Greece is a country with very important and long-lived history. Monuments since the ancient times until modern age, reveal the advance of the Greek civilization through the centuries, constituting inextricable part of our cultural heritage.
A lot of monuments are made of marble, a material with a high production in Greece, which quality can be abased by bioerosion. That’s why our team, decided to confront this phenomenon, with the biological biocide M.ER.CURE (Marble Erosion Cure).
Until today, the most important techniques against bioerosion, are
chemical biocides, which are effective against microorganisms, however
they are not preferred by conservators, as they have a number of
disadvantages.
In particular, their application should be done during the
spring months, when tourism flourishes and so not only conservationists,
but also many tourists, come in contact with toxic chemicals.
In addition to
the human factor, these toxic compounds are diffused into nature, posing a
threat to the biodiversity of the endangered monuments’ surrounding area
and of the aquatic ecosystems they end in.
Also, these chemical
compounds can cause problems in the marble itself.
Finally, the resistance
that these microorganisms develop to these chemicals over time makes
such approaches, in the long run, ineffective in combating bioerosion.
M.ER.CURE , will be a biological biocidal product, which will be usable by conservationists, friendly to humans, the environment and marble. Also, the use of an antimicrobial peptide, as the major component of the biocide, prevents the development of resistance of microorganisms, thus eliminating the need to create ever more modern biocides, constituting a useful tool for combating bioerosion and preserving cultural heritage.
Although our first idea was the preservation
of the marble monuments, via our research
we realized that marble is a widely used
material in the construction of modern buildings.
Also, many floor tiles consist of marble. This
means, that M.ER.CURE could be not only a
useful biocide for the Greek marble monuments
and the marbles all over the world, but also, it could be a daily
used cleanser for the domestic marbles.
