Objective This project will focus on physical and biological deterioration of building stones and will assess the usefulness of computerized X-ray tomography (CT) as a non-destructive research tool in monument conservation. Aggressive biological and physical conditions, will be evaluated on stones originating from different cultural heritage monuments, exposed to different climatological conditions. The biological part of this project will focus on the contribution of algae, lichens, mosses, bacteria and fungi to weathering. Bioreceptivity as an interactive parameter for different types of weathering of building stones will be studied in situ and in controlled chambers under varying conditions.Bioreceptivity of stones will be tackled in a multidisciplinary way. The proposed study will also include computerized X-ray tomography (CT) as a new non-destructive technique. In the first part, a wide range of living organisms such as algae, mosses, lichens, fungi, autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria will be isolated from weathered building stones originating from different climatological conditions and from different substrates.Non-weathered and weathered building stones will be analyzed by computerized X-ray tomography, a new non-destructive technique for the detection and quantification of variations in densities in stones, reflecting differences in porosity and permeability. Scanning electron microscopy (equipped with Energy Dispersive Analysis System = EDS) and fluorescence analysis will provide more petrophysical information and will help to determine the limitations and the advantages of the CT-technique as a non-destructive research tool in monument conservation.In the second part, non-weathered stones will be pretreated under different conditions of pressure, humidity and temperature. These pretreatments will create favourable physical microhabitats for a number of colonizing organisms, incubated in controlled chambers. The pretreated stones will afterwards be inoculated by algae, bacteria, fungi and lichens and their degradation will be observed and quantified by CT, scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence techniques. Isolates from this model system will be identified. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologymycologyethnolichenologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologyphycologynatural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsmicroscopyelectron microscopy Programme(s) FP3-ENV 1C - Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the field of the environment, 1990-1994 Topic(s) 0204 - Environmental protection and conservation of Europe's cultural heritage Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator Universiteit Gent Address 1,pand, onderbergen 9000 Gent Belgium See on map EU contribution € 0,00 Participants (7) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS Spain EU contribution € 0,00 Address 10,avenida reina mercedes 10 41012 Sevilla See on map Faculté Universitaire des Sciences Agronomiques de Gembloux Belgium EU contribution € 0,00 Address 48,avenue maréchal juin 48 5030 Gembloux See on map Institut Scientifique de Service Public Belgium EU contribution € 0,00 Address 200,rue du chéra 4000 Liège See on map UNIVERSITY OF OLDENBURG Germany EU contribution € 0,00 Address Carl-von-ossietzky-strasse 9-11 26111 Oldenburg See on map UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI TRIESTE Italy EU contribution € 0,00 Address Via giorgieri 10 34100 Trieste See on map Universiteit Gent Belgium EU contribution € 0,00 Address 35,k.l. ledeganckstraat 9000 Gent See on map Universiteit Gent Belgium EU contribution € 0,00 Address 281,krijgslaan 9000 Gent See on map
