cane samples of three different lengths 1m, 2m and 3 m. were treated at different pressure and time period to evaluate the extent of penetration and retention of preservative chemicals. It was observed that t...
K Akhter, M Hoque Chowdhury


Effect of barriers on moisture content of treated and non-treated utility poles
2007 - IRG/WP 07-40369
The potential for non-biocidal barriers to slow moisture sorption was investigated using butt treated western redcedar poles immersed in either water or moist soil over a 2 year period. Moisture sorption was initially slowed by the barriers, but openings at the bottoms of the barriers eventually allowed moisture to migrate upward. Moisture levels in wrapped poles eventually reached those found in...
C S Love, J J Morrell


Influence of Polyvinyl acetate emulsion (PVA) on boron leaching and fungicidal properties
2008 - IRG/WP 08-30451
Boron compounds are very effective fungicides, but unfortunately they leach from wood. In order to improve boron fixation, boric acid, borax were combined with polyvinyl acetate emulsion (PVA). For comparison copper salts were included into this research as well. Selected preservative solutions were chosen for impregnation of Norway spruce wood specimens (Picea abies). Wood blocks were exposed to ...
M Humar, B Lesar, P Kralj


Preliminary evaluation of efficacy of copper in combination with boron and NHA (N'-N-(1, 8-naphthalyl) hydroxylamine) against wood decay
2008 - IRG/WP 08-30452
In this study, efficacy of various combinations of copper sulfate with either boric acid or calcium precipitating agent, NHA-Na (N'-N-(1, 8-naphthalyl) hydroxylamine) was evaluated. Wood specimens were treated with either 1%, 0.5%, or 0.1% concentrations of copper sulfate, boric acid, NHA-Na, copper sulfate + boric acid, or copper sulfate + NHA-Na mixtures. Treated specimens were subjecte...
E Terzi, C Köse, S N Kartal


Field Stake Performance of Parallel Strand Lumber Treated with Waterborne Copper Naphthenate
2008 - IRG/WP 08-40435
Wood and wood products have been considered a premium building material for residential and industrial structures for many centuries. More recently, structural composite lumber (SCL) products have played an increasing role in satisfying the needs of the building industry. However, both wood and wood composites are naturally biodegradable materials which require enhanced durability when used in ce...
G P Merrick, M H Freeman, J A Brient


Effectiveness of sol-gel treatments coupled with copper and boron against subterranean termites
2009 - IRG/WP 09-30493
Wood modification by sol-gel treatments shows many positive features, like antimicrobial properties. Wood was also successfully modified with alkoxysilanes enhancing its resistance against soil micro-organisms. Silver, copper, zinc compounds, boric acid or organic biocides such as alkylammonium compounds may be added to the sol-gel to enhance its biocidal properties. Nevertheless, if some of these...
E Feci, L Nunes, S Palanti, S Duarte, G Predieri, F Vignali


Comparison of laboratory and semi-field tests for the estimation of leaching rates from treated wood
2010 - IRG/WP 10-50274
The authorization of wood preservative formulations in the European Union according to the Biocidal Products Directive (BPD) includes the assessment of environmental risks by the emission of active ingredients. This risk assessment includes scenarios for preserved wood (e.g. house scenario, noise barrier), in which the predicted environmental concentration (PEC) for soil and water is calculated, u...
N Morsing, M Klamer, B Seidel, J Wittenzellner, M Maier, J Habicht


KERUING and APITONG: A Timely Review of the Perfect Choice Wood Species for Crossarms and Brace Arms, Including Data on Copper Naphthenate Treatments
2012 - IRG/WP 12-40603
Apitong or the wood species more commonly known as Keruing is an important tropical hardwood known for its high strength to weight ratio and its reasonable durability and preservative treatability. This wood has been exported from managed permanent forest estates in Malaysia into the United States for over 4 decades for its widespread use in wooden utility industry brace arms and crossarms, yet cu...
A Wong, M Freeman


