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Influence of Air Pollution and Humidity on Limestone Materials Degradation in Historical Buildings Located in Cities Under Tropical Coastal Climates

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Abstract

Climatic changes and the increased air pollution intensify the atmospheric degradation of stone, affecting the aspect and integrity of valuable historical buildings constructed using limestone and located in tropical coastal sites. This paper analyzes limestone degradation process due to air pollution and humidity in tropical humid conditions in historical buildings located in the cities of Havana, Cuba and San Francisco de Campeche, Mexico. Havana shows higher pollution level than San Francisco de Campeche, which presents pollution levels as a consequence of a multipollutant situation along with the presence of airborne salinity. Temperature and humidity data were recorded from the walls of historical buildings in the city of Havana: the Minor Basilica and the convent of San Francisco. Changes in dry/wet cycles due to the absence of direct sun radiation as well as a high level of SO2 allow the formation of a black crust (mainly composed of gypsum) in the lower part of the surface of the facade of the Basilica Minor in Havana; however, crusts formed in historical buildings located in San Francisco de Campeche City are mainly composed of calcium carbonate, indicating the importance of natural degradation mechanisms mainly due to dissolution in water. In the last case, the influence of water plays an important role in the development of biodegradation, which induces the formation of calcium oxalates. Caves and cracks were found in the walls of military buildings caused by water infiltration. The influence of air contamination, humidity, and construction materials determine the type of degradation that historical buildings undergo.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Robert Engelfried (Dortmund University, Germany) for his very precious help in experimental planning and execution carried out in San Francisco de Asis building in Havana City; Dr. Orestes del Castillo (Oficina del Historiador de la Ciudad de la Habana) and Lic. Gertraud Ojeda, Director of the “Basilica and Convent San Francisco de Asis” Concert Hall and Museum, for providing the facilities during on-site evaluations carried out in the buildings; and in Mexico, Archeologist Omar Campeiro and Ramon Carrasco (INAH-Calakmul Project). Financial support provided for the research in Mexico was according to projects CONACYT-46434-Y and FOMIX CAMP-2005-C01-025 (Technological and Scientific National Council of Mexico). Collaboration with Dr. Jorge A. González-Sánchez (CICORR-UACAM) for English language revision was very important.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales (IMRE), Universidad de la Habana, Vedado, Plaza, Havana, Cuba

    F. Corvo

  2. Centro de Investigación en Corrosión (CICORR), Universidad Autónoma de Campeche, Ave. Agustín Melgar s/n, Colonia Buenavista, San Francisco de Campeche, Campeche, C.P. 24030, Mexico

    F. Corvo, J. Reyes & F. Villaseñor

  3. Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas (CNIC), Apartado 6412, Havana, Cuba

    C. Valdes

  4. Centro de Contaminación y Química Atmosférica (CECONT), Instituto de Meteorología, Loma de Casa Blanca, Havana, Cuba

    O. Cuesta

  5. Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados (CINVESTAV), Unidad Mérida, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico

    D. Aguilar & P. Quintana

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  1. F. Corvo
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  2. J. Reyes
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  3. C. Valdes
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  4. F. Villaseñor
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  5. O. Cuesta
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  6. D. Aguilar
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  7. P. Quintana
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Correspondence to J. Reyes.

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Corvo, F., Reyes, J., Valdes, C. et al. Influence of Air Pollution and Humidity on Limestone Materials Degradation in Historical Buildings Located in Cities Under Tropical Coastal Climates. Water Air Soil Pollut 205, 359–375 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-009-0081-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-009-0081-1

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