The Impact of Biochar Used in Repairs to Historical Buildings on Public Health
Daniel Tokarski,
Irena Ickiewicz,
Wioletta Żukiewicz-Sobczak () and
Paweł Woliński
Additional contact information
Daniel Tokarski: Faculty of Economics and Sociology, University of Lodz, 90-419 Lodz, Poland
Irena Ickiewicz: Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, Bialystok University of Technology, 15-351 Bialystok, Poland
Wioletta Żukiewicz-Sobczak: Department of Food and Nutrition, Calisia University, 62-800 Kalisz, Poland
Paweł Woliński: Faculty of Technical Sciences, Collegium Mazovia Innovative School, University in Siedlce, 08-110 Siedlce, Poland
IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 20, 1-15
Abstract:
The subject matter of this manuscript concerns the analysis and identification of microorganisms that pose a threat to human health and, in particular, mold fungi occurring in historical buildings. Surfaces infected by fungal spores pose a threat to the structure and the health of both visitors to historical buildings and professionals working in them. Research was undertaken to fill in the defects in building partitions with a supplementary layer of biochar in order to eliminate, or partially reduce, the possibility of contamination with and development of harmful mold fungi. In the designed cement mixture, biochar was used as a filler, the task of which was to eliminate the causes that lead to the development of harmful mold fungi. Microbiological analyses of the surface of walls and air in selected buildings were carried out before and after the application of supplementary biochar layers. The inhibitory properties of the material used against the presence and growth of mold fungi were observed. The average number of microorganisms isolated on the tested partitions decreased by between 70 and 100%. As a consequence, the use of this material significantly influenced the air quality of the rooms, which is important for protecting the health of people at work, as well as those visiting historical buildings.
Keywords: biochar; historical building; eco-innovation; building mycology; public health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)
Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/20/12996/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/20/12996/ (text/html)
Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.
Export reference: BibTeX
RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan)
HTML/Text
Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:20:p:12996-:d:938601
Access Statistics for this article
IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu
More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().