In Germany, there are about 3 million buildings that are contaminated with the toxic wood preservatives lindane and pentachlorophenol (PCP). Previous measures for minimizing contamination include insulating contaminated areas or disposing of treated wooden building materials as hazardous waste. However, these measures are neither sustainable nor cost-efficient.
In the CycloPlasma project, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP are developing a new type of process to remove these decades-old contaminants—in the air as well as in contaminated wooden structures—in a way that is residue-free, sustainable and does not pose a health risk. For this purpose, the scientists have combined an innovative adsorber material with plasma technology.
In the 1970s and 1980s, wooden structures in buildings were massively treated with the wood preservatives lindane and pentachlorophenol (PCP) to protect them against fungus and insect infestation. These substances proved to be carcinogenic and neurotoxic—they have been banned in Germany since 1989.
TechExplore: https://techxplore.com/news/2024-01-method-remediation-contaminated-wooden.html