Boron as a Timber Preservative

Among many organic and inorganic chemicals used for timber presevation, boron salts have been used in many countries for several decades and enjoy a well-known and proven record of performance. Field studies conducted by independent laboratories, universities and government testing facilities around the world attest to boron's outstanding and broad spectrum efficacy against all types of organisms like decay fungi, borers and beetles, termites etc, . Furthermore, boron salts are characteristic of having the lowest acute mammalian toxicity among all known preservatives, which makes them the only accepted preservative for timber used in making pencils, toys and packing cases for food articles and etc.

Throughout the world borates have been remarkably effective in protecting wood products used in buildings for interior use, from termites, wood borers ,beetles, carpenter ants and decay fungi.Borates are also used to protect living forests as well as sawn timber, from attack of all timber destroying organisms.

Borates are also effective as fire retardant. Boron treated wood provides a safer environment by inhibiting the ignition of wood and slowing down the spread of flames.

How does Boron Work in Timber Treatment

The property of water solubility of borates enables easy mobility of the borate ion through membranes and allows diffusion throughout the wood's cellular network and provides complete and integral protection throughout the body of timber.

However, borates can mobilize out when wood becomes wet and hence are classified under the water soluble (leachable) class of wood preservatives. But it must be understood that this loss of boron from treated wood can only take place to a serious degree only when treated wood remains in prolonged continuous contact with running water or moist medium into which borates can diffuse. Therefore boron application is only suitable for interiors of buildings which are protected from direct contact with ground and continuous exposure to water.

ACTIBOR 67

ACTIBOR 67 is a highly soluble industrial wood preservative with active content of Di Sodium Octaborate Tetrahydrate (DOT). It is colourless, odourless, non-corrosive and low in acute mammalian toxicity. It is highly toxic to insects and fungi.

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