Researchers of the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPC RAS) have developed a highly efficient domestic product based on natural, environmentally friendly components to protect against mold the cultural heritage objects like: museum exhibits, archival documents, monuments, etc. The development can be used by museums, archives and libraries to preserve their collections without affecting the environment.
One of the priority objectives of the state cultural policy in Russia is a preservation of cultural heritage objects. The urgent ecological task of preserving cultural values and intelligent wealth that make up the collections of libraries, archives, museums is to prevent and protect them against bio-damage, causing irreparable losses of cultural heritage objects.
Currently, synthetic compounds (biocides) are usually used to eliminate mold damages, but many of them pose a danger to the environment. In addition, over time, mold resistance to biocides increases quickly enough. This factor leads to an increase in the rate of antimicrobial agents’ consumption and in the frequency of their use. As a result, the level of environmental pollution grows.
“We have developed an environmentally safe complex preparation “Artdez”, allowing to ensure the safety of cultural heritage objects in Russia, as well as to reduce the negative impact of chemical biocides on the environment. It possesses high efficiency at the fight against a wide range of mold fungi,” says a Head of the Laboratory of Biological Methods of Environmental Safety at SRCES RAS (a separate structural division of SPC RAS) Nadezhda Medvedeva.
The preparation is a liquid intended for disinfection of archival paper documents, library books, their leather covers, exhibits made of fabric, wood, ceramics, glass and other materials. In addition, the product can be used to disinfect surfaces in rooms like: floors and ceilings, shelves and racks.
The main active ingredient of the preparation refers to natural compounds (obtained by scientists from Streptomyces imbricatus fungi common in nature), that disintegrate upon utilization and consequently do not accumulate in the environment like most chemical biocides. So, there exists no negative impact on the environment.
“The high efficiency of the product is confirmed by its real use in museum collections in a number of organizations in St. Petersburg, including the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the State Museum of Political History of Russia, the Central Naval Museum and others,” adds Nadezhda Medvedeva.
To date, the “Artdez" product is patented and passed the state registration. The development was performed jointly with specialists of the Russian Ethnographic Museum (St. Petersburg) within the framework of the State Task.