Abstract

El-Amir Muhammad’s minaret in Akhmim, Sohag, Egypt, is constructed of limestone and has been exposed to many factors of damage as a result of the high levels of ground water. Limestone is strongly affected by ground water, especially when being impure. The current work discusses the results of analytical techniques including chemical testing to determine the types of soluble salts through optical microscopy, electronic scanning electron microscope with an X-ray energy dispersion system (ESEM) to study and determine the causes of rapid degradation. Microbial weathering phenomena toward limestone were also studied. Different bacteria and fungi were isolated from outdoors and indoors of air and limestone of the building of which Bacillus cereus OK447647, B. subtilis OK447648, Serratia marcescens OK447650, Pseudomonasoryzihabitans OK447649, Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, Penicillium chrysogenum and Cladosporium cladosporoids were the most representative. B. cereus OK447647 and B. subtilis OK447648 have shown ability for calcium carbonate dissolving. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of sodium azide were investigated against the growth of microbial isolates. Sodium azide at 100 ppm was found to be the best treatment for bacterial isolates although it had no significant effect against fungi.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.