Quebracho tree
Encyclopedia
Quebracho is a common name in Spanish
to describe very hard wood tree species. The etymology
of the name derived from quiebrahacha, or quebrar hacha, meaning "axe
-breaker".
region of South America.
A fourth species, Jodina rhombifolia
(syn. Iodinia rhombifolia, the Quebracho flojo (the loose quebracho) or quebrachillo) of the family Santalaceae, is also sometimes mentioned.
These species provide tannin and a very hard, durable timber
. Quebracho is sometimes used as a commercial name for the tannin derived from the trees or their timber.
Other species with less economical significance are also locally known as quebracho and could be found in other areas of Latin America :
as Quebracho blanco
as Quebracho colorado
as Quebracho de cerro
s that can be extracted in quebracho sawmills from the heartwood of both red (Schinopsis lorentzii
) and white quebracho (Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco
). Logs are inserted into planers
to produce chips that are used to produce the quebracho extract by boiling them into vats. It is used for fine leather tanning and imparts a red-brown color. Ordinary or warm soluble quebracho (also known as insoluble Quebracho) is the natural extract obtained directly from the quebracho wood. This type of extract is rich in condensed tannins of natural high molecular weight (phlobaphene
s), which are not easily soluble. Its use is therefore limited to addition of small amounts during the process of tanning leather intended for shoe soles in hot liquids (temperature above 35°C) to improve the yield and the water-proofness of the leather. The cold soluble extracts are obtained by subjecting the ordinary extract to a sulphiting process
which transforms the phlobaphenes into completely soluble tannins. The cold soluble quebracho extracts are the most universally known and used types. The main properties of these extracts are: a very rapid penetration, a high tannin content and a relatively low percentage of non-tannins. The rather low acid and medium salt content characterise them as mild tanning extracts (low astringency). This sulphited quebracho extract may be carcinogenous in mice. The heartwood contains from 20 to 30 percent tannin and 3 or 4 percent water-soluble nontannin. It is said to not ferment.
According to King and White (1957), the hydrolysable tannin
s and gallic acid
found in the sapwood
constitute the raw material for the biosynthesis of the condensed tannins found in the heartwood. Fustin
(predominantly (-)-Fustin 66%), (-)-7:3':4'-trihydroxyflavan-3:4-diol ((-)-leuco-fisetinidin), (+)-catechin
, gallic acid, fisetin
and 2-benzyl-2-hydroxycoumaran-3-ones have been isolated from the heartwoods
of Schinopsis balansae
, Schinopsis quebrachocolorado and from commercial quebracho extract. Quebracho tannin is rich in profisetinidin
s and prorobinetidin
s. The expected masses found in mass spectrometry in negative mode in quebracho tannin are 289, 561, 833, 951, 1105, 1377, 1393, 1651 and 1667. In Quebracho colorado, the sugars and the lignin
are thought to be covalently linked to the condensed tannins.
Quebracho tannin is also sold as an enological tannin. The quabracho tannins structure is very similar to that of grape tannins, making them a desirable alternative to consider comparatively because they are much less expensive to produce than grape tannins. Myo-inositol and arabitol
are detected in tannins from quebracho.
Researches are being made to develop an eco-friendly anti-biofouling
paint from quebracho tannin.
The tannic acid
, in the form of alkalized salts, was extensively used as a deflocculant in drilling muds in 1940s-1950s, until it was replaced with lignosulfonates
. Its red color gave the mixture the name red mud.
The Argentine company Unitán
is one a the leader in quebracho tannins production.
(1842–1908) organised the exploitation of quebracho in Santiago del Estero
, in the Chaco region. Originally a dry forest area, the abundance of quebracho attracted timber industries of British capital during the 19th century, leading to extensive deforestation
. This devastated the ecosystem in a relatively short time. The private owners of the Chaco then turned to cotton production, employing the local Toba people as a cheap seasonal workforce; the conditions did not change substantially for decades.
The British-owned Central Argentine Railway
reached the city of Santiago del Estero in 1884 and the trees were exported via San Lorenzo port
.
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
to describe very hard wood tree species. The etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
of the name derived from quiebrahacha, or quebrar hacha, meaning "axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
-breaker".
Species
There are at least three similar commercially important tree species that grow in the Gran ChacoGran Chaco
The Gran Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semi-arid lowland region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, where it is connected with the Pantanal region...
region of South America.
- the red quebracho
- Schinopsis lorentziiSchinopsis lorentziiSchinopsis lorentzii is a hardwood tree, native of the Paraguayan subtropical area, which forms forests in Gran Chaco region of Argentina, in Paraguay, and Bolivia. Some of its common names are coronillo, quebracho Cornillo , quebracho chaqueño, quebracho colorado santiagueño, quebracho macho, and...
