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Pentachlorophenol (penta), chromated copper arsenate (CCA) and creosote are
the three major wood preservatives used in the industrial market. In recent
years, demand for alternative wood preservatives such as alkaline copper quatenary
and copper naphthenate has been increasing. The global wood preservatives industry
is going through major changes. Creosote consumption in the United States has
remained stable over the last decade. CCA use in the United States will be phased
out in consumer products. In Western Europe and Japan, creosote consumption
for wood preservation has declined by about 50% over the past ten years. Penta
is no longer used in Western Europe and Japan and is banned in many countries
(examples include Austria, India, Indonesia, Sweden and Switzerland). Several
other countries are proposing a similar ban. In the European Union, its use
is so severely restricted that the strict dioxin limit took penta out of the
market. In the United States, the use of penta is limited to wood preservation
only by certified applicators.
The wood preservatives industry is mature; all the major preservatives were
patented before 1940. Preservatives are usually supplied in organic solvent
solutions or water emulsions and are applied to the wood by pressure treatment,
spraying or brushing. Some preservative solutions are mixed at wood treatment
plants from raw materials.
This report provides information on environmental issues and the industrial
and consumer markets for wood preservatives. The industrial market is described
in terms of U.S. consumption of wood preservatives by type of wood product treated,
followed by a summary of U.S. industrial consumption by type of wood preservative.
Subsequent sections describe the industrial markets for specific wood preservatives
including creosote, petroleum-based preservatives (pentachlorophenol, copper
and zinc naphthenate and others), waterborne preservatives (CCA and others),
other preservatives, and the U.S. consumer market for wood preservatives. The
report also includes coverage of the wood preservatives industry in Western
Europe, Eastern Europe and Japan.
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