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Accelerated testing of biological stain growth on external concrete walls. Part 2: Quantification of growths

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Abstract

Aesthetics of external concrete walls can be altered in various constructions by fast developing algae and it is useful to propose technical solutions to prevent this problem. Laboratory tests are thus necessary, on the one hand to accelerate the growth of algae on concrete and, on the other, to quantify such growths. The first part of this article was dedicated to the description of two growth tests. This second part presents the advantages and drawbacks of three complementary techniques used to analyze the colonized areas. Two methods are non-destructive and estimate either the area covered, using image analysis, or the density of algae, which directly influences the stain intensity, by spectrophotometry. The third method is destructive and is based on the measurement of chlorophyll a. It is used to obtain information on the state of vitality of the algae on the colonized surface.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank ATILH for financial support and, particularly, J. Baron and C. Haehnel for their encouragement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire Matériaux et Durabilité des Constructions (LMDC), UPS, INSA, Université de Toulouse, 135, Avenue de Rangueil, 31 077, Toulouse Cedex 04, France

    Gilles Escadeillas, Alexandra Bertron, Erick Ringot & Arnaud Dubosc

  2. Laboratoire d’Ingénierie des Systèmes Biologiques et des Procédés (LISBP), INSA, CNRS, UMR 5504, Université de Toulouse, 135, Avenue de Rangueil, 31 077, Toulouse Cedex 04, France

    Philippe J. Blanc

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  1. Gilles Escadeillas
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  2. Alexandra Bertron
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  3. Erick Ringot
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  4. Philippe J. Blanc
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  5. Arnaud Dubosc
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Correspondence to Alexandra Bertron.

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Escadeillas, G., Bertron, A., Ringot, E. et al. Accelerated testing of biological stain growth on external concrete walls. Part 2: Quantification of growths. Mater Struct 42, 937–945 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-008-9433-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-008-9433-3

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