Treated wood

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Field-Scale Leaching of Arsenic, Chromium and Copper From Weathered Treated Wood

Journal Title, Volume, Page: 
Environmental Pollution, 158, 1479–1486
Year of Publication: 
2010
Authors: 
A. Rasem Hasan
Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, 1251 Memorial Dr., Coral Gables, FL 33124, USA
Current Affiliation: 
Department of Civil Engineering, An-Najah National University, P.O. Box 7, Nablus, Palestine.
Ligang Hu
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, University Park, Miami, FL 33199, USA
Helena M. Solo-Gabriele
Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, 1251 Memorial Dr., Coral Gables, FL 33124, USA
Lynne Fieber
Division of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149-1098, USA
Yong Cai
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, University Park, Miami, FL 33199, USA
Timothy G. Townsend
Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, 217 A.P. Black Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611-6450, USA
Preferred Abstract (Original): 
Earlier studies documented the loss of wood preservatives from new wood. The objective of this study was to evaluate losses from weathered treated wood under field conditions by collecting rainfall leachate from 5 different wood types, all with a surface area of 0.21 m2. Wood samples included weathered chromate copper arsenate (CCA) treated wood at low (2.7 kg/m3), medium (4.8 kg/m3) and high (35.4 kg/m3) retention levels, new alkaline copper quat (ACQ) treated wood (1.1 kg/m3 as CuO) and new untreated wood. Arsenic was found to leach at a higher rate (100 mg in 1 year for low retention) than chromium and copper (<40 mg) in all CCA-treated wood samples. Copper leached at the highest rate from the ACQ sample (670 mg). Overall results suggest that metals' leaching is a continuous process driven by rainfall, and that the mechanism of release from the wood matrix changes as wood weathers.
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