The new sliding cabinet will allow the enlargement of the collection of tree samples from Xiloteca Dr. Harry Van der Slooten – name given in honor of the founder of LPF – which currently has more than five thousand wood samples of about three thousand species of timber trees.
The equipment was acquired through cooperation between LPF/SFB and the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), with funding from the German Development Bank (KfW), through the Bioamazon Project.
The new equipment will assist the LPF team in conducting research and projects related to the identification of Brazilian woods.
Learn more about each equipment already available at the Forest Products Laboratory:
S.E.M – Scanning Electron Microscope
The scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a type of microscope capable of producing high-resolution images of the surface of a wood sample. Due to the way in which images are generated, SEM images have a characteristic three-dimensional appearance and are useful for assessing the surface structure of the sample. In addition to evaluating the topographical aspects, this technique is also useful to check the composition and other characteristics of the materials, especially the model acquired by the LPF, which has an E.D.S. EDS analyzes are used for qualitative and semi-quantitative microanalysis of chemical elements present in the sample, such as carbon and oxygen.
With this equipment, a new spectrum of the universe opens up to the LPF, allowing analyzes with magnifications above 100,000 times, that is, 100 times greater than the largest increase of the old optical microscope used in the laboratory.
The three-dimensional images allow us to understand in more detail the aspects of the different cellular configurations presented by the immense biodiversity of Brazilian woods, enabling microscopic analyzes even on samples of carbonized wood, impossible to be performed in conventional microscope.
Stereomicroscope with motorized focus and fluorescence analysis
Despite operating on a macroscopic magnification scale of up to 180 times, this equipment allows the production of very high-resolution images, essential to support the construction of electronic identification keys. In addition, the motorized focus, together with the equipment’s software, allows the production of photos with 100% focus, even on samples of uneven surfaces. Another great advantage of the equipment is the lighting system, capable of producing photos without reflections, essential for the analysis of certain types of wood and coal. This equipment also has a UV light emitter, capable of carrying out analyzes of the natural fluorescence of the woods or accompanying experiments that use contrast markers.
