Amelia Dionísio

University of Lisbon | UL

Devido à necessidade de minimizar o consumo energético e aumentar o conforto térmico, os sistemas compósitos de isolamento térmico pelo exterior com revestimento, do tipo ETICS, são uma solução cada vez mais frequente na construção e reabilitação de fachadas de edifícios em Portugal. O estudo do seu desempenho e durabilidade contribui não só para a...

External thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) have been widely adopted for improving the thermal comfort of building facades. Although these systems are commonly subjected to vandalism in urban areas, no protocols for the removal of graffiti on ETICS have been yet systematically defined. In this work, aerosol graffiti sprays (blue and silve...

External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) are widely used constructive solutions which aim at enhancing the building thermal performance. Nevertheless, ETICS can often present anomalies (e.g., stains and microcracks) throughout their service life, and vandalism actions, as in the case of graffiti, are rather common in urban areas. The r...

Portugal has a relevant role in natural stone production and trading. The national sector has been trying to follow the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Era, where automation of stone processing operations is necessary to increase productivity, balance the decreasing workforce and reduce stone waste. The identification of defects or defective...

Hematite-and cinnabar-based paint mock-ups prepared with either rabbit glue or egg yolk binder were artificially aged in an SO2-rich atmosphere, as a model system for investigating the deterioration of tempera paints exposed to an industrial atmosphere. The overall research aim was to identify the type of degradation occurring in tempera paints and...

External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) are multilayer solutions which provide an enhanced thermal performance to the building envelope. However, significant anomalies can be detected on ETICS facades, in some cases shortly after the application of these systems. This study intends to evaluate and compare the durability of six commerc...

In this paper, 3D ultrasonic tomography was combined with petrophysics (color, gloss, open porosity, capillary absorption coefficient and bulk density) and elastic parameters (VS, VP/VS, Young’s modulus—E, shear modulus—µ, bulk modulus—K and Poisson’s ratio—ν) in order to evaluate the effect of high temperatures (300 ºC and 600 ºC) and type of cool...

External thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) have been extensively applied on building façades with the aim of implementing the thermal and aesthetical properties of the building envelope. However, the formation of stains and deposition of particulate matter is often observed in the surface of these systems. The use of multifunctional prod...

Natural stones are influenced by environmental conditions that might affect their performance and durability as building cladding elements. Among these environmental conditions, one that is not well explored is the study of the impact of SO2 deposition on the mechanical properties of ornamental stones. In this paper, the effect of a SO2-rich atmosp...

External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) have been extensively used for either new constructions or building facades retrofitting in the last decades. These systems can provide improved thermal performance to the building envelope. However, their long-term durability remains a pervasive concern, with some systems presenting relevant an...

Granite is a natural stone widely applied in heritage and modern buildings in Portugal and changes in temperature extremes that leads to wildfires leverages the importance of thermal induced ageing study of this type of stones. The results of an experimental work based physical and mechanical characterization of a Portuguese granite subjected to th...

Two carbonate stones (a limestone and a marble), commonly used for flooring, wall cladding and countertops, were exposed to different staining agents. After each cycle (staining and cleaning with a non-ionic detergent solution), the surface degradation was assessed on a scale ranging from unchanged to severe change (based on the qualitative charact...

Churches in Yucatan region in Mexico are considered a built heritage legacy of great cultural interest. Some of these churches exhibit some pathologies with deformation mainly located at the stone masonry vaults. The churches are mostly built with ruble stone masonry walls and vaults in which limestone and lime mortar predominate. The design of any...

Natural stone is quite popular and is commonly used in building interiors, for its aesthetic appeal and for its performance, durability and environmentally-friendly composition. Natural stone also adds considerably to the real estate market value of houses. Different types of natural stone, including granite, can be used in interior design. The sto...

The use of External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) significantly increased in the last decades due to their enhanced thermal properties, low installation cost and ease of application, not only in new constructions but also for thermal retrofitting of building facades. These multilayer rendering systems are constantly exposed to weathe...

Different decay factors influence the minero-chemical characteristics and the physico-mechanical properties of building stones. Weathering and exposure to high temperatures (such as those achieved during a fire) can contribute to their deterioration. The aim of this work was to identify and describe changes induced by weathering and fire exposure o...

