Your search resulted in 370 documents. Displaying 25 entries per page.
Long service life or cascading? The environmental impact of maintenance of wood-based materials for building envelope and their recycling options
2018 - IRG/WP 18-50336
A major restraint in choosing bio-based materials (i.e. wood-based) for external use, is the lack of confidence that architects, designers and customers have toward these materials. In particular, the limit state of bio-based materials, which defines the frequency of maintenance operations, might be reached earlier for wood than for other materials (i.e. concrete). On the other hand, resource and ...
M Petrillo, J Sandak, P Grossi, A Kutnar, A
Declaring life cycle inventory of toxicity related emissions in environmental product declarations of preservative treated wood products
2018 - IRG/WP 18-50339
Life cycle assessment (LCA) including impacts on toxicity for preservative treated wood has been shown to have large uncertainties. With the growing demand for verified LCA in environmental product declarations (EPD), the need for reliable data is crucial for realistic assessment of wood products. Uncertainty is caused by several issues such as service life prediction, leaching rates and calculati...
L G F Tellnes, C Askham, P-O Flæte, M Klamer
Improvement of wood decay and termite durability resulting from combined treatments based on borax/phenol-formaldehyde impregnation followed by thermal modification
2019 - IRG/WP 19-40871
This study determined the factors influencing the boron content after leaching of pine blocks impregnated with aqueous solution of phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin with or without borax and subjected to heat treatment by response surface methodology. An experimental design permits to analyze the effects of heat treatment temperature (150, 185 and 220°C), curing time (5, 12, 5 and 20 hours), resin c...
S Salman, M-F Thevenon, A Petrissans, S Dumarcay, P Gerardin
Validating a short-term laboratory method to assess the resistance of timber to biodegradation by marine wood-borers
2021 - IRG/WP 21-10975
Novel approaches to protecting wood in coastal and marine environments are needed as the use of traditional broad-spectrum biocides are now restricted. Wood is widely utilised in marine environments where it can be rapidly degraded by wood-boring organisms, causing billions of dollars of damage per annum. Biocidal compounds such as CCA and creosote have been popular treatments for timber products ...
L S Martin, J R Shipway, G P Malyon, S M Cragg
Surface morphology and short-term water uptake of charred and coated wood
2021 - IRG/WP 21-40916
Charring of the wood surface represents a traditional alternative surface treatment technique with the purpose of aesthetics and protection. By the treatment with flame the surface of wood becomes carbonized and a few millimetres thick charred layer is formed on the top of the wooden element. Further, the charred layer can be removed by brushing, which accentuates the structure of the surface. Add...
J Zigon
A new approach to wood protection: Potential of biologically synthesised CuO and ZnO nanoparticle formulation as a wood preservative
2022 - IRG/WP 22-30758
Even though metal nanoparticles are effective in protecting wood, they are less preferred, as they are synthesised using methods which are expensive and are not environmentally friendly. Biological synthesis of nanoparticles using plants, fungi, yeast, bacteria and viruses, has been accepted as an alternative approach and is referred to as green synthesis. Utilization of biologically synthesised n...
Shiny K S, R Sundararaj, N Mamatha
Properties of Iron (II) Sulphate treated Norway Spruce
2022 - IRG/WP 22-30765
Exterior wood is exposed to various environmental factors that cause weathering. Weathering is important primarily from an aesthetic standpoint. However, not all parts of the building are equally susceptible to weathering. Parts exposed to moisture will discolour faster than protected parts, such as wood under roof overhangs. To achieve fast and uniform artificial greying, a surface treatment with...
B Lesar, M Humar, M Škamlec
Environmentally Friendly Wood Modification based on Tannin-Furfuryl alcohol - Effect on stabilisation, mechanical properties and decay durability
2022 - IRG/WP 22-40929
Furfurylation is a well-known wood modification technology. This paper studied the effect of tannin addition on the wood furfurylation. Three kinds of dicarboxylic acids, adipic acid, succinic acid, and tartaric acid, as well as glyoxal as a comparing agent, were used to catalyse the polymerisation of furanic or tannin-furanic solutions during wood modification. Impregnation of furanic or tannin-f...
M Mubarok, E Azadeh, F O Akong, S Dumarçay, A Pizzi, C Charbonnier-Gérardin, P Gérardin
Optimisation of accelerated weathering procedure as an alternative to natural weathering
2023 - IRG/WP 23-20693
Comprehensive tests need to be performed to obtain the most accurate data possible on the durability of wood. The most reliable performance tests are field tests. However, since this is very time-consuming, we frequently rely on laboratory tests. To increase the reliability of the laboratory tests, samples are preconditioned with natural or artificially accelerated weathering methods that simulate...
E Keržič, M Humar, V Vek
Short-term absorption of water and coatings on thermally modified blue-stained spruce wood
2023 - IRG/WP 23-40984
The importance of wood has been increasing in the last decades. Among conifers, predominantly spruce (Picea abies) wood is often used in building constructions in Europe. Namely for construction and facades of buildings, decking and fences. Due to the increased public concerns about biocides, alternative techniques for protection, such as thermal modification and protection by construction, are ga...
