Decay processes in buildings close to the sea induced by marine aerosol: Salt depositions inside construction materials

Héctor Morillas; Fernando França de Mendonça Filho; Hannelore Derluyn; Maite Maguregui; David Grégoire; Juan Manuel Madariaga

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137687

Decay processes in buildings close to the sea induced by marine aerosol: Salt depositions inside construction materials

Sci Total Environ. 2020 Jun 15:721:137687. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137687. Epub 2020 Mar 4.

Authors

Héctor Morillas¹, Fernando França de Mendonça Filho², Hannelore Derluyn², Maite Maguregui³, David Grégoire⁴, Juan Manuel Madariaga⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, 48080 Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain; Department of Mathematics and Experimental Sciences Didactics, Faculty of Education, Philosophy and Anthropology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, II Building, Oñati Plaza 3, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain. Electronic address: hector.morillas@ehu.es.
² Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, Total, LFCR, Anglet-Pau, France.
³ Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 450, 01080 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain.
⁴ Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, Total, LFCR, Anglet-Pau, France; Institut Universitaire de France, France.
⁵ Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, 48080 Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain.

PMID: 32172109
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137687

Abstract

Buildings close to the sea experience different kinds of decay processes related with the influence of marine aerosol. This sea spray is a chemically complex system formed by inorganic salts (sulfates, nitrates and mainly chlorides) and organic matter, together even with airborne particulate matter from the surrounding environment. Buildings close to the sea, erected using different materials such as bricks, plasters, limestones and sandstones, can experience many kinds of chemical reactions promoted by the impact of this sea spray, which favour the formation of salt crystallizations. In this work, a study of salts crystallizing in different kinds of building materials of a construction close to the Bay of Biscay (Villa Belza, Biarritz, France) has been studied in order to evaluate the state of conservation of the materials under study. The construction materials affected by salts were analyzed by means of X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and μ-Raman spectroscopy (μ-RS) for molecular analyses, Energy dispersive X-ray Fluorescence spectrometry (μ-ED-XRF) for elemental analyses and soluble salts tests by means of ion chromatography. These analyses revealed different levels of chlorides, nitrates and sulfates. Moreover, using this methodology, some specific chemical reactions that take place in the Villa Belza were understood. This knowledge can help to lay the foundations for possible future restoration works.

Keywords: ED-XRF; Ion chromatography; Limestone; Marine aerosol; Sandstone; XRD.