Effect of the Chemical Composition of Building Materials on Algal Biofouling

The main cause of aesthetical deterioration of outdoor exposed building materials is the colonization by microorganisms. This phenomenon depends on factors such as geographical situation, environmental conditions and surface state of the substrate. Several researches have been devoted to the study of the effect of porosity, roughness and surface treatment on the biofouling of building materials. However, none of them has addressed the influence of cement composition. The main objective of this study is thus to highlight the influence of the composition of the material on its biocolonization by algae. The green alga Klebsormidium flaccidum was chosen because of its representativeness in France. It is indeed the species the most frequently identified and isolated from samples taken on sites. In order to characterize the influence of the composition of building materials on their biofouling, the behavior of mortars prepared with two types of Portland cement and two types of calcium aluminates cement is studied. The biofouling is followed by measuring the covering rate thanks to image analysis. This work is realized both on samples exposed outdoor and on samples tested in a laboratory bench. Obtained results prove that the composition of cementitious materials is a determining factor.