Timber Preservation Treatments · What IS included in “wood preservation” in Australia?...

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Timber Preservation

Treatments -

Managing timber durability

Jack Norton

Wood products in Australia have to perform over a huge geographic

range and comparing our specifications with those in other countries

is ??????

Australia uses a lot of (treated) wood products in domestic house

construction.

Euc. Tereticornis siding (Forest red gum)

Corymbia maculata posts(Spotted gum)

LOSP treated radiata pine

CCA treated slash pine lattice

Intsia bijuga stair rails(Merbau)

Toona calantas doors(New Guinea cedar)

Australia uses a lot of (treated) wood products in domestic house

construction

LOSP treated radiata pineLOSP treated radiata pine

Intsia bijuga (Merbau) stair treads & rails

CCA treated slash pine battens

What IS NOT included in “wood preservation” in Australia?

chemicals

weathering

Fools

fire

<<<<<

What IS included in “wood preservation” in Australia?

decay/rot Insects

termitesmarine borers

This presentation addresses hazards we can control

Controlling the hazards

Hazard Decay Insects Termites

Design & detailing

Natural durability

Preservative treatment

✓ ✓

✓ ✓

✓ ✓

Zones in a tree Hardwood/eucalypt

sapwood

heartwood

Conifer/pine

Natural Durability classifications - decay

40>25>1

15- 4015 – 252

7 – 155 – 153

Up to 7Up to 54

Above ground

(years)In-ground (years)Durability class

A species is classified as resistant or non-resistant to termite attack

A species is classified as resistant or non-resistant to insect attack

Durability information is listed in AS 5604-2005

heartwood

Natural durability classification systems - compared

Class 1 2 3 4 5

Probable life in years

Aus A’Gnd ➢40 15 to 40 7 to 15 0 to 7

Aus I’Gnd ➢25 15 to 25 5 to 15 0 to 5

EU ➢5 3 to 5 2 to 3 1.2 to 2 < 1.2

China ➢9 6 to 8 2 to 5 < 2

Japan ➢9 7 to 8.5 5 to 6.5 3 to 4.5 < 2.5

Malaysia ➢10 5 to 10 2 to 5 < 2

Bangladesh ➢3 2 to 3 1 to 2 < 1

Tanzania ➢10 5 to 10 2 to 5 1 to 2 < 1

Brazil ➢8 5 to 8 2 to 5 < 2

USA ????????

Preservative treatment – Can’t protect all the wood

Sapwood

heartwood

Where is wood likely to be used – Hazard class system

MarineH6

Ground contact – criticalH5

Ground contactH4

Outside above ground - decayH3

Inside - termitesH2

Inside – insectsH1

ExposureHazard

Class

Treatment required

• Each hazard class has a set of specifications involving active ingredient,

species (natural durability), retention and required penetration.

Preservative[nominated preservative element or

compound for expressing retention]

Minimum retention in the defined Zone Required to be Penetrated of a

nominated preservative element or compound in treated timber

CCA preservatives[% total active element (%Cu+%Cr+%As)]

conifer and hardwood

0.380%

ACQ2100 [% total actives (%Cu + %didecyl-dimethylammonium chloride [DDAC])

conifer 0.350%

hardwood 0.390%

Tanalith E [% total actives (%Cu + % tebuconazole)]

conifer and hardwood

0.2290%

Link between natural durability and penetration required

Product Zone Required to be Penetrated

H levels involved

Sawn and

round timber

Heartwood Durability Class

Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4

All sapwoodH1

All Lyctine beetle susceptible wood

All sapwood

All sapwood and not less than 5 mm from any heartwood surface H2

All sapwood & not less than X mm from any heartwood surface – whereTimber < = 35 mm, X = 5 Timber > 35 mm, X = 8

H3

All sapwood & not less than 10 mm from any surface H4

Currently

approved wood

preservatives in

Australia. . . .

