Influence of temperature on crystallisation and dissolution of salts and salt mixtures in built environment
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Authors
Chan, Victor C. W.
Godts, Sebastiaan
Stahlbuhk, Amelie
Steiger, Michael
Orr, Scott Allan
Discipline
Physical sciences
Earth and related Environmental sciences
Chemical engineering
Environmental engineering
Audience
Scientific
Educational
Date
2025-04-29Publisher
npj Heritage Science
Metadata
Show full item recordDescription
Salt weathering significantly degrades building materials, necessitating a thorough understanding of
influencing factors. While prior research has focused on relative humidity (RH), temperature effects on
salt crystallisation and dissolution remain less explored. This study examines selected single salts and
mixtures, using the ECOS/RUSALT thermodynamic model to assess equilibrium behaviour across
temperatures from 1 °C to 50 °C and RH values from 15% to 98%. Results show that crystallisation
and dissolution RH generally decrease with rising temperature. Single salts exhibit monotonic
changes, whereas mixtures behave variably. Calcium-rich mixtures have lower mutual crystallisation
and dissolution RH than sulfate-rich ones, with further reductions in magnesium-containing mixtures.
Lower temperatures promote the formation of more output salts. Model limitations are acknowledged
to explain discrepancies between predictions and real-world observations. These findings enhance
understanding of salt behaviour under climatic variations, aiding strategies to mitigate salt damage in
building materials.
Citation
Chan, V.C.W., Godts, S., Stahlbuhk, A. et al. Influence of temperature on crystallisation and dissolution of salts and salt mixtures in built environment. npj Herit. Sci. 13, 123 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s40494-025-01659-1
Identifiers
Type
Article
Peer-Review
Yes
Language
eng