MicroPro® Treated Lumber and Environmental Standards

EPP MicroPro Logo MicroPro - treated Wood Just Got Greener

Osmose® MicroPro® Technology Earns Environmentally Preferable
Product Certification from Scientific Certification Systems

December 3, 2007 - Osmose Inc., the premier supplier of wood preservative technologies, and Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), a third-party certification services and standards development company, today announced that Osmose’s MicroPro technology has been certified by SCS as an Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP). MicroPro is the first and only wood preservative technology in the world to receive this rigorous certification.

Unlike current copper-based lumber preservatives, the MicroPro technology system does not use organic solvents to dissolve the copper component. Instead, the MicroPro system utilizes patent pending micronizing technology to grind copper particles so small that they can penetrate into the wood in solid form. Wood products treated with the MicroPro preservative system, when compared to current copper-based wood treatments, offer consumer benefits of low corrosion to metal fasteners, approval for aluminum contact, and better painting and staining qualities because of the wood’s lighter color.
The unique MicroPro production process results in the reduction of an estimated 20,000 tons or more of greenhouse gas emissions each year, based on annual production levels. (This is equivalent to the annual emissions of approximately 2,200 SUV’s.) The MicroPro® formulation requires fewer trucks to transport the preservative when compared to other wood treatment products. Fewer trucks means reduced pollutants from tailpipe emissions and, as a result, reduced contribution to acid rain, smog, soot, and oceanic acidification.

Stan Rhodes, SCS President, stated, “In conducting this certification, SCS examined a broad range of potential environmental impacts. The new MicroPro® wood preservative system from Osmose has set a new benchmark of environmental performance for wood preservatives.”

Osmose MicroPro Technology Highlights and
Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) Benefits

First and Only Wood Preservative to Receive EPP Status – The Osmose MicroPro® technology is the first wood preservative to be EPP (Environmentally Preferable Product) certified by Scientific Certification Systems.

Reduced Energy Use – The Osmose MicroPro® preservative system reduces total energy use by approximately 80% and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Largely Eliminates Copper Releases - Wood products treated with the Osmose MicroPro preservative system result in the release of 90% to 99% less copper into aquatic and terrestrial environments when compared to standard treated wood products The very small amount released bonds readily to organic matter in the soil and becomes biologically inactive, thus causing no measurable eco-toxic impacts.

Reduced Air Emissions – The solution containing the MicroPro® copper preservative formula is four times more concentrated than the industry standard. As a result, fewer trucks are required for transport. Fewer trucks, combined with the absence of monoethanolamine (MEA) in the production process, result in a reduction of air pollutants from tailpipe emissions and associated impacts, including: soot, nitrous oxide, volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), particulate matter, and reduced impacts of acid rain, smog, and oceanic acidification.

Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions – The absence of MEA in the production process, combined with the reduced use of fuel and fewer trucks, means that using MicroPro® technology in lieu of standard wood treatment formulations reduces an estimated 20,000 tons or more of greenhouse gas emissions each year. (This is equivalent to the annual emissions of approximately 2,200 SUV’s.)

“Treated Wood Just Got Greenersm” is a Service Mark of Osmose, Inc..