Protecting earthen heritage using a green strategy: a study about natural water repellents

Using earth as a construction material is an ancient technique that can be found around the world in monumental and vernacular architecture. However, its preservation is a challenging topic that clearly needs deeper research, especially from the conservation science approach. Earthen heritage is also associated with ancient maintenance techniques employing natural and local products still being used in some countries. Having those methods as a background, this paper proposes to adopt a green conservation strategy and a scientific approach, learning from traditional procedures to apply on earthen heritage. In the present research, three natural products - arabic gum, linseed oil and beeswax - were studied in terms of compatibility and efficiency with adobe specimens. The main results are critically discussed, and the main conclusions are exposed and compared against the common professional practice.