Measuring the Electroosmotic Permeability Coefficient in Single Bricks

The transport process electroosmosis (EO) has been suggested to be used for dewatering damp brick masonry for decades. Still, it is debated whether EO can be obtained in bricks. By use of an advanced EO laboratory cell, this paper reports that an EO flow can be generated in two types of Danish bricks. The electroosmotic permeability coefficient was shown to be dependent on both intrinsic properties of bricks, such as pore size distribution, and extrinsic properties, such as zeta potential. Results showed that the brick with a higher pore volume but with a lower surface charge has a lower EO permeability coefficient.