Leachability, metal corrosion, and termite resistance of wood treated with copper-based preservative

Health-awareness and concern for the environment have resulted in voluntary removal of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) from wood preservatives in residential applications worldwide. Copper-based preservatives have been formulated as replacements, but these may not provide a permanent solution to all of the related problems, including copper contamination of aquatic environments and corrosion of fasteners. In this study, the copper retention (before and after the leaching process) of five softwood specimens vacuum-treated with alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ) and copper azole (CA) at three target retention levels was investigated by X-ray fluorescence studies. The metal corrosion and termite (Coptotermes formosanus) resistance of treated specimens were studied under laboratory conditions. Except for treated Japanese larch wood, the copper retention levels of the other wood specimens were able to meet the target copper retention values (use classes 2–4) in Chinese National Standard 3000. The copper leaching rates were 6.92–19.54% for ACQ-treated wood and 9.38–22.46% for CA-treated wood. The metal corrosion rates of iron nails due to corrosion tests (CNS 6717) were influenced significantly by the 1.2% ACQ and 1.2% CA treatments; whereas the metal corrosion rates of zinc-galvanized steel nails were less than 2 and could meet the tested standard. Even though the ACQ and CA treatments caused higher copper leaching rates from the treated specimens, they also increased termite mortalities and reduced the mass loss significantly after termite-resistance tests (JIS K 1571).