Extraction Methods for Quantifying Iron, Calcium and Magnesium in a Historic Brickwork Produced During the Spanish Colonial Period in the Philippines
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26534/kimika.v26i1.27-37Keywords:
clay brick, aqua regia digestion method, atomic absorption spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, cultural heritage conservationAbstract
This study demonstrates the feasibility of performing chemical analyses on heritage materials in the Philippines. Four extraction methods were evaluated based on the percentage of iron, calcium and magnesium in a clay brick sample obtained from an old Spanish colonial period church at Ilocos Norte. Aqua regia (1:3 HNO3:HCl, v/v) solvent was used to extract these elements by conventional hot plate digestion. The extraction methods are: digesting the sample directly with aqua regia (M1), sample pre-digested with NH4Cl and ethyl alcohol prior to the actual digestion (M2) and soaking the sample with aqua regia for 24 hours (M3) and 48 hours (M4) before digestion. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) was employed to quantify the concentration of the intended elements. The percentage composition of iron ranges from 4.193 to 4.418%, calcium from 0.123 to 0.203%, and magnesium from 2.346 to 2.458%, respectively. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis was done to support the data obtained from AAS. M1 was more effective in extracting calcium from the brick sample, while M2, M3 and M4 were useful for extracting iron and magnesium. Infrared spectroscopy (IR) provided a basic mineralogical composition of the sample, with peaks that were attributed to quartz, kaolinite, calcite, silicates and hematite.References
Avdelidis NP, Moropoulou A. Applications of Infrared Thermography for the Investigation of Historic Structures. J Cult Herit. 2004; 5:119-127.
Bohn HL, McNeal BL, O’Connor GA. Soil Chemistry. 3rd ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; 2001.
Buehrer TF. Part IV: Clay Technology in Soil Science. Role of Chemical Properties of Clays in Soil Science. Clays Clay Miner. 1952; 1(1):177-187.
Carroll D. Ion Exchange in Clays and Other Minerals. Geol Soc Am Bull. 1959 June; 70(6):749-779.
Chandigarh T. Civil Engineering Materials.
st ed. McGraw Hill Higher Education; 2005.
Chen M, Ma LQ. Comparison of Three Aqua Regia Digestion Methods for Twenty Florida Soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J. 2001; 65:491-499.
Cultrone G, Sebastián E, Elert K, De La Torre MJ, Cazalla O, Rodriguez-Navarro C. Influence of mineralogy and firing temperature on the porosity of bricks. J Eur Ceram Soc. 2004; 24:547–564.
Derrick MR, Stulik D, Landry JM. Infrared Spectroscopy in Conservation Science: Scientific Tools for Conservation. Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute; 1999.
Fernandes F, Lourenco P, Castro F. Ancient Clay Bricks: Manufacture and Properties. In: Bostenaru Dan M, Poikryl R, Torok A. Materials, Technologies and Practice in Historic Heritage Structures. Netherlands: Springer; 2010. p. 29-48.
Figueiredo MO, Veiga JP, Silva TP. Materials and Reconstruction Techniques at the Aqueduct of Carthage Since the Roman Period. In: Lourenco PB, Roca P, editors. Historical Constructions. Guimaraes; 2001. p. 391-400.
Galende, OSA PG. Philippine Church Facades. Vibal Publishing House Inc. (Filipiniana.net) and San Agustin Museum; 2007.
Gopi S. Basic Civil Engineering. Pearson Education India; 2010.
Ghosh SN. Infra-red Spectra of Some Selected Minerals, Rocks and Products. J Mater Sci. 1978 Sept; 13(9): 1877-1886.
Hughes J, Callebaut K. Practical Sampling of Historic Mortars. In: Bartos, PJM, Groot, CJW, Hughes JJ, editors. Proceedings of the RILEM International Workshop, Historic Mortars: Characteristics and Tests. Paisley; 1999. p. 17-26.
Jose RT, Valenciano AM, Gregorio A, Parado-Cunanan H, editors. Ilocos Norte: A Travel Guidebook. 1st ed. Laoag City: Gameng Foundation, Inc. Museo Ilocos Norte; 2004.
Lourenco PB, Fernandes FM, Castro F. Handmade Clay Bricks: Chemical, Physical and Mechanical Properties. Int J Architect Herit: Conserv Anal Restor. 2009; 4(1):38-58.
Lourenco PB, van Hees R, Fernandes F, Lubelli B. Characterization and Damage of Brick Masonry. In: Costa A, Guedes JM, Varum H, editors. Structural Rehabilitation of Old Buildings, Building Pathology and Rehabilitation, Volume 2. Berlin: Springer-Verlag; 2014. p. 109-130.
Mermut AR, Cano AF. Baseline Studies of the Clay Minerals Society Source Clays: Chemical Analysis of Major Elements. Clays Clay Miner. 2001; 49(5):381-386.
Navarro M, editor. Common Brick Manufacture. 1st revised ed. Taguig City Metro Manila: Department of Science and Technology, Industrial Technology Development Institute; 2007 June.
Nwosu DC, Ejikeme PCN, Ejikeme Ebere M. Physio-Chemical Characterization of ‘NGWO’ White Clay for Industrial Use. Int J Multi Sci Eng. 2013 March; 4(3):11-14.
Osabor VN, Okafor PC, Ibe KA, Ayi AA. Characterization of Clays in Odukpani, South Eastern Nigeria. Afr J Pure Appl Chem. 2009 May; 3(5):079-085.
Punmia BC, Jain Ashok K, Jain Arun K. Comprehensive Basic Civil Engineering. Laxmi Publications; 2005.
Rai DC, Dhanapal S. Bricks and Mortars in Lucknow Monuments of c. 17-18 Century. Curr Sci. 2013 Jan; 104(2):238-244.
Sathya P, Velraj G, Meyvel S. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopic Study of Ancient Brick Samples from Salavankuppam Region, Tamilnadu, India. Adv Appl Sci Res. 2012; 3(2):776-779.
Schroeder PA. Infrared Spectroscopy in Clay Science: In: Rule A, Guggenheim S, editors. CMS Workshop Lectures, Teaching Clay Science Volume 11. Aurora CO: The Clay Mineral Society; 2002. p. 181-206.
Senvaitiene J, Smirnova J, Beganskiene A, Kareiva. XRD and FTIR Characterisation of Lead Oxide-Based Pigments and Glazes. Acta Chim Slov. 2007; 54:185-193.
Sheikh MR, Barua AG. X-ray Diffraction and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectra of the Bricks of the Kamakhya Temple. Indian J Pure Ap Phy. 2013 Nov; 51:745-748.
Somayaji S. Civil Engineering Materials. 2nd ed. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.; 2001
Sposito G, Skipper NT, Sutton R, Park S, Soper AK, Greathouse JA. Surface Geochemistry of the Clay Minerals. Proc Natl Acad Sci. USA. 1999 March; 96:3358-3364.
Torraca G. Porous Materials Building: Material Science Architectural Conservation. 3rd ed. ICCROM; 1988.
Uda M, Sassa S, Yoshimura S, Kondo J, Nakamura M, Ban Y, Adachi H. Yellow, Red and Blue Pigments from Ancient Egyptian Palace Painted Walls. Nucl Instrum Meth B. 2000; 161-163;758-761.
Velda B. Introduction to Clay Minerals: Chemistry, Origins, Uses and Environmental Significance. Springer Netherlands; 1992.
Zialcita F, Cruz-Angeles RB, editors. Balangkas: A Resource Book on the Care of Built Heritage in the Philippines. Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Manila; 2007.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
