Evaluation of biological and fire resistance of Scots pine wood impregnated with commercial copper-based preservatives

The objective of this work was to enhance fire and decay resistance of wood materials using environmentally friendly and non-toxic wood preservatives. Two copper-based impregnation agents, Korasit KS and Tanalith-E, were applied to Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) specimens. The fire performance was evaluated with ASTM E69 (2002) by measuring mass loss after fire exposure. Decay resistance was assessed according to EN 113 (2006), using white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor and brown-rot fungus Postia placenta over a 12-week incubation period. Specimens treated with 9% concentration of Korasit KS exhibited the lowest mass loss after fire exposure. Similarly, increasing the concentrations of both preservatives resulted in reduced mass loss under fire conditions. Data were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Duncan’s test (α = 0.05). Specimens impregnated with 9% Tanalith-E showed the lowest mass loss and the highest resistance to both T. versicolor and P. placenta. Overall, it is recommended that wood materials intended for industrial applications be impregnated with higher concentrations of Korasit KS to improve fire resistance, and with Tanalith-E to enhance biological durability against fungal decay.