Characteristics of a bioxalate chelating extraction process for removal of chromium, copper and arsenic from treated wood

The disposal of wood waste treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) is a problem in many countries. We have proposed a novel chelating extraction technique for CCA-treated wood using bioxalate, a solution of oxalic acid containing sufficient sodium hydroxide to adjust the pH to 3.2, which is an effective way to obtain an extraction efficiency of 90% for chromium, copper, and arsenic. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the characteristics of bioxalate extraction of CCA-treated wood. Extractions of CCA-treated western hemlock chips with solutions of bioxalate, oxalic acid, and sodium hydroxide were carried out. The use of bioxalate was confirmed as the most effective extraction technique for chromium, copper and arsenic, with an efficiency of 90%. Extraction with simple oxalic acid was ineffective for copper (less than 40% extraction efficiency), but effective for chromium and arsenic, with 90% efficiency. Sodium hydroxide showed a similar tendency, being ineffective for chromium and copper (less than 20% extraction efficiency), but relatively effective for arsenic (around 70–80% efficiency). We also discovered an interesting phenomenon whereby the addition of sodium hydroxide to a simple oxalic acid solution during the oxalic acid extraction progress resulted in dramatically increased extraction efficiency for copper, chromium and arsenic, up to 90%. Although oxalic acid was ineffective for copper extraction, the addition of sodium hydroxide during the oxalic acid extraction process rendered it effective.