| With the great increase in the amount of Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA)-treated wood to be removed from service in a few decades, how to deal with the waste products is an issue that needs to be solved.;In this thesis, the possibility of using the spent CCA-treated wood for cement-bonded particleboard was studied. In order to better evaluate the compatibility of CCA-treated wood with Portland cement, preliminary studies were conducted by examining the wood fibre bond strength with Portland cement and the heats of hydration of the CCA-treated and untreated wood-cement-water system. In addition, use of various treatments for the improvement of wood-cement compatibility was taken into account. Cement-bonded particleboards were manufactured using a conventional clamp pressing method considering several production variables and effects of the chemical additives on their properties. To meet the requirements of practical process, the appropriate production parameters such as board density, cement/wood ratio, and water/cement ratio were determined for cement-bonded particleboard using CCA-treated and untreated wood as raw materials.;All boards were subjected to tests of mechanical and physical properties including static bending, internal bond strength, water absorption and thickness swelling using the relevant ASTM Standards. Also, parts of boards were submitted to a leaching resistance test and decay test following the process of accelerated aging. (Abstract shortened by UMI.). |
