Investigation of the usage of boron minerals on kufeki stone in facade cleaning

Historical stone buildings, which have been standing for centuries and allow us to see the construction technique and craftsmanship of a period as an artifact today, are structures that need to be preserved and sustained. However, these structures may show wear, pollution and deterioration behaviors within the environmental conditions in which they are located. The living conditions of the world predominantly support those whose environmental impacts are minimized. For this reason, the conservation approach is also evolving and changing within sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions. Surface cleaners and application methods used in restoration and facade cleaning are generally imported. Especially the techniques, technologies and agents used in chemical cleaning methods are imported. The effect of these agents on the materials is understood with experience over time. There is no locally produced cleaning agent. Investigating the usability of boron minerals, which are used in many different sectors with the criteria of being local, environmentally friendly, reusable and economical, as well as examples of its use in wood cleaning, can provide an important resource as an agent for stone cleaning. The aim of this research is to experimentally analyze the usability of boron mineral-added cleaning agents in stone cleaning. In this study, in addition to Boron minerals, commonly used cleaning agents were added for comparison. In order to compare the effect, a single stone was selected as the stone type. Kufeki stone, which is widely used in Istanbul, was preferred as the stone. The method of the study is experimental analysis. The experiments were conducted at MSGSU MerLab (Cultural Assets and Works of Art Materials Application and Research Center). The study consists of four chapters. In the first part; the aim of the study is given information about the scope and method. In the second part; facade cleaning methods in historical stone buildings are explained in line with the literature review and the opinions of experts in the field. In the third part; an experimental program including preliminary and main experimental program was carried out in order to determine the usability of boron mineral in cleaning kufeki stone. Since there is no information in the literature on the use of boron mineral in stone cleaning, in the preliminary experiments; determination of mixing ratios, solution preparation, usability of boron mineral cleaning agents on küfeki and marble stone were analyzed. As the results of the preliminary experiments gave positive results on the use of boron mineral, the main experiment program was prepared. In the main experiments; stone type verification experiments, determination of dirt type, application of boron mineral and other commonly used cleaning agents to stone samples, measurement of discoloration after application, and analysis of the effectiveness and possible effects of the agents on surface cleaning. The findings were evaluated. In the fourth part, the results showed that Boron minerals can be used locally, environmentally friendly, do not require additional application after application to stone surfaces, and do not have a negative effect when cleaning the surface. This study has a pioneering content by testing the usability of Boron mineral on stone surfaces for the first time. It constitutes an important infrastructure for future studies. This study offers a wide range of applications for different types of stones and dirt. Keywords: Boron mineral, stone facade cleaning, kufeki stone, boron minerals, cleaning agent.