Abstract
The most abundant mineral produced in the wood and leaves of trees is calcium oxalate monohydrate (whewellite), and after burning the wood the ash obtained is calcite. In the case of the Tamarix sp. tree, the freshly prepared ash is calcium sulfate (anhydrite). The aim of this study is to determine the calcium sulfate mineral phase in the fresh wood of Tamarix aphylla prior to burning. SEM images of the crystals show that they express smooth faces, are about 5–15 microns in their longest dimensions and are located in the ray cells. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman microspectroscopy of the crystals in the wood and after extraction, both showed that the crystals are composed of calcium sulfate hemihydrate (bassanite). As elemental analyses of the crystals showed that in addition to calcium and sulfur, around 20 atom percent of the cations are sodium and potassium, we also obtained an X-ray powder diffraction pattern. This pattern excluded the possibility that the crystals are composed of another related mineral, and confirmed that, indeed, the crystals in the T. aphylla wood are composed of calcium sulfate hemihydrate (bassanite).
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | 289 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Minerals |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2021 |
Funding
We thank Valentina Caracuta for identifying the species of Tamarix that we are analyzing and that the crystals are in the ray cells. I.P. is the incumbent of the Sharon Zuckerman research fellow chair. Author contributions - I.P. was responsible for the Raman spectroscopy, Y.F. for the X-ray diffraction and A.K. and S.W. for the SEM and EDS analyses. All the authors participated in the analysis of the results and the writing of the paper. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
- Geology