Objective
Treatment of wood with a mixture of copper, chrome and arsenic salts (CCA) is used to prevent the settlement of wood-boring invertebrates. The efficacy of treatment is due to toxicity to the borers, so there is concern that preservatives may have undesirable impacts on non-target biota.
This study aims to provide a realistic assessment of the hazard posed by the use of treated wood in coastal installations. Rates of leaching of CCA components will be measured at marine sites representing the range of conditions in European waters. The rate of release or sequestration of CCA components by soft rot fungi and lignolytic bacteria will also be measured. These data will be combined to predict the rate of leaching beyond the time limits of the project.
Impacts of CCA-leachate may occur at the wood-water interface, in the water column or in nearby sediments. Epibiotic forms provide evidence of effects at the wood preservative/seawater interface, where the flux of leachate is highest. The acute effects of this flux will be evaluated by monitoring settlement of epibiotic organisms, the chronic effects by measuring their growth rates. Chronic effects will also be monitored by measuring the impact on the physiology of Mytilus. Impact on planktonic organisms will be assessed by measuring effects of leachate on the behaviour of bivalve veligers. Toxicity testing methods for benthic organisms will be modified to reflect the particular needs of investigating the impact of wood preservatives. The possibility of uptake and storage of components of the CCA by epibiota will be investigated by chemical analysis. Surface grazers and filter feeders will be examined in order to investigate more than one possible mode of uptake.
Current and projected patterns of utilisation of treated wood in European waters will be assessed in order to provide a guide to the scale of the impacts measured in the experimental component of this project. The experimental work will provide the basis for a model of
preservative/wood/seawater/biota interactions capable of prediction of the environmental impact of CCA preservatives in planned construction such as harbours and marinas. An evaluation of the experimental procedures and findings will be used to recommend a protocol for predicting the environmental impact of new preservatives intended for marine use.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology invertebrate zoology
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries forestry
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
HP11 2JZ High Wycombe
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.