Towards Suppression of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Leaching from Creosote-Treated Wood

Volume 1, No. 1
Online ISSN: 3071-0898

© The authors. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons 4.0 License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Towards Suppression of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Leaching from Creosote-Treated Wood

CONFERENCE ABSTRACT

Amirhomayoon Paydar*, Salena Kabani*, Briana Salinas*, Alex J. Taylor*, Bryan Hlavinka*, and Kenneth E. Russell⁺

School of Business and Innovation, Barton College, Wilson, NC, USA
*Student author, ⁺Faculty mentor

CITATION

Paydar, Amirhomayoon; Kabani, Salena; Salinas, Briana; Taylor, Alex J.; Hlavinka, Bryan; & Russell, Kenneth E. (2026). Towards suppression of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons leaching from creosote-treated wood [Conference abstract]. Barton Journal, 1(1), 219–220. https://bartonjournal.org/vol-1-no-1/2026-cat4-article-no-050

Abstract

Creosote produced from coal-tar distillate is an archaic, highly toxic wood preservative commonly used today, predominantly in utilitarian applications (e.g., utility poles, railroad crossties, and marine pilings). Creosote consists of a mixture of carbon-based compounds, most of which are known human carcinogens, with high persistence to leaching and threatening groundwater and soil. As the total phase-out of creosote-treated wood is a long-term goal, the development of retroactive coatings to mitigate leaching is a high-priority environmental strategy. This study reports on the PAH leaching suppression efficacy of a poly(organosiloxane)-based nanocoating, designated Sol-186-3, that can be retroactively applied via spraying directly to creosote-treated wood substrates. The coating, composed of tetra-ethoxysilane, propyl-functional, and epoxide-functional alkoxysilanes, forms a matrix through sol-gel condensation. This coating provides a hydrophobic structure capable of interacting with wood lignocellulosic sites and creating a siloxane network. The coating is proposed to reduce PAH leaching through physical encapsulation within a hydrophobic matrix and non-covalent interactions. Aqueous leaching tests, followed by UV-absorbance spectroscopy were conducted to evaluate immobilization efficiency. The results showed suppression of peaks characteristic of PAHs, and after 3 hours of leaching, Sol-186-3-treated samples had a 66% reduction in overall leachate compared to untreated creosote wood. Water-repellent efficiency, after extended immersion in water, was confirmed by conducting the test in accordance with ASTM D103. These findings confirm that poly(organosiloxane) nanocoatings can be used as a viable and environmentally friendly means of reducing toxic leaching from existing creosote-treated wood. Beyond utilization as a mitigator, the same chemical framework proves itself as a promising wood preservative alternative for creosote without entailing the harmful consequences.

Keywords: creosote, polyorganosiloxane, nanocoatings

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