Resistance of cyanobacterial fouling on architectural paint films to cleaning by water jet.

Mortar panels painted with three different white acrylic coatings were exposed to the environment in urban (São Paulo) and rural (Pirassununga) sites in Brazil for 7 years. After this time, all panels were almost equally discoloured, and paint detachment was observed to only a small degree. The biofilms were composed mainly of cyanobacteria and filamentous fungi, principal genera being Gloeocapsa and Chroococcidiopsis of the cyanobacteria, and Cladosporium and Alternaria of the fungi.

Effect of culture medium on biocalcification by Pseudomonas Putida, Lysinibacillus Sphaericus and Bacillus Subtilis.

The objective of this study is to investigate the efficiency of calcium carbonate bioprecipitation by Lysinibacillus sphaericus, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas putida, obtained from the Coleção de Culturas do Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade em Saúde (INCQS), as a first step in determining their potential to protect building materials against water uptake. Two culture media were studied: modified B4 containing calcium acetate and 295 with calcium chloride. Calcium consumption in the two media after incubation with and without the bacterial inoculum was determined by atomic absorption analysis.

Climate as the most important factor determining anti-fungal biocide performance in paint films.

The effect of Pigment Volume Content (PVC) on fungal growth on acrylic paint formulations with and without biocide, exposed to weathering in three different climatic regions in Brazil for four years, was studied. Latex paints, with PVC of 30%, 35% and 50%, were applied to autoclaved aerated concrete blocks pre-covered with acrylic sealer and acrylic plaster. They were exposed to equatorial, tropical and temperate climates in north, south-east, and south Brazil.