Project: New protection technology to substitute creosote for the protection of railway sleepers, timber bridges and utility poles
Creosote oil is one of the oldest and most effective wood preservatives, mainly used in heavy-duty applications outdoors such as railway sleepers, utility poles, and timber bridges. Due to its toxicity, creosote is highly controversial within the European Commission and its approval for use after 2018 is questionable. From the current perspective, a ban of creosote after 2018 would hit the European wood industry and the users of creosote-treated wood products hard because alternative products are not market-ready yet. Besides its strong biocidal effect, creosote is water-repellent and thereby counteracts crack formation in wood; this dual function makes great demands on substitute products. CreoSub’s overall objective is to develop alternative protection technology that shows a better health and safety profile than creosote. In the course of the project, the efficacies of the new protection systems against wood destroying fungi are investigated, impregnation processes are optimized, and physical and mechanical properties of wood treated with the systems are examined. the project also includes an environmental assessment of railway sleepers, utility poles, and timber bridges made of wood treated with the new protection systems.
| Acronym | CreoSub (Reference Number: n/a) |
| Duration | 01/01/2014 - 30/04/2017 |
| Project Topic | Wood processing and treatments |
|
Project Results (after finalisation) |
N/A (project still running) |
| Network | WoodWisdom-Net+ |
| Call | WW-NET+ Call for Proposals |
Project partner
| Number | Name | Role | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwegian Institute of Wood technology | Coordinator | Norway |
| 2 | Moelven Limtre AS | Partner | Norway |
| 3 | ScanPole AS | Partner | Finland |
| 4 | Rasjonell Elektrisk Nettvirksomhet AS | Partner | Norway |
| 5 | University of Göttingen | Partner | Germany |
| 6 | Koppers Deutschland GmbH (formerly Osmose Deutschland GmbH) | Partner | Germany |
| 7 | Fürstenberg-THP GmbH | Partner | Germany |
| 8 | Arch timber Protection Limited | Partner | United Kingdom |