Acetyls are naturally present in wood, helping to protect it from the effects of water which can make it warp and rot. We use acetic anhydride to enhance this effect, boosting it by changing water-loving hydroxyl groups into water-repelling acetyl groups.

The result is improved performance characteristics without the need for  harmful additives: the chemical doesn’t stay in the wood as acetic anhydride, so our final product is verified as non-toxic with Cradle to Cradle Certified ® Gold, scoring ‘Platinum’ for Material Health.

The main by-product of the process is acetic acid, which we sell for use in other industries or upcycle back into acetic anhydride for reuse in our process.