The effects of cyanobacterial biofilms on water transport and retention of natural building stones
Schroer, Laurenz; De Kock, Tim; Godts, Sebastiaan; Boon, Nico; Cnudde, Veerle
(2022) Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, volume 47, issue 8, pp. 1921 - 1936
(Article)
Abstract
Water affects the susceptibility of stone to alteration by facilitating physical, chemical and biological weathering. Stone properties determine water transport and retention, but it is also expected that biofilms and extracellular polymeric substances could alter the water–stone relationship. A lot of research on this subject has been carried out on
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soils, but the effect on stones is understudied. For this reason, three sedimentary building stones, Ernzen, Euville and Savonnières, each with a different pore size distribution, were biofouled with cyanobacteria. Their relationship with the stone material was investigated by optical and electron microscopy, and the effect of cyanobacterial biofilms on water transport and retention was studied. The results showed that the cyanobacteria primarily colonize the building stones on the outer surface and have a limited effect on the water transport properties. They slightly reduced the capillary coefficient and drying rate of the stones, but enhanced the water content in the stone and increased water vapour sorption. They induced (near) hydrophobic conditions, but had no measurable effect on the gas permeability and water vapour diffusion. Moreover, swelling and shrinkage of the biofilms were observed, which could potentially induce physical weathering. It is expected that these changes could influence other forms of weathering, such as freeze–thaw weathering and salt weathering.
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Keywords: biodeterioration, biofouling, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), heritage conservation, weathering, Taverne
ISSN: 0197-9337
Publisher: Wiley Online Library
Note: Funding Information: Laurenz Schröer received funding via a PhD fellowship of The Research Foundation ‐ Flanders (Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO), Research Grant No. 11D4518N and 11D4520N), which also funded the SEM (Grant No. I013118N), and acknowledges its support in financing this research. We want to thank Dr Annick Wilmotte, Soria Delva, Olga Chepurnova and Tine Verstraete for their advice regarding the cyanobacteria, Dr Yuliia Onyshchenko, Koen De Rycker, Peter Cabus and Daniëlle Schram for their help during the experiments and Carrières Feidt, ROCAMAT and BMB for the building stones. Furthermore, we would also like to thank Professor Dr Stephen Louwye, Professor Dr Stijn Dewaele, Professor Dr Nele De Belie, Professor Dr Heather Viles, Professor Dr Carlos Rodriguez‐Navarro and Dr Karel Folens for reading and improving this manuscript. Funding Information: Laurenz Schröer received funding via a PhD fellowship of The Research Foundation - Flanders (Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO), Research Grant No. 11D4518N and 11D4520N), which also funded the SEM (Grant No. I013118N), and acknowledges its support in financing this research. We want to thank Dr Annick Wilmotte, Soria Delva, Olga Chepurnova and Tine Verstraete for their advice regarding the cyanobacteria, Dr Yuliia Onyshchenko, Koen De Rycker, Peter Cabus and Daniëlle Schram for their help during the experiments and Carrières Feidt, ROCAMAT and BMB for the building stones. Furthermore, we would also like to thank Professor Dr Stephen Louwye, Professor Dr Stijn Dewaele, Professor Dr Nele De Belie, Professor Dr Heather Viles, Professor Dr Carlos Rodriguez-Navarro and Dr Karel Folens for reading and improving this manuscript. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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