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Interactive physical weathering and bioreceptivity study on building stones,monitored by computerized X-ray tomography (CT) as a potential non-destructive research tool

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.

Call for proposal

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Coordinator

Universiteit Gent
Address
1,pand, Onderbergen
9000 Gent
Belgium

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Participants (7)

CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
Spain
Address
10,avenida Reina Mercedes 10
41012 Sevilla

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Faculté Universitaire des Sciences Agronomiques de Gembloux
Belgium
Address
48,avenue Maréchal Juin 48
5030 Gembloux

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Institut Scientifique de Service Public
Belgium
Address
200,rue Du Chéra
4000 Liège

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UNIVERSITY OF OLDENBURG
Germany
Address
Carl-von-ossietzky-strasse 9-11
26111 Oldenburg

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UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI TRIESTE
Italy
Address
Via Giorgieri 10
34100 Trieste

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Universiteit Gent
Belgium
Address
35,k.l. Ledeganckstraat
9000 Gent

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Universiteit Gent
Belgium
Address
281,krijgslaan
9000 Gent

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