Miller School of Medicine >> UM Innovation >> Technology Transfer >> For Industry
 
ID# UME-24
Stain for Identifying Arsenic in Treated Wood
Helena Solo-Gabriele, Amy Omae and Timothy Townsend
 
Problem
Preservatives are added to wood products in order to prevent biological deterioration from insects and fungi.  Waterborne, or metal-based preservatives, contain copper, chromium, arsenic and boron, and are preferred for wood intended for residential applications because the product can be painted, has no odor, and is dry to the touch.  The most common wood preservatives through the 1980's and 1990's included arsenic, particularly chromated copper arsenate (CCA) and ammoniacal copper zinc arsenate (ACZA).  As of January 2004, the wood treatment industry voluntarily ceased the use of arsenic-based preservatives for products intended for most residential applications because of their toxicity to the environment.  Nevertheless, based on a 30-year service-life, billions of board feet per year of treated wood products will either remain in service or will enter the solid waste stream for many years to come, and methods to identify and isolate these are clearly needed.
 
Solution
The inventors have designed and optimized a colorimetric assay for detection of arsenic in a wood sample.  The assay is non-toxic, safe and is easy to use by non-technical individuals, while currently available assays are expensive, inconvenient or evolve toxic arsine gas.
 
Competitive Advantage
The present invention increases aircraft tires service life and improves safety by reducing the possibility of tires’ failure during landing.
 
Applications
Several embodiments are envisioned, including a wipe test for suspect wood in residential use, and a dissolution test for suspect mulch used in playgrounds and gardening.  In solid waste handling facilities the invention may be used to test combusted ash, or directly applied to suspect wood.
 
Patent Status
International Patent Appln No. PCT/US2006/041393 entitled “ARSENIC-SPECIFIC STAIN FOR IDENTIFYING ARSENIC-TREATED WOOD” was filed on October 24, 2006.
 
Licensing Opportunity
We are seeking a collaborative partnership for commercialization of this novel, simple, safe and effective colorimetric assay for arsenic in wood.
 
About the Inventors
Dr. Helena Solo-Gabriele, Ph.D., is Professor, Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and Associate Dean of Research in the College of Engineering.  She received her Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Amy L. Omae received her Masters degree in Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering from the University of Miami in 2006. Dr. Timothy Townsend, Ph.D., received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida and is currently Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences at the University of Florida.
 
Selected References
Solo-Gabriele HM, Omae A, Townsend T. and Hahn D.  Identification of wood treated with waterborne metal-based preservatives.  In Environmental Impacts of Preservative Treated Wood, Townsend T and Solo-Gabriele HM (eds.). 2005, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. Solo-Gabriele HM, Townsend TG, Hahn DW, Moskal TM, Hosein N, Jambeck J and Jacobi G.  Evaluation of XRF and LIBS technologies for on-line sorting of CCA-treated wood waste.  Waste Management.  2004, 24:413-424. Blassino (Kormienko) M, Solo-Gabriele H and Townsend T.  Pilot scale evaluation of sorting technologies for CCA-treated wood waste. Management and Research.  2002, 20:290-301.
 
 

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