摘要：In this survey we present studies on mortar mixesadded with oxblood, which was a commonly found localwaste material, with a wide application and long history ofuse; a precise recipe of lime–pozzolan mortar with blood addition from a 19th-century Italian manual was chosen, andmodel samples were prepared accordingly, with the aim ofbetter understanding the chemical, mineralogical and physical characteristics of such compositions, starting with a blankreference specimen. The specimens were analysed by meansof scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction, and the results suggestedthat amorphous calcium carbonate could be formed in thespecimens with oxblood addition. These preliminary resultsallow a better understanding of historical building practices,measuring effects induced by organic additives on mortar microstructure, as well as an evaluation of new performancesobtained in mortar mixes. Moreover, this paper intends topropose a full multi-discipline approach to bridge the history of architecture and building materials to conservationscience.