In order to improve our knowledge of the weathering response of tempera paints exposed to an industrial atmosphere, azurite-and malachite-based paint mock-ups prepared with either rabbit glue or egg yolk binders were artificially aged in an SO2 rich atmosphere. The aim was to identify the different alteration mechanisms and forms of degradation in...

The behavior of historic tempera paints exposed to pollutant gases is an important issue when developing conservation strategies. In this work, binary tempera paint mock-ups that were made with either smalt or lapis lazuli pigments mixed with either rabbit glue or egg yolk binders were exposed to an SO2 accelerated aging test in order to find out m...

This work arises from the need to identify the origin of a black film which is currently covering a large area of the sculpture Death of Cleopatra, promoting its disfiguration. This piece, sculpted in Carrara marble, belongs to Tropical Botanic Garden, in Lisbon. In situ works involved colorimetric measurements, adhesion tests and mapping of decay...

Technical ceramics are being widely employed in the electric power, medical and engineering industries because of their thermal and mechanical properties, as well as their high resistance qualities. The manufacture of technical ceramic components involves complex processes, including milling and stirring of raw materials in aqueous solutions, spray...

Fire is one of the most severe threats to stone applied in civil engineering and architecture. In most cases, its effects are irreversible and have long-lasting repercussions. In addition to aesthetic alterations, fire can also induce important mineral-chemical, physical, and mechanical changes in stone. Research concerning the effects of fire on s...

Mechanical methods to extract undesired graffiti paints on ornamental stones are efficient cleaning methods from an economical point of view. However, effort on the optimization of mechanical cleaning procedures to avoid any damage to the substrate is required for large areas. In this study, two ornamental stones with different composition and text...

Cleaning effectiveness of four graffiti spray paints artificially aged by SO2 exposure on granite was evaluated.Two different removal procedures were applied: i) mechanical methods with different micro abrasives (Hydrogommage– combining action of air, water and micro abrasive-silica or aluminium silicate and IBIX– combining action of air and micro...

Graffiti are one of the most severe threats to Stone Cultural Heritage and are most of the times removed after long periods of environmental exposure. This research intends to evaluate the influence of the ageing of the graffitis on the effectiveness of their cleaning. So, comparative studies on unaged and on artificially SO2 aged samples were cond...

This study focuses on the assessment of soluble salt extraction ability of agar gel from a Portuguese limestone (Ançã). This calcareous stone was commonly used in Portugal as building and ornamental material and is very susceptible to salt decay. Samples were contaminated with NaCl and the amount of salt introduced was quantified. Two concentration...

The deposition of soot on building surfaces darkens their colour and leads to undesirable black crusts, which are one of the most serious problems on the conservation of built cultural heritage. As a preventive strategy, self-cleaning systems based on the use of titanium dioxide (TiO2) coatings have been employed on building materials for degrading...

Subsurface granitic environments are scarce and poorly investigated. A multi-disciplinary approach was used to characterize the abundant moonmilk deposits and associated microbial communities coating the granite walls of the 16th Century Paranhos spring water tunnel in Porto city (north-west Portugal). It is possible that this study is the first re...

Lime-, cement- and lime & cement-based mortars, containing different proportions of nanocrystalline TiO2 (1, 2.5 and 5 wt%) and fine aggregates of silicate nature have been investigated with the aim to improve the knowledge in terms of their chemical, physical and mechanical properties. The influence on the physical-mechanical properties induced by...

Graffiti paintings, as an act of vandalism, are one of the most severe threats to stone applied in Cultural Heritage.Their cleaning is expensive and in most of the cases, also induce stone damage, such as chemical contamination, by-products and physical changes. In the recent years, the application of anti-graffiti products has been carried out in...

Black crusts appearing on mortars in buildings include exogenic deposits of soot from car engines in combination with materials derived from this substrate, leading to a devaluation of the aesthetic value of the building and also to the development of decay features. A solution to counteract/minimize this problem is the addition of TiO2 in the manu...

This paper aims to study the influence of the exposition of graffiti paintings to one of the most important urban contaminant SO2 on the cleaning effectiveness of graffiti on the valuable ornamental granite Rosa Porriño. Two different chemical products and two different mechanical procedures based on low pressure projection (wet and dry) were evalu...