- Water based

- Solvent based

H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6

CCA ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

ACQ (Micronized) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Copper azole ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Creosote ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Boron compounds ✓ ✓

Fluoride compounds ✓

Deltamethrin ✓ ✓ ✓

Cypermethrin ✓ ✓ ✓

Permethrin ✓ ✓ ✓

Tri (n-butyl) tin oxide ✓

Tri (n-butyl) tin naphthenate ✓

Propiconazole/tebuconazole ✓

Copper naphthenate ✓

Bifenthrin ✓ ✓

Chlorpyrifos ✓

Imidacloprid ✓

LOSP (Light Organic Solvent Preservatives)

• Dissolved in white spirit

• ~35 L/m3 to treat wood >> no redrying

Fungicides•TBTO

•TBTN

•Tebuconazole/ propiconazole

•Cu Nap

Insecticides•Permethrin

•Cypermethrin

•Bifenthrin

Are you asleep yet???

Regulatory requirements in Australia for preservative treatment

• Australian Pest & Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA)

– Federal Government agency

– Applicant submits efficacy data

– Data is assessed by an expert panel

– Approves all agricultural chemical formulations

– Approves a label which sets specifications for how a formulation may be used.

• Only concerned with biological attack

– Product may be adequately protected but may not be ‘fit for purpose’

• Does not directly specify how long a product is required to perform.

– Indirect through linking treatment requirements to natural durability

---

Treatment Specifications

• Australian Standards

– No legal authority unless specified

• Queensland

– Timber Utilization and Marketing Act – Stopped in October 2010

• New South Wales

– Timber Marketing Act – Stopped in 2012/13

– The three sets of specification are/were basically the same

There are approximately 150 timber treatment

systems in Australia

Compliance with specification

• There are no laws specifically applying to producing

treated timber

• Unless required by the buyer/specifier/user, there is

no requirement to check quality >> caveat emptor

• Large corporates have their own in-house quality

systems

• Private QA schemes are also available

---

Australian Standard – issues and evolution

• Consensus (All have to agree)

• Changing the Standard is very slow

• One set of specifications for the whole country

• Pressure to moving towards treatment to be fit for purpose

– Geography/location/environment

– Design life **

• New Zealand is involved and chooses which standard/

specification to use.

(** NZ has adopted explicit design life requirements whereas design life

is implied under the ABCB)

Treatment plants/ systems

• Vacuum Pressure (water based)

– CCA, ACQ, Cu Azole, boron

• LOSP Plants

• Sprays/ dips

– Permethrin, bifenthrin

• Glue line addition

– Bifenthrin, deltamethrin, imidacloprid

• Paint on – cosmetic rather than protection

Identifying treated timber

Plant ID Preservative Hazard class

754 02 H3

National register Listed in

AS1604.1

A claim by the producer

The brand in action

•If the treated product is not branded –you CAN NOT assume it is preservative treated (in accordance with the standard) regardless of any other form of certification! If the product fails at some time in the future, you have no recourse on the supplier.

•It is highly recommended that all brands on treated timber are retained in case there are any questions about treatment quality

Practicalities• There is a terrible lack of knowledge by specifiers and

users in Australia and this is a concern when all you have to do is ask!

• For some reason, using timber is not viewed as being environmentally responsible yet!!!!!!!!!

• Kg/m3 carbon factor during manufacture

• Timber – 1

• Concrete – 8

• Steel – 355

• Aluminium - 1466

• Fear of chemicals

• Timber industry is spread over a large area with only 4 large corporates.

• Large warehouse hardware suppliers squeezing prices and this is likely to impact on treatment quality

• No value in having rules if they are not monitored or checked

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A mountain of information

Opportunities for improvement

• National quality management system . . . Concrete

is sampled on site for quality – why not timber?

• User education

– Industry/builders

– Tertiary institutions

• Targeting end use by geographic location with

more specific penetration and retention

specifications.

• Targeting product treatments

• Treatment of glue laminated timber

---

New/alternate treatment systems

• Natural wood preservatives

• Heat treatment

• Wood plastic composites

• Critical fluid treatments

• Modified wood

---

Thank you for your attention

Jak.norton@gmail.com

Ph: 0418 989 398

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