• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.378-385
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• 2009

Arsenic (As) is known to be very toxic and carcinogenic to human beings. Arsenic contaminated soil was collected from a timber mill site at Busan Metropolitan City, Korea, where chromated copper arsenate (CCA) had been used to protect wood from rotting caused by insects and microbial agents. The soil was stabilized using both natural oyster shells (NOS) and calcinated oyster shells (POS). The calcination of natural oyster shells was accomplished at a high temperature in order to activate quicklime from calcite. Two different oyster shell particle sizes (-#10 mesh and -#20 mesh) and curing periods of up to 28 days were investigated. The stabilization effectiveness was evaluated based on the Korean Standard Test (KST) method (1N HCl extraction). The stabilization results showed that the POS treatment was more effective than the NOS treatment at immobilizing the As in the contaminated soils. A significant As reduction (96%) was attained upon a POS treatment at 20 wt% and passed the Korean warning standard of 20 mg/kg ('Na' area). However, an As reduction of only 47% (169 mg/kg) was achieved upon a NOS treatment at 20 wt%. The -#20 mesh oyster shells seem to perform better than the -#10 materials. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) results showed that As immobilization was strongly associated with Ca and O in the presence of Al and Si.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.340-346
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• 2009

Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) is a chemical wood preservative that has been intensively used to protect wood from decay during the last few decades. CCA is widely used to build structures such as decks, fences, playgrounds and boardwalks. However, structures constructed of CCA-treated wood have caused adverse environmental effects due to leaching of Cr, Cu and As into surrounding soils. This research was conducted to monitor the vertical and horizontal distribution of Cr, Cu and As in soils adjacent to CCA-treated wood structures in Korea. Two structures constructed with CCA-treated wood were selected at Hongcheon and Chuncheon in Gangwon Province, South Korea. Eleven soil profile samples were collected at depths of 0 to 80 cm at each site, while 12 surface soil samples were collected at distances of 0 to 200 cm from each structure. The soil chemical properties, soil particle size distribution and total metal concentrations were then determined. The results revealed that soils near CCA-treated wood structures were generally contaminated with Cr, Cu and As when compared to the background concentration of each metal. In addition, the concentrations of Cr, Cu and As in soils decreased as the vertical and horizontal distance from the structure increased. Further studies should be conducted to evaluate the mobility and distribution of these metals in the environment as well as to develop novel technologies for remediation of CCA contaminated soils.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.137-140
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• 2009

Chromated copper arsenate (CCA), a long history of successful preservative, have raised environmental concerns. Adsorption characteristics of domestic soils for chromium, copper, and arsenic were assessed by measuring distribution coefficient ($K_d$) values of these metal components in a laboratory scale. The results revealed that $K_d$ values were higher in chromium, followed by arsenic and copper in soil matrix. Different soil matrixes resulted in varying mobilities of CCA components. The values of $K_d$ for all three metals increased with organic matter contents. The results suggest that the mobility of metal components may be very limited to the surface area adjacent to CCA-treated wood due to their fairly large distribution coefficient ($K_d$). However, the metal components would be persistent and accumulated in the soil, resulting in high chemical concentration in service area of treated wood.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.12-20
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• 2008

This study was conducted to investigate the spatial distributions of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) metals in soils around three log structures and a sound barrier, all built with CCA-treated wood. Sixty-six surface and 35 profile soil samples were collected around the wood structures in addition to 13 background soil samples. The concentrations of chromium, copper, and arsenic in the soil samples collected in the vicinity of the structures were higher than those in the background samples, except in the case of one structure. The concentrations in the surface soils adjacent to the 3-year-old structures seemed to be higher than those in the soils adjacent to the 8-year-old ones. Although the lateral distributions of the metals varied with the structures, chromium and arsenic appeared to show concentration gradients within 20-60 cm and 40-100 cm, respectively. Copper seemed to be the least mobile, displaying concentration gradients only within 20 cm. Even though there were no explicit vertical concentration gradients for any of the metals according to the profile soil sample analysis, chromium and copper seemed to show concentration gradients only up to 5 and 10 cm, respectively, whereas arsenic showed gradients up to 35 cm. At study sites, it was evident that heavy metals leached into soil from CCA-treated wood were confined to neighboring areas both laterally and vertically, and that any plausible ecological impact may occur only within a small range.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.55-59
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• 2003

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.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.37-45
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• 2006

Recently, wood-framed houses has been built in the Korea for pension. Wood is good material for human healthy, while the construction lumbers are treated with preservative such as CCA (chromated copper arsenate), which contain some toxic elements for human body. However, if the waste woody biomass treated with various heavy metals, which has been collected from house construction or demolition, was fired in the field, and incinerated or landfilled after mass collection, such components will result in the toxic air pollutants in the burning or land fills, and spreaded into other areas. So the careful selection of wood and chemicals are required in advance for house construction, in particular, for environment-friendly housings. Therefore, this study was carried out to determine the content of toxic heavy metals in woody materials such as domestic hinoki and imported hemlock treated with CCA for housing materials, and the post-treated wood components such as organic fertilizer, sludge, dry-distilled charcoal and carbonized charcoal, to be returned finally into soil. The results are as follows. 1) The chemical analysis of toxic trace elements in various solid biomass required accurate control and management of laboratory environment, and reagents and water used, because of the error of data due to various foreign substances added in various processing and transporting steps. So a systematic analyzers was necessary to monitor the toxic pollutants of construction materials. 2) In particular, the biomass treated with industrial biological or thermal conditions such as sludge or charcoals was not fully dissolvable after third addition of $HNO_3$ and HF. 3) The natural woody materials such as organic fertilizer, sludge. and charcoals without any treatment of preservatives or heavy metal components were nontoxic in landfill because of the standard of organic fertilizers, even after thermal or biological treatments. 4) The CC A-treated wood for making the construction wood durable should not be landfilled, because of its higher contents of toxic metals than the criterion of organic fertilizer for agriculture or of natural environment. So the demolished waste should be treated separately from municipal wastes.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.339-348
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• 2007

