Environmentally Friendly Wood Preservative System Based on Polymerized Tannin Resin-boric Acid for Outdoor Applications♣

Boron compounds are used as wood preservatives as they are both fungicide and insecticide, relatively inexpensive and environmentally acceptable. Nevertheless, in the field of wood protection, borates are only used for indoor non-exposed applications or in association with other biocides, due to their main disadvantage of being readily leachable from treated wood. To overcome this problem, boric acid was fixed into wood with condensed tannins and hexamine through a non-formaldehyde emission polymer network. Treated mixtures were tested with different proportions of mimosa tannins and hexamine, with and without co-added boric acid. The treated beech samples were leached and tested according to European Standard EN 113 against Pycnoporus sanguineus in tropical conditions. The systems had minimal boron depletion and good fungal decay efficacy, meeting the efficacy requirements of EN 113. Thus, these associations could be envisaged to treat timber with insufficient natural durability for above ground outdoor use, and for a long service-life of the wooden commodities.