Search Results (9)

The conservation of tuff- and coral rock-built architectural heritage structures (AHS) is challenging because access to original tuff and coral rock has become difficult and severely limited due to urbanization, land reclamation, the depletion of stone quarries, anti-mining and anti-quarrying legislation. An emerging approach to address this issue is to create compatible “replacement” rocks via geopolymerization, a process that is more sustainable and greener than the use of conventional cement and concrete. To explore the potential of geopolymers for AHS conservation strategies, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were implemented; 103 eligible articles were identified and classified into geopolymers for AHS (34 articles), tuff-built AHS (60 articles), and coral rock-built AHS (9 articles). Tuff substrates in AHSs appear in a variety of colors (yellowish-brown, grayish-cream, reddish-brown, pale greenish-gray and pink hues), densities (1.0–2.5 g/m³), and compressive strengths (3–100 MPa). Meanwhile, coral rock substrates in AHSs appear in whitish-cream color and are coarse-pored (1–5 MPa), fine-grained (8–15 MPa), and calcarenite (50–60 MPa). In terms of geopolymer formulation, metakaolin was reported as the most popular main precursor or admixture, while NaOH and Na₂SiO₃ were used simultaneously as alkaline activators. Aggregates used in geopolymer formulations depended on local availability, including quartz sand, river sand, crushed stones, carbonate stones, volcanic rock, volcanic sand, tuff, brick, ceramic tiles, and waste materials. Aesthetics, chemical composition, physical attributes, and mechanical properties have been identified as key criteria to ensure geopolymer compatibility for AHS conservation application. To date, geopolymers have been applied for AHS conservation as repair mortars, consolidants (i.e., grout and adhesives), and masonry strengthening (i.e., fiber-reinforced mortar). Finally, geopolymers formulated for AHS conservation have similar durability as the original substrate based on accelerated aging tests (i.e., salt mist, wet-dry, and freeze–thaw) and long-term outdoor exposure experiments. Full article

The development of sustainable cementitious materials is crucial to reduce the environmental footprint of the construction industry. Alkali-activated materials (AAMs) have emerged as promising environmentally friendly alternatives; however, their compatibility with natural stone in heritage structures remains poorly understood, especially regarding salt migration and related damage to stones. This study presents a novel methodology for assessing salt movement in solid materials between two types of stones—Boñar and Silos—and two types of binders: blended Portland cement (BPC) and an AAM. The samples underwent capillarity and immersion tests to evaluate water absorption, salt transport, and efflorescence behavior. The capillarity of the Silos stone was 0.148 kg·m⁻²·t^−0.5, whereas this was 0.0166 kg·m⁻²·t^−0.5 for the Boñar stone, a ninefold difference. Conductivity mapping and XRD analysis revealed that AAM-based mortars exhibit a significantly higher release of salts, primarily sodium sulfate, which may pose a risk to adjacent porous stones. In contrast, BPC showed lower salt mobility and different salt compositions. These findings highlight the importance of evaluating the compatibility between alternative binders and heritage stones. The use of AAMs may pose significant risks due to their tendency to release soluble salts. Although, in the current experiments, no pore damage or mechanical degradation was observed, additional studies are required to confirm this. A thorough understanding of salt transport mechanisms is therefore essential to ensure that sustainable restoration materials do not inadvertently accelerate the deterioration of structures, a process more problematic when the deterioration affects heritage monuments. Full article

