Abstract
Glass alteration in the presence of microorganisms has been a topic of research for over 150 years. Researchers from a variety of disciplines, including material science, biology, chemistry, geology, physics, and cultural heritage materials preservation have conducted experiments in this area to try and understand when, how, and why microorganism may interact and subsequently influence the alteration of glass. The breadth and depth of these studies are the topic of this review. This review presents a detailed history and a comprehensive overview of this field of research, while maintaining focus on the terrestrial alteration of anthropogenic silicate glasses. Within this manuscript is a schema for bio-interaction with silicate glasses and an outline of an evidence-based hypothesis on how these interactions may influence glass alteration processes. Topics discussed include microbial colonization of glass, development, and interactions of biofilms with glass surface, abiotic vs. biotic alteration processes, and signatures of bio-alteration. Future research needs and a discussion of practical drivers for this research are summarized.
Highlights
As pointed out by researchers from Mellor[26] to Aouad[78], these sources of alteration appear to occur in parallel, with one possibly dominating during one time period and the other dominating during another time period
These questions can be addressed, in part, by investigating the types of organisms that colonize glass, the topic of a future publication
Summary
Glass is included in many of our modern and daily activities. We wake up to glass-covered alarm clocks, eat breakfast in the company of glass containers full of coffee or juice, transport our children in cars with glass windows, communicate with our friends and family through glass-covered cellphones, and sit in glass clad buildings during our working hours. At the time of writing this manuscript, a significantly larger number of studies have been conducted on abiotic alteration of glass than on the biotic alteration of glass. The other part, one which is underpinned by biology, needs to be assessed as well Understanding both abiotic and biotic alteration, and how they interact can aid in the development of a well-rounded model of glass alteration under natural conditions. This research community has accumulated vast knowledge of abiotic alteration processes, but not of biotic ones Fulfilling this need is a focus of this review, which requires first a general understanding of the current state-of-the-field of glass bio-alteration. (ii) Only certain kinds of organisms colonize glasses; (iii) These organisms left alteration “signatures” on the glasses; and (iv) Alteration could be abiotic, biotic, or driven by both
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