Copper based preservatives are very effective and frequently used fungicides. However, their most important disadvantage is low fixation in wood, decreasing possibilities of use of copper impregnated timber, particularly where leaching of active ingredients appears. Fixation of copper can be significantly improved in combination with amines and carboxylic acids. We wanted to elucidate how increased temperature during fixation influenced copper leaching. Therefore, specimens made of Norway spruce were impregnated with 3 different preservatives of 3 various concentrations. Preservative solutions consisted of copper, ethanolamine, octanoic acid, quaternary ammonium compound and boron. After a full cell vacuum treatment, retentions of preservative were determined gravimetrically. Specimens were dried at 25 °C,50 °C, 75 °C and 103 °C. Leaching of the specimens was performed according to the modified standard method SIST EN 1250/2. Percentage of leached copper in leachates was determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy.The results showed that the highest copper fixation was determined at specimens dried at low temperatures (25 °C), and the lowest one at 103 °C despite of preservative solution used. We believe that higher temperatures caused depolymerisation of lignin due to the presence of ethanolamine, and therefore more prominent copper leaching.
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