WOOD TREATMENT COMPOSITIONS

Abstract: The present invention relates to a composition for rendering wood material resistant to biological deterioration, which composition comprises an aqueous ammoniacal solution of copper and quaternary ammonium compounds.

Description: Wood Treatment Compositions FIELD OF II;VEliTIOll The present invention relates to a composition for wood treatment. More particularly it relates to aqueous ammoniacal wood-treating compositions containing copper, and/or zincw and quaternary ammonium compounds. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION/PRIOR ART In the treatment of wood material to render it resistant to biological attack, it is common practice to treat it with a fluid-borne treating chemical. The treatment of the wood material usually comprises soaking or impregnating the wood material with the fluid-borne treating chemical. The second of these techniques which is perhaps the most widely used one is practised in a number of variants, e.g. the full cell process3 where the pores of the wood material are partially evacuated before impregnation in order to increase the fluid retained therein; or the empty cell process which is similar to the full cell process except that the preliminary step of evacuation is omitted. One of the more widely used impregnating compositions is an acidic solution of chromium, copper and arsenic. Another aqueous composition commonly used in the impregnation of wood material, comprises an ammoniacal solution of waterinsoluble treating chemicals such as salts comprising copper and arsenic. While these compositions are generally satisfactory, they both contain arsenic. It is therefore the object of this invention to provide an effective wood treating composition having low mammalian toxicity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The formulation of the present invention comprises an aqueous ammoniacal solvent having a wood treating composi tion dissolved therein, wherein thescomposition contains a quaternary ammonium compound and at least one of copper and zinc, where the quaternary ammonium compound can be represented by the general formula (R1R2R3R4N+)X where R1 and R2 are independently chosen from the group consisting of alkyl groups having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, R3 is chosen from the group consisting of alkyl groups having 8 to 20 carbon atoms, and R4 is chosen from the group consisting of alkyl groups having S to 20 carbon atoms, aryl groups and aryl substituted alkyl groups where the alkyl groups have 1-3 carbon atoms, and X is chosen so as to render the quaternary ammonium compound soluble in the ammoniacal solvent. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention relates to a formulation dDur-the treatment of wood material having acceptable present vative ability and additionally at least partially obviating the problems of the prior art formulations. As noted above, the formulation comprises an aqueous ammoniacal solvent having a wood treating composition dissolved therein. This composition will comprise a quaternary ammonium compound, and at least one of copper and zinc. The quaternary ammonium compounds contemplated for use in this composition can be represented by the general formula (R1R2R3R4 N-)X where R1 and R2 are independently chosen from the group consisting of alkyl groups having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, R3 is chosen from the group consisting of alkyl groups having 8 to 20 carbon atoms, and R4 is chosen from the group consisting of alkyl groups having S to 20 carbon atoms, aryl groups and aryl substituted alkyl groups, where the alkyl groups have 1-3 carbon atoms. The anicn X will be chosen so as to solubilize the quaternary ammonium compound and will preferably be chosen from the group consisting of hydroxide, chloride, bromide, nitrate, bisulfate, acetate, bicarbonate and carbonate formate, borate and and fatty acid salts. Quaternary ammonium compounds pre erres or use in his composition are alkylbenzyldimethyl- ammonium chloride where the alkyl can represent C12-C16 alkyl groups, and dialkyldimethylammonium chloride, where the alkyl can represent C8-C12 alkyl groups. The arylsubstituted alkyl group will preferably be the benzyl group. The formulation¯will be prepared by dissolving metallic copper and/or zinc in the aqueous ammonium hydroxide or by dissolving a suitable copper or zinc salt such as cuprous oxide, cupric hydroxide, zinc oxide or cupric carbonate in ammonium hydroxide containing a suitable amount of anion such as fluoride, acetate, carbonate, formate or borate which is added to dissolve the metal in adequate concentration. When metallic copper, zinc or cuprous oxide are used, an oxidatiorit of the solution will be required. This can be done by sparging the solution with air; and in this case, the quaternary ammonium compound should be added after its termination in order to avoid excessive foaming. Quater- nary ammonium compounds are usually supplied in the form of a concentrate, at about a 50-80% (by weight) concentration of the compound, and will normally be added as the undiluted concentrate. Typically, in such compositions, the concentration of the metallic cation in the solution viz. that of copper and/or zinc will lie in the range of 0.5-15%, the quaternary ammonium compound from 