Hexadecyl ammonium chloride amylose inclusion complex to emulsify cedarwood oil and treat wood against termites and wood-decay fungi

Cedarwood oil (CWO) has a wide range of bioactivities, including insect repellency and toxicity, as well as conferring resistance against termites and wood-decay fungi. In previous work examining pressure treatment of wood, ethanol was used as the diluent/carrier for CWO. However, it is preferable to use a water-based carrier for environmental, safety and cost considerations. In this research, we describe the use of a hexadecyl ammonium chloride amylose inclusion complex/polyvinyl alcohol (AIC/PVOH) as an emulsifier for CWO to pressure treat wood. Wood samples were subsequently tested for resistance to termites and four species of wood-decay fungi. Wood was also compared for water absorption and swelling. In the termite test, the lowest wood mass losses were for the AIC/PVOH/CWO (5.4%) and EtOH/CWO (5.4%) treatments, which also had the highest termite mortalities (i.e., 100% and 97.6%, respectively). In general, for wood-decay fungi, wood mass losses were lowest for the EtOH/CWO and AIC/PVOH/CWO treatments and were highest for the Water, EtOH, and AIC/PVOH treatments. Wood blocks treated with AIC/PVOH repelled water as evidenced by higher contact angle, lower mass gain (both by submersion and water saturation) and lower swelling. The results indicated that the amylose inclusion complex makes an excellent emulsifier and the AIC/PVOH/CWO mixture inhibits both termites and wood-decay fungi. The amylose inclusion complex alone was as inhibitory as CWO against termites and also inhibits both water absorption and swelling in treated wood.