• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.804-809
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• 2015

Since Korea is home to Reticulitermes speratus, a kind of subterranean termites that prefer dark and humid conditions, there have been increasing damages to wooden structures by termites. One noticeable attribute of Korean subterranean termites is that they prefer than Pinus densiflora, the major construction material for Korean traditional houses. And because wide varieties of termites are distributed all over the world, it is not so easy to choose appropriate control methods depending on specific areas. This necessitates careful applications of the following control methods depending on the kinds of termites: fumigation treatment, soil termiticide, preservatives and insect treatment, termite colony elimination system, chemical treatment, and other physical and biological treatment methods. The purpose of this study is to investigate the control effects of environmentally-friendly Alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ), Copper Azole (CuAZ) and Micronized copper quarter (MCQ) on the termites contributing to the damage of wooden structures. It was found in this study that wood with preservative treatment produced a significantly higher termicidal efficacy than untreated wood.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.245-254
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• 2009

As a substitute for CCA, which is inhibited due to its environmental pollution and human harmfulness, and CuAz and ACQ with a high cost, okara-based wood preservatives were formulated with okara hydrolyzates using copper sulfate and/or borax as a metal salt. The efficacy of the preservatives and X-ray microanalysis of wood specimens treated with the preservatives were examined to confirm the potential of the okara-based wood preservatives. Most of the preservatives showed excellent decay resistance against brown-rot fungi, Postia placenta and Gloeophyllum trabeum. The efficacy was improved when the acid concentration and temperature used for the hydrolysis of okara increased. In addition, when borax was added into copper sulfate/okara hydrolyzates preservative formulations, any decay was not found in the specimens. From the microscopic observation of the specimens treated with okara-based wood preservatives, it seems that okara is contributed to the fixing of metal salts in wood blocks. Therefore, it is speculated that okara-based wood preservatives can effectively protect wood against fungal attack as CuAz, and that the preservatives are sufficient to use as an alternative wood preservative of CCA, ACQ and CuAz.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.110-123
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• 2008

The use of CCA as a wood preservative was recently inhibited due to its environmental pollution and human harmfulness. Instead of CCA, copper azole (CuAz) and alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ) have been used as alternative wood preservatives, but the price of the preservatives is much more expensive than that of CCA. As a substitute for high-priced CuAz and ACQ, environmentally friendly wood preservatives were formulated with okara, which is an organic waste from the production of tofu. Prior to formulating the preservatives, okara was hydrolyzed by three levels of sulfuric acid concentration (1, 2.5 and 5%) to easily penetrate the effective components of the preservatives into wood blocks. Final preservative solutions were formulated with the hydrolyzed okara and metal salts, such as copper sulfate, copper chloride and borax. The preservatives were treated into wood blocks by vacuum-pressure method to measure the treatability of the preservatives, and the treated wood blocks were placed in hot water for three days to measure the leachability of the preservatives. The effective components of the preservatives might be successfully penetrated into wood blocks through the uses of hydrolyzed okara and ammonia water. However, the leached amount of effective components was increased as the concentration of acid used for the hydrolysis of okara increased. The treatability and leachability of the preservatives were not affected by hydrolysis temperature but negatively affected by the addition of borax. Based on the results above, the optimal conditions for formulating okara-based wood preservatives cost-effectively and environmentally might be 1% acid hydrolysis of okara and the use of $CuCl_2$ as a metal salt. In addition, the treatability and leachability of okara-based wood preservatives were superior or no differences comparing with those of CuAz. Therefore, it is concluded that okara-based wood preservatives might have a potential to be used as an environmentally friendly wood preservative.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.743-749
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• 2016

The concentration control of wood preservatives is necessary to produce a preservative treated wood having a uniform quality. Concentration measurement method of wood preservatives to be easily used in the field has not been developed yet. This study examined the way to estimate the concentration from turbidity of ACQ wood preservative that can be relatively easily measured by using a portable turbidity meter. The addition of phosphoric acid solution in an alkaline ACQ solution having a very low turbidity is created a suspension of the white substance and the turbidity suddenly increased. The optimum amount of addition of the phosphoric acid solution is until the pH of ACQ solution reaches 7, the turbidity of the ACQ solution reaches maximum value. Excessive addition of the phosphoric acid solution results in a turbidity decrease with acidification of the ACQ solution. Also ACQ solution becomes transparent. The high significance was recognized with positive correlation between the concentration and the turbidity of the ACQ solution. From the t-test, The significant difference between the actually measured concentrations and the concentrations predicted by the regression equation for industrial ACQ solutions was not recognized. Thus, it was possible to know that concentration prediction and control of industrial ACQ solution using the turbidity and a regression equation. Therefore, using the regression equation and turbidity is expected to be able to management the concentration of ACQ solution in the industrial field.