Evaluation and modelling of the environmental performance of archival boxes : Material and environmental assessment

Novak, Morana (author), Grau-Bové, Josep (author), De Stefani, Caroline (author), Checkley-Scott, Caroline (author), Kraševec, Ida (author), Kralj Cigić, Irena (author), Elnaggar, Abdelrazek (author)

Archival boxes are used as a preventive measure to control the microenvironment in museums and archives storages. However, their efficiency in protecting valuable artefacts from fluctuations in relative humidity (RH) is not yet fully understood. In this study, the environmental performance of different archival boxes with different configurations (size, design, presence of holes/paper material, cardboard types, surface modification) was included in the evaluation of internal environment (RH). The effectiveness of archival boxes on reducing relative humidity fluctuations was investigated by testing various properties of boxes and boards, such as air exchange rates (AER), moisture sorption and water vapour transmission rates (WVTR). While most cardboard boxes showed only a limited buffering against the humidity ingress, strategies such as surface modification limited the interaction of a box with the external environment, resulting in a more stable internal environment. Material and box properties, such as moisture sorption, AER and WVTR proved to be useful quantitative tools for assessing the environmental performance of the selected archival boxes.

• Language: English
• Keywords: archival boxes, microenvironments, relative humidity, moisture sorption, moisture transfer, air exchange rates, water vapour transmission rates
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FKKT - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 24.01.2024
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: 14 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 12, article no. 24
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-154111
• UDC: 543.275.1:7.025
• ISSN on article: 2050-7445
• DOI: 10.1186/s40494-024-01137-0
• COBISS.SI-ID: 182415619
• Publication date in RUL: 25.01.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Heritage science
• Shortened title: Herit. sci.
• Publisher: Springer Nature
• ISSN: 2050-7445
• COBISS.SI-ID: 36621317

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: arhivske škatle, mikrookolja, relativna vlažnost, sorpcija vlage, prenos vlage, stopnje prenosa zraka, stopnje prenosa vodne pare

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: J4-3085
• Name: Vplivi razgradnje lignina na materiale na papirni osnovi v skrajnih pogojih

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: HE
• Project number: 101060941
• Name: GREen ENdeavor in Art ResToration
• Acronym: GREENART