Abstract
Natural stone is an important component of historical heritage (buildings and art objects such as sculptures or rock engravings), and it is still widely used in contemporary works. Soluble salts are the main erosive agent in the built environment, and we review here comparative studies that subject the same rock type to testing with different salt solutions. The results mostly support the accepted notion of the major impact of sodium sulphate, although there are some exceptions. The effects of sodium chloride and calcium sulphate deserve specific discussion given field information on the relevance of these specific salts in the built environment. We relate the information collected to the issues of risk assessment (considering both geochemical conditions and salt effects) and conservation interventions (highlighting the interest of tests that do not produce damage to susceptible materials) and present some methodological suggestions to avoid a case study culture.
Highlights
IntroductionMonica Alvarez de Buergo and Natural stones are an important component of the historical and contemporary anthropogenic environment (and, certainly, will be materials used in future structures), with diverse types of applications, from pavements and walls to statuary, both indoors and outdoors
Monica Alvarez de Buergo and Natural stones are an important component of the historical and contemporary anthropogenic environment, with diverse types of applications, from pavements and walls to statuary, both indoors and outdoors
The interaction between natural stone and the pollutants in the anthropogenic environment can result in a great diversity of features, from causing changes in surface color and texture to erosive situations that lead to material loss and sometimes the loss of cultural information
Summary
Monica Alvarez de Buergo and Natural stones are an important component of the historical and contemporary anthropogenic environment (and, certainly, will be materials used in future structures), with diverse types of applications, from pavements and walls to statuary, both indoors and outdoors. The widespread occurrence of soluble salts and their frequent erosive impact make them the main hazard for natural stone in the built environment. The main goal of the present work is to review studies that allow the comparison of data from different salt solutions, including solutions of one salt and salt mixtures, applied on the same rock material and under the same testing conditions (in each study). In this way, it will be possible to assess the impact (and hazard level) of different salt solutions. Heritage 2021, 4 some comments regarding the relevance of field studies and discusses these results in the more global context of reproducibility and case studies
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