Oxidation states of copper in preservative treated wood as studied by X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES)

PLoS One. 2022 Jan 27;17(1):e0263073. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263073. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Copper is a common component in wood preservatives and is used to protect the wood against fungal degradation. Previous research has shown that the Cu++ oxidation state provides the best wood protection, and Cu++ is widely believed to be the oxidation state of most copper within treated wood. A recent study using X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) reported high amounts of Cu+ in wood that had been in contact with corroded fasteners. This study uses XANES to examine the copper oxidation states in wood treated with several different wood preservatives as a function of time after treatment. In contrast with previous literature which focused on the fixation reaction in the first few hours after treatment, this paper examines the oxidation state of Cu in treated wood at longer times (up to 1-year) after treatment. The results showed in nearly all cases, Cu was in the Cu++ oxidation state to within the measurement uncertainty. Cu XANES patterns taken approximately 1-year after treatment showed no discernable differences between preservative systems, indicating that regardless of the starting treatment the final Cu speciation is the same within one year. The results confirm previously held beliefs about the Cu oxidation states in wood and give further insights into the corrosion mechanism of metals embedded in treated wood.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Copper / chemistry*
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Wood / chemistry*
  • X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy*

Substances

  • Copper

Grants and funding

This research used resources of the Advanced Photon Source, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. This research was funded by the US Forest Service through the Forest Products Laboratory. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.