Water purification

I am aware that this topic has been covered fairly recently on the
DistList but hoped there might be more information out there still.
We are designing new workshop facilities and I am investigating our
needs for water supplies for conservation. We currently use a
Millipore RO system and add calcium hydroxide or calcium bicarbonate
as needed.

What information is available on general water quality needed or
desirable for paper and book conservation (I am thinking of hard
facts here, beyond my elementary knowledge of iron/copper/heavy
metals = bad; deionised water plus calcium and/or magnesium ions =
good)?

What experience do people have of recalcifying using columns of
marble chips or any other methods, how successful are they, what
molarity or percentage of ions do they add (does this depend on rate
of flow?), how easy/ costly are maintenance programmes and what
companies (preferably UK based)can advise or supply systems? Many
thanks to anyone who can help.

I already have Tang, Lucia C. and Norvell M.M. Jones, Norvell. "The
Effects of Wash Water Quality on the Aging Characteristics of
Paper," and the SSCR Bulletin, no.9, 1987 on water.

Alison McKay
Bodleian Library
Oxford UK


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 16:68
                    Distributed: Friday, May 2, 2003
                       Message Id: cdl-16-68-015
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