Abstract
Although boron wood preservatives have many advantages, boron itself does not adequately protect wood in ground contact and exterior applications because its susceptibility to leaching. As a result of previous studies to limit or decrease boron leaching, several fixation systems have been developed. In this study, we evaluated the effects of N′-N-(1, 8-Naphthalyl) hydroxylamine (NHA-Na) and hydroxynaphthalimide (NHA-H) on boron leaching and decay and termite resistance via possible boron precipitation in wood after NHA treatments at varying concentrations. Results showed that treatment of wood blocks with disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT), boric acid (BA), or calcium tetraborate (CaB) incorporation with 1.0% NHA-Na solutions in sequential processes appears to somewhat reduce the susceptibility of boron to leaching. Blocks treated sequentially with boron compounds and then 1.0% NHA-Na solutions showed about 30% less boron leaching compared to boron only treated blocks. In addition, the existence of boron and NHA-Na in wood together showed a synergistic effect against brown-rot fungus, Fomitopsis palustris. We conclude that the relationship between boron and NHA-Na concentration in wood as regards precipitation possibilities appears to be predictive for reducing boron leachability.