Protection and consolidation of stone heritage by self-inoculation with indigenous carbonatogenic bacterial communities.

ABSTRACT: Enhanced salt weathering resulting from global warming and increasing environmental pollution is endangering the survival of stone monuments and artworks. To mitigate the effects of these deleterious processes, numerous conservation treatments have been applied that, however, show limited efficacy. Here we present a novel, environmentally friendly, bacterial self-inoculation approach for the conservation of stone, based on the isolation of an indigenous community of carbonatogenic bacteria from salt damaged stone, followed by their culture and re-application back onto the same stone. This method results in an effective consolidation and protection due to the formation of an abundant and exceptionally strong hybrid cement consisting of nanostructured bacterial CaCO₃ and bacterial

SUBMITTER: Jroundi F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5561188 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature