The SiOO X Story – Protecting the Planet - Book - Page 28
product having to be treated as hazardous waste. This requires
awareness not only of what substances are currently listed as
potentially hazardous, but what legislation there may be in the
pipeline that would change the classification of products already
in service, even when they are currently not a concern.
silvery-grey colour. This is not an issue, provided the weathering
takes place evenly. Sadly, there are far too many examples of
buildings where the weathering is anything but even, often due
to shadow effects, or local microclimates. This is why SiOO:X was
invented. A non-biocidal wood protection system that reacts
with the wood and the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to
lay down silica particles in the wood giving an even silvery-grey
appearance.
The design philosophy has to be: maximise product lifetime,
then facilitate re-use/recycling/cascading. Finally, at the end
of life, the timber product can be incinerated with recovery
of the stored solar energy and release of the biogenic carbon
back to the atmosphere as part of the grand carbon cycle. This
incineration must not produce hazardous waste as a by-product.
This is the philosophy behind SiOO:X; the protection system
contains no substances of concern, it is non-biocidal in its mode
of action, it is water-deliverable and hence VOC-free, and it does
not leave hazardous residues in the wood at end of life.
Apart from outright failure, often linked to poor design or detailing, the most common reason for the replacement of exterior
timber products is an aesthetic one. Unless wood in service is
coated (requiring maintenance), the wood will weather to a
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