• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.245-254
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• 2009

As a substitute for CCA, which is inhibited due to its environmental pollution and human harmfulness, and CuAz and ACQ with a high cost, okara-based wood preservatives were formulated with okara hydrolyzates using copper sulfate and/or borax as a metal salt. The efficacy of the preservatives and X-ray microanalysis of wood specimens treated with the preservatives were examined to confirm the potential of the okara-based wood preservatives. Most of the preservatives showed excellent decay resistance against brown-rot fungi, Postia placenta and Gloeophyllum trabeum. The efficacy was improved when the acid concentration and temperature used for the hydrolysis of okara increased. In addition, when borax was added into copper sulfate/okara hydrolyzates preservative formulations, any decay was not found in the specimens. From the microscopic observation of the specimens treated with okara-based wood preservatives, it seems that okara is contributed to the fixing of metal salts in wood blocks. Therefore, it is speculated that okara-based wood preservatives can effectively protect wood against fungal attack as CuAz, and that the preservatives are sufficient to use as an alternative wood preservative of CCA, ACQ and CuAz.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.73-80
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• 2007

This study was carried out to separate the heavy toxic metals in eco-building materials by low-temperature pyrolysis, especially arsenic (As) compounds in CCA wood preservative as a solid in char. The pyrolysis was carried out to heat the CCA-treated Hemlock at $280^{\circ}C$, $300^{\circ}C$, $320^{\circ}C$, and $340^{\circ}C$ for 60 mins. Laboratory scale pyrolyzer composed of [preheater$\rightarrow$pyrolyzer$\rightarrow$1st water scrubber$\rightarrow$2nd bubbling flask with 1% $HNO_3$ solution$\rightarrow$vent], and was operated to absorb the volatile metal compound particulates at the primary water scrubber and the secondary nitric acid bubbling flask with cooling condenser of $4^{\circ}C$ under nitrogen stream of 20 mL/min flow rate. And the contents of copper, chromium and arsenic compounds in its pyrolysis such as carbonized CCA treated wood, 1st washing and 2nd washing liquors as well as its raw materials, were determined using ICP-AES. The results are as follows : 1. The yield of char in low-temperature pyrolysis reached about 50 percentage similar to the result of common pyrolytic process. 2. The higher the pyrolytic temperature was, the more the volatiles of CCA, and in particular, the arsenic compounds were to be further more volatile above $320^{\circ}C$, even though the more repetitive and sequential monitorings were necessary. 3. More than 85 percentage of CCA in CCA-treated wood was left in char in such low-temperature pyrolytic condition at $300^{\circ}C$. 4. Washing system for absorption of volatile CCA in this experiment required much more contacting time between volatile gases and water to prevent the loss of CCA compounds, especially the loss of arsenic compound. 5. Therefore, more complete recovery of CCA components in CCA-treated wood required the lower temperature than $320^{\circ}C$, and the longer contacting time of volatile gases and water needed the special washing and recovery system to separate the toxic and volatile arsenic compounds in vent gases.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.52-60
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• 2006

This study investigated how wood properties (i.e., annual rings, sapwood, heartwood, and cracks) might affect preservative treatment in Japanese larch (Larix leptolepis) round-wood product. We specially focused on small-diameter (~10 cm diameter) wood that is commercially sold in market. Among 100 wood samples, the groups of sample with 13~16, 17~20 annual rings represented 33 and 27 in each frequency, while 2~3 and 4~5 mm annual ring width accounted for 72 and 68 in frequency. More than a half (54%) of wood samples contained a mix of heartwood and sapwood in its surface. The rest (46%) had only heartwood exposed in the wood surface. A wide range of checks were showed in the wood samples, but the highest frequency was observed in samples with 1~6 surface (1~14 mm in size) checks and 1~4 end-grain (8~14 mm in size) checks in each round-wood sample. Pressure treatment resulted in a wide range of penetration of ACQ (Alkaline Copper Quat) into the wood, showing $4.3{\pm}4.19mm$ penetration in the wood samples contained a mix of heartwood and sapwood in its surface. However preservative treatment was much less effective for the heartwood only wood samples, ranging average 1.3 mm with ACQ and 1.1 mm with CCA (Chromated Copper Arsenate). These penetration results shown in heartwood samples did not meet the penetration standard that is required for H3 by the Korean Forest Service in relation to wood preservation treatment. These low penetration results were not significantly improved even if we incised wood samples to improve treatment effect, showing only small increase of 0.7 mm with ACQ and 0.6 mm with CCA. When preservative treatment was tested with heartwood, penetration of preservatives decrease with increase of annual rings per a cross-section area (r=0.5345). We also found that the length and number of check had no effect on preservative treatment, showing r=0.1301 and r=0.1802, respectively.