Ceramic materials in Na₂O-CaO-P₂O₅ system were obtained by firing cement-salt stone made from pastes based on powder mixtures including calcium citrate tetrahydrate Ca₃(C₆H₅O₇)₂∙4H₂O, monocalcium phosphate monohydrate (MCPM) Ca(H₂PO₄)₂∙H₂O and/or sodium dihydrogen phosphate NaH₂PO₄. The phase composition of the obtained samples of cement-salt stone after adding water, hardening and drying included brushite CaHPO₄∙2H₂O, monetite CaHPO₄ and also unreacted Ca₃(C₆H₅O₇)₂∙4H₂O, Ca(H₂PO₄)₂∙H₂O and/or NaH₂PO₄. The phase composition of ceramics in Na₂O-CaO-P₂O₅ system obtained by firing cement-salt stone was formed due to thermal conversion of hydrated salt and heterophase reactions between components presented in samples during firing. The phase composition of ceramic samples based on powder mixture of Ca₃(C₆H₅O₇)₂∙4H₂O and Ca(H₂PO₄)₂∙H₂O after firing at 900 °C included β-calcium pyrophosphate (CPP) β-Ca₂P₂O₇. The phase composition of ceramic samples based on powder mixture of Ca₃(C₆H₅O₇)₂∙4H₂O, and NaH₂PO₄ after firing at 900 °C included β-sodium rhenanite β-CaNaPO_4. The phase composition of ceramic samples based on powder mixture of Ca₃(C₆H₅O₇)₂∙4H₂O, Ca(H₂PO₄)₂∙H₂O and NaH₂PO₄ after firing at 900 °C included β-Ca₂P₂O₇, β-CaNaPO_4, double calcium-sodium pyrophosphate Na₂CaP₂O₇, and Na-substituted tricalcium phosphate Сa₁₀Na(PO₄)₇. Obtained ceramic materials in Na₂O-CaO-P₂O₅ system including biocompatible and biodegradable phases could be important for treatments of bone tissue defects by means of approaches of regenerative medicine. Full article

Ceramics based on rhenanite CaNaPO₄ with density of 0.94 g/cm³ and compressive strength of 10.3 MPa was obtained via firing at 900 °C of composite cement-salt stone prepared from a hardening powder mixture of calcium citrate tetrahydrate Ca₃(C₆H₅O₇)₂∙4H₂O and sodium dihydrogen phosphate NaH₂PO₄. The phase composition of the obtained samples of cement–salt stone was represented by monetite CaHPO₄, unreacted sodium dihydrogen phosphate and calcium citrate tetrahydrate. According to the XRD data, the phase composition of the ceramic samples after annealing in the temperature range of 500–700 °C was mainly represented by the β-CaNaPO₄ phase. It was found that after an annealing at temperature of 900 °C, the phase composition of ceramics was presented with the only phase of β-CaNaPO₄. It was demonstrated that an increase in the annealing temperature led to an increase in the grain size from 1 μm after annealing at 500 °C to 5 μm after annealing at 900 °C. Obtained ceramic material based on CaNaPO₄ could be important for regenerative treatments of bone tissue defects. Full article

Biocompatibility of ceramic materials in Ca₂P₂O₇-Ca(PO₃)₂ system was investigated using different methods, including in vitro and in vivo tests. Ceramic materials in the Ca₂P₂O₇-Ca(PO₃)₂ system were obtained by annealing cement-salt stone based on powder mixtures of calcium citrate tet-rahydrate Ca₃(C₆H₅O₇)₂·4H₂O and monocalcium phosphate monohydrate (MCPM) Ca(H₂PO₄)₂·H₂O. The phase composition of cement-salt stone included brushite, monetite as a result of chemical reaction of starting components after adding of water. The presence of citric acid as by-product of chemical reaction, leads to increase the setting time of the cement-salt stone. Highly concentrated aqueous suspensions based on calcium citrate and MCPM powders providing content of calcium polyphosphate Ca(PO₃)₂ up to 20 wt % in ceramics were used for designing bioresorbable materials. The presence of an excess of monocalcium phosphate monohydrate makes it possible to reduce the annealing temperature of ceramics, which is associated with the formation of a lower melting phase of Ca(PO₃)₂. In vivo tests shown that obtained ceramic materials can be recommended for regenerative treatments for bone defects. Full article

The contemporary sea walls built in the pedestrian seashore zone in the City of Acre, Israel, were sided with porous calcarenite sandstone, so-called ‘kurkar’. Kurkar stone has been broadly used as a durable building material in Acre and Jaffa, the Eastern Mediterranean offshore cities, since ancient times. Therefore, the contemporary urban architectural plans obligate kurkar siding in the modern structures erected beside the Old City of Acre. However, a rapid deterioration of kurkar siding had occurred in the contemporary sea walls during only a few years. In contrast, the Historic walls built of kurkar dimensional stone have been still sound. The current study has evaluated the factors and causes of kurkar deterioration in the modern seawalls. It was revealed that the main reason for deterioration was adhering the kurkar siding with cement mortar and the next exposure of adhered siding to the humid and salt-enriched offshore environment with high air pollution. Full article

