Merichem Announces Startup of CuNap 8^® Wood Preservative Copper Naphthenate Facility at Tuscaloosa, AL Complex

Houston, TX (August 17, 1999)

Merichem Chemicals & Refinery Services LLC has expanded its Tuscaloosa, AL, facility to include production of CuNap-8^® Wood Preservative from copper naphthenate .  Company officials stand in front of the first shipment of CuNap-8^® Wood Preservative (Left). The first shipment of CuNap 8^® Wood Preservative from Merichem Chemicals & Refinery Services LLC (MCRS) of Houston, TX, was delivered to a major western wood preserving plant the first week in July. This shipment was made six months after company officials announced the expansion of their Tuscaloosa, AL, facility to include production of CuNap 8^é Wood Preservative.

MCRS' first order for CuNap 8^é Wood Preservative will be used in the pressure treatment of Douglas Fir utility poles. CuNap 8^é Wood Preservative is manufactured in MCRS' world scale, ISO 9002-registered facility, where naphthenic acid is also produced. Naphthenic acid is a major and critical ingredient of copper naphthenate.

Under current and future environmental regulations, copper naphthenate is increasingly becoming the choice for the treatment and preservation of wood products. Copper naphthenate has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a general use wood preservative, because it offers minimum hazards to treaters and users alike. It's an environmentally safe preservative and is used in pressure treating applications, as well as for remedial treatments.

CuNap 8^é Wood Preservative is an effective preservative in many pressure treating applications, such as utility poles, cross-arms, bridge timbers, fence posts, lumber and laminated beams. Due to the EPA's unrestricted, general use classification, copper naphthenate also finds use in a large number of non-pressure applications, such as, field applied remedial treatments, wood shingles, coatings and various home projects. Copper naphthenate can be purchased over the counter in retail building supply outlets.

For more information, call toll-free (inside the U.S.) 1-800-795-4980, ext. 4, or click Contacts.