Application of EPMA and XRF for the investigation of particulate pollutants in the field of cultural heritage

Kontozova-Deutsch, Velichka; Deutsch, Felix; Godoi, Ricardo H. M.; Spolnik, Zoya; Wei, W.; Grieken, R. Van

doi:10.1007/s00604-007-0917-6

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…It was also found that organic particle concentration was generally higher indoors than outdoors, which suggests an indoor source. Similar was found by Gysels et al [82], Godoi et al [79] and Kontozova-Deutsch et al [80]. Similarly to the already mentioned inorganic pollutants the concentration of coarse particulates can be reduced by air-conditioning and filtration, which was shown by Godoi et al [79].…”

Section: Pollutantssupporting

confidence: 76%

“…Alumosilicates originate from both natural and anthropogenic sources such as soil dust and fly ash aerosols, traffic, agriculture, deforestation etc. [80]. It was also found that organic particle concentration was generally higher indoors than outdoors, which suggests an indoor source.…”

Section: Pollutantsmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…Atmospheric aerosols consist of many different inorganic and organic compounds such as sea salt, nitrates, sulfates, soil dust, soot, primary and secondary organic compounds, heavy metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) [80]. Different types of particles have different effects on artefacts, as organic particles cause deterioration of visual properties by soiling the surface and can also increase SO 2 absorption.…”

Section: Pollutantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dose–response functions for historic paper

Menart

Bruin

Strlič

2011

Polymer Degradation and Stability

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Paper degradation has been studied extensively over the past few decades from both the conservation and the material science perspectives. This review focuses on the quantifiable impacts of the environment and material composition, from the viewpoint of long-term storage of historic paper-based collections. Therefore, temperature, relative humidity and their variation, and pollution are of major interest while photoinitiated processes are covered only briefly.New experiments comparing the effects of the most abundant indoor pollutants (NO 2 , acetic acid and formaldehyde) and the effects of fluctuating temperature and relative humidity are also presented as part of the discussion. This work highlights the need for revision of the existing doseresponse (damage) functions for paper and their further development. KeywordsHistoric paper; hydrolysis; oxidation; viscometry; colorimetry; heritage science Historic paperDespite the ubiquity of electronic media, paper is still the most generally readable carrier of information. In heritage institutions, collections of documents of the past are being preserved for posterity. It has been estimated that in a typical Western repository, 70-80% of these documents [1] are likely to be acidic and therefore prone to rapid deterioration, their useful lifetime being about a century, a couple at best. This is in a stark contrast to paper produced before ca. 1850, the lifetime of which may be longer for at least a factor of 10 [1]. For curators of these collections, interventive conservation is an option, although the throughput of even mass treatments [2] is not sufficient to address the scale of the problem and the resources are too limited. Stab 96 (2011Stab 96 ( ) 2029Stab 96 ( -2039 2 In many cases, preventive conservation is therefore the preferred option. However, environmental managers may struggle with the abundance of literature available on environmental effects on paper degradation and the surprisingly scarce data that is well quantified and relevant not only to the scientist but to the user as well. Unlike a recent comprehensive review of the basic mechanistic and thermodynamic concepts [3], the focus of the present review is to provide an overview of dose response functions, based on which environmental management in paper-based collections could be optimised to minimise degradation while optimising resource use. Published in Polym DegradThe main structural component of paper is cellulose. As a linear homopolymer, it is composed of identical monomers and scission of inter-monomer bonds leads to its degradation [4]. It is well known that apart from temperature, water (humidity) and acidity in paper are important factors in its degradation [5][6][7]. Acid-catalysed hydrolysis is a major cause of paper strength loss [5,7], although other mechanisms may take place as well, such as oxidation and thermal degradation [7,8], depending on the experimental conditions. The effect of oxygen on the hydrolytic pathway should not be neglected, as differences between accelerate...

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Section: Pollutantssupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Pollutantsmentioning

confidence: 76%

Section: Pollutantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dose–response functions for historic paper

Menart

Bruin

Strlič

2011

Polymer Degradation and Stability

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“…An important portion of the world's cultural heritage resides in tropical and subtropical regions, where both human and financial resources for preserving museum collections are limited. Although many museums have been widely investigated in Europe and the United States (Camuffo et al, , 2001Godoi et al, 2006aGodoi et al, , 2008Kontozova-Deutsch et al, 2008, 2011aIonescu et al, 2012), studies of the presence and effects of particulate matter and gaseous pollutants in museums of developing countries with non-temperate climates and with different economic realities are still Science of the Total Environment 452-453 (2013) lacking. Besides these "longitudinal" threats, physical, biological and chemical factors as pollution and its synergism should be considered in the sense of preservation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Looking at the air pollution indoors, where the most vulnerable artworks are stored, it is important to focus on components that have a potential deterioration effect such as some gases (e.g., NO 2 , SO 2 , and O 3 ), particulate matter (PM) including black carbon (BC) (Kontozova-Deutsch et al, 2008). More recently, organic acids as acetic and formic acids (HAc and HFor), as well as volatile organic compounds, like benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX), have also been considered due to their damage potential (Schieweck et al, 2005;Godoi et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indoor air quality of a museum in a subtropical climate: The Oscar Niemeyer museum in Curitiba, Brazil

Godoi

Carneiro

Paralovo

et al. 2013

Science of The Total Environment

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The assessment of damage to indoor cultural heritage, in particular by pollutants, is nowadays a major and growing concern for curators and conservators. Nevertheless, although many museums have been widely investigated in Europe, the effects of particulate matter and gaseous pollutants in museums under tropical and subtropical climates and with different economic realities are still unclear. An important portion of the world's cultural heritage is currently in tropical countries where both human and financial resources for preserving museum collections are limited. Hence, our aim is to assess the damage that can be caused to the artwork by pollution in hot and humid environments, where air quality and microclimatic condition differences can cause deterioration. As a case study, particulate matter as well as gases were collected at the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON) in Curitiba, Brazil, where large modern and contemporary works of art are displayed. NO2, SO2, O3, Acetic Acid, Formic Acids and BTEX, in the ambient air, were sampled by means of passive diffusive sampling and their concentrations were determined by IC or GC-MS. The particulate matter was collected in bulk form and analyzed with the use of energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence and aethalometer. The chemical compositions of individual particles were quantitatively elucidated, including low-Z components like C, N and O, as well as higher-Z elements, using automated electron probe microanalysis. The gaseous and particulate matter levels were then compared with the concentrations obtained for the same pollutants in other museums, located in places with different climates, and with some reference values provided by international cultural heritage conservation centers. Results are interpreted separately and as a whole with the specific aim of identifying compounds that could contribute to the chemical reactions taking place on the surfaces of artifacts and which could potentially cause irreversible damage to the artworks.

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