Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c4f8m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T06:25:55.554Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Environmental Monitoring of Volatile Organic Compounds Using Silica Gel, Zeolite and Activated Charcoal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 August 2014

Molly McGath ,
Blythe McCarthy  and
Jenifer Bosworth
Molly McGath
Affiliation:
Heritage Science for Conservation, Department of Conservation and Preservation, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218 USA
Blythe McCarthy
Affiliation:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013 USA
Jenifer Bosworth
Affiliation:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013 USA
Get access

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be hazardous to human health and can negatively impact the long-term stability of art objects. This research evaluated the VOC adsorbent properties of three materials commonly used in museums as humidity regulating or air filtering agents. Silica gel, activated charcoal, and zeolite powder, materials often placed in proximity to art objects, were analyzed using Thermal Desorption GC-MS to qualitatively identify adsorbed VOC’s from model environments. This research compared the adsorbing capabilities of these materials with a solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) carboxen/polydimethyl siloxane fiber to frame their adsorbing powers. It was found that different adsorbents have very different ranges of adsorption for the chemicals tested. Silica gel powder and zeolite powder have the greatest sensitivity for acetic acid over a 24 hour exposure period. Zeolite powder and activated charcoal were more sensitive for identification of naphthalene. Silica gel powder proved to be the most sensitive adsorbent overall. This research discovered that the methods used to condition silica gel pellets for reuse need to be re-examined in light of fact they trap VOC’s, especially as it was observed that VOC’s desorb from the silica gel pellets under ambient conditions.

Keywords

adsorptiongas chromatographyabsorbent
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1656: Symposium PP – Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology X , 2014 , pp. 51 - 72
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Ormsby, M., “Analysis of Laminated Documents Using Solid-Phase Microextraction,” J. Am. Inst. Conserv., vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 13–26, 2005.10.1179/019713605806082400CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Green, A. L. R., Thickett, D., and Green, L. R., “Testing Materials for Use in the Storage and Display of Antiquities : A Revised Methodology,” Stud. Conserv., vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 145–152, 1995.Google Scholar
Lisovac, A. M. and Shooter, D., “Volatiles from sheep wool and the modification of wool odour,” Small Rumin. Res., vol. 49, no. 2, pp. 115–124, Aug. 2003.10.1016/S0921-4488(03)00075-0CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, D. and Goodacre, R., “Rapid and quantitative detection of the microbial spoilage of muscle foods: current status and future trends,” Trends Food Sci. Technol., vol. 12, no. 2001, pp. 414–424, 2001.10.1016/S0924-2244(02)00019-5CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xu, Y., Cheung, W., Winder, C. L., and Goodacre, R., “VOC-based metabolic profiling for food spoilage detection with the application to detecting Salmonella typhimurium-contaminated pork.,” Anal. Bioanal. Chem., vol. 397, no. 6, pp. 2439–49, Jul. 2010.10.1007/s00216-010-3771-zCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Norbäck, D., Björnsson, E., Janson, C., Widström, J., and Boman, G., “Asthmatic symptoms and volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, and carbon dioxide in dwellings.,” Occup. Environ. Med., vol. 52, no. 6, pp. 388–95, Jun. 1995.10.1136/oem.52.6.388CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wieslander, G., Norbäck, D., Björnsson, E., Janson, C., and Boman, G., “Asthma and the indoor environment: the significance of emission of formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds from newly painted indoor surfaces.,” Int. Arch. Occup. Environ. Health, vol. 69, no. 2, pp. 115–24, Jan. 1997.10.1007/s004200050125CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lestremau, F., Andersson, F. A. T., Desauziers, V., and Fanlo, J.-L., “Evaluation of solid-phase microextraction for time-weighted average sampling of volatile sulfur compounds at ppb concentrations.,” Anal. Chem., vol. 75, no. 11, pp. 2626–32, Jun. 2003.10.1021/ac034124gCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhang, J., Thickett, D., and Green, L., “Two Tests for the Detection of Volatile Organic Acids and Formaldehyde,” J. Am. Inst. Conserv., vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 47–53, 1994.10.2307/3179669CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schneider, R., Kotseridis, Y., Ray, J.-L., Augier, C., and Baumes, R., “Quantitative Determination of Sulfur-Containing Wine Odorants at Sub Parts per Billion Levels. 2. Development and Application,” J. Agric. Food Chem., vol. 51, pp. 3243–3248, 2003.10.1021/jf0211128CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goltz, D., McClelland, J., Schellenberg, A., Attas, M., Cloutis, E., and Collins, C., “Spectroscopic studies on the darkening of lead white.,” Appl. Spectrosc., vol. 57, no. 11, pp. 1393–8, Nov. 2003.10.1366/000370203322554563CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Daniels, V. and Ward, S., “A rapid test for the detection of substances which will tarnish silver,” Stud. Conserv., vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 58–60, 1982.Google Scholar
Ryhl-Svendsen, M. and Glastrup, J., “Acetic acid and formic acid concentrations in the museum environment measured by SPME-GC/MS,” Atmos. Environ., vol. 36, no. 24, pp. 3909–3916, Aug. 2002.10.1016/S1352-2310(02)00335-7CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonaduce, I., Odlyha, M., Di Girolamo, F., Lopez-Aparicio, S., Grøntoft, T., and Colombini, M. P., “The role of organic and inorganic indoor pollutants in museum environments in the degradation of dammar varnish,” Analyst, vol. 138, no. 2, p. 487, 2013.10.1039/C2AN36259GCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Linnie, M. J. and Keatinge, M. J., “Pest control in museums: toxicity of para-dichlorobenzene, ‘Vapona’ (TM), and naphthalene against all stages in the life-cycle of museum pests, Dermestes maculatus Degeer, and Anthrenus verbasci (l.) (Coleoptera: Dermestidae),” Int. Biodeterioartion Biodegrad., vol. 45, pp. 1–13, 2000.10.1016/S0964-8305(00)00034-2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schieweck, A., Delius, W., Siwinski, N., Vogtenrath, W., Genning, C., and Salthammer, T., “Occurrence of organic and inorganic biocides in the museum environment,” Atmos. Environ., vol. 41, no. 15, pp. 3266–3275, May 2007.10.1016/j.atmosenv.2006.06.061CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grzywacz, C., Monitoring for gaseous pollutants in museum environments. Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute, 2006.Google Scholar