An Exploratory Analysis of the Market Perspective on Reclaiming Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) from Decommissioned Preservative-Treated Wood Utility Poles

In the area of recycling of spent chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood, most studies to date have focused on methods of removing/extracting the residual preservative from the wood matrix. It is well recognized that exposure of CCA-treated wood to an acid solution can reverse the CCA fixation process thereby converting the CCA elements into their water-soluble form. The economic viability of the process is enhanced because it can be integrated with other technologies and products (e.g., “green” spray foam insulation, etc.). The market for the “green” CCA is the same as for traditional CCA-the wood treating industry, principally utility poles and pilings. A market research study was conducted to determine the suitability of spent CCA-treated wood as a source for recycled, “green” CCA for manufacturing “green” spray-foam insulation. Specifically, we wanted to discern the attitudes and overall perspectives of buyers/sellers (i.e., utilities and wood treating companies) of CCA preservatives and treated wood products, disposal methods and costs for decommissioned CCA-treated wood, and understand perceptions of and willingness-to-pay for “green” CCA preservatives extracted from the technologies used in this research. Results show that 60% of wood preservative treating respondents and 60% of electric utility company respondents are somewhat or greatly interested in using out-of-service utility poles as feedstock for “green insulation” as part of a new potential business venture.

Formation of arsenic−copper-containing particles and their sulfation decomposition mechanism in copper smelting flue gas

The heat recovery steam generator(HRSG)of copper smelting generates a large number of arsenic−coppercontaining particles,and the in-situ separation of arsenic and copper is of importance for cutting off environmental risk and realizing resource recovery.The formation of arsenic−copper-containing particles was simulated,the method of in-situ decomposition of arsenic−copper-containing particles by pyrite was proposed,and the decomposition mechanism was confirmed.It was found that particles with high arsenic content were formed in the simulated HRSG,and copper arsenate was liable for the high arsenic content.Pyrite promoted the sulfation of copper,leading to the in-situ decomposition of copper arsenate.In this process,gaseous arsenic was released,and thus the separation of arsenic and copper was realized.

Effects of wood species and retention levels on removal of copper,chromium,and arsenic from CCA-treated wood using sodium hypochlorite

Chemical extraction, bioremediation, and electrodialytic processes have been extensively studied for removal of copper, chromium, and arsenic from wood treated with chromated copper arsenate （CCA）. However, one problem has not been addressed： the effects of wood species and retention levels on remediation efficiency. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of wood species and retention levels on removal of copper, chromium, and arsenic from CCA-treated wood samples using sodium hypochlorite. Our results showed that sodium hypochlorite （NaOC1） was very effective for removal of copper, chromium, and arsenic from CCA-C treated milled wood samples for all three species used in this study. The Cu, Cr, and As extraction efficiencies for red pine were 95 % Cu, 97 % Cr and 94 % As, for maple were 95 % Cu, 97 % Cr, and 98 % As at 4.0 kg m-3 retention levels, and for aspen were 95 % Cu, 92% Cr, and 91% As at 9.6 kg m-3 retention level, respectively. However, the results showed that wood species and initial retention levels of CCA-treated wood products played very impor- tant roles in terms of removal of Cu, Cr, and As.

Editorial: Effects of metal contamination on ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in a freshwater reservoir

Ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms,including ammoniaoxidizing bacteria(AOB)and archaea(AOA),are important to the global nitrogen cycle.These microbes catalyze the oxidization of ammonia(NH3)to nitrite(NO2-),the ratelimiting step in the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen(Stahl and de la Torre,2012).