Composite manufacturing appears to be one of the most suitable recycling options for chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated waste wood. However, in many applications it would be beneficial to remove much or all of the CCA from the wood prior to composite production. This paper evaluates the effect of remediation processes, namely oxalic acid (OA) extraction and Bacillus licheniformis fermentat...

As wood treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) is removed from service, methods for eliminating toxic metals from the wood are needed. CCA-tolerant bacteria were evaluated for their ability to modify CCA-treated wood. Aerobic bacteria were isolated from a 20-year-old test plot of CCA-treated stakes. Bacteria selected for their ability to grow on nutrient agar containing CCA components, we...

A cellulose solvent system based on lithium chloride (LiCl) in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) was used to assess the merits of partial dissolutions of coarsely ground wood samples. Alkaline Copper Quaternary (ACQ)-treated pine wood was of particular interest for treatment given the potential to generate a copper-rich stream apart from solid and/or liquid lignocellulosic feedstocks. Treatment wi...

The production of new generation of wood preservatives (without addition of a co-biocide) in combination with an exchange of wood poles on identical sites with high fungal inoculum, has resulted in an increase of premature failures of wood utility poles in the last decades. Wood destroying basidiomycetes inhabiting sites where poles have been installed, have developed resistance against wood pr...

Creosoteand chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood waste and untreated southern pine wood were liquefied with phenol and sulfuric acid. The effects of sulfuric acid content, liquefaction time, liquefaction temperature, and phenol to wood ratio on liquefaction rate (i.e., wood residue content) were investigated and analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed that both creo...

grounds because of “disturbing” levels of arsenic in the soil beneath play structures made from pressure-treated wood. Connecticut is warning children not to play under them, and Minnesota has considered banning the wood. In Ottawa, the chief medical officer says playground soil should be tested for contamination. The culprit? Arsenic that leaches from pressure-treated wood into soil (see page ...