In cooling tower wood, when natural extractives are leached away, it becomes less able to resist what?

• A. sap is
• B. lignin is
• C. cellulose is
• D. natural extractives are

Answer: (D)

Natural extractives act as built-in preservatives in wood, helping to guard against decay, fungi, and moisture. When cooling tower water leaches these compounds away, the wood loses much of its inherent protection. Without these protective substances, the wood becomes much more susceptible to biological attack and deterioration from moisture. Lignin and cellulose are structural components and don’t provide the same protective effect against decay through leaching, and sap isn’t the protective factor in cured wood. So, the loss of natural extractives reduces the wood’s resistance to decay and deterioration.