0.05-15% of the formulation and the ammonia which will be present in sufficient quantity to solubilize the metallic cations can range from 1-29 by weight of the solution. The ammonia concentration should be 1.5-2.5 times that of the metallic species expressed as the metal oxide. Wood material can be treated with this composition in the usual manner (eg. by soaking, impregnaeing, etc.). vhe composition impregnates wood material relatively easily and following impregnation is highly leach-resistant. Since the quaternary ammonium compound demonstrates an affinity for the wood material and is preferentially absorbed thereby, low concentrations may result in inade quate penetration and accordingly it may be necessary to use relatively high concentrations of the quaternary ammo nium compound if deeper penetration is desired. The empty cell treatment may be used in such cases in order to remove excess quaternary ammonium compound. The composition can be modified in a number of ways which will be evident to those skilled in the art; eg. fatty acids for water repellancy or colouring agents can be added to the composition. The present invention provides an aqueous ammoniacal arsenic free composition which finds application in wood preservation. Despite its low mammalian toxicity, the formulation has effec tive biocidal properties as demonstrated by the existence o threshold retention levels or various fungi which are sur prisingly less than corresponding values for a conventional arsenic-containing formulation. The sirnificant decrease in the aggregate threshold retention of the preservative, as compared to the threshold retention levels of the individual components when small amountS of quaternary ammonium compound are added to the ammoniacal copper containing solution strong ly suggests the possibility of synergism between the two com ponents. The following examples will serve to illustrate the inven tion. trample 1 The formulation prepared according to the present invention containing copper added as copper carbonate, alkylbenzyl dimethylammonium chloride dissolved in a 3% ammonium hydroxide solution, was impregnated into 3/4" x 3/4" x 3/4" blocks of red pine sapwood material at various levels of preservative retention. The blocks were then subjected to leaching with water by soaking them in 50 ml. of water per block, and changing the water every day for 14 days. The blocks were air dried to constant weight in a chamber held at 709O R.H. The conditioned blocks were weighed and placed in soil block test jars containing innocula of t'Lenzites trabea", "Poria monticola" and "Lentinus lepideus" fungi, in accordance with AWPA soil block test procedure M10-77. After 12 weeks, the soil blocks were reweighed, and the minimum level of preservative retention required to result in weight losses of less than 2% for each species of fungus was determined. These threshold retention levels (in pounds per cubic foot), for various fungi are summarized in Table A below. This experimental procedure was carried out with two alternative formulations of the present invention containing different ratios of copper to the quaternary ammonium compound. For the purposes of comparison, this procedure was repeated using a conventional aqueous ammoniacal solution of copper arsenate, and the corresponding threshold retention values obtained. An examination of Table A will yield the observation that smaller threshold retentions of the present invention formulations are required to obtain the same level of protection when compared to the conventional formulation. TABLE A CONVENTIONAL FORMULATION THRESHOLD RETENTION LEVELS ORGANISM (pounds per cubic foot) Ammoniacal Copper Arsenate Lenzites trabea 0.09 Poria monticola 0.14 Present Invention Formulation CuO: Quaternary: 6:1 Lenzites trabea 0.07 Poria monticola 0.09 Lentinus lepideus 0.035 CuO: Quaternary: 2:1 Lenzites trabea 0.07 Poria monticola 0.19 Lentinus lepideus 0.04 ExamPle 2 This example compares the preservative properties of the treating solution with the preservative properties of its constituent treating chemicals by comparing the respective threshold retention levels. Procedurally, the experiments in this example are essentially the same as those in the preceding examples. 314" x 3/4" x 3/4" blocks of red pine sapwood.material were impregnated with aqueous ammoniacal solutions of copper carbonate only, the quaternary ammonium compound ABDA only, and the preservative composition having a ratio of copper (as CuO) to quaternary ammonium compound of 4:1. Preservative solutions with copper to quaternary ammonium compound ratios of 6:1 and 2:1 were also impregnated into wood blocks. The blocks were then leached and dried, and placed in soil block test jars which contained innocula of l'Lenzites trabeat', "Poria monticola" and "Lentinus lepi ?de;;sl'. This-permitted a determination of the threshold retention levels which are summarized in Table B below. An examination of the entries in the table below indicates the efficacy of the formulation taught herein. In each of the cases, the threshold retention concentration of the present invention formulation was at most equal to (and often less than) the corresponding values for the individual constituents. More particularly, in the case of "Poria monticola", which is tolerant to both copper (threshold retention of 