Coping with deterioration of mineral materials: BioDAM

Background

BioDAM aims to safeguard movable and immovable cultural heritage from biological hazards such as biofilms (layers of microorganism that are aesthetic and can cause degradation of the stone). Traditional biocides used against biofilms impact negatively the environment and other organisms, among them humans. BioDAM was in charge of searching more environmentally friendly methods to face this issue. The main goals of this project were: 1. Identifying the damage potential of biofilms (Physical damage, Chemical damage, Aesthetic damage) 2. Finding ways to inhibit biofilms 3. Keeping mineral surfaces clean for extended time periods.

Several treatments were tested (against bacteria, fungi and algae commonly found in deteriorated stone materials) in the laboratory and in the field (Scotland, Spain and Germany) on different substrates like sandstone and lime stone. The results showed that the combination of biocides with permeabilizers and photodynamic treatments is a very useful conservation tool, enabling a considerable reduction of applications of poisonous chemical compounds.