Comparative Laboratory Leaching Test

Methods to Study Post-Treatment

Storage Period Impacts on CCA
Leachability and Fixation in Treated
Kempas (Koompassia malaccensis)
Heartwood
Andrew Wong and Lai Huat Choi
Faculty of Resource Science & Technology,
University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS),
Kota Samarahan,
Sarawak, Malaysia

INTRODUCTION

CCA Preservatives
CCA preservatives is one of the most
effective wood protecting chemical for many
years
Environment issues of CCA components
leaching in the media - lead to restrictions
of CCA application.
Many countries have even switched to
organic-based preservative

Laboratory leaching test studies

some concerns
Need to devise suitable harmonise leaching test
methods for comparison of biocide risk
assessments between labs leaching test
But also need to have a lab leaching test that is
realistic to actual environmental exposures of
wood preservatives - trying to relate lab results to
the real world - the extent of rainfall and other
climatic effects between regions
EN84 leaching test may be too severe for natural
non-aquatic exposures of treated wood
Any prospects for a relatively milder lab leaching
test system?

Aim of Study
Compare 3 laboratory leaching test
methods (denoted as: EN84, EN84-1 and
EN84-2, severe to mild leaching).
Leachability of CCA in heartwood of freshly
treated Kempas (Koompassia
malaccensis).
To determine if CCA leaching from kempas
is arrested with longer storage fixation
periods.

MATERIALS & METHODS

Wood Material Preparation

Preservative treatment and conditioning

14-days laboratory leaching tests

Elemental analysis of leachates

Data analysis

Wood Material Preparation

Timber species:
-Kempas permeable heartwood
(Koompassia malaccensis)
Structural-used Malaysian hardwood (roof truss,
utility poles)

Air dried wood block samples (20 x 20 x 20

mm) cut from sawn timber
Test blocks end-grain sealed with Nippon
paint and conditioned at 1050C, 48 hours, and
weighed oven dry (g) before CCA treatment

Preservative Treatment & Storage

Periods
Replicated Kempas wood blocks impregnated
with Type C CCA-salt to target uptake retention
of 5.6 kg/m3
30 min

2 hr

Initial vacuum
(1 kgf/cm2)

Pressure
(14 kgf/cm2)

Freshly treated wood stored for periods of 0 day,

2 days, 1 week, 2 weeks & 4 weeks at ambient
temperature

Laboratory Leaching Tests

Test

EN84

EN84-1

Initial Vacuum
Impregnation?

Yes (30 min)

No

Initial Dipping
in Water?

No

Yes

Leaching
Periods
Immersion in
Water
Water
Change?

EN84-2

2 weeks
24 hours
2, 24, 48, 72,
96 hr and
every 48 hr

24, 48, 72, 96

hr and every
48 hr

Only 5 hr
daily
Daily

CCA Component Analysis in Leachates

Cu & Cr determined by FAAS

As determined using AAS EDL Lamp
system
Component losses expressed in g/ml
Cumulative leaching losses (g/ml) for
each of Cu, Cr & As over the leaching
test duration

RESULTS

Cumulative Cu leaching (g/ml) by 3 lab. methods

EN84

EN84-1

EN84-2

Cumulative Cr leaching (g/ml) by 3 lab. methods

EN84

EN84-1

EN84-2

Cumulative As leaching (g/ml) by 3 lab. methods

EN84

EN84-1

EN84-2

Cumulative plot for leaching of Cu (ppm) among 3

leaching methods

0 day

2 days

1 wk
EN84
EN84-1
EN84-2

2 wk

4 wk

Cumulative plot for leaching of Cr (ppm) among 3

leaching methods

0 day

2 days

1 wk
EN84
EN84-1
EN84-2

2 wk

4 wk

Cumulative plot for leaching of As (ppm) among 3

leaching methods

0 day

2 days

1 wk
EN84
EN84-1
EN84-2

2 wk

4 wk

Table: Total Leaching (g/ml) of CCA Components for Menggris by

EN84, EN84-1 & EN84-2 Methods
Fixation periods

Leaching
methods

4 wk

EN84

4 wk

Cu

Cr

As

-----------------(g/ml)----------------1.1 abcde

1.6 ab

1.4 bcd

EN84-1

0.7 abc

1.7 ab

0.9 ab

4 wk

EN84-2

0.5 a

0.6 a

0.5 a

2 wk

EN84

1.5 de

2.1 b

1.8 cd

2 wk

EN84-1

0.9 abcd

1.8 ab

1.1 bc

2 wk

EN84-2

0.7 ab

0.6 a

0.5 a

1 wk

EN84

1.7 e

1.5 ab

2.0 d

1 wk

EN84-1

1.5 de

2.1 b

1.8 cd

1 wk

EN84-2

0.7 abc

0.7 a

0.5 a

2 days

EN84

1.4 bcde

1.6 ab

1.6 cd

2 days

EN84-1

1.8 e

2.0 ab

2.1 d

2 days

EN84-2

1.4 cd

1.2 ab

0.9 ab

0 day

EN84

2.6 f

3.7 c

3.1 e

0 day

EN84-1

2.4 f

4.7 cd

2.9 e

0 day
EN84-2
4.0 g
5.8 d
4.0 f
Within- column values sharing the same letter do not differ significantly (multiple comparisons)

CONCLUSIONS

 Among the CCA components for the 3

laboratory leaching tests, the order of
leaching severity was: Cr > As > Cu.
EN84-2 method gave expectedly milder
leaching than EN84 and EN84-1.
No significant difference (P<0.05) in CCA
leachability between methods EN84 and
EN84-1

 Wood blocks (4 wk fixation / EN84-2

method) showed the lowest CCA
components leaching.
Obviously, wood blocks (0 day fixation /
EN84-2 method) showed the highest CCA
components leaching.
Overall increasing storage period improves
CCA fixation (reduces leachability) but
does not appear to completely fix CCA on
to Kempas heartwood

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Unimas Fundamental Research Grant
Unimas Postgraduate Fellowship for H.C.Lai
Mr Nigel Lim from Sarawak Forestry
Corporation
IUFRO SAP partial travel support donated by
Korea Forest Research Institute (FRFI)

THANK YOU!