0.5 p.c.f.) and ABDA (threshold retention of 0.2 - 0.4 p.c.f.); the use of the present formulation results in a decrease in the retention levels of copper to 0.06 - 0.09 p.c.f. and ABDA to 0.02 - 0.1C- p.c.f.: while the total threshold retention level lies in the range 0.09 - 0.19 p.c.f., (depending on the CuO:ABDA ratio) indicating an interaction between the two components. TABLE B THRESHOLD RETENTIONS (Leached Blocks) Threshold Retention Concentration at (pcf CuO Threshold Retention (pcf) Preservative Organism + ABDA) CuO ABDA CuCO3 Lenzites trabea 0.07 0.07 Poria monticola 0.5 0.5 *) ABDA Lenzites trabea 0.3 - 0.3 Poria monticola 0.2-0.4 - 0.2-0.4 Lentinus lepideus 0.07 - 0.07 +) ACQ 6:1 Lenzites trabea 0.07 0.05 0.02 Poria monticola 0.09 0.07 0.02 Lentinus lepideus 0.035 0.025 0.010 ACQ 4:1 Lenzites trabea 0.06 0.04 0.02 Poria monticola 0.10 0.06 0.04 Lentinus lepideus 0.016 0.010 0.006 ACQ 2:1 Lenzites trabea 0.07 0.03 0.04 Poria monticola 0.19 0.09 0.10 Lentinus lepideus 0.04 0.02 0.02 (*) ABDA - alkylbenzyldimethylammonium chloride. (+) ACQ - composition of the present invention, ratio indicated is that of CuO to ABDA. Example 3 This example demonstrates the desirable impregnation characteristics of the present invention. A 2" x 2" x 22" piece of Douglas fir sapwood was end-sealed with epoxy resin and impregnated with a solution containing 1.5% cupric oxide (added as basic copper carbonate), 0.5% alkylbenzyldimethylammonium chloride (ABDA), and 3.0% ammonium hydroxide by applying a vacuum of 22" of mercury for half an hour and then applying a pressure of 115 psi for 4 1/2 hours at 220C. The retention achieved (CuO t ABDA) was 0.58 pcf. After drying, a 2" section was cut from the center of each 22" piece and this 2" cube was then sec tioned so that the retention gradient of the copper and ABDA could be determined. The results for the four faces of th cross-section were averaged and are shown in table C below, and indicate the desirable impregnation charac teristics of the present invention. TABLE C PENETRATION INTO DOUGLAS FIR SAPVOOD USING SOLUTION OF COPPER TO ABDA RATIO OF 2.4:1 CONCENTRATION IN WOOD (t) Location Cu ABDA (X) 0-1/8" .30 0.76 1/8-1/4" 2.22 0.43 1/4-3/8" 2.11 -0.32 3/8-5/8" 1.93 0.27 5/8-1" 1.93 0.20 Cx) ABDA: Alkylbenzyldimethylammonium chloride. Example 4 This example presents the penetration results of the present composition into red pine sapwood. A piece of red pine sapwood was treated with a solution containing 1.5% copper oxide (added as copper carbonate), 2% of alkylbenzyldimethylammonium chloride (A3DA), and 3% of ammonium hydroxide using the same treatment and analytical procedure as the preceding example. A retention (CuO + ABDA) of 1.2 p.c.f. was obtained. The penetration result7, which are shown in Table below, indicate the desirable penetration characteristics of the treating solution. TABLE D PENETRATION OF RED PINE SAPWOOD WITH A COPPER TO ABDA RATIO OF 0.6:1 LOCATION CONCENTRATION IN WOOD (%) Cu ABDA 0" - 1/8" 3.66 2.76 1/8" - 1/4" 1.54 2.13 1/4" - 1/2" 1.44 1.52 1/2" - 3/4" 1.45 1.37 3/4" - 1" 1.75 1.74 Modifications to the above will be evident to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims: Claims : - 1. A formulation comprising an aqueous ammoniacal solvent having a wood treating composition dissolved therein; where said composition contains a quaternary ammonium compound and a metallic cation comprising at least one of copper and zinc, where said quaternary ammonium compound can be represented by the general formula (R1R2R3R4N+)X where R1 and R2 are independently chosen from the group consisting of alkyl groups having 1 to 3 carbon atoms R3 is chosen from the group consisting of alkyl groups having 8 to 20 carbon atoms, and R4 is chosen from the group consisting of alkyl groups having 8 to 20 carbon atoms, aryl groups and aryl-substituted alkyl groups where said substituted alkyl groups have 1-3 carbon atoms and X is chosen so as to render said quaternary ammonium compound soluble in said ammoniacal solvent. 2. A formulation as defined -in Claim 1, wherein said aryl-substituted alkyl group comprises the benzyl group. 3. A formulation as defined in Claim 1, wherein X is chosen from the group comprising chloride, bromide, bisulfate, nitrate, acetate, carbonate and bicarbonate. 4. A formulation as defined in Claim 1, wherein said metallic cation is present in a concentration ranging from about 0.5 to 15% by weight of said formulation. 5. A formulation as defined in Claim 1, wherein concentration of said quaternary ammonium compound ranges from about 0.05 to 15% of said formulation. 6. A formulation as defined in Claim 1, wherein the concentration of ammonia in said solvent lies in the range from about 1 to 28toy and is sufficient to dissolve said metallic cation. 7. A for;nulatin as defined in Claim 1, wherein said quaternary ammonium compound is one of alkylbenzyldimethyl chloride and dialkyldimethylammonium chloride. 8. A formulation as defined in Claim 1, wherein said metallic cation is copper. 9. A formulation as defined in Claim 1, wherein at least one anion chosen from the group consisting of fluoride, acetate, carbonate, formate and bonate solubilizes said metallic cation.

Inventors: FINDLAY, DAVID M., RICHARDSON, NEIL G.
Applicants: DOMTAR INC.
Application year: 1982
Main classification: B27K3
IPC codes: B27K3