Influence of pore structure on the effectiveness of a biogenic carbonate surface treatment for limestone conservation

Willem De Muynck, Stijn Leuridan, Denis Van Loo, Kim Verbeken, Veerle Cnudde, Nele De Belie*, Willy Verstraete

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

A ureolytic biodeposition treatment was applied to five types of limestone in order to investigate the effect of pore structure on the protective performance of a biogenic carbonate surface treatment. Protective performance was assessed by means of transport and degradation processes, and the penetration depth of the treatment was visualized by microtomography. Pore size governs bacterial adsorption and hence the location and amount of carbonate precipitated. This study indicated that in macroporous stone, biogenic carbonate formation occurred to a larger extent and at greater depths than in microporous stone. As a consequence, the biodeposition treatment exhibited the greatest protective performance on macroporous stone. While precipitation was limited to the outer surface of microporous stone, biogenic carbonate formation occurred at depths of greater than 2 mm for Savonnières and Euville. For Savonnières, the presence of biogenic carbonate resulted in a 20-fold decreased rate of water absorption, which resulted in increased resistance to sodium sulfate attack and to freezing and thawing. While untreated samples were completely degraded after 15 cycles of salt attack, no damage was observed in biodeposition-treated Savonnières. From this study, it is clear that biodeposition is very effective and more feasible for macroporous stones than for microporous stones.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6808-6820
Number of pages13
JournalApplied and Environmental Microbiology
Volume77
Issue number19
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2011

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Influence of pore structure on the effectiveness of a biogenic carbonate surface treatment for limestone conservation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this