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. 2010 May;158(5):1479-86.
doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2009.12.027. Epub 2010 Jan 6.

Field-scale leaching of arsenic, chromium and copper from weathered treated wood

A Rasem Hasan  1 , Ligang Hu, Helena M Solo-Gabriele, Lynne Fieber, Yong Cai, Timothy G Townsend
Affiliations

Field-scale leaching of arsenic, chromium and copper from weathered treated wood

A Rasem Hasan et al. Environ Pollut. 2010 May.

Abstract

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 m(2). Wood samples included weathered chromate copper arsenate (CCA) treated wood at low (2.7 kg/m(3)), medium (4.8 kg/m(3)) and high (35.4 kg/m(3)) retention levels, new alkaline copper quat (ACQ) treated wood (1.1 kg/m(3) 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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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The experimental leachate-collection systems.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Time series plots of rainfall and metals’ concentrations in leachates for M-CCA and ACQ treated wood samples.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Percentage change of average measured concentration of As, Cr and Cu from wet season relative to dry season over the experimental period. Percent change is defined as the average concentration during the wet season minus the average concentration during the dry season divided by the highest seasonal concentration. The ACQ wood sample was low in As and Cr level, so the high percentage change of Cr reflects losses of only minute values. The same can be said for As and Cu in rain.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Total mass of As, Cr and Cu leached during the wet and dry seasons.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Cumulative leaching of metals from wood over the experimental period for M-CCA and ACQ.
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References

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    1. America Wood Protection Association (AWPA) American Wood Protection Association Book of Standards. Granbury, TX: 2008.
    1. Specification for preservative treatment – Sawn and round timber. Sydney, NSW, Australia: Standards Australia GPO Box 476; 2001. Australian Standard (AS 1604.1-2005) Published by, ISBN 0 7337 6490 8.
    1. Cooper PA. Disposal of treated wood removed from service. Proceedings of the Carolinas-Chesapeake Section of the Forest Products Society; Presented at the May 13th, 1993 meeting on Environmental Considerations in the Use of Pressure-Treated Wood Products, Forest Products Society; Madison, WI, USA. 1993.
    1. Dubey B. Ph.D. Dissertation. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida; 2005. Comparison of Environmental Impacts of Wood Treated with Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) and three different Arsenic-Free preservatives.

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