The effective and lasting treatment of wood against insect and fungal attack grows in importance as forestry reserves decline and as cost increases feed through to the building trade and other timber users. At the same time, environmental pressures bear ever more heavily on the types of chemicals and processes employed in the preservation industry. This book records the proceedings of an international meeting arranged to address such issues. The 15 principal chapters are based upon papers by invited experts to a combined audience of preservation practitioners and non-specialists. The chapter sequence follows the logical pattern of the conference, beginning with a review of the biological threats to be contended. There follow historical and state-of-the-art accounts of aqueous, organic solvent and non-liquid treatment processes. Preservatives increasingly must meet international product and environmental standards, which along with the related test, analytical and quality control procedures, are described and referenced. Contributors from the wood preservation industry address a range of needs associated with cost, safety and performance efficacy, not neglecting a search for a better understanding of the finer chemical mechanisms involved. Remaining problems are outlined in strategies for further research and development.

Table of Contents:

Wood preservation: The biological challenge; Industrial wood preservatives: The history, development, uses, advantages, and future trends; Diffusion treatment of wood: An American perspective; In-situ and supplementary treatments using solid water diffusible preservatives; Organic solvent preservatives: Application and composition; Wood-chemical interactions and their effect on preservative performance; Water based fixed preservatives; Wood preservation: Strategies for the future; The properties and performance of coal-tar creosote as a wood preservative; Chemical analysis in the development and use of wood preservatives; Developing quality control procedures and standards for diffusible preservatives; TBTO and TBTN: Safe and effective biocides for wood preservation; Assessment of the efficacy of wood preservatives; Progress towards European standards in wood preservation; Preservatives for the market - or the Ksrket for preservatives? Vapour phase treatment of wood with trimethyl borate; The performance of alternative antisapstain compounds; Some applications of boron and zinc organic compounds in timber preservation; Subterranean termite control in buildings; Nitrogen assimilation and transport as target processes for inhibitors of fungal growth, and the effects of a-aminoisobutyric acid on wood decay fungi.