(the quebracho colorado santiagueño), of the family Anacardiaceae - Schinopsis balansaeSchinopsis balansaeSchinopsis balansae is a hardwood tree which forms forests in the subtropical Gran Chaco ecoregion of north-eastern Argentina, and Paraguay. It is also found in the wild Pantanal vegetation in Brazil. Some of its common names are quebracho colorado chaqueño and quebracho santafesino...
(the quebracho colorado chaqueño), of the same family
- Schinopsis lorentzii
- the white quebracho or Aspidosperma quebracho-blancoAspidosperma quebracho-blancoQuebracho blanco is a South American tree species, which is found in the northern regions of Argentina. It must not be confused with other species also known as quebracho, but belonging to the genus Schinopsis.-Growth:Quebracho blanco wood is uniformly yellow-ochre, without differences between...
of the family Apocynaceae
A fourth species, Jodina rhombifolia
Jodina rhombifolia
Jodina rhombifolia is a tree species of the family Santalaceae.-External links:*...
(syn. Iodinia rhombifolia, the Quebracho flojo (the loose quebracho) or quebrachillo) of the family Santalaceae, is also sometimes mentioned.
These species provide tannin and a very hard, durable timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
. Quebracho is sometimes used as a commercial name for the tannin derived from the trees or their timber.
Other species with less economical significance are also locally known as quebracho and could be found in other areas of Latin America :
- Astronium fraxinifoliumAstronium fraxinifoliumAstronium fraxinifolium is a timber tree, which is native to Amazon Rainforest, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, and Cerrado vegetation in Brazil. This plant is cited in Flora Brasiliensis by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius...
Schott; Anacardiaceae; N. Colombia - Krugiodendron ferreumKrugiodendron ferreumKrugiodendron ferreum, commonly known as the Black Ironwood or Leadwood, is a species of tree in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae. It is found in southern Florida, throughout the Caribbean and from southern Mexico to Honduras...
Urban; Rhamnaceae; Br. Honduras - Lonchocarpus michelianus Pittier; Leguminosae; Salvador
- Lysiloma acapulcense Benth. ; Leguminosae; Honduras
- Lysiloma divaricata Steud. ; Leguminosae; Salvador
- Piptadenia constricta MacBride; Leguminosae; Salvador
- Sloanea sp. ; Elaeocarpaceae; Jamaica
- Tabebuia chrysanthaTabebuia chrysanthaTabebuia chrysantha , known as cañaguate in northern Colombia , as tajibo in Bolivia, and as ipê-amarelo in Brazil, is a native tree of the intertropical broadleaf deciduous forests of South America above the Tropic of Capricorn...
Nicholson; Bignoniaceae; Honduras - Tecoma sp.; Bignoniaceae; Honduras
as Quebracho blanco
- Aspidosperma sp.; Apocynaceae; Surinam
- Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco Schlecht. ; Apocynaceae; Paraguay, Argentina
- Poeppigia procera Presl. ; Leguminosae; Salvador
- Schinopsis haenkeanaSchinopsis haenkeanaSchinopsis haenkeana is a species of plant in the Anacardiaceae family. It is found in Argentina and Bolivia. Its vernacular names include Quebracho blanco, horco quebracho.-Source:...
; Anacardiaceae; Argentina and Bolivia; also hnown as horco quebracho
as Quebracho colorado
- Aspidosperma quebracho-colorado Schlecht. ; Apocynaceae; Paraguay, Argentina
- Schinopsis heterophyllaSchinopsis heterophyllaSchinopsis heterophylla, the Quebracho colorado mestizo, is a South American tree species in the genus Schinopsis.Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America for people of mixed European and Amerindian heritage or descent....
, the Quebracho colorado mestizo
as Quebracho de cerro
- Diphysa robinioides Benth.; Leguminosae; Honduras
Wood
Quebracho wood from Schinopsis spp is red-colored and very hard. Other names for the wood are :- Quebracho chaqueño - Argentina
- Quebracho colorado - Argentina
- Quebracho macho - Argentina
- Quebracho moro - Argentina
- Quebracho negro - Argentina
- Quebracho santiagueño - Argentina
- Barauna - Brazil
- Brauna - Brazil
- Quebracho colorado - Brazil
- Quebracho hembra - Brazil
- Quebracho cornillo (= Schinopsis lorentzii) - Brazil
- Quebracho femea (= S. balansae) - Brazil
- Quebracho rubio - Paraguay
- Soto negro - Paraguay
Tannins
Quebracho produces tanninTannin
A tannin is an astringent, bitter plant polyphenolic compound that binds to and precipitates proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.The term tannin refers to the use of...
s that can be extracted in quebracho sawmills from the heartwood of both red (Schinopsis lorentzii
Schinopsis lorentzii
Schinopsis lorentzii is a hardwood tree, native of the Paraguayan subtropical area, which forms forests in Gran Chaco region of Argentina, in Paraguay, and Bolivia. Some of its common names are coronillo, quebracho Cornillo , quebracho chaqueño, quebracho colorado santiagueño, quebracho macho, and...
