Isolation of a wide range of minerals from a thermally treated plant: Equisetum arvense, a Mare’s tale

Abstract

Silica is the second most abundant biomineral being exceeded in nature only by biogenic CaCO3. Many land plants (such as rice, cereals, cucumber, etc.) deposit silica in significant amounts to reinforce their tissues and as a systematic response to pathogen attack. One of the most ancient species of living vascular plants, Equisetum arvense is also able to take up and accumulate silica in all parts of the plant. Numerous methods have been developed for elimination of the organic material and/or metal ions present in plant material to isolate biogenic silica. However, depending on the chemical and/or physical treatment applied to branch or stem from Equisetum arvense; other mineral forms such glass-type materials (i.e. CaSiO3), salts (i.e. KCl) or luminescent materials can also be isolated from the plant material. In the current contribution, we show the chemical and/or thermal routes that lead to the formation of a number of different mineral types in addition to biogenic silica.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00775-015-1320-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Cellulose Mineralization as a Route for Novel Functional Materials

“…Some plants such as rice, cereals, and cucumber are considered to be Si accumulator . This SiO 2 is called biogenic silica or biosilica . Davy indicated more than 200 years ago that “the siliceous epidermis serves as a support, protects the bark …, and seems to perform a part in the economy of these feeble vegetable tribes; similar to that performed in the animal kingdom by the shell of the crustaceous insects” (p. 52).…”

“…The amount of biogenic silica in plants together with biological organisms such as sponges or diatoms reaches gigatons per annum, while mere megatons of SiO 2 are produced in the chemical industry . Its formation at ambient conditions without using acids, alkali, and organic solvents receives great attention but the mechanisms and role of polysaccharide are still far from being understood …”

Natural Rubber Biocomposites Filled with Phyto-Ashes Rich in Biogenic Silica Obtained from Wheat Straw and Field Horsetail

“…A great example of such a source is horsetail, which contains up to 25% silica by weight [ 10 ]. Most of this silica is in the secondary cell wall [ 12 ]. Horsetail is a vascular plant.…”

Preliminary Evaluation of the Silica and Others Chemical Constituents of the Lyophilized Tea of Equisetum Arvense and Application of Its Biomass Wastes for Copper Adsorption

“…The herb Equisetum arvense is an herbaceous plant of Equisetopsida class, Equisetales order, Equisetaceae family and belonging to pteridófitas group, commonly known as horsetail. It is originated in Europe, which has in its composition: minerals, potassium, magnesium, aluminum, calcium, phosphorus, phosphorus and sodium besides it is also known as one of the plants with the highest accumulation of silica (biogenic silica) (Sola-Rabada et al, 2016). The horsetail usually has more than 10% of inorganic constituents (Mimica-Dukic et al, 2008) phenolic compounds, flavonoids, among others (Hodson et al, 2005).…”