Applications

Railroad Crossties

Chemonite® ACZA is made for heavy duty applications. Long-term protection plus advantageous environmental, economical, and handling features make ACZA-treated crossties an exceptional choice for railroads.

• Environmental

  Chemonite® treated wood shares many of the environmental attributes of wood itself – it’s a renewable resource, has low-energy production, and sequesters carbon. The preservative process adds to these benefits by extending service life, further reducing the demand on forests.

  Chemonite® ACZA bonds are leach-resistant. The wood surface is non-oily and clean-to-the-touch, even in high temperatures or salt water. An independent Life Cycle Assessment compared Chemonite® ACZA-treated crossties with concrete and plastic/composite crossties and confirmed that Chemonite® ACZA-treated crossties use less energy, offset fossil fuel use, and have a reduced environmental impact.

• Benefits of borate additive

  Crossties treated with a mixture of Chemonite® ACZA and borates are also available. Like ACZA, borates have a long history of effective decay prevention. They have been used for decades to supplement other preservatives in protecting hard-to-treat species of wood in heavy duty industrial environments. The borates diffuse deep into these species, protecting inner areas that might otherwise be vulnerable to decay when exposed by cracks or wear. Borates also inhibit corrosion, enabling spikes to maintain their integrity for a longer period of time and thus hold gage longer.

 

Utility Poles

Chemonite® poles provide reliable transmission and distribution of electric energy, with less environmental impact than alternatives.

Long Lasting

The USDA Forest Products Laboratory states that the expected life of Chemonite® poles is 50 years.

Low Fastener Corrosion

To date, no Chemonite® poles are known to have been removed from service due to failure from corrosion. In fact, bolts removed from utility poles after 40 years of service have exhibited acceptable strength properties.

Fire Resistance

Chemonite® treated wood performs like a Class B fire retardant. Tests confirm utility field crew reports that Chemonite® wood resists grass and brush fires.

Woodpecker Resistance

In a controlled research study of poles exposed to woodpeckers, Chemonite® poles incurred 71% less damage than poles treated with other preservatives over a 10 year period.

Climbability

Chemonite® treatment does not inhibit the climbability of wood poles. Research has shown that the force required to penetrate Chemonite® poles by a line worker’s gaff is comparable to that of untreated Douglas Fir.

Marine

Chemonite® preservative protects timbers and piling from decay, allowing the use of wood for piling structures, boardwalks, docks, launching ramps and service buildings in marine construction. Chemonite® preserved wood piling and structural members have been used for many years in waterfront facilities due to the ability to withstand severe weather conditions and the attack of marine borers and other causes of decay and deterioration in marine environments. Chemonite® treatment is leach resistant and does not affect the structural qualities of the wood.

An independent consulting firm prepared a quantitative evaluation of the environmental impacts associated with the production, use, and disposition of ACZA-treated wood, concrete, galvanized steel, and plastic marine piles. Results demonstrate that ACZA-treated wood marine piles require less total energy and have lower environmental impacts in all six impact indicator categories assesses, plus use of ACZA-treated wood marine piles lowers greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere whereas concrete, galvanized steel, and plastic marine piles increase greenhouse gas levels.

Agricultural

Chemonite® preserved wood has been used for many years for agricultural applications where its long-lasting qualities have helped maintain profits by reducing maintenance, upkeep and replacement costs. Chemonite® poles or sawn timbers embedded in the ground act as the foundation and main structural supports for houses, barns, sheds, and auxiliary structures.

Chemonite® preservative protects wood from decay and termite hazards, enabling use in contact with the ground or water for grape stakes and end posts, fence posts, drop poles, tree props, splash boards, culverts, retaining walls and other ground or water contact uses.

Chemonite® preserved wood will not adversely affect crops or stock and may be painted or left in its natural green-brown color.