R Hasanagic, M Bahmani, M Humar, L Fathi, L Cai
Optimization of furfurylic alcohol/tannin ratio to improve the performance of biosourced thermoset resins for wood protection
2023 - IRG/WP 23-40994
This study concerns the chemical modification of wood with different ratios of tannin and furfuryl alcohol (FA) in the presence of maleic acid as catalyst. Tannins were used not only as cross-linking agents, but also as co-monomers to improve wood durability, while reducing the amount of FA used. Different aqueous formulations were prepared containing decreasing amount of FA (from 45.45% to 0%) an...
E Azadeh, A Pizzi, P Gérardin, C Gérardin-Charbonnier
Exposure tests on railroad ties treated with DOT
2024 - IRG/WP 24-20705
Keruing railroad ties were treated with disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT) to retentions of 0.7 to 1.7% boric acid equivalent (BAE) and selected borate treated ties were subsequently over treated with creosote/diesel fuel mixture. The treated ties were exposed in a simulated railway track test bed in Malaysia. The leaching of borate was measured over 5 years. BAE in the ties after 5 years of e...
L Arthur, J-W Kim
Comparison of copper leaching from alkaline copper quat and copper compound nanosol-based wood preservative treated wood
2024 - IRG/WP 24-20726
To improve the leaching resistance of copper ion-based wood preservatives, copper compound nanosol-based wood preservatives were developed and its copper leaching characteristics were evaluated. Three types of preservatives (DC1, DC2, DC3) were prepared with different crystallinity and dispersant types of copper compound nanosol, and the copper concentration was adjusted to be the same as that of ...
Y-S Choi, S-M Yoon, J O Kim, J-G Kang, J-G Park
Leaching and chemical redistribution of CCA components in refractory heartwood of E. nitens
2024 - IRG/WP 24-41011
Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) is a wood preservative widely used to protect against fungal and insect attack. The fixation mechanism of CCA involves complex chemical reactions, including the reduction of chromium (VI) to chromium (III) and the formation of insoluble complexes. Despite fixation efforts, a portion of CCA components tends to leach from treated wood, influenced by factors like wood ...
J R Vargas, L Yermán, K C Wood, T Singh
Copper migration from preservative-treated Douglas-fir decking: models vs laboratory leaching data
2024 - IRG/WP 24-50390
The ability of a model to predict copper migration from Douglas-fir treated with organic metallic substances into a freshwater slough was evaluated against data generated through simulated overhead leaching. The model predicted very high loadings of ammoniacal copper zinc arsenate, alkaline copper quaternary or copper azole that had the potential to impact water quality while data from the exper...
M J Konkler, G Presley, J J Morrell, T Singh
Quantifying metal migration from a deck constructed with copper-azole-treated lumber
2024 - IRG/WP 24-50391
Soluble copper or micronized copper wood preservatives are the most common available wood preservative systems for residential applications in the United States. Copper containing wood preservatives have been scrutinized for their potential negative impacts on the environment, across many jurisdictions. Concerns arise from the potential for preservatives to migrate out of treated wood upon water e...
G Presley, M Konkler
Characterization of zinc borate synthesized in laboratory and scaled-up study
2025 - IRG/WP 25-20730
The organic nature of wood makes it vulnerable to both abiotic and biotic degradation. Impregnation with chemical products is a widely used method for wood protection. Inorganic borates exhibit a unique combination of properties that make them particularly effective for this purpose: they are insecticidal, fungicidal, and flame-retardant. In this study, ammoniacal zinc borate synthesized in labora...
Laffite, E Fernandez, C M Ibañez
Securing Flame Retardancy in Wood: Durability After Artificial and Natural Weathering Test
2025 - IRG/WP 25-20738
The outdoor use of wood is often limited by challenges such as dimensional instability, vulnerability to fungal decay, and high flammability. Traditional flame retardant treatments improve fire resistance but suffer from significant leaching under environmental exposure, reducing their long-term effectiveness. This study introduces an innovative solution by integrating flame retardants with DMDHEU...
M Wu, L Martin, H Militz
Curing Behaviour of Bio-based Phenol Formaldehyde Resin and the Durability Performance of Treated Wood
2025 - IRG/WP 25-20758
The aim of the study is to investigate the curing behaviours of bio-based PF resins treated Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica). Compared to conventional wood preservatives such as metal-based ACQ, bio-based PF resin was more environmentally-friendly and can store more plant-based carbon inside treated wood. However, all these preservatives have the risk of being leached out. This study conducte...
Y-S Lee, P-Y Kuo
Enhancing Wood Greying: A Study of Pre-Treatments and Iron(II) Sulphate Application
2025 - IRG/WP 25-41018
Recent trends in architecture and environmental policies have increased the demand for natural, unprotected wood in outdoor applications. However, wood exposed to the elements tends to grey unevenly, which can be problematic for visually important applications like timber façades. One solution is artificial greying with iron ions, providing a uniform colour that later transitions to natural greyi...
B Lesar, M Humar, A Kordiš