Objective
In Western Europe, there is a growing interest and market for wood construction since timber is available and consumers are attracted by the environmentally-friendly image and advantages of wood. While traditional construction is mainly led by big companies manufacturing concrete, sawn-wood activity is most favourable to the development of SMEs along the whole "forest-wood chain". Yet, there are many barriers to overcome to make wood competitive and adopted by a larger amount of consumers. One of them is the deterioration of the material when exposed to outdoor conditions requiring protection with special treatments.
These treatments include biocides (formerly known as non-agricultural pesticides) used to destroy and exert a controlling effect on any harmful organism by chemical or biological means. They are still widely used in most of the countries, but the tendency in the future is to control their use. Currently, the highest level of biological protection, Class Risk 4 can be reached only with treatments that inject in the wood toxic products such as creosote, pentachlorophenol or hydrosoluble salts.
The project will provide the wood industry with an innovative, safe and efficient solution for the in depth protection of wood against biological predators by using a green chemical process applicable by the SMEs without risks. This solution, completed with a surface coating, will satisfy Risk Class 4 protection and provide a new scientific base for the application of the European Directives controlling and reducing the use of chemical compounds that are toxic to humans, animals and the environment.
Hence, over a thousand SMEs from several European countries (Spain, France, Lithuania, Estonia, Sweden and Romania) members of the six IAGs of the consortium will be able to activate their competitiveness, and to improve health and safety at work.
Fields of science
Call for proposal
FP6-2003-SME-2
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Collective - SMEs-Collective research projectsCoordinator
Toulouse
France
See on map
Participants (16)
Azpeitia
See on map
Planioles
See on map
Tallinn
See on map
Vilnius
See on map
Stockholm
See on map
Bucharest 2
See on map
Llanera (Asturias)
See on map
Azpeitia ( Guipuzcua)
See on map
Swindon
See on map
Montpellier
See on map
Pont De Salars
See on map
Aduna (Guipuzcoa)
See on map
Coussac-bonneval
See on map
Cabreras Del Pinar (Soria)
See on map
Irun (Guipuzcoa)
See on map
Madrid
See on map