Rapidly decontaminating building components, e.g. removing harmful preservative from wood

摘要

Decontamination of building components, e.g. masonry or especially woodwork, to remove harmful agents such as preservatives, involves treatment with microwaves or a high frequency alternating field using surface electrodes. A method is claimed for the treatment of materials, such as building components (especially masonry or woodwork), which release harmful agents (I), to remove (I) (including their reaction or conversion products, byproducts and impurities). The material to be treated particularly comprises wooden components in rooms, roofing or the like, which has been treated (e.g. preserved, impregnated, painted or soaked) with wood preservatives. (I) is especially a biocide, insecticide, fungicide, pesticide, dioxin or formaldehyde. The process involves treating the (I)-charged material with microwaves or a high frequency alternating field from one or more surface electrodes, so that the material is heated (especially at the surface or adjacent layers) to drive off most or all of (I).