Impact of air pollution in deterioration of carbonate building materials in Italian urban environments

Barca, Donatella; Comite, Valeria; Belfiore, Cristina Maria; Bonazza, Alessandra; Russa, Mauro Francesco La; Ruffolo, Silvestro Antonio; Crisci, Gino Mirocle; Pezzino, Antonino; Sabbioni, C.

doi:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2014.07.002

Cited by 62 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Calcite and quartz occur due to substrate, while the presence of gypsum can represent a degradation product. In fact, if calcium carbonate is attacked by sulphuric acid generated by the sulphur compounds in the polluted atmosphere, it is transformed into gypsum [29][30][31][32][33][34]. Spectra of the samples SD8, SD11 and SD13 exhibit all the previous bands; and in addition, those related to the presence of the characteristic bands of weddellite (calcium oxalate) peaked at around 1643, 1330 and 783 cm −1 .…”

Section: Laboratory Testsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The CRATI Project: New Insights on the Consolidation of Salt Weathered Stone and the Case Study of San Domenico Church in Cosenza (South Calabria, Italy)

et al. 2019

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This paper presents the results of a laboratory experimentation carried out on stone materials in the framework of the CRATI project (Knowledge and Restoration through Advanced Integrated Technologies) aimed at testing new products with consolidating properties by means of an integrated methodological approach. After the preliminary characterization of stone materials collected in the pilot site, the second stage of the activities within the project were focused on the formulation and testing of products for the conservation of the same materials against decay, especially salt crystallization, one of the most aggressive and common degrading processes. The San Domenico Church, located in the old town of Cosenza (Calabria, Southern Italy) has been chosen as the pilot site and for the in situ tests. Several specimens with the same features of the stone materials used in San Domenico church were collected from a historical quarry near the city of Cosenza. These specimens were treated and then artificially degraded by salt crystallization tests in order to evaluate their susceptibility to weathering intensity. Three different consolidating products were used; respectively, two commercial and another one formulated in laboratory: (a) a suspension of nanosilica (Nano Estel®); (b) a suspension of nanolime (CaLoSiL®), and (c) a suspension of nano calcium-hydroxide dispersed in isopropyl alcohol and then mixed with diammonium hydrogen phosphate. A systematic approach, including minero-petrographic, geochemical and physico-mechanical techniques, was applied to evaluate (a) the nature and main features of materials; (b) the efficacy of consolidating treatments, and (c) the resistance of treated stone to the salt crystallization processes. The tested products demonstrated a significant efficiency to consolidate and protect stone material samples, enhancing their resistance to salt crystallization. Thus, such a case history may be useful in order to plan appropriate restoration interventions that consider the interactions between the building stone and the protective/consolidating product.

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Section: Laboratory Testsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The CRATI Project: New Insights on the Consolidation of Salt Weathered Stone and the Case Study of San Domenico Church in Cosenza (South Calabria, Italy)

et al. 2019

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“…Several authors (Maravelaki-Kalaitzaki and Biscontin, 1999;Maravelaki-Kalaitzaki et al, 1997;Barca et al, 2010Barca et al, , 2011Barca et al, , 2014Comite et al, 2012;Belfiore et al, 2013;La Russa et al, 2013) have demonstrated that the analysis of black crusts reveals the changing pollution pattern over time. In particular, the evaluation of the geochemical composition, in terms of trace elements, can contribute to understanding the influence of the pollution sources in the formation processes of this degradation product.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

An analysis of the black crusts from the Seville Cathedral: A challenge to deepen the understanding of the relationships among microstructure, microchemical features and pollution sources

Ruffolo

Comite

Russa

et al. 2015

Science of The Total Environment

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“…Several researchers had reported that the characterization of black crusts exhibited the changing pollution pattern over time. Particularly, the assessment of the geo-chemical composition could be favorable to understand the influence of the pollution sources on the formation of degradation products [90,91]. Since sulfation of building materials is a well-known decay process, ammonium carbonate is probably the most effective desulfurization agent in existing chemical remediation methods.…”

Section: Commonly Used Spectroscopic Techniques Infrared and Raman Spmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent progress in instrumental techniques for architectural heritage materials

et al. 2019

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Both conservation and intervention methods must be compatible with each other and appropriate for the original building materials. Therefore, the characterization of historic building materials is indispensable for investigating chemical composition, micro-structure and morphological features to study the current condition, environmental influence and change mechanism due to natural aging or man-made decay processes. Given the great variety of chemicals which can be analyzed, complex problems related to architectural heritage materials are investigated via optimized methodologies. Among the existing techniques, optical microscopy (OM) is an inexpensive and dominating tool to obtain preliminary information on complex samples. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) can provide real three-dimensional topographies showing sample surface properties. Electron microscopes combined with energy dispersion X-ray analysis (EM-EDX) are the instruments specifically developed to acquire images of target materials at high magnification. Infrared and Raman spectroscopies are frequently used to characterize inorganic and organic compounds. Thermal analysis can rapidly and accurately measure changes in crystalline structure, dehydration and decomposition. X-ray based technologies have a wide range of applications as follows. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is one of the most frequently used techniques for elemental analysis. X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a fast and inexpensive technique for the characterization of man-made and natural materials. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is applied to quantify the valence and electronic levels of specific elements. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is a powerful technique for detecting the electronic structure of matter. UV-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy is also of great importance in architectural heritage, which can reveal different physicochemical mechanisms causing color. Laserinduced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) can effectively eliminate the pollution on the surface and detect the internal elements of the target material. Ion beam analysis can quantify trace elements with high sensitivity. Mass-based techniques are mainly applied to identify unknown organic substances at the molecular level. This review describes some classical applications of individual techniques and provides scientific support for scientists and engineers to make decisions in the context of architectural heritage.

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Impact of air pollution in deterioration of carbonate building materials in Italian urban environments

Cited by 62 publications

References 35 publications

The CRATI Project: New Insights on the Consolidation of Salt Weathered Stone and the Case Study of San Domenico Church in Cosenza (South Calabria, Italy)

The CRATI Project: New Insights on the Consolidation of Salt Weathered Stone and the Case Study of San Domenico Church in Cosenza (South Calabria, Italy)

An analysis of the black crusts from the Seville Cathedral: A challenge to deepen the understanding of the relationships among microstructure, microchemical features and pollution sources

Recent progress in instrumental techniques for architectural heritage materials

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