Accoya: Ultra-High Performance Sustainable Wood

I recently became aware of the process of acetylation, whereby softwoods are modified with acetic anhydride to reduce their susceptibility to moisture.[1] This increases dimensional stability and resistance to mold and fungi while leaving the wood non-toxic, as opposed to traditional CCA pressure-treated wood. Similar products are Abodo[2] and Kebony[3].

The treatments make above-ground applications suitable for warranty for 25-50 years with low/no maintenance. Over that lifecycle the manufacturers suggest the (outsized) emissions from shipping the raw radiata pine from NZ to Europe, where these are modified, and then on to their destination are more than offset vs a shorter-lived wood product.

Curious how it would stack up in a wholesale actuarial comparison to a 95%+ recycled composite product like eg Trex.

[1] https://www.accoya.com/acetylation-what-is-it-and-what-is-ac...

[2] https://www.abodowood.com/

[3] https://kebony.com/