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    Bio Deterioration of Historic Buildings and Monuments

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    Darshi Thamali Paranagama
    Microbial growth on historic buildings and monuments causes biodeterioration through the formation of biofilms. Microorganisms like bacteria, archaea, fungi and cyanobacteria form these biofilms by colonizing surfaces like stone, painted buildings, and archaeological monuments. Within the biofilm structure, microorganisms can either enhance or retard the deterioration process through their interactions. This article discusses locations where biodeterioration has been reported, the responsible microorganisms involved, and the damage caused.

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    Bio Deterioration of Historic Buildings and Monuments

    Uploaded by

    Darshi Thamali Paranagama
    118 views2 pages
    Microbial growth on historic buildings and monuments causes biodeterioration through the formation of biofilms. Microorganisms like bacteria, archaea, fungi and cyanobacteria form these biofilms by colonizing surfaces like stone, painted buildings, and archaeological monuments. Within the biofilm structure, microorganisms can either enhance or retard the deterioration process through their interactions. This article discusses locations where biodeterioration has been reported, the responsible microorganisms involved, and the damage caused.

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    Microbial growth on historic buildings and monuments causes biodeterioration through the formation of biofilms. Microorganisms like bacteria, archaea, fungi and cyanobacteria form these biofilms by colonizing surfaces like stone, painted buildings, and archaeological monuments. Within the biofilm structure, microorganisms can either enhance or retard the deterioration process through their interactions. This article discusses locations where biodeterioration has been reported, the responsible microorganisms involved, and the damage caused.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    118 views2 pages

    Bio Deterioration of Historic Buildings and Monuments

    Uploaded by

    Darshi Thamali Paranagama
    Microbial growth on historic buildings and monuments causes biodeterioration through the formation of biofilms. Microorganisms like bacteria, archaea, fungi and cyanobacteria form these biofilms by colonizing surfaces like stone, painted buildings, and archaeological monuments. Within the biofilm structure, microorganisms can either enhance or retard the deterioration process through their interactions. This article discusses locations where biodeterioration has been reported, the responsible microorganisms involved, and the damage caused.

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    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    Biodeterioration of Historic Buildings and Monuments

    Growth of microorganisms on buildings of cultural heritage and historic monuments has aroused a great concern within last two decades. Microbial growth and various biochemical activities taking place on the surfaces of these buildings cause the damages such as discoloration and degradation .This may result less strong and aesthetically damaged buildings and monuments which almost losing their archeological importance as well. Microorganisms involving bacteria, Archea, fungi, actinomycetes and cyanobacteria, algae are mainly participating in these biodeterioration phenomena as they are forming biofilms on stones, painted buildings, archeological monuments, the major reason and the first step of the biodeterioration. It has been discovered that protozoa and other small animals are also participating in this process in lesser amounts. The interactions among these organisms within an association (since biofilms is a symbiotic association), can either enhance or retard the rate of biodeterioration. This article is an attempt to bring forward various situations and their respective locations that biodeterioration has been reported. Along with each and every location/construction, its causative agent (responsible microorganism/s), the damage which they have caused and preventive measures are included as much as possible.

    Introduction
    Taj Mahal is threatened by air pollution, Da Vincis Mona Lisa is cracking and Michel Anjalos David recently has to be cleaned. We have to understand that historic monuments buildings of archeological value, historic manuscripts are in danger for certain extent due to microbial activities which are caused by the biofilms grown on them. In the most simple form, this deterioration process caused by biological agents is basically called by Biodeterioration. Prior paying attention to the locations where Biodeterioration has taken place, lets see what is defined by biodeterioration?.... Biodeterioration can be defined as the harmful effect caused by the colonizing of microorganisms on a surface .this surface can be a surface of a building, monument or a stone. Microorganisms form biofilms on these surfaces after colonizing. Microorganisms within the biofilms structure known as endoliths are causing the damage. These may grow in cracks and pores within the material and may bore into rocks such as limestone. True endoliths, present within the rock itself rather than voids in the rock, are found in material such as soapstone are predominantly bacteria. Both historic and modern buildings are subjected to the deteriorative and degradative action of environment and living organisms which are generally reffered to as weathering. Biological and abiotic processes can occur concurrently, each contribute to the overall deleterious effect, and it can be difficult to determine the contribution of each.

    However there is no doubt that biological processes (growth) have considerable impact on the soundness of structural materials.

    Mechanism of Biodeterioration
    Microorganisms that colonize on building, monument or stone surfaces form biofilms. Biofilms are collections of bacterial cells on surfaces that are maintained by electrostatic forces and adhering exopolymers. Formation of biofilms begins with the initial adhesion of microorganisms to a surface. Division of attached cells produces micro colonies containing large amount of exopolymer separated by sparse areas relatively devoid of growth. Production of exoplymer and other exudates are stimulated in response to cellular density by cell- cell signaling. The exopolymer matrix is composed mainly of polysaccharides and serves a variety of functions such as providing protection from desiccation, radiation, erosion and disinfection as well as storage of organic carbon and nutrients. Additionally, the exopolymer matrix limits the rate of diffusion within the microcolonies, resulting the formation of microenvironments due to gradients in pH, O2, nutrients and organic carbon. Now we are going to draw our attention on different cases of Biodeterioration which have been reported all over the world.

    Biodeterioration of Stones of Archeological Value and Archeological Monuments made out of stones
    In a general view point. Microorganisms Involved
    Under this subtopic, group cyanobacteria would be discussed including their various genera and species and how they are participating in Biodeterioration process in a microbiological view point.

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