Indoor Air Quality Assessment at the Library of the National Observatory of Athens, Greece

Drougka, Fani; Liakakou, Eleni; Σακκά, Αρεζίνα; Zacharias, N.; Mihalopoulos, Nikolaos; Gerasopoulos, E.

doi:10.4209/aaqr.2019.07.0360

Cited by 20 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Indoor and outdoor air pollutants could be considered a serious risk parameter for the conservation of artworks in museum environments (Grøntoft 2017 ; Guerranti et al 2016 ). Artworks, including wall paintings, polychrome sculptures, manuscript and canvas paintings, by materials interaction with the environment, go through chemical and physical modifications with a natural and irreversible process of degradation (Drougka et al 2020 ). The microclimate conditions of museums are the most common processes of decay, such as wet-dry cycles, thermal shock, and dissolution-crystallisation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper”: a case study to evaluate the influence of visitors on the Museum preservation systems

Motta

Pironti

Ricciardi

et al. 2021

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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The most important parameter to obtain an appropriate preservation condition of museum environments concerns the indoor air quality. The exposure of artwork and materials to gaseous and particulate pollutants introduced by visitors and either indoor or outdoor sources contributes to their decay. In this work, we evaluated the possible monitoring of the visitors’ influence using the stable carbon isotopic ratio of CO2 and the concentration of NH3 as a real-time tool. The study was done in the Refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan, Italy) which houses one of the most important paintings of Leonardo da Vinci, the Last Supper, and had more than 400,000 visitors in 2019. The results confirmed a good correlation between the presence of tourists inside the museum and the variation of δ13C value during the visits and the closure of the museum. The variation of indoor atmospheric δ13C was influenced by the presence of visitors in the Refectory and delineates the way done from the entrance to the exit. In the same way, the concentration of NH3 was influenced by the presence of visitors and confirmed the role of this one on preservation methodology for indoor air quality in the museum. This new methodology can be used as a supplemental and non-invasive tool to help in calibrating microclimatic conditions through the ventilation rate and air filtration systems in the museum and to manage the number of visitors per turn.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper”: a case study to evaluate the influence of visitors on the Museum preservation systems

Motta

Pironti

Ricciardi

et al. 2021

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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“…The presence of chemical elements in these materials can be highly variable, both in type and concentration. Furthermore, chemical elements such as Na, S, Cl, K, and Ca may be contained in the dust that settles on books [66,67].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biophysical Manipulation of the Extracellular Environment by Eurotium halophilicum

Micheluz

Pinzari²,

Rivera-Valentín³

et al. 2022

Pathogens

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Eurotium halophilicum is psychrotolerant, halophilic, and one of the most-extreme xerophiles in Earth’s biosphere. We already know that this ascomycete grows close to 0 °C, at high NaCl, and—under some conditions—down to 0.651 water-activity. However, there is a paucity of information about how it achieves this extreme stress tolerance given the dynamic water regimes of the surface habitats on which it commonly occurs. Here, against the backdrop of global climate change, we investigated the biophysical interactions of E. halophilicum with its extracellular environment using samples taken from the surfaces of library books. The specific aims were to examine its morphology and extracellular environment (using scanning electron microscopy for visualisation and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry to identify chemical elements) and investigate interactions with water, ions, and minerals (including analyses of temperature and relative humidity conditions and determinations of salt deliquescence and water activity of extracellular brine). We observed crystals identified as eugsterite (Na4Ca(SO4)3·2H2O) and mirabilite (Na2SO4·10H2O) embedded within extracellular polymeric substances and provide evidence that E. halophilicum uses salt deliquescence to maintain conditions consistent with its water-activity window for growth. In addition, it utilizes a covering of hair-like microfilaments that likely absorb water and maintain a layer of humid air adjacent to the hyphae. We believe that, along with compatible solutes used for osmotic adjustment, these adaptations allow the fungus to maintain hydration in both space and time. We discuss these findings in relation to the conservation of books and other artifacts within the built environment, spoilage of foods and feeds, the ecology of E. halophilicum in natural habitats, and the current episode of climate change.

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“…This may be due to the use of calcium carbonate in the paper manufacture. A slight decrease in the pH value may have been caused by the occurrence of slight acid hydrolysis or oxidation of cellulose as a result of improper surrounding environmental conditions such as acidic compounds from air pollutants (sulfur dioxide [SO 2 ], and nitrogen oxides [NOx], temperature and relative humidity (RH) levels (Malešič [40]; Mochizuki et al [41]; and Drougka et al [42]). In addition to the scission of chemical bonds between monomeric glucose units which resulted in a decrease of the cellulose chain length (i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analytical and Conservation Techniques for General Arrangement Plan - Screw Yacht “Safa-El-Bahre” on Tracing Paper

Abdel-Maksoud

Khattab²

2021

Egyptian Journal of Archaeological and Restoration Studies

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This study aims to investigate, analyze and conserve the general arrangement plan of the Egyptian royal yacht "Safra El-Bahr" from the National Archives of Egypt's tracing paper collection. The yacht was specifically designed for Abbas II, the khedive of Egypt in 1894 A.D. The following analytical techniques were used for this study: pH value measurement, fungal testing, XRD, ATR-FTIR and SEM-EDX. Results revealed that the pH value of the plan paper is 6.5. Fungal testing proved the presence of Aspergillus Niger and Penicillium sp. The crystallinity index of cellulose in the historical paper increased compared to modern tracing paper indicating the occurrence of deterioration. The ATR-FTIR spectrum of the studied tracing paper revealed the presence of gelatin as a sizing material. The SEM investigation showed the effect of the natural ageing and surrounding environmental conditions on the surface morphology of the fibers. The EDX analysis revealed the use of kaolinite Al2Si2O3(OH)4, Cl, NaOH and CaCo3 in paper manufacture. Copper carbonate (CuCO3) was used for the blue color. Conservation treatments conducted on the object included cleaning, removal of pressure sensitive tape, removal of adhesive residues, tear mending and lining. These processes revealed the aesthetic value of the general arrangement plan -screw yacht "SAFA-EL-BAHRE.

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Indoor Air Quality Assessment at the Library of the National Observatory of Athens, Greece

Cited by 20 publications

References 42 publications

Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper”: a case study to evaluate the influence of visitors on the Museum preservation systems

Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper”: a case study to evaluate the influence of visitors on the Museum preservation systems

Biophysical Manipulation of the Extracellular Environment by Eurotium halophilicum

Analytical and Conservation Techniques for General Arrangement Plan - Screw Yacht “Safa-El-Bahre” on Tracing Paper

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