Abstract
Biocleaning technologies applied to cultural heritage sites have evolved to function in a wide range of environments, from laboratory conditions to cultural heritage monuments, stoneworks, frescoes and easel paintings. The accurate study of the microbial and fungal communities dwelling on artworks, and involved in their deterioration, is essential for the adoption of optimal prevention and conservation strategies. Biotechnologies have been able to resolve a range of problems on various artistic materials and to combat diverse artistic pathologies by using different cultures of viable bacteria. Microbial agents are among the major causes of deterioration of cultural heritage, strongly affecting our global cultural legacy, the stone, glass, wood and other sources used to fabricate millions of artworks and monuments around the world. Microbial action has been harnessed to clean the surfaces of stone sculptures and buildings and frescoes.
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Batabyal, B. (2020). Microbial Biocleaning Technologies for Cultural Heritage: Current Status and Future Challenges. In: Yadav, A., Rastegari, A., Gupta, V., Yadav, N. (eds) Microbial Biotechnology Approaches to Monuments of Cultural Heritage. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3401-0_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3401-0_2
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