Quebracho tree


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". The corresponding English-language term for such hardwoods is breakax or breakaxe.

Species

There are at least three similar commercially important tree species that grow in the Gran Chaco region of South America.
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.
A further species, Jodina rhombifolia or quebrachillo, quebrachillo flojo and sombra de toro, sombra de toro macho, quinchilin, quinchirin, of the family Santalaceae, is also sometimes mentioned.
Other species with less economic significance are also locally known as quebracho or as quebrachillo or quebrachilla and could be found in other areas of Latin America:
as false quebracho or quebracho falso
Quebracho wood from Schinopsis spp is red-colored and very hard. Other names for the wood are:
  • Quebracho chaqueño - Argentina
  • Quebracho - Argentina
  • Quebracho macho - Argentina
  • Quebracho moro - Argentina
  • Quebracho negro - Argentina
  • Quebracho santiagueño - Argentina
  • Barauna - Brazil
  • Brauna - Brazil
  • Quebracho - Brazil
  • Quebracho hembra - Brazil
  • Quebracho cornillo - Brazil
  • Quebracho femea - Brazil
  • Quebracho rubio - Paraguay
  • Soto negro - Paraguay

    Tannins

Quebracho produces tannins that can be extracted in quebracho sawmills from the heartwood of both red and white quebracho. Logs are inserted into planers to produce chips that are used to produce the quebracho extract by boiling them in vats. It is used for fine leather tanning and imparts a red-brown color. Ordinary or warm soluble 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, 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 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 chemical structure of these extracts can be described as polymers of epicatechin. 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. Quebracho tannins give an important added value to the quality of leathers, such as vacchetta, belts and garments, making them more compact and tear resistant with a pleasant touch. The sulphited quebracho extract may be carcinogenous in mice. Other recent studies show that quebracho tannins present a strong anti-mutagenic activity. 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, the hydrolysable tannins and gallic acid found in the sapwood constitute the raw material for the biosynthesis of the condensed tannins found in the heartwood. Fustin, -7:3':4'-trihydroxyflavan-3:4-diol, -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 profisetinidins and prorobinetidins. 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, the sugars and the lignins are thought to be covalently linked to the condensed tannins.
Quebracho tannin is also sold as an enological tannin. The quebracho 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.
Quebracho tannin acts as flocculant agent to remove surfactant as sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate in water treatment.
For its polyphenolic structure, quebracho tannin is widely studied for particle boards, plywood and fiber board gluing.
The Argentine companies Unitán and Silvateam are the main leaders 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 principal vegetal tannin source in the world. Amongst other activities Ernesto Tornquist 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-Puerto [General San Martín Port Complex|San Lorenzo port].

Barbeque

The quebracho tree is also used to produce hard wood barbecue charcoal.