A rapid method to demonstrate and evaluate microbial activity on decaying sandstone

Warscheid, Thomas; Petersen, Karin; Krumbein, Wolfgang E.

doi:10.1179/sic.1990.35.3.137

Cited by 17 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The colonization of microorganisms results in the formation of alteration patinas on stone surfaces, e.g., on marble mainly consisting of calcium oxalate layers (Jones and Wilson 1985), which are linked to biological weathering (Krumbein 1988;Warscheid et al 1990). Microorganisms produce organic acids, which may function as acids as well as chelating agents (Jones et al 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of air pollution on stone decay: the decay of the Drachenfels trachyte in industrial, urban, and rural environments—a case study of the Cologne, Altenberg and Xanten cathedrals

et al. 2013

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Severe stone deterioration is evident at the Cologne cathedral. In particular, the ''Drachenfels'' trachyte, which was the building material of the medieval construction period, shows significant structural deterioration as well as massive formation of gypsum crusts. The present article investigates crust formation on limestone, sandstone, and volcanic rock from the Cologne cathedral as well as from the Xanten and Altenberg cathedrals. These three buildings, showing varying degrees of deterioration, are located in different areas and exposed to varying industrial, urban, and rural pollution. Thin laminar and black framboidal crusts form on calcareous as well as silicate stone. The lack of a significant intrinsic calcium and sulfur source for the formation of the gypsum crusts on the Drachenfels trachyte indicates major extrinsic environmental impact: a sufficient offer of SO x from pollutant fluxes as well as external calcium sources (e.g., pollution, mortars, neighboring calcite stones). Chemical analyses reveal strong gypsum enrichment within the crusts as well as higher concentrations of lead and other pollutants (arsenic, antimony, bismuth, tin, etc.), which generally can be linked to traffic and industry. The formation of weathering crusts in an industrial environment is clearly distinguishable from that in rural areas. Scanning electron microscopy observations confirm that the total amount of pollution is less at the Altenberg cathedral than at the Cologne and Xanten cathedrals. XRF analyses show that the formation of gypsum occurs in lower amounts at Altenberg. This correlates well with the measured SO 2 content and the intensity of the decay at the different locations. Furthermore, the different types of crusts, e.g., framboidal and laminar, can be differentiated and assigned to the different locations. The black weathering crusts on the silicate Drachenfels trachyte contribute to the degradation of the historic building material. They enhance mechanical moisture-related deterioration processes and the decay by chemical corrosion of rock-forming minerals. Although SO 2 concentrations in air have shown a strong decrease over the past 30 years, degradation in connection with weathering crusts is still observed. This indicates that not only contemporary or recent emissions, but also past pollutant concentrations have to be considered.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of air pollution on stone decay: the decay of the Drachenfels trachyte in industrial, urban, and rural environments—a case study of the Cologne, Altenberg and Xanten cathedrals

et al. 2013

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“…Dehydrogenase activity (DHA) was used for evaluation of mortar biodegradation (Warscheid et al, 1990). The DHA was evaluated in mortar micro samples using INT (2-(4-iodophenyl)-3-(4 nitrophenyl)-5-phenyl tetrazolium chloride) with quantification of the formazan iodonitrotetrazolium formazan (INTF) (Camiña et al, 1998).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fungus identification was based on the macroscopic features of colonies grown on agar plates, and the micro-morphology of the reproductive structures was identified by OM. Dehydrogenase activity (DHA) was used for evaluation of mortar biodegradation (Warscheid et al, 1990). The DHA was evaluated in mortar micro samples using INT (2-(4-iodophenyl)-3-(4 nitrophenyl)-5-phenyl tetrazolium chloride) with quantification of the formazan iodonitrotetrazolium formazan (INTF) (Camiña et al, 1998).…”

Section: Laboratory Analytical Setupmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microscopy and Microanalysis of an Extreme Case of Salt and Biodegradation in 17th Century Wall Paintings

et al. 2015

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The present study characterizes the main deterioration mechanisms affecting the early 17th frescoes of Casa de Fresco, the only known example in Portugal of a semi-underground leisure room richly decorated with a balcony over a water well. Frescoes from the vault are at risk due to salt weathering and biodeterioration. The aim of the research was identification of the deterioration materials, determination of their origin, and their effect on the frescoes before future intervention. Scanning electron microscopy with an energy-dispersive X-ray detector (SEM-EDS) was used to determine salt morphology and microanalysis. The mineralogical characterization was performed by X-ray powder diffraction, complemented with µ-Raman and µ-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Biological assessment was evaluated with optical microscopy and SEM-EDS. Bacterial and fungal isolation and identification were performed using standard culture media and methods according to Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology and from the Compendium of Soil Fungi. The results show that Ca and Ca-Mg carbonates from the paint renderings are the predominant salt species affecting the site. Bacterial strains from the genera Bacillus and Pseudomonas and fungal strains from the Cladosporium spp. and Penicillium spp. were isolated in the salt formations, within and between the mortar layers. Azurite, malachite, and smalt paint layers are the most affected by the weathering conditions.

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“…These assays were performed only on T2 and T3 tiles, due to the black engobe of T1. Briefly, analysis of dehydrogenase activity (revealing cell viability (Gong, 1997) was performed on unexposed tiles following the protocol described by Warscheid et al, 1990. Tile samples were covered by PBS (Thundyil et al, 2013) containing 0.2% of Tetrazolium Red (2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride) and incubated in the dark for 24h at 25°C. After incubation, samples were dried 1h at 60°C and pictures were taken (Warscheid et al, 1990).…”

Section: In-situ Analysis Of Dehydrogenase Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

High bacterial diversity in pioneer biofilms colonizing ceramic roof tiles

Romani

Carrion

Fernandez

et al. 2019

International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation

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Ceramic roof tiles are extremely common building materials that are subjected to the natural phenomenon of biodeterioration, which initially modifies the tile surface and ultimately causes its destruction. The bacterial diversity of the visible biofilm responsible for biodeterioration has been previously examined. In contrast, the early stages of tile colonization and pioneer biofilm growth on these surfaces have been poorly explored. To investigate these pioneering stages of bacterial tile colonization, we combined imagery and conventional culture-based approaches, as well as Illumina-based high-throughput sequencing methods to examine samples collected from unexposed new tiles and tiles that were subjected to few-months outdoor exposure. In all the samples, we observed a pioneering biofilm including a significant bacterial diversity, on both new materials and those subjected to slight exposure, with a total of 279 and 411 different OTUs detected, respectively. This pioneer diversity was dominated by Proteobacteria (more than 50% of the total bacterial diversity) and, at the genus level, by Sphingomonas and the genus 1174-901-12 related to the Beijerinckiaceae. Interestingly, the major patterns of the observed bacterial diversity remained similar between samples collected from unexposed and exposed tiles. Collectively, these data clearly indicate the need to focus on the pioneer colonizing bacteria that form the initial biofilm on building materials, which can subsequently lead to mature biofilm formation and visible biodeterioration.

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A rapid method to demonstrate and evaluate microbial activity on decaying sandstone

Cited by 17 publications

References 9 publications

The effect of air pollution on stone decay: the decay of the Drachenfels trachyte in industrial, urban, and rural environments—a case study of the Cologne, Altenberg and Xanten cathedrals

The effect of air pollution on stone decay: the decay of the Drachenfels trachyte in industrial, urban, and rural environments—a case study of the Cologne, Altenberg and Xanten cathedrals

Microscopy and Microanalysis of an Extreme Case of Salt and Biodegradation in 17th Century Wall Paintings

High bacterial diversity in pioneer biofilms colonizing ceramic roof tiles

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