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== Introduction  ==
== Introduction  ==
Every naturally found water can be seen as a more or less diluted salt solution. This can be proved by simple measurements of the electrical conductivity. Porous building stones, mortars and plasters contain salts in their pore space. Wherever water flows through porous materials and evaporates on a surface you can find more or less salt efflorescences.<br>
Every naturally occurring liquid water can be seen as a salt solution at different degrees of dilution. This can be established by simple measurements of the electrical conductivity. Porous building materials  like stone, brick, mortar and plaster contain salts in their pore space. Wherever water flows through porous materials and evaporates from the surface, some degree of salt efflorescences can be found.<br>
Some salts or salt-forming ions are brought to the monument by humans. These can be alkaline building materials like water glass or Portland cement which were used in great quantities in the last century or [[road salt]] in wintertime. Some of the damages that were referred to as a result of acid rain are now known as the result of these building materials. <bib id="Klemm.etal:1999" />  [[Road salt]] is also one of the materials that can be detected on bridges and foundations, some buildings were even used as salt storages. Every natural material contains a certain amount of salt-forming ions that can be marginal, but also very high. These can be [[Salts in building materials|building materials]] like natural stone and bricks, adhesives like lime or cement, the building environment with its different kinds of soil and the ground- and surface water <bib id="Roesch.etal:1993" />, but also the different coatings and paints on the surface.
Some salts or salt-forming ions are introduced into the monument by human activity. These can be alkaline building materials like water glass or Portland cement, which were used in great quantities during the last century. Some damages previously referred to as a result of acid rain are now known to be due to these building materials. <bib id="Klemm.etal:1999" />  [[Road salt]] should be added to the list of these materials, because it can be detected on bridges and foundations (buildings were sometimes used for salt storage).
Beside natural emissions by volcanoes (H<sub>2</sub>S, HCl, HF, SO<sub>2</sub> etc.), particulate material from sea (NaCl etc.)<bib id=Steiger.etal:1994b/><bib id=Steiger.etal:1997/><bib id=Steiger.etal:2002/><bib id=Becker.etal:2005/>, anthropogenic emissions become more and more important. The extraction of resources, generation of energy, traffic and much more produce a great number of damaging salts. The most familiar substances are sulphur dioxide (with the secondary product sulphate)<bib id=Wittenburg.etal:1993/>  and nitrogen oxides (with the secondary product nitrate). It is still quite unknown, how ozone (O<sub>3</sub>) and the large number of organic compounds participate in the destruction of cultural goods. Immissions mostly reach the objects by dry or wet deposition <bib id=Steiger.etal:1989/> by rainwater or fog, but also by fortification on the building site.


Nitrates and organic salts like oxalate mostly have a [[Microbiological provenance of salts|microbiological provenance]]. While nitrates are transported into the object by humidity, oxalates are originated on the spot and stay there due to their low solubility.  
All natural materials are contaminated with salt-forming ions, varying from low to very high levels. These include building materials like natural stone, brick and binding agents like lime or cement and surface coatings and paints. The substratum, subsoil consistency, ground- and surface water also play a role <bib id="Roesch.etal:1993" />. Besides natural emissions by volcanoes ((H<sub>2</sub>S, HCl, HF, SO<sub>2</sub> etc.) and sea- water aerosols (NaCl etc.), <bib id=Steiger.etal:1994b/><bib id=Steiger.etal:1997/><bib id=Steiger.etal:2002/><bib id=Becker.etal:2005/>, anthropogenic emissions are becoming more important.


Other sources for damaging salts can be fertilisers or detergents that are introduced by ground and surface water.
The generation of natural resources and energy, emissions from traffic and so forth, produce a great number of damaging substances, of which sulphur dioxide (with the secondary product sulphate)<bib id=Wittenburg.etal:1993/> and nitrogen oxides (with the secondary product nitrate), are the most familiar. It is still not fully understood, how ozone (O3) and the large number of organic compounds participate in the destruction of cultural goods. Immissions mostly reach the objects through dry or wet deposition <bib id=Steiger.etal:1989/>  by rainwater or fog, but also through accumulation in the subsoil.
 
Nitrates and organic salts like oxalate mostly have a microbiological origin. While nitrates are transported into the object by humidity, oxalates are usually formed in situ, where they remain due to their low solubility.
 
Other sources for damaging salts can be fertilisers or detergents that are introduced through ground and surface water.


