CAUSES OF DETERIORATION OF BUILDING MATERIALS II ROLE OF MICROBIOLOGICAL AGENCIES IN DETERIORATION OF STONE

THE WAY IN WHICH MICROBIOLOGICAL AGENCIES CAN AGGRAVATE OR EVEN CAUSE THE DECAY OF LIMESTONE AND SANDSTONE MASONRY IS ILLUSTRATED BY REFERENCE TO THE POWDERY GYPSEOUS LAYER BELOW THE SURFACE SCALE AT CERTAIN LOCALITIES. THIS LAYER GIVES HEAVY COUNTS OF THIOBACILLUS THIO-OXIDANS, WHICH NEEDS REDUCED SULFUR TO PRODUCE SULFATE IONS BY OXIDATIVE METABOLISM. IT IS PROBABLE THAT SOIL SULPHATES ARE ANAEROBICALLY REDUCED TO SULPHIDE BY DESULPHOVIBRIO DESULPHURICANS (OFTEN FOUND AT BASE OF DAMP WALLS) AND THAT AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF THE SULPHIDES RISES UPWARDS FOR USE BY T. THIO-OXIDANS. THE PARTLY MICROBIOLOGICAL ORIGIN CF 'MOND-MILCH' (CRYST. CALCITE OR ARAGONITE) AS SOFT OR HARD INCRUSTATIONS, OR MILKY AQUEOUS SUSPENSIONS, IN SOME LIMESTONE CAVES IS DISCUSSED. THE ACTIVITIES OF THE N-CYCLE, N-FIXING AND AMMONIA PRODUCING ORGANISMS AND THE RESULTING EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN AMMONIA, CARBON DIOXIDE AND AMMONIUM CARBONATES AND BICARBONATES IN SOLUTION ARE HELD RESPONSIBLE. /BSA/

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00093068
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 38, pp 1587-1589
• Authors:
  • Ponchon, M J
  • Jaton, M C
• Publication Date: 1967

Media Info

• Serial:
  • CHEMISTRY AND INDUSTRY
  • Publisher: SOCIETY OF CHEMICAL INDUSTRY
  • ISSN: 0009-3068

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Ammonia; Ammonium compounds; Building materials; Carbon dioxide; Carbonates; Deterioration; Ions; Limestone; Masonry construction; Microbiology; Oxidation; Sandstones; Solutions (Chemistry); Sulfates
• Old TRIS Terms: Bicarbonates; Solutions
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00216385
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Building Science Abstracts /UK
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 10 1994 12:00AM