Objective The intended research project aims the development and testing on real condition of an innovative device to solve the problem of havig to use dangerous and toxic substances to preserve the cultural heritage from insect pest damage. The device will be used to create "almost zero oxygen" atmosphere inside plastic bags where the objects are sealed for 14-15 days under these anaerobic conditions at controlled temperature and relative humidity. By this way it will be possible to guarantee the 100% mortality of all insect pests at any stage of their life (i.e. eggs, larvae, pupae) and the safety and health at work for the operators of the sector of antiques restoration. At the present, the desinfestation of articrafts (furniture, books, tapestries, etc) is performed by the adoption of chemical pesticides; they represent a serious problem for safety and health at work to operators (carcinogen and mutagen at concentrations of 1 ppm, IST Istituto perla Ricerca sul Cancro) and cause serious environmental pollution (the most used, Methyl bromide, since 1993 is listed under the Montreal Protocol as a substance that depletes the ozone layer. Moreover, it has to be pointed out that the objects'constituent materials, when fumigated with insecticides, absorb these substances and xill slowly emit them in the rooms where the people breath them. the here proposed thecnology will solve thes problems with a very cos effective method; in fact it si expected tha the cost of the "new kind of disinfestetion" will decrease from the present 1.000 - 1.5OOO ECU per itam to 200 - 250 ECU. At the present, the consortium that will carry out the research project comprises the following organisations: 1. MASTER of Genova, Italy - that is a small industry specialised in the manufacture of instruments and systems to measure and control chemical and physical parameters like temperature, humidity, pollutants concentration. The instruments manufactured by Master aer commercialised world wide. 2.WURMITZER of Himmelberg, Austria - taht is a well known company involved in manufacture of electric/electronic systems and skilled in the field of data processing. 3.Instituto De Conservacion y Reastauracion de Bienes Culturales of Madrid, Spain - That is body of MINISTERIO de la CULTURA for the studies and research on the preservation of cultural heritage. During the expansion phase other partners will be found: they will contribute both to the RTD proposal development and to the project execution. Fields of science social sciencessociologydemographymortalitynatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencesozone depletionnatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencespollutionnatural sciencesbiological scienceszoologyentomologynatural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdata sciencedata processing Programme(s) FP4-ENV 2C - Specific programme of research and technological development in the field of environment and climate, 1994-1998 Topic(s) 020204 - Technologies to protect and rehabilitate European cultural heritage Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme EAW - Exploratory awards Coordinator Master Srl EU contribution No data Address Via Muratori 28/D 16162 Genova Italy See on map Total cost No data Participants (2) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Spain EU contribution No data Address 4,Greco 28071 Madrid See on map Total cost No data Wurmitzer Entwicklung & Vertrieb GmbH Austria EU contribution No data Address 5,Pojedl 9562 Himmelberg See on map Total cost No data