) and white quebracho (Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco
Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco
Quebracho blanco is a South American tree species, which is found in the northern regions of Argentina. It must not be confused with other species also known as quebracho, but belonging to the genus Schinopsis.-Growth:Quebracho blanco wood is uniformly yellow-ochre, without differences between...
). Logs are inserted into planers
Plane (tool)
A hand plane is a tool for shaping wood. When powered by electricity, the tool may be called a planer. Planes are used to flatten, reduce the thickness of, and impart a smooth surface to a rough piece of lumber or timber. Planing is used to produce horizontal, vertical, or inclined flat surfaces on...
to produce chips that are used to produce the quebracho extract by boiling them into vats. It is used for fine leather tanning and imparts a red-brown color. Ordinary or warm soluble quebracho (also known as insoluble Quebracho) is the natural extract obtained directly from the quebracho wood. This type of extract is rich in condensed tannins of natural high molecular weight (phlobaphene
Phlobaphene
Phlobaphenes can be defined either as the reddish colored phenolic substances extracted from plant that are alcohol soluble and water insoluble or the reddish colored, water insoluble products that result from treatment of tannin extracts with mineral acids .The name phlobaphen come from the Greek...
s), which are not easily soluble. Its use is therefore limited to addition of small amounts during the process of tanning leather intended for shoe soles in hot liquids (temperature above 35°C) to improve the yield and the water-proofness of the leather. The cold soluble extracts are obtained by subjecting the ordinary extract to a sulphiting process
Sulfite process
The sulfite process produces wood pulp which is almost pure cellulose fibers by using various salts of sulfurous acid to extract the lignin from wood chips in large pressure vessels called digesters. The salts used in the pulping process are either sulfites , or bisulfites , depending on the pH...
which transforms the phlobaphenes into completely soluble tannins. The cold soluble quebracho extracts are the most universally known and used types. The main properties of these extracts are: a very rapid penetration, a high tannin content and a relatively low percentage of non-tannins. The rather low acid and medium salt content characterise them as mild tanning extracts (low astringency). This sulphited quebracho extract may be carcinogenous in mice. The heartwood contains from 20 to 30 percent tannin and 3 or 4 percent water-soluble nontannin. It is said to not ferment.
According to King and White (1957), the hydrolysable tannin
Hydrolysable tannin
A hydrolyzable tannin or pyrogallol-type tannin is a type of tannin that, on heating with hydrochloric or sulfuric acids, yields gallic or ellagic acids....
s and gallic acid
Gallic acid
Gallic acid is a trihydroxybenzoic acid, a type of phenolic acid, a type of organic acid, also known as 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid, found in gallnuts, sumac, witch hazel, tea leaves, oak bark, and other plants. The chemical formula is C6H23COOH. Gallic acid is found both free and as part of...
found in the sapwood
Sapwood
Sapwood may refer to:* Sapwood, the part of living wood where sap flows, as distinct from the heartwood, where it doesn't* SS-6 Sapwood, the NATO reporting name for the R-7 Semyorka intercontinental ballistic missile...
constitute the raw material for the biosynthesis of the condensed tannins found in the heartwood. Fustin
Fustin
Fustin is a flavanonol, a type of flavonoid. It can be found in young fustic and in the lacquer tree ....
(predominantly (-)-Fustin 66%), (-)-7:3':4'-trihydroxyflavan-3:4-diol ((-)-leuco-fisetinidin), (+)-catechin
Catechin
Catechin is a natural phenol antioxidant plant secondary metabolite. The term catechins is also commonly used to refer to the related family of flavonoids and the subgroup flavan-3-ols ....
, gallic acid, fisetin
Fisetin
Fisetin is a flavonol, a structurally distinct chemical substance that belongs to the flavonoid group of polyphenols. It can be found in many plants, where it serves as a colouring agent...
and 2-benzyl-2-hydroxycoumaran-3-ones have been isolated from the heartwoods
of Schinopsis balansae
Schinopsis balansae
Schinopsis balansae is a hardwood tree which forms forests in the subtropical Gran Chaco ecoregion of north-eastern Argentina, and Paraguay. It is also found in the wild Pantanal vegetation in Brazil. Some of its common names are quebracho colorado chaqueño and quebracho santafesino...
, Schinopsis quebrachocolorado and from commercial quebracho extract. Quebracho tannin is rich in profisetinidin
Profisetinidin
A profisetinidin is a type of condensed tannins formed from fisetinidin.Mimosa and quebracho tannins are, according to a comparative 13C NMR study of polyflavonoids, found to be predominantly profisetinidin/prorobinetidin-type tannins....
s and prorobinetidin
Prorobinetidin
A prorobinetidin is a type of condensed tannins formed from robinetidin.Mimosa and quebracho tannins are, according to a comparative 13C NMR study of polyflavonoids, found to be predominantly profisetinidin/prorobinetidin-type tannins....
s. The expected masses found in mass spectrometry in negative mode in quebracho tannin are 289, 561, 833, 951, 1105, 1377, 1393, 1651 and 1667. In Quebracho colorado, the sugars and the lignin
Lignin
Lignin or lignen is a complex chemical compound most commonly derived from wood, and an integral part of the secondary cell walls of plants and some algae. The term was introduced in 1819 by de Candolle and is derived from the Latin word lignum, meaning wood...
are thought to be covalently linked to the condensed tannins.
Quebracho tannin is also sold as an enological tannin. The quabracho tannins structure is very similar to that of grape tannins, making them a desirable alternative to consider comparatively because they are much less expensive to produce than grape tannins. Myo-inositol and arabitol
Arabitol
Arabitol or arabinitol is a sugar alcohol. It can be formed by the reduction of either arabinose or lyxose. Some organic acid tests check for the presence of D-arabinitol, which may indicate overgrowth of intestinal parasites such as Candida albicans or other yeast/fungus species....
are detected in tannins from quebracho.
Researches are being made to develop an eco-friendly anti-biofouling
Biofouling
Biofouling or biological fouling is the undesirable accumulation of microorganisms, plants, algae, or animals on wetted structures.-Impact:...
paint from quebracho tannin.
The tannic acid
Tannic acid
Tannic acid is a specific commercial form of tannin, a type of polyphenol. Its weak acidity is due to the numerous phenol groups in the structure...
, in the form of alkalized salts, was extensively used as a deflocculant in drilling muds in 1940s-1950s, until it was replaced with lignosulfonates
Lignosulfonates
Lignosulfonates, or sulfonated lignin, are water-soluble anionic polyelectrolyte polymers: they are byproducts from the production of wood pulp using sulfite pulping....
. Its red color gave the mixture the name red mud.
The Argentine company Unitán
Unitán
Unitán is an Argentine company producing quebracho tannins. Its production amounts to 40.000 tonnes of tannins sold to the tanning industry, the drilling industry, for the enological applications and as animal food....
is one a the leader in quebracho tannins production.
Quebracho exploitation
The tanning properties of quebracho extracts were discovered in 1867 by a French tanner, Emilio Poisier, who lived in Argentina. By 1895, the quebracho extracts were exported to Europe and became the first vegetal tannin source in the world. Amongst other activities Ernesto TornquistErnesto Tornquist
Ernesto Carlos Tornquist is considered to be one of the most important entrepreneurs in Argentina at the end of the 19th century. The diversified business empire he created played a key role in helping to link Argentina with the trading and financial systems of the first world...
(1842–1908) organised the exploitation of quebracho in Santiago del Estero
Santiago del Estero
Santiago del Estero is the capital of Santiago del Estero Province in northern Argentina. It has a population of 244,733 inhabitants, making it the twelfth largest city in the country, with a surface area of 2,116 km². It lies on the Dulce River and on National Route 9, at a distance of...
, in the Chaco region. Originally a dry forest area, the abundance of quebracho attracted timber industries of British capital during the 19th century, leading to extensive deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
. This devastated the ecosystem in a relatively short time. The private owners of the Chaco then turned to cotton production, employing the local Toba people as a cheap seasonal workforce; the conditions did not change substantially for decades.
The British-owned Central Argentine Railway
Central Argentine Railway
The Central Argentine Railway was one of the Big Four broad gauge, , British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina...
reached the city of Santiago del Estero in 1884 and the trees were exported via San Lorenzo port
San Lorenzo-Puerto General San Martín Port Complex
The San Lorenzo-Puerto General San Martín Port Complex is a series of port facilities on the western shore of the lower course of the Paraná River in Argentina, which are shared by the cities of San Lorenzo and Puerto General San Martín, province of Santa Fe....
.