Descrizione del progetto
Un nuovo metodo basato sull’ossigeno per la conservazione del patrimonio culturale
I beni materiali del patrimonio culturale costituiscono una risorsa insostituibile e di valore inestimabile per l’umanità, sempre più minacciata dagli agenti inquinanti generati da inquinamento, vandalismo e incendi. I metodi di pulizia a disposizione richiedono un’azione di tipo meccanico e l’impiego di solventi, che possono risultare dannosi per i materiali artistici e nocivi alla salute umana e all’ambiente. La pulizia effettuata mediante atomi di ossigeno a vita estremamente breve potrebbe rappresentare una soluzione rivoluzionaria. Esperti in materia di fisica del plasma, scienze del patrimonio e scienze della conservazione provenienti da 10 organizzazioni di ricerca, musei e PMI dell’UE hanno unito le forze nell’ambito di un nuovo progetto MOXY, coordinato dall’Università di Gand, che si propone di sviluppare una tecnologia di pulizia ecologica senza precedenti, volta a rimuovere gli agenti inquinanti senza contatto e che non comporta timori per la salute o l’ambiente.
Obiettivo
Climate crisis and unsustainable development increasingly threaten Europe’s tangible cultural heritage (CH), yet environmentally hazardous chemicals persist in CH conservation practice. The Sustainable Development Goals of the EU’s Green Deal vision call for change in CH conservation, but cannot be implemented without effective and affordable green alternatives. Soiling and deposition of carbon-based contaminants (CBC) such as fine particulate pollution, smoke and vandalism all increasingly present formidable challenges to conservators, and are an emerging threat to CH because of the inherent vulnerability of CH surfaces created with unconventional materials and studio practices. Existing CH cleaning methods require toxic solvents, physical contact and water, which can damage many sensitive CH materials, and conservators, equipped with only conventional means, now encounter fragile and untreatable CH where soiling cannot be removed at all. MOXY aims to redefine the paradigm in cleaning methodology towards an eco-conscious approach by creating a transformative green, non-contact technology based on atomic oxygen (AO) to selectively remove CBCs from surfaces that are otherwise untreatable. AO cleaning methodology is a selective, non-mechanical and liquid-free cleaning action, without health or environmental risks, residues or waste. By leveraging a sophisticated yet simple technology, MOXY will enable practitioners to achieve unprecedented results that are green, safer and more effective. To achieve its goals, MOXY will bring together expertise from plasma physics, conservation science, sustainability science, and conservators to conduct a novel investigation of the physical and chemical aspects of AO generation and flux to develop a proof-of-concept AO system, test the viability of AO technology for diverse CH materials, and roadmap AO innovation, to propel AO technology to the bench practice in CH conservation and beyond, with its full potential yet to be realized.
Campo scientifico
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencessustainability sciences
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesplasma physics
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencespollution
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
Parole chiave
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Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinatore
9000 Gent
Belgio