A laboratory experiment was conducted to study the characteristics of leaching of Cr, Cu, and As from chromated topper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood. The wood species tested was hemlock spruce ($10\;cm\;{\times}\;10\;cm\;{\times}\;10\;cm\;tube$). The leaching experiment was conducted over 60 days using I L of leachants whose pHs were adjusted to 2.0, 3.7, and 1.6, respectively with nitric acid, and also using lake water, according to the OECD guideline. Each leachate was analyzed for Cr and Cu using flame-AAS, and for As using vapor generation-AAS. Three metals were loathed at the highest levels at pH 2.0 but almost at similar levels at the other conditions. Cumulative quantifies over 60 days of a leaching period were in order of As>Cu>Cr. As was predicted to leach with an increase in flux over a 10 year period, while Cr and Cu fluxes were predicted to decrease with time. This result suggest that arsenic can pose a health risk to humans over a long period of time, when CCA-treated wood is used for building facilities (e.g., playgrounds, residential purposes, etc.) with which humans frequently contact.

• International Journal of Reliability and Applications
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.153-173
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• 2007

Wood-plastic composites (WPC) are gaining market share in the building industry because of durability/maintenance advantages of WPC over traditional wood products and because of the removal of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) pressure-treated wood from the market. In order to ensure continued market share growth, WPC manufacturers need greater focus on reliability, quality, and cost. The reliability methods outlined in this paper can be used to improve the quality of WPC and lower manufacturing costs by reducing raw material inputs and minimizing WPC waste. Statistical methods are described for analyzing stiffness (tangent modulus of elasticity: MOE) and flexural strength (modulus of rupture: MOR) test results on sampled WPC panels. Descriptive statistics, graphs, and reliability plots from these test data are presented and interpreted. Sources of variability in the MOE and MOR of WPC are suggested. The methods outlined may directly benefit WPC manufacturers through a better understanding of strength and stiffness measures, which can lead to process improvements and, ultimately, a superior WPC product with improved reliability, thereby creating greater customer satisfaction.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2008

This study was conducted to investigate the characteristics of the leaching of metal components from CCA-treated wood during outdoor exposure. CCA-treated wood specimens were placed horizontally or buried vertically into the soil, and then exposed to the natural environment for a year. Wood samples were collected from the side of the horizontal wood specimens using a drill and saw dust samples were collected at the end of the exposure. Soil samples were also obtained around the wood specimens and at different depths of the posts. Wood and soil samples were analyzed for metals using an atomic absorption spectrometer. Monthly metal concentrations varied greatly and more metals were released when wood specimens were exposed vertically than horizontally. Arsenic was released from the wood by 80 % of the intial content. In addition, more leaching was observed from the zone below the ground than above the ground, and soil around the posts was contaminated with metals released from CCA-treated wood.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.54-64
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• 2006

Chromated copper arsenate (CCA), a wood preservative, has been widely used to protect wood products from attacks by bacteria, fungi and insects. However, the use of CCA is currently forbidden or limited to some applications in many countries because the toxic elements (Cr, Cu, and As) of CCA are released into the environments during outdoor uses, which may cause adverse health effects on humans and ecological systems. This study was conducted to investigate the distributions of chromium, copper and arsenic in soils adjacent to two CCA-treated wood structures. In a 7 month old pond entry structure, ten surface soil samples (0-2.5 cm) were collected at lateral distances of 0, 0.5, and 1 m from the stairway, and nine surface soil samples were collected beneath the deck. Nine top soil samples were taken from a 2 year old sound barrier structure at lateral distances of 0, 1, and 2 m. Background surface soil samples were also collected from each structure. Samples were analyzed for some physicochemical properties such as pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter content, and soil texture. Following the extraction of the elements with a microwave digestion system, samples were analyzed for Cr, Cu, and As. The concentrations of the three elements in soils adjacent to the structures were significantly elevated compared to the background levels, indicating that the elements have been leached out of the structures. Released e1ements showed lateral concentration gradients within 1 m. The elevations of the three elements in soils underneath the deck did not seem different (background-corrected concentrations: Cr, 5.01 mg/kg; Cu, 5.50 mg/kg; As, 4.91 mg/kg), while the elements in soils near the sound barrier were elevated in the order of As>Cu>Cr with measured concentrations of 49.7, 44.7 and 52.5 mg/kg, respectively. Background As, Cu, and Cr concentrations near the sound barrier were 9.88, 30.8, and 46.5 mg/kg, respectively. These results showed that CCA constituents are released into the environment and it is suggested that risk assessment need to be conducted to investigate harmful effects of the released elements on humans and ecological systems.