Bioreceptivity of stone samples treated with protectives

This study has been carried out within a larger research project dedicated to assessing the performance of innovative protectants and consolidants on stone. This report deals with aspects connected to the bioreceptivity of protective products applied on stone. Though the issue has been recently tackled by scholars, it needs further in-depth studies to understand the interactions between microbes and protectants and between products and substrates. Samples made up of Gioia marble and Ançã and Lecce limestones were contaminated with NaCl and then treated with ammonium oxalate ((NH4)2C2O4) and dimethylpolysiloxane (DMPS). Afterwards, the samples were exposed outdoors in a natural environment and then subjected to artificial stress in a climatic chamber. The microbial growth and the characteristics of each sample before and after exposure were determined. Possible modification of protectants' properties induced by the microorganisms was studied.