Wood treatment used to protect lumber from fungi, insects, UV damage, water damage and general wear. When treating wood the proper balance of treatment solution must be monitored to ensure the highest quality while minimizing waste and excess cost due to treatment usage or product rejection.

Using EDXRF allow to measure a wide range of elemental concentrations: C(6)-Fm(100), withoutno need for sample preparations(heating or destroying the sample). Samples can be measured as loose powders or pressed into pellets and ready for measurement within seconds.

EDXRF can measure larger sample volumes resulting in a better characterization of final productsand provides high accuracy and precision with excellent detection limits usually starting from 0.1 – 1 mg/kg.Xenemetrix Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometers are the simplest, most accurate, non-destructive and economical analytical systems.

The American Wood Preservers Association (AWPA) has approved XRF methods for analyzing every common pressure-treating chemical. Here are several different types of treating processes that can be monitored by XRF:

• CCA in Wood and Solution- Wolmanized lumber is treated with a chromium, copper, and arsenic (CCA) treatment. CCA treated wood is commonly used in decks. The concentrations are high and EDXRF can measure them easily.
• ACZA in Wood and Solution– Chemonite (ACZA) treatment is an alternative to CCA, and contains ammonium, copper, zinc and arsenic. The last three can be measured by EDXRF.
• ACQ in Wood and Solution– ACQ is yet another preservative it contain ammonium, copper and Quantenary ammonium. Total ACQ is quantified based on the Cu analysis.
• Pentachlorophenol in wood and Solution– Pentachlorophenol is what is commonly used in telephone poles and railroad ties. It contains chlorine and can easily be monitor by EDXRF.
• Zinc Borate treated wood and solutions -Zinc borate is a fungicide added to masonite and other types of composite and pressed wood.
• IPBC treated wood and solutions– IPBC (3-iodo-2-propynyl butyl carbamate) is another insecticide product used to treat wood. It is often used in finished woods like window frames, and can be measured based on the iodine intensity. IPBC is particular good as a termiticide.
• Bromine Wood Treatment– Some organic bromine compounds can be a good termiticide and can be analyzed with EDXRF.