OREGOJSTT!iy nzj1I3 FEB27 1941 UFEGO .OLL.CTIOtt Oil-tar Creosote For Wood Preservation By GLENN VOORHIES Bulletin Series, No. 13 June 1940 A ResehM3j with the Cooperation of the Portland Gas and Coke Company Engineering Experiment Station Oregon State System of Higher Education Oregon State College THE Oregon State Engineering Experiment Station was established by act of the Board of Regents of the College on May 4, 1927. It is the purposeof the Station to serve the state in a manner broadly outlined by the followingpolicy: (1)To stimulate and elevate engineering education by developing the research spirit in faculty and students. (2) To serve the industries,utilities, professional engi- neers, public departments, and engineeringteachers by making investigations of interest to them. (3) To publish and distribute by bulletins, circulars, and technical articles in periodicals the results of such studies, sur- veys, tests, investigations, and researches aswill be of greatest benefit to the people of Oregon, and particularly to the state's industries, utilities, and professional engineers. To make available the results of the investigations con- ducted by the Station three types of publications are issued. These are: (1) Bulletins covering original investigations. (2) Circulars giving compilations of useful data. (3) Reprints giving more general distribution to scien- tific papers or reports previously published elsewhere, as for example, in the proceedings of professional societies. Single copies of publications are sent free on request to residents of Oregon, to libraries, and to other experiment stations exchanging publications. As long as available, addi- tional copies, or copies to others, are sent at prices covering cost of printing. The price of this bulletin is 25 cents. For copies of publications or for other information address Oregon State Engineering Experiment Station, Corvallis, Oregon Oil-tar Creosote For Wood Preservation By GLENN VooRHIEs, Assistant Professor of Wood Products Bulletin Series, No. 13 June 1940 A Research Project of the School of Forestry with the Cooperation of the Portland Gas and Coke Company Engineering Experiment Station Oregon State System of Higher Education Oregon State College TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. Acknowledgments and Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------7 7 1. Acknowledgments------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7 2. Summary ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 II. Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Present Status of Industry --------------------------------------------------------------------9 2. History of Wood Preservation --------------------------------------------------------------11 3. Requirements of a Good Preservative ------------------------------------------------11 4. Theory of Preservative Action ------------------------------------------------------------12 5. Common Wood Preservatives --------------------------------------------------------------14 111. Comparison of Oil-Tar, Coal-Tar, and Water-Gas-Tar Creosotes ------16 1. Coal-Tar Creosote ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16 2. Water-Gas-Tar Creosote ----------------------------------------------------------------------17 3. Comparison of Manufacturing Processes ----------------------------------------17 4. The Controversial Point of Tar Acids and Tar Bases ------------------21 5. Additions of Petroleum Oil and Mineral Solvents ------------------------26 IV. Physical Properties of Each of the Creosotes Treated --------------------------26 1. Properties to Be Compared ------------------------------------------------------------------26 27 2. Color ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 27 3. Odor ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 27 4. Specific Gravity-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27 5. Distillations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. VolatilityWood-Block Tests------------------------------------------------------------30 7. Leaching Tests with Water ------------------------------------------------------------------32 8. Penetration and Absorption ------------------------------------------------------------------34 38 9. Viscosity ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 38 10. Flash Point ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 40 V. Pathological Study ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 40 1. Test Program ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 40 2. Selection of Method -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Selection of Wood for the Host ----------------------------------------------------------40 4. Preparation of Wood Samples ------------------------------------------------------------41 5. Conditioning of Samples ----------------------------------------------------------------------41 TABLE OFCONTENTSContinued Page 6. Selection of Fungus --------------------------------------------------------------------------------41 7. Preparation of Flasks and Media ------------------------------------------------------41 8. Treatment of Wood Blocks ----------------------------------------------------------------42 9. Results from First Series ----------------------------------------------------------------------43 VI. Second Series of Kolle Flask Tests ----------------------------------------------------------49 1. Objective----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------49 2. Procedure ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 49 3. Resistance to Volatilization -------------------------------------------------------------------- 50 4. Resistance to Leaching by Water -------------------------------------------------------- 51 5. Toxicity Test Results (Second Series)------------------------------------------ 59 6. Volatility and Leaching Test Results (Second Series) ---------------- 64 7. Toxicity of the Different Fractions of Oil-Tar Creosote ------------ 69 VII. Discussion of Results -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 70 VIII. Conclusions--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------72 IX. Bibliography of Literature Cited ------------------------------------------------------------------ 73 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Page Figure 1.Flow diagram for gas manufacturing and by-products of Portland Gas and CokeCompany works ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------19 Figure 2.Change in specific gravity with temperature of creosote ------------------------------------------28 Figure 3.Distillation curves for coal-tar and oil-tar creosotes ------------------------------------------------29 Figure 4.Preservative lost from wood blocks when exposed to temperature of l60 F -----31 Figure 5.Creosote lost from open dish when exposed to temperature of 160 F -------------------32 Figure 6.Creosote lost during leaching of blocks with water ----------------------------------------------------33 Figure 7.End penetration ofcoal-tar creosote(left)and oil-tar creosote(right) on 2 x 6 Ponderosa pine during 20-minute dipping period ----------------------------------------34 Figure 8.Sketch indicating sampling points for penetration measurements --------------------------37 Figure 9.Post No. 26 treated with oil-tar creosote ----------------------------------------------------------------------38 Figure 10Posts 26 and 28 split three months after treating to show penetration of Oil-tar Creosote For Wood Preservation By GLENN VooRniEs, Assistant Professor of Wood Products I. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND SUMMARY 1. Acknowledgments. The author of this paper is indebted to E. L. Hall, Vice President and Chief Engineer of the Portland Gas and Coke Company, for suggesting the problem, for supplying the material, and for constructive criticism of the working plan; to Geo. W. Gleeson, head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, for data on the physical properties of thecreosote oils; to Dr. C. E. Owens, Dr. D. F. Rogers, and Dr. S. M. Zeller, of the Department of Botany, for suggestions and use of laboratory facilities;to R. H. Rawson, consulting timber engineer, f or dataon the actual treatment of specimen posts; to C. W. Osborne for cooperation in treating theposts in the experimental retort of the Pope and Talbot Lumber Company; to E. G. Mason, assistant dean of the School of Forestry, for helpful suggestions and allow- ance for time involved in the study; and to S. H. Graf, director of engineering research, for counsel and editorial assistance in preparation of this bulletin. All photographs were made by R. M. Evenden and chartswere redrawn for publication by W. H. Paul. 2. Summary. The objective of this study was to determine the suitability of oil-tar creosote for a