A multianalytical approach combining 3D ultrasonic tomography, FESEM, capillary absorption coefficient, open porosity and elastic constants (s, E, μ and K) has been applied to characterize the extent and severity of Lioz limestone decay processes induced by fire, as well as the performance of two consolidants (ethyl silicate and nanolime). Samples...

Graffiti are a current happening that affects many monuments and buildings in urban areas. Additionally, graffiti removal involves high costs. To protect the surface of materials, anti-graffiti products have been developed to prevent the penetration of graffiti paint into the pore system of the substrates, facilitating its subsequent cleaning. This...

This study focuses on the assessment of the degradation processes occurring in three sandstone infills of fossilized Late Jurassic ornithopod tridactyl footprints, found in 2001 in a coastline cliff in Porto das Barcas (Lourinhã, Portugal) and exhibited in a museum display since 2004. These dinosaur footprints present nowadays severe decay phenomen...

Ana Heva lava tube (Easter Island, Chile): Preliminary characterization of the internal layers of coralloid-type speleothems - Volume 21 Issue S6 - A.Z. Miller, M.F.C Pereira, J.M. Calaforra, P. Forti, A. Dionísio, C. Saiz-Jimenez

Ceramic industry represents an important sector of economic activity in the European countries and involves complex and numerous manufacturing processes. The unidirectional dry pressing process includes milling and stirring of raw materials (mainly clay and talc minerals) in aqueous suspensions, followed by spray drying to remove excess water obtai...

This study focuses on the assessment of three graffiti cleaning systems on alkyd-paint graffiti aerosols made on two Portuguese calcareous stones, a marble, Branco, and a limestone, Lioz. These calcareous stones are commonly used in Portugal as building materials and ornamental stones. Two non-conventional commercial dry soft-abrasive blasting medi...

Effects of high temperature and subsequent shock cooling by water on stone cladding requirements are studied through the assessment of physical and mechanical properties. Three different Portuguese granites: Amarelo de Vila Real, Cinzento de Alpalhão and Cinzento de Pedras Salgadas commonly used as cladding building materials, were heated in a muff...

The current study aims to conciliate conservation and restoration museology diagnosis with paleontological and geological curational needs and has, as subject of study, dinosaur footprints (vertebrates fossils). The footprints have been being exposed since 2004 in the paleontology hall of the Museum of Lourinhã, Portugal, and are part of a importan...

Geophysical methodologies have been implemented, tested and validated as diagnostic and /or monitoring tools in artworks or historical monuments. They are non-destructive and can give an image of internal structure of investigated medium. This paper is a review about the main geophysical techniques applied to the study of cultural built heritage (e...

Several bacterial and fungal species naturally occurring in ceramic raw materials used in construction, such as Aspergillus, Penicillium and Aureobasidium, are known to produce exopolysaccharides (EPS). These polymers excreted by the cells are of widespread occurrence and may confer unique and potentially interesting properties with potential indus...

Coralloid-type speleothems were recorded on the ceiling of the Ana Heva lava tube in Easter Island (Chile). These speleothems were morphologically, geochemically and mineralogically characterized using a wide variety of microscopy and analytical techniques. They consist dominantly of amorphous Mg silicate and opal-A. Field emission scanning electro...

This paper reports the results of a geophysical survey (self-potential and seismic refraction) combined with IR thermography and identification of decay products and quantification of soluble salts in a Portuguese artistic tomb made of a porous limestone that presents severe decay phenomena. The aim of this work was to study microenvironmental cond...

Este estudo refere-se ao trabalho de investigação do revestimento das paredes interiores da Igreja São Luís dos Franceses, pintura de fingidos sobre estuque, os marmoreados, que terão sido executados entre 1766 a 1769. O estudo caracteriza os marmoreados, executados pela técnica Stucco Lustro. Neste contexto, foi analisado o seu estado de conservaç...

Today experts agree that precise damage diagnosis is the key to comprehensive characterization, interpretation, rating and prediction of stone damage. It provides vital information for monument conservation and sustainable preservation. Better understanding of the stones used in monuments and the factors, processes and characteristics involved in s...

Microorganisms inhabit all possible biosphere ecosystems including subsurface rock environments, such as caves, mines, tunnels, etc. These environments are nutrient-limited and contain a wide variety of redox interfaces and microorganisms able to promote biomineralization processes. By interacting with minerals, microorganisms play an important rol...

