10.48255/1973-9494.JCSCH.21.2021.17
La deacidificazione è un metodo utilizzato per neutralizzare gli acidi che possono danneggiare la carta e fornire un tampone per proteggere la carta dagli effetti degli acidi provenienti dall’esterno. Questa ricerca riguarda la deacidificazione della carta d’archivio presso il Centro Singosari per l’Inseminazione Artificiale (BBIB): un’unità di implementazione tecnica (UPT) della Direzione Generale Zootecnia e Salute Animale. Lo scopo di questa ricerca è applicare il processