How is Accoya\u00ae made?<\/strong><\/p>\nThe technology behind Accoya\u00ae is based on wood acetylation, a process that has been studied by scientists for more than 90 years.\u00a0 The process alters the cell structure of wood, improving its technical properties and making it much stronger and more durable.<\/p>\n
Unmodified wood contains \u2018free hydroxyl groups\u2019 that absorb and release water as weather conditions change. This makes standard wood susceptible to expansion and contraction, particularly when used outdoors for applications such as cladding, window and door frames. The expansion and contraction of wood often leads to splitting and rotting, impacting on the service life of the timber. Hydrogen, oxygen and carbon chemicals (called acetyl groups) are created within wood after the acetylation process, changing the structure of existing free hydroxyl groups (hydrogen and oxygen). Each of these chemicals is present naturally in all woods, with acetyl created independently from acetic acid, i.e. vinegar. The process is \u2018green\u2019 meaning that the acetylation process takes effect using nothing that doesn\u2019t occur in wood naturally.<\/p>\n
During the Accoya\u00ae production process, the free hydroxyl groups within wood are changed into acetyl groups which reduces the ability of the wood\u2019s cell walls to absorb water by approximately 80%. This structural change greatly improves the wood\u2019s dimensional stability and results in a stronger, more durable wood while reducing the maintenance frequencies for coatings. The change in cell structure also means that the wood is virtually rot and insect proof. Mould and fungi do not recognise Accoya\u00ae as wood and therefore don\u2019t attack, while the modified structure is indigestible to insects.<\/p>\n
How does Accoya\u00ae differ from wood that has been modified in other ways?<\/strong><\/p>\nVirtually all wood preserving treatments today work by impregnating toxic chemicals (such as arsenic, oils, ammonia or metal compounds) into the cell walls of the wood. This works to fill the voids within the wood but this doesn\u2019t change the underlying chemistry. The toxicity of such products also have negative environmental implications during the serviceable life of the wood as well as during its disposal.<\/p>\n
As an alternative, Accoya\u00ae alters the wood\u2019s structure to the core, creating an inhospitable environment and helping to control unwanted organisms, such as bacteria, viruses and fungi.<\/p>\n
The main alternative non-toxic preservative treatment to Accoya\u00ae\u2019s acetylation is \u201cthermal modification\u201d, a process which works by breaking down the edible components of the wood. However, the process both discolours and weakens the wood, rendering it unsuitable for many uses. The Accoya\u00ae production process does not weaken the original wood \u2013 in fact, its hardness is slightly improved and its bending strength uncompromised. Indeed, no modification process exists which offers the performance benefits and retained physical properties of Accoya\u00ae.<\/p>\n
How can the quality of Accoya\u00ae be guaranteed?<\/strong><\/p>\nIn contrast to other modification techniques, it is possible to measure the quality of Accoya\u00ae by determining the acetyl content of the wood, once it has been modified by measuring the percentage of acetyl groups present. Using an array of analytical techniques, Accoya\u00ae\u2019s producers ensure that every batch is of consistent quality and reaches the highest performance standards. With such strong scientific credentials, Accoya\u00ae is guaranteed for 50 years when used above ground, and 25 year when used for below-ground applications.<\/p>\n
How environmentally friendly is Accoya\u00ae?<\/strong><\/p>\nAccoya\u00ae wood is non-toxic and 100% recyclable.\u00a0\u00a0By significantly enhancing the durability and dimensional stability of fast growing, abundantly available certified wood species, Accoya\u00ae wood provides compelling environmental advantages over scarce slow growing hardwoods, woods treated with toxic chemicals, and non-renewable carbon-intensive materials such as plastics, steel and concrete.<\/p>\n
At the production stage, only abundantly available, and often fast-growing source species such as Radiata pine, are used to create Accoya\u00ae, safeguarding a consistent supply and preventing deforestation of tropical forests. Accoya\u00ae is made from legally harvested wood from well managed sustainable sources including FSC\u00ae, PEFCTM\u00a0and other regionally certified woods. The Accoya\u00ae wood manufacturing process is non-toxic and adds nothing to the wood that does not already naturally occur in it.<\/p>\n
Outstanding dimensional stability and improved hardness results in lower maintenance frequency (lower costs) and therefore less coating use and waste over the product\u2019s lifetime. Additionally, Accoya\u00ae\u2019s superior thermal insulation provides energy conservation advantages when used in applications such as window frames and doors.<\/p>\n
Does Accoya\u00ae offer improved paintability?<\/strong><\/p>\nYes. Due to the improved dimensional stability of Accoya\u00ae wood and the significant reduction in swelling and shrinking, maintenance of coatings can be increased to up to two times the normal life of coatings applied to non-modified woods.<\/p>\n
[Source:\u00a0www.accoya.com\/faqs\/<\/a>]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The result of decades of research and development, Accoya\u00ae is a high performance, long life modified wood. We use\u00a0Accoya\u00ae for all external painted\u00a0joinery,\u00a0windows and our furniture and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1383,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[170,295,284],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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