== Literature ==
== Literature ==

Revision as of 14:46, 20 September 2011

<bibimport/> authors:Hans-Jürgen Schwarz

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Abstract[edit]

Salts that cause damage to wall paintings and cultural heritage made of stone, brick and other building materials, originate from natural sources or human activities. They naturally occur in rainwater, seawater, groundwater or soil and sometimes they are part of the natural cycle of the chemical and physical deterioration of stone. Salts originating from human activities can be linked to emissions from burning fossil fuels, agricultural activities, the use of road salt or cements. Salts are formed by the accumulation of ions in the wall or on the surface of specific parts of a building, e.g. plinths. The accumulation of ions can be due to soluble salts leaching out of building materials, soil, stone, wet or dry deposits from the atmosphere, but it can also be caused by the metabolism of micro-organisms or anthropogenic intervention.

Introduction[edit]

Every naturally occurring liquid water can be seen as a salt solution at different degrees of dilution. This can be established by simple measurements of the electrical conductivity. Porous building materials like stone, brick, mortar and plaster contain salts in their pore space. Wherever water flows through porous materials and evaporates from the surface, some degree of salt efflorescences can be found.
Some salts or salt-forming ions are introduced into the monument by human activity. These can be alkaline building materials like water glass or Portland cement, which were used in great quantities during the last century. Some damages previously referred to as a result of acid rain are now known to be due to these building materials. [Klemm.etal:1999]Title: Schwefelisotopenanalyse von bauschädlichen Sulfatsalzen an historischen Bauwerken
Author: Klemm, Werner; Siedel, Heiner
Link to Google Scholar
Road salt should be added to the list of these materials, because it can be detected on bridges and foundations (buildings were sometimes used for salt storage).

All natural materials are contaminated with salt-forming ions, varying from low to very high levels. These include building materials like natural stone, brick and binding agents like lime or cement and surface coatings and paints. The substratum, subsoil consistency, ground- and surface water also play a role [Roesch.etal:1993]Title: Damage to Frescoes caused by sulphate-bearing salts: Where does the salt come from?
Author: Rösch, Heinrich; Schwarz, Hans-Jürgen
Link to Google Scholar
. Besides natural emissions by volcanoes ((H2S, HCl, HF, SO2 etc.) and sea- water aerosols (NaCl etc.), [Steiger.etal:1994b]Title: Determination of wet and dry depostion of atmospheric pollutants on building stones by field exposure experiments
Author: Steiger, Michael; Dannecker, Walter
Link to Google Scholar
[Steiger.etal:1997]Title: Sea Salt in Historic Buildings: Deposition, Transport and Accumulation
Author: Steiger, Michael; Behlen, Andreas; Neumann, Hans-Herrmann; Willers, U.; Wittenburg, Christian
Link to Google Scholar
[Steiger.etal:2002]Title: Immissionsbelastung durch salzbildende Stoffe und Wirkung auf mineralische Baustoffe
Author: Steiger, Michael; Behlen, Andreas; Wiese, Utz
Link to Google Scholar
[Becker.etal:2005]Title: Luftschadstoffe und Natursteinschäden
Author: Becker, Karl-Heinz; Brüggerhoff, Stefan; Steiger, Michael; Warscheid, Thomas
Link to Google Scholar
, anthropogenic emissions are becoming more important.

The generation of natural resources and energy, emissions from traffic and so forth, produce a great number of damaging substances, of which sulphur dioxide (with the secondary product sulphate)[Wittenburg.etal:1993]Title: Ein Vergleich von Schwefeldioxid-Depositionsgeschwindigkeiten auf Naturwerksteine aus verschiedenen experimentellen Ansätzen (Comparison of sulfur dioxide deposition velocities on building stones from different experiments)
Author: Wittenburg, Christian; Mangels, Henning; Wolf, Falk; Steiger, Michael; Bothmann, Thomas; Dannecker, Walter
Link to Google Scholar
and nitrogen oxides (with the secondary product nitrate), are the most familiar. It is still not fully understood, how ozone (O3) and the large number of organic compounds participate in the destruction of cultural goods. Immissions mostly reach the objects through dry or wet deposition [Steiger.etal:1989]Title: Variability of aerosol size distributions above the North Sea and its implication to dry deposition estimates
Author: Steiger, Michael; Schulz, Michael; Schwikowski, Margit; Naumann, K.; Dannecker, Walter
Link to Google Scholar
by rainwater or fog, but also through accumulation in the subsoil.

Nitrates and organic salts like oxalate mostly have a microbiological origin. While nitrates are transported into the object by humidity, oxalates are usually formed in situ, where they remain due to their low solubility.

Other sources for damaging salts can be fertilisers or detergents that are introduced through ground and surface water.

Literature[edit]

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