The characters of lichens attached to the stonework cultural assets and removing methods of them

석조문화재에 부착하는 지의류의 특성과 그 제거방법

Lichens play an important role in breaking down rocks physically and chemically. Physical weathering occurs mechanically through hyphae and rhizines growing into the rocks. Lichen substances such as oxalic acid, acidic polysaccharides and depsides may assist altering rocks chemically. These actions partly contribute to soil formation but prove harmful for the substratum. Some people do not like to keep lichens on stained glassof churches or on gravestones mainly because of its unglamorous appearance. A biocide, 'Koretrel', is very effective in removing lichens and blue-green algae from the surface of concrete. After spraying 'Koretrel' in the open air, lichens (Caloplaca sp., Endocarpon petrolepideum, Physciella melanchra, Phaeophyscia hispidula, etc.) growing on buildings died within three months and peeled off fromthe substratum. One year after treatment, concrete surfaces were almost lichen free for three or four years. The biocide makesuse of a kind of lichen substance and harmless both for substances and environment. Our recent experiments show that it is also useful for water grasses growing on the surface of an aqueduct of a hydroelectric power station.