Sonti Kamesam (1890–30 November 1952) was an Indian

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

and

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosoph ...

who worked at the Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun. He is best known for his patented wood preservative, ASCU, from the chemical symbols for Arsenic and Copper. The treatment was patented in Britain from 1934 and in the US from 1938. It also went by the name of Chromated Copper Arsenate or CCA in the United States of America from around the 1950s. In his treatment,

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

is a fungicide,

arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, ...

is a secondary fungicide and insecticide, while chromium is a fixative which also provides

ultraviolet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation ...

(UV) light resistance. Recognized for the greenish tint it imparts to timber. this preservative was extremely popular for many decades until arsenic toxicity and carcinogenicity was recognized by the US EPA and other regulators. ASCU trademark

Kamesam was born in Narsapur in West Godavari district of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

and was a younger brother of S. V. Ramamurthy. After primary education at

Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museu ...

, he graduated from Presidency College,

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

and obtained his

B.E. A Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) or a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) is an academic undergraduate degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at an accredited college or university. In the UK, a Bache ...

from

Guindy Engineering College The College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG) is a public engineering college in Chennai, India and is Asia's oldest technical institution, founded in 1794. It is also the oldest technical institution to be established outside Europe. History Due ...

. He also obtained an ME (honours) and became a Member of the Institution of Engineers (India). He joined in Forest Research Institute,

Dehra Dun Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislativ ...

and later promoted as an Expert-in-charge of Wood Preservation. He was sent to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

for research and worked with Richard Falck (1873-1955), a specialist on fungi and their damage to wood. They developed the 'Falkamesam arsenic-copper mixture' which was patented in Poland in 1932. Until then Wolman's formulation – famously known as Wolman Salts – contained

dinitrophenol Dinitrophenols are chemical compounds which are nitro derivatives of phenol. There are six isomers of dinitrophenol: * 2,3-Dinitrophenol * 2,4-Dinitrophenol * 2,5-Dinitrophenol * 2,6-Dinitrophenol * 3,4-Dinitrophenol * 3,5-Dinitrophenol Din ...

, a chemical manufactured by Hicksons, UK. In 1933, Kamesam added Copper sulphate as an anti-fungal to the formula of Wolman Salts which worked against termite damage. In addition Kamesam introduced the use of chromium to bind the two salts to the fibres of wood. He received an Indian patent in 1933, a British patent in 1934 and a US patent in 1938. The application of the ASCU process for use in the Indian Railways was examined by a committee headed by Sir C.V. Raman in 1933-34. In 1936 he designed a highway bridge with a 60-foot span. In order to prove the strength of the bridge, he made two adult elephants, each weighing in at around ten tons, walk across while his children stood underneath. After retirement Kamesam joined Tiruvankur estate as director of the development department. He built many bridges with his preserved wood. He was awarded an honorary

D.Sc. Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

Andhra University Andhra University ( IAST: ''Āndhra Vișvakalāpariṣhat'') is a public university located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established in 1926. History King Vikram Deo Verma, the Maharaja of Jeypore was one of the biggest d ...

for his contributions in 1939. He wrote a booklet on Construction of Better and cheaper highway bridges in 1943.

References

External links

A note on Kamesam (with portrait)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamesam, Sonti Telugu people 1890 births 1952 deaths People from West Godavari district Engineers from Andhra Pradesh 20th-century Indian engineers 20th-century Indian inventors Presidency College, Chennai alumni