Identification and assessment of volatile emissions from archaeological wood

Hunt, S.J. and Grau-Bove, J. and Schofield, E. and Martin, N.A. and Odlyha, Marianne and Gaisford, S. Identification and assessment of volatile emissions from archaeological wood. In: 18th ICOM-CC Triennial Conference, 4-8 Sep 2017, Copenhagen, Denmark. (Unpublished)

Abstract

The Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth, UK, displays a recovered 16th century warship. Its uniqueness makes preventive conservation a priority to prolong the artefacts’ lifetime. Fresh wood emits formic and acidic acids, which can damage inorganic and organic materials. Furthermore, it is postulated that polyethylene glycol (PEG) emits formic acid. Hence, PEG-treated wooden artefacts could emit these damaging vapours. Lead coupons and lead-coated piezoelectric quartz crystals (L-PQCs) were deployed in a display case at the Mary Rose Museum, which contained PEG-treated archaeological wood. Furthermore, ex-situ experiments were performed to identify emissions from a PEGtreated wooden artefact. Acetic and formic acids were emitted from the PEG-treated artefact. Hence, the wooden artefacts in the display case could contribute to accumulation of these vapours. The corrosion products on both lead sensors indicated acetic acid inside the display case, with L-PQCs showing a three-times-smaller measurement variation.

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