how to sterilize a peice of found driftwood?

[ill will]

i found some gnarly drift wood today, but i found it by chicago river across from an abandoned industrial site...
one of them was a gnarly small tree stump with wooden roots that look like branches. it came from up on the grass 10 feet above water level. it was completely dry an clean but slightly dusty, flaky, crumbly, or spongy like hard foam in places, but looked sunbaked and grey~tan in color (greyish bark where it still was).

the other my freind broke off from an old wooden support beam a few feet out of the water (damp, dark nautical grade hardwood that doesnt really rot easily). theres some rich green moss growing on it, but also looks like some grainy derbis is on parts of it from probably from being washed up by previously high water levels and kinda dirty at the base. it looks like it could have come out of the forest though.

so how can i dry it out and prep it to put in a vivarium (no animals in it, just plants... i would never put it in with frogs because the chicago river is notoriously toxic) but i still want it as sterile as possible to keep the plants and mosses safe. i mean, there is some moss or algae on it already so it cant be radioactive or anything, but the forest moss i have is more sensitive.

any tips would be greatly appreciated.

[RecycledAgain]

Pressure wash it clean and soak it for a bit. If its soft and spongy , its gonna rot quick. Once its clean and water logged , put it in the oven and bake it at 250 - 300 degrees for a few hours. The water in the wood will cook out and the heat will boil an unwanted hitchhikers.

Dan

[ill will]

thanks. that method sounds a lot easier than the other ones i found online which involved bleach and many days worth of soak & rinse. However, there is some nice green coloration from moss and algae on it which i'd like to maintain if possible (im going to grow my own moss on it too, but i dont have spores for the microscopic stuff that just makes the wood look bright green).

so how can i get rid of potential insect eggs and bacteria without killing the chlorophyll? i know heat is the best way to kill bugs and germs, but that will no doubt kill the algae too... could i put it in the freezer for a few days instead? that will kill off bugs, but i know some types of moss can survive the frost, so i'd rather do that if its safe. is that a good idea?

edit: maybe i could scrape some of the green stuff off and slather it back on with buttermilk after the wood has been baked. i know that works with moss spores, but what about the algae i was describing?

[Chu'Wuti]

Any insect eggs and some insects can survive freezing weather, so putting the wood in your deep freezer won't do the trick.

I wonder if there's a way to collect some of the algae you're wanting to maintain prior to baking it, then re-inoculate the wood after baking the wood and after it cools down with the algae? You'd want to redampen the wood as well so the algae can begin growing again.

[jhouse]

I boil all my wood for 15 minutes after a quick rinse down. This also removes the tannins so it will not stain the water, especially great for keepig the water in vivarium features and planted tanks clean and clear.