In order to evaluate the damage of alkyd sprays on calcareous monument stones, limestone and marble samples of renowned building materials and ornamental stones in the Portuguese architecture, Lioz and Branco, were submitted to artificial graffiti. The harmfulness was assessed in relation to the variation of water vapour permeability, static contac...

In the last few years, geomicrobiologists have focused their researches on the nature and origin of enigmatic reticulated filaments reported in modern and fossil samples from limestone caves and basalt lava tubes. Researchers have posed questions on these filaments concerning their nature, origin, chemistry, morphology, mode of formation and growth...

A Geophysical and geochemical survey was carried out in a Portuguese artistic tomb of the fifteenth century made of a porous limestone. This tomb is located inside a church, in the downtown of a historic city where the groundwater level is close to the surface. It has about 2,90m width and 1,50m height and presents nowadays severe decay phenomena,...

The importance of stone colonisation by microorganisms has led to an extensive literature on mechanisms and rates of physicochemical degradation of stone surface, both in laboratory and field contexts. Biological colonisation of a stone surface depends on intrinsic stone parameters like mineral composition, texture, porosity, and permeability, as w...

This paper reports the results of a study of biogenic Mn oxide minerals coating in a subsurface granite environment.This subterranean environment corresponds to galleries of a 16th century spring water tunnel dug throughout the granite bedrock located in Porto city (NW Portugal). Several techniques (XRD, FTIR, Raman, ICP-MS, TEM-EDS, FESEM-EDS, STE...

No conjunto dos materiais utilizados em património cultural construído, a pedra é o que apresenta aplicação mais generalizada ao longo dos vários períodos da História, podendo mesmo considerar-se um material de tradição milenar. A pedra é considerada, pela população em geral, como elemento duro, inerte e duradouro. Todavia as suas características p...

In 1995, Guillitte defined bioreceptivity, a new term in ecology, as the ability of a material to be colonized by living organisms. Information about the bioreceptivity of stone is of great importance since it will help us to understand the material properties which influence the development of biological colonization in the built environment, and...

Moisture is a key factor in stone deterioration and the decay of stone cultural heritage sites and objects, but until recently quantitative measurements of moisture in stone have been extremely difficult to obtain. The electrical resistivity of porous media is largely dependent on moisture content, and now electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) techn...

Microorganisms inhabit all possible biosphere ecosystems, including natural and man-made subterranean environments, which can favour the growth of individual species and microbial communities under near-starvation conditions. By interacting with minerals, microbes may influence mineral deposition by dissolution or biomineralization, forming several...

Uranyl-evansites from Porto (Northwest Portugal) together with historical evansite standards from Galicia (Northwest Spain), Slovakia, and Congo were studied by Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM), Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS), Back-Scattering (BS), Spectra Cathodoluminescence (CL), Micro-Raman and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and...

Biological colonisation of stone is one of the main problems related to monuments and buildings conservation. It is amply recognised that microalgae have the greatest ecological importance as pioneer colonisers of stone materials, conducting to aesthetic, physical and chemical damages. Their deterioration potential is related with their photoautotr...

In the present study, samples arising from the scaling of a Portuguese granite building were examined in an attempt to understand the mechanisms of surface blackening and detachment. The building, the Third Order of St. Francis Church, is located in the city centre of Porto which is an area characterised by moderate motor traffic. The Mediterranean...

This study is aimed to assess the formation of photosynthetic biofilms on and within different natural stone materials, and to analyse their biogeophysical and biogeochemical deterioration potential. This was performed by means of artificial colonisation under laboratory conditions during 3 months. Monitoring of microbial development was performed...

Different Mediterranean Basin limestones, like Calcario Anca (Portugal), Calcario Lioz (Portugal), Piedra San Cristobal (Spain), Piedra Escuzar (Spain) and Pietra di Lecce (Italy), have been widely used as building materials in the European architecture. The aim of this study was focused on biodeterioration, mainly on evaluation of the primary bior...

Export Date: 15 May 2015, Correspondence Address: Martinho, E.; Technical University of Lisbon (TULisbon), Lisboa, Portugal; email: emar@mail.ist.utl.pt, References: Dahlin, T., The development of electrical imaging techniques (2001) Computers and Geosciences, 27, pp. 1019-1029;