The investigations focused on the façade of the 17th-century Myszkowskis chapel at the 13th-century Church of the Holy Trinity in Cracow, Poland. Most of the chapel’s façade is made of rusticated limestone blocks, but its lower part is covered with cement render, and the basement consists of irregular pieces of limestone and sandstone, bound and partly replaced with cement mortar. The façade exhibited clearly visible damages: gray soiling of the surface, cracks, scaling, and efflorescence. The study presents characteristics of the cement render and mortar used for stone repair and/or substitution, as well as efflorescence from the lower part of the Myszkowskis chapel façade. The materials were analyzed with optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS), Raman microspectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry (XRPD), and mercury intrusion porosimetry. The analyses demonstrated that the render covering some of the decayed limestone blocks was prepared using Portland cement (residual clinker grains represent alite and belite) as a binding agent, mixed with crushed stone as an aggregate. The cement mortar consisted of rounded quartz grains, rock fragments, and feldspars in very fine-grained masses of calcite and gypsum, also containing relics of cement clinker (alite, belite, ferrite, and aluminate). All these components point out the use of the ordinary Portland cement. Analyses of the efflorescence allowed us to distinguish several secondary salts, among others, thenardite, aphthitalite, and darapskite. The appearance of these phases is related to the composition and physicochemical properties of the building materials, atmospheric alteration agents, air pollution, and some other anthropogenic factors. Full article

The aim of this research was to develop a new eco-product to find a correct recovery of silicate sawing sludge by means of waste management according to European criteria. To reach this goal, a thermal eco-mortar for a macroporous plaster was developed. The main characteristics of a plaster that influence the correct choice of the mortar are good adherence with underlying support, impermeability, thermal and acoustic insulation, mechanical resistance and ability to allow transpiration processes through the wall’s perimeters. Plaster is a mortar composed of a binding part that incorporates sand with a selected particle size distribution, not greater than 2 mm. The sludge, to be used as plaster, must satisfy requirements related to thermal insulation, resistance to moisture, mechanical resistance and good injection. For this purpose, low-content metals sludge, derived from the Luserna stone flaming and cutting slabs, are to be reused as a substitute for the sands and fine particles, respectively, that are normally used to produce plasters. The laboratory tests carried out on the finished product, in accordance with European standards, are as follows: water absorption, specific density, flexural and compressive strength, before and after freeze and thaw cycles, pull out, salt crystallisation cycle resistance and thermal conductivity. Chemical and leaching tests were carried out to verify the possible release of heavy metals into the environment after installation. The product quality was demonstrated as the cement mortars, incorporating the metals, did not allow their release in nature. A sludge recovery, in an unaltered state, was provided to reduce any costs connected to a pre-treatment and to make recovery economically advantageous for the stone sector. Full article

The disposal and the reuse of industrial wastes have become increasingly difficult due to the elution of hazardous anions, such as F⁻, [B(OH)₄]⁻, AsO₄³⁻, and CrO₄²⁻. Effective methods for removing hazardous ions and reusing solid wastes are urgently required. In this study, Ca(OH)₂, MgCl₂, and BaCl₂ were added to reduce the elution concentrations of F, B, As, and Cr by coprecipitating insoluble inorganic salts. After this, ordinary Portland cement (OPC) was added to the ion exchange and solidified with these hazardous ion-containing substances. The addition of crushed stone powder (CSP), which was a by-product of the process of crushing aggregates or sawing stone, inhibited the elution of hazardous ions and improved the inhibition effect of OPC. The elution concentrations of F, B, As, and Cr were successfully reduced from their maximum elution concentration of 10 mg/L to below the environmental standards values of Japan. A simultaneous inhibition method for the elution of F, B, As, and Cr from industrial wastes has been developed successfully and would be able to promote the reuse and recycling of CSP and other industrial wastes. Full article