Preserve Your Books through the Smell

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Conservation Science

Background:

• Effective preventive conservation of paper and books requires identification of paper composition, pH, degradation signs, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
• Sampling restrictions in cultural heritage analysis necessitate non-destructive, solvent-free analytical techniques.
• Traditional methods for paper analysis can be destructive and limited by sampling constraints.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a non-destructive analytical technique for assessing paper properties and degradation.
• To utilize an electronic nose for analyzing VOCs emitted from books, offering an alternative to destructive testing.

Main Methods:

• Assembly of a six-coated piezoelectric quartz crystal electronic nose for VOC analysis.
• Application of sensor coatings and cluster analysis for discriminating paper types and degradation states.
• Detection of specific VOCs, including furfural, a marker of cellulose degradation.

Main Results:

• The electronic nose successfully distinguished between cotton/linen rag and wood pulp papers.
• It differentiated between alkaline and acidic paper stocks.
• The system identified early signs of paper degradation, such as yellowing, and detected furfural at low levels.

Conclusions:

• The developed electronic nose provides a non-destructive and effective method for paper analysis, replacing traditional destructive tests.
• This technology aids in preventive conservation by identifying paper composition, pH, and degradation.
• The electronic nose offers a sensitive and potentially more cost-effective alternative to complex instruments like gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for certain analyses.