Seminar on bleaching

Seminar
Bleaching in paper conservation
Vienna, Austria
Feb 11-13, 2009

The seminar will be held from 11-13 Feb. 2009 at the Department of
Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life
Sciences, BOKU, Muthgasse 18, A-1190 Vienna, Austria. For further
information in German and English, please visit the homepage of the
BOKU (enter "BOKU" and "paper conservation" in Google) or contact
Antje Potthast <antje.potthast:host:boku.ac.at>.

Referees: Prof. Dr. G. Banik (Vienna), Dr. I. Bra1/4ckle (Berlin),
Prof. Dr. A. Potthast (Vienna), Dr. U. Henniges (Vienna)

Bleaching is one of the oldest restoration treatments. However, its
application has also remained highly controversial. Fundamental
questions have been raised in the context of bleaching treatments:
how do different bleaching agents impact different types of paper,
and which conclusions can be drawn for practical application? What
are the chemical mechanisms that determine bleaching treatments, and
how does it effect the technical optimisation of conservation
treatments? Is there any "benign" bleaching process that can achieve
the desired brightening of paper without detrimental chemical impact
on the paper components? These questions will be explained
systematically within the framework of an interdisciplinary
workshop. Lectures on the chemistry of different bleaching
procedures will be combined with practice workshops. Seminar
participants will gain personal experience in the application of
bleaching methods. Additionally, the analytical results of recent
research into changes of the molecular weight of cellulose and its
carbonyl and carboxyl content as a consequence of oxidative and
reducing bleaching treatments obtained at BOKU will be presented.

The workshop intends to contribute to an understanding of the
theoretical foundations of different (historically relevant)
bleaching procedures in conservation. The seminar aims at enabling
participants to relate concepts and methods of bleaching treatments
to the results of analytical investigation. The systematic approach
combines chemistry knowledge and practical expertise that will also
include consideration of aesthetical and other decision-making
parameters. Participants will have the opportunity to develop
decision-making criteria to further evaluate bleaching treatments in
their short and long term consequences.

The focus will lie on the following topics:

    Introduction into cellulose chemistry

    Theory of bleaching in a conservation context

    Impact of bleaching treatments on cellulosic fibre matrix, on
    the development of oxidized functionalities, and on the degree
    of polymerisation of cellulose

    Decision making in the conservation context

    Application of selected bleaching techniques on representative
    model materials

    Evaluation of treatment results and implications for decision
    making

Dr nat.techn. Dipl.Rest. Ute Henniges
Department of Chemistry
University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences
Muthgasse 18
A-1190 Vienna


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 22:9
                 Distributed: Saturday, August 9, 2008
                        Message Id: cdl-22-9-010
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