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|Articles|April 10, 2023

Handheld Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Could Improve Identification of Dalbergia spp

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Key Takeaways

  • Dalbergia overexploitation driven by illicit trade creates a high-stakes need for rapid, defensible species identification to operationalize regulatory enforcement and conservation measures.
  • LIBS enables minimally prepared, on-site chemical fingerprinting by laser ablation and emission spectroscopy, generating multivariate data suitable for chemometric classification of hardwoods.
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Evaluating different spectral collection strategies for identifying Dalbergia species using handheld LIBS is a significant advancement in the field of wood identification.

Dalbergia is a genus of tropical hardwood trees that are prized for their high-quality wood, which is used in furniture, musical instruments, and other applications. However, the illegal harvesting and trade of Dalbergia wood has led to overexploitation of the species and significant damage to their natural habitats. This is why it is critical that identifying the species of Dalbergia wood is essential for enforcing trade regulations and protecting the species (1). Researchers have evaluated different spectral collection strategies for identifying Dalbergia species using handheld laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) (1).

LIBS is a powerful tool for analyzing the chemical composition of materials, including wood. It works by focusing a laser beam on the wood sample, causing a small amount of material to vaporize and emit light (1). The emitted light is then analyzed to determine the chemical composition of the wood (1). The researchers examined two spectral collection strategies, the raster-scanning approach and the spot-by-spot approach, and tested them for their effectiveness for identifying Dalbergia species (1).

The research team found that both strategies were able to accurately identify the species of Dalbergia wood, with an overall accuracy of over 90%, according to the study (1). However, the spot-by-spot approach was faster and required less computational power than the raster-scanning approach. The researchers suggest that the spot-by-spot approach is the preferred method for rapid identification of Dalbergia species in the field (1).

The study highlights the potential of handheld LIBS as a tool for enforcing trade regulations and protecting endangered species. The method could be used to quickly identify the species of wood in shipments at ports of entry, helping to prevent the illegal trade of endangered species (1).

In summary, the evaluation of different spectral collection strategies for identifying Dalbergia species using handheld LIBS represents a significant advancement in the field of wood identification (1). The method has the potential to improve the accuracy and efficiency of species identification, helping to protect endangered species and promote sustainable trade practices.

Reference

(1) Celani, C. P.; McCormick, R. A.; Speed, A. M.; Johnston, W.; Jordan, J. A.; Coplen, T. B.; Booksh, K. S. Evaluation of Spectral Collection Strategies for Identification of Dalbergia spp. Using Handheld Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). J. Chemometr. 2023, e3479. DOI: 10.1002/cem.3479

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