Abstract. In this survey we present studies on mortar mixes added with oxblood, which
was a commonly found local waste material, with a wide application and long
history of use; a precise recipe of lime–pozzolan mortar with blood addition
from a 19th-century Italian manual was chosen, and model samples were prepared
accordingly, with the aim of better understanding the chemical, mineralogical and
physical characteristics of such compositions, starting with a blank
reference specimen. The specimens were analysed by means of scanning electron
microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction,
and the results suggested that amorphous calcium carbonate could be formed in
the specimens with oxblood addition. These preliminary results allow a
better understanding of historical building practices, measuring effects
induced by organic additives on mortar microstructure, as well as an evaluation of new
performances obtained in mortar mixes. Moreover, this paper intends to propose
a full multi-discipline approach to bridge the history of architecture and
building materials to conservation science.