Copper naphthenate treatment for wood pols - a review and update
2012 - IRG/WP 12-30600
This paper reviews copper naphthenate (CuNap) and its utility as a treatment for wooden utility poles. One of the principal reasons that CuNap has gained market acceptance, in addition to its efficacy against decay fungi and wood-destroying insects, is its low mammalian toxicity. CuNap is a well-proven non-restricted use preservative, used extensively and specified for environmental reasons by ut...
J A Brient, M H Freeman


40 year results from the largest preservative in-ground stake trial conducted in Australia
2013 - IRG/WP 13-30624
The final results from Australia’s largest preservative in-ground stake trial are listed. There were eight test sites, six in Australia and two in Papua New Guinea. The preservatives tested include low and high temperature creosotes, PCP and various water-borne preservatives including CCA and copper chromate. The main timbers examined were sawn Pinus radiata sapwood, sawn Eucalyptus regnans hear...
L J Cookson


Cost effective extension of service life of bridge tie (sleepers) - Effectively applying borate during Boulton conditioning and treatment with copper naphthenate
2014 - IRG/WP 14-30637
Current longevity of creosote treated wooden bridge ties in the South Eastern US is about 15 to 25 years, which is well below of the average service life of 33-50 years of railroad ties. Such short service life increases costs associated with maintenance of railroads including bridge down time for tie replacement as well as the cost for the new ties themselves. Because of this, many railroads are...
J D Lloyd, T Chambers, J-W Kim


Copper naphthenate treatment for wood crossties and timbers
2014 - IRG/WP 14-30647
Copper naphthenate (CuN) has a long history in wood preservation and is recently finding increased usage as a treatment for wooden crossties and timbers. One of the principal reasons that CuN has gained market acceptance, in addition to its efficacy against decay fungi and wood-destroying insects, is its low mammalian toxicity and environmental impact. CuN is a well proven non-restricted use pres...
J Brient


Migration of copper from copper naphthenate treated Douglas-fir poles during storage
2014 - IRG/WP 14-50302
Preservative migration from treated wood products has raised concerns among regulators, especially when the biocides move into surface waters. In most cases, chemical levels are well below the acceptable minimum level, but can become a concern if large quantities of treated wood are stored in one location. One such case would be a location where utility poles are stored for use in emergency repai...
C S Love, C M Freitag, J J Morrell


Comparison of gauge and assay retention in crossties treated with copper naphthenate
2014 - IRG/WP 14-40667
Creosote has been the most widely used preservative for wooden railroad crossties or sleepers for over 100 years. Alternative preservatives such as copper naphthenate (CuN) have been shown to provide equivalent performance against decay fungi and wood destroying insects; however, the use and specification of CuN involves an education process for treaters and railroad customers alike. One differe...
J Brient, H Tomlinson, J Hughes


Douglas-fir PSL Treated with Oilborne Copper Naphthenate – Treatment Experience & Efficacy
2014 - IRG/WP 14-40687
Treating characteristics, field stake efficacy and the results from treatment trials for oilborne copper naphthenate (CuNap) and Douglas-fir parallel strand lumber (PSL) are summarized in this paper. Treatment with a P9 Type-C based solution in laboratory tests showed full cross section penetration of large cross sections could be achieved. Commercial treatment trials using a P9 Type-A solution ...
G P Merrick


The effect of preservative treatment on mechanical strength and structural integrity of wood
2015 - IRG/WP 15-30667
The use of wood for demanding construction applications is increasing in Europe. Wooden constructions are frequently designed of susceptible conifer wood, which is endangered by wood decay fungi in wet applications. Therefore in many cases treating wood with preservatives is unavoidable to ensure the desired service life. However, chemical treatment of wood can result in changes of its mechanical ...
M Humar, D Kržišnik, C Brischke


Recycling of used railroad ties via two-staged pyrolysis for fractionation of wood preservatives and bio-oil: pyrolytic characterization by TGA and Py-GC/MS
2015 - IRG/WP 15-50311
Creosote and copper naphthenate (CuNap) (in an oil carrier) treated railroad tie materials (crossties or sleepers) were initially heat-treated at 200 – 300 oC and subsequently pyrolyzed via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) to recover wood preservatives and produce a higher quality bio-oil. Preservative-desorptive temperatures at 200 a...
Pyoungchung Kim, J Lloyd, Jae-Woo Kim, N Labbe


Borate and Copper Naphthenate Dual Treatment of Bridge Timbers-Borate movement over time
2017 - IRG/WP 17-40795
Preservative treated wooden bridge ties in the South Eastern USA have a service life of about 15 to 20 years, which falls well below the average service life of 40 years of railroad cross ties (sleepers). It has been shown that cross tie life is significantly extended using borate dual treatment and this is now commercialized in bridge timbers using borate inserts. In previous research, it was dem...
J-W Kim, J D Lloyd


Dual Borate and Copper Naphthenate Treatment of Bridge Timbers:- Potential Performance Enhancements and Cost Savings
2017 - IRG/WP 17-40797
Dual treatment technology combining diffusible preservatives with oil borne preservatives, widely used for crossties in the USA, has now also been commercialized with bridge ties/timbers. In order to understand the implications of these changes, the historic service life of creosote treated bridge timbers in northern and southeastern USA were considered as well as field test data for both creosote...
J Lloyd, C Brischke, R Bennett, A Taylor


COPPER NAPHTHENATE: A Product for All Seasons: Protecting the Americas’ Infrastructure for Over 100 Years and Potential for Expanded Usage in Europe
2019 - IRG/WP 19-30738
This paper is a brief review of the history and use of the wood preservative Copper Naphthenate, with a focus on use patterns within the USA and opportunities for expansion in Europe and Canada. This paper reviews how copper naphthenate has performed to preserve and protect cellulosic and wooden items essential to critical infrastructure, and why it is the ideal choice for use in the replacement o...
M H Freeman, J A Brient, M Manning


Economic and Alternative Preservative Research with an Overview of its Impact on the Dynamics of Wood Tie Markets and Railroads
2019 - IRG/WP 19-30751
This presentation will discuss the Railway Tie Association’s (RTA) efforts in economic research for the North American wood tie industry, along with decades-long research into improving wood preservation processes and its resulting economic impact for railroads. Ongoing research is continuing to expand the knowledge-base by comparing existing standard creosote (C) and borate-creosote (B-C) dual...
J C Gauntt


Copper Naphthenate – A Data and Capability Update
2022 - IRG/WP 22-30771
The efficacy of copper naphthenate against wood decay fungi and wood destroying organisms has been well documented from international field tests as well as decades of commercial service. The use of copper naphthenate has been dramatically expanded due to its proven performance, non-restricted use, minimal environmental impact, and superior end of life options. Extensive demand and interest has al...
J-W Kim, J D Lloyd


Challenges in managing very long-term field tests
2023 - IRG/WP 23-30779
Field testing of wood preservatives has been on-going in Petawawa, Ontario, Canada since at least 1937. Many of the treated roundwood posts from these early experiments are still in test, and include preservatives still used today, including creosote, copper naphthenate, pentachlorophenol and CCA. Performance data from selected experiments more than 50 years old are reported and we discuss some of...
R Stirling, D Wong


Benefits of borate dual treatment
2024 - IRG/WP 24-20710
Treatment of railroad ties with borate followed by over-treatment with creosote or copper naphthenate, called dual treatment, has become standard practice for ties being installed in higher decay hazard areas of the U.S. This paper provides an overview of why that has happened. Borate preservative presents very low human health and environmental risk. It diffuses through even hard to treat hear...
S T Smith, J D Lloyd, S McKinney


Keeping wood greenest: Maximizing the unique benefits of preserved wood through end-of-life planning to realize carbon sequestration and a circular economy
2024 - IRG/WP 24-50387
While competitive fuels and different energy sources are a main driver of current difficulties with using end-of-life wood products for fuel, that is a potentially smaller problem than the rapidly changing carbon footprints of competitive materials, which can potentially be smaller than wood, if the wrong decisions are made at the end of life by users and waste generators. While users have several...
J D Lloyd, B Poe


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