Fixation and Leaching Characteristics of CCA- and CCFZ- Treated Domestic Softwood Species

The fixation and leaching characteristics of chromated copper arsenate (CCA Type C) and chromium- copper-fluoride-zinc (CCFZ) in domestic softwood (Japanese red pine, Korean pine, and Japanese larch) sapwood were investigated using the expressate method to follow chromium fixation and the American Wood-Preservers' Association (AWPA) leaching procedure to determine leaching properties after fixation. The rates of fixation were affected by preservative types; CCA was fixed much faster than CCFZ for all species evaluated. There were definite differences in the fixation rates of different species, with Korean pine requiring shorter to fix than the other species evaluated. Chromium fixation was greatly enhanced by elevated temperatures, and fixation time can be estimated according to fixation temperatures applied. The percentage of arsenic and zinc leached from domestic softwoods was relatively high compared to chromium and copper, indicating that there is still a relatively high unfixed arsenic and zinc components after complete chromium fixation in CCA-and CCFZ-treated samples, respectively.