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Researchers at Cardiff University, Wales, have develยญoped a novel coatยญing designed to proยญtect ancient limeยญstone buildยญings from olive oil derived fatty acids.
The new prepaยญraยญtion, which comยญbines oleic acid with fluยญoยญriยญnated subยญstances, was develยญoped in answer to the ongoยญing deteยญriยญoยญraยญtion of buildยญings such as York Minster, one of the UKโs largest catheยญdrals.
Buildings such as York Minster have been around since 600AD and have sufยญfered from a huge variยญety of polยญluยญtants, includยญing sulยญphur dioxยญide and acid rain, leadยญing to masยญsive deteยญriยญoยญraยญtion of the stone. This damยญage is not just a result of modยญern day polยญluยญtion, it dates back to increased air polยญluยญtants in the indusยญtrial revยญoยญluยญtion.
Attempts to restore York Minster and other simยญiยญlar buildยญings to their forยญmer glory have in some cases been detriยญmenยญtal and in fact sped up the deteยญriยญoยญraยญtion. However, the appliยญcaยญtion of the new coatยญing to stones from this parยญticยญuยญlar catheยญdral have had good effect.
The new olive oil derived subยญstance could be used to coat buildยญings such as York Minster and other limeยญstone conยญstrucยญtions and act to proยญtect the strucยญture from polยญluยญtants, while still allowยญing the stone to โโbreathe.โ This disยญcourยญages the build up of molds or salt on the surยญface, furยญther adding to the proยญtecยญtion as an excess of salt can lead to crackยญing of the stone over time. This behavยญior disยญtinยญguishes the new coatยญing from those used preยญviยญously in restoraยญtion, which often blocked the micro-strucยญtures of the stone and ended up proยญmotยญing mold and salt accuยญmuยญlaยญtion.
Limestone reacts chemยญiยญcally with sulยญphur dioxยญide and sulยญphate parยญtiยญcles in the air, which leads to deteยญriยญoยญraยญtion, but one coatยญing of the new subยญstance has been found to minยญiยญmize this. When develยญopยญing the coatยญing, it was necยญesยญsary for the team to use a hydrophoยญbic or water repelยญlent subยญstance, in order to repel acid rain. Oleic acid is thought to be ideal for this as it conยญtains a long hydrophoยญbic strucยญture that will repel water with the other end of the molยญeยญcule reactยญing with the limeยญstone selecยญtively.
There was also the quesยญtion of the affect on the appearยญance and color of the buildยญing to conยญsider. Researchers had preยญviยญously experยญiยญmented with linยญseed oil on the stone of York Minster, but this was deemed unsuitยญable as it disยญcolยญored the stone and made it darker.
After the sucยญcess of the coatยญing on York Minster, researchers have sugยญgested that there is the posยญsiยญbilยญity to proยญtect many other ancient limeยญstone buildยญings in the same way.
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