Consulting Firm Cleans Up CCA Treated Wood

Maple Grove, Minn.-based consulting firm West Central Environmental Consultants (WCEC) have announced the development of a recycling process that extracts up to 99 percent of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) compounds in treated wood debris, according to a news release from the firm.

More than 90 percent of the pressure treated wood used in playgrounds, decks, houses, roads, parks and marine installations contain toxic components such as arsenic, copper and chromium, which are the major ingredients of CCA, the chemical used for treating wood. Millions of tons of CCA contaminated debris are generated from treated wood removed from service every year and deposited in landfills, which creates concerns because of the potential for leaching of the contaminants into the water supply.

According to the news release, WCEC has successfully removed approximately 88 to 99 percent of arsenic, 86 to 90 percent of chromium and 95 to 99 percent of total copper concentration with its process.