Accoya wood

China Suppliers


Preservation process

There are a number of different processes that can extend the life of wood. These aim to increase the durability and overall resistance of the wood to stop it being damaged by insects and fungus making it more resistant to decay. Accoya wood has a number of patents pending relating specifically to its methods of preservation, which make its processes unique. However its technology is based on wood acetylation, a process that has been studied by scientists, globally, for around 80 years.

Wood contains chemical groups called "free hydroxyls". These absorb and discharge water according to the climatic circumstances to which the wood is exposed. This is one of the main causes of wood shrinking and swelling in size. It is also understood that the digestion of wood by enzymes begins at the free hydroxyl locations - which is one of the main reasons that wood is prone to decay. deck rails

Acetylation, in essence, changes the free hydroxyls within the wood into acetyl groups. This is done by creating a reaction between the wood and the acetic anhydride, which comes from acetic acid. When the free hydroxyl group is changed to an acetyl group, the ability of the wood to absorb water is significantly decreased, making the wood more stable and, because it is no longer digestible, much more durable. gutter systems

Sustainability polycarbonate sheets

The responsible acquisition of sustainable wood plays a vital role in re-enforcing the proposition of Accoya wood as an environmentally responsible product. All Accoya wood is produced from well managed, sustainable sources, including FSC, PEFC and other regionally-certified woods. Accoya wood procedures are also assessed annually by an independent certification body to ensure that they meet FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody guidelines.

Accoya projects

Accoya wood is suitable for a wide range of exterior wood structures and has been used in a number of varying external applications including window frames, doors and shutters, cladding, siding, facades, decking and garden furniture. It has also been put to more imaginative use, such as in the building of traffic road bridges, the largest of which opened in the Netherlands in autumn 2008 to support two lanes of traffic across a 30 metre span which has a design life of 80 years. This formidable wood has also been used to create art structures, decking, boats, zoo fences, swimming pools and to contribute to the environmental credentials of energy efficient homes.

In May 2008, Accoya wood featured on a live version of the popular Channel 4 program Grand Designs presented by British designer, writer and TV presenter Kevin McCloud. The challenge was to build a sustainable house in just one week, using traditional techniques and materials in conjunction with modern technology. Once completed the house was dismantled to be re-erected for display at the Building Research Establishment (BRE) Innovation Park in Watford.

Global accreditations

Accoya wood is inspected several times each year by the notified certification body, SKH (Netherlands), within the KOMO guidelines for modified wood, in accordance with assessment directive BRL 0605.

Accoya wood has been tested in accordance with SKH publication 97-04 in respect to durability, dimensional stability, mechanical properties, workability, gluability and finishing, and has been shown to satisfy the requirements demanded of a wood species for use in KOMO certified joinery and faade cladding.

Titan Wood, the company behind Accoya, was certified by the Window and Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) as a Hallmark Certified Supplier after meeting the requirements of the WDMA I.S.4 ndustry Specification for Preservative Treatment for Millwork in October 2009. This rating certifies the quality of exterior millwork and gives government and private agencies a method of identifying windows and doors that are manufactured in accordance with the WDMA highest standards. The WDMA Hallmark is a mark of excellence among architects, contractors and other specifiers. Products eligible for Hallmark certification are subjected to a rigorous verification process in order to ensure conformance with requirements.

Accoya wood has been evaluated according to the VFF Merkblatt HO.06-4 for its suitability in RAL certified joinery. A provisional acceptance of Accoya wood has been given in October 2009 and it has been added to the pproved wood species list of the VFF (Joinery and Facades Association).

References

^ Roger M. Rowell, Bert Kattenbroek, Peter Ratering, Ferry Bongers, Francesco Leicher, and Hal Stebbins, roduction of Dimensionally Stable and Decay Resistant Wood Components Based on Acetylation, presented at International Conference on Durability of Building Materials and Components. Istanbul, Turkey, 2008

^ Spencer, Sally. "Accoya off the blocks." Timber Trades Journal 31 May 2007. <http://www.ttjonline.com/story.asp?storycode=49809

^ CNBC http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1359381780&play=1

^ FSC policies and standards http://www.fsc.org/fsc-rules.html?&L=t%D0%A0%E2%80%9C%D0%A0%E2%80%A1%D0%A0%E2%80%99%D0%A1%E2%80%94%D0%A0%E2%80%99%D0%A0%E2%80%A6arget%3D_self

^ Accoya wood in action http://www.accoya.com/accoya_in_action.asp

^ SKH KOMO ]http://www.skh.org/index.cfm?pid=352]

^ WDMA http://www.wdma.com/i4a/store/category.cfm?category_id=5

External links

PEFC website

Forest Stewardship Council website

Accoya corporate website

Window and Door Manufacturers Association website

SKH website

Independent article

CNBC TV interview

Hidden categories: Unreviewed new articles created via the Article Wizard from December 2009 | Articles created via the Article Wizard