FIXATION, PERMANENCY, AND LEACHING OF COPPER CHROME ARSENATE (CCA) WOOD PRESERVATIVES: AN OVERVIEW OF THEORIES, MECHANISMS, AND IMPLICATIONS

With regards to Copper-Chromium-Arsenic (CCA) wood preservative chemicals, it is now established that fixation level of the CCA elements is a function of wood species, wood quality, CCA formulation, temperature, time, preservative application method, and conditioning techniques. The amount of Cu, Cr and As leached from CCA-treated wood is known to decrease with increases in the level of fixation. The permanence of a chemical preservative in wood is the single most important factor that determines the effectiveness of the preservative system. Depletion mechanisms that affect all types of wood preservatives include leaching, bleeding, blooming, vaporisation, volatilisation, migration, and biodetoxification. Although well understood, the chemical and physical mechanisms involved in the fixation and permanency of CCA elements in wood cell walls, appear to have posed problems not yet resolved. This record was migrated from the OpenDepot repository service in June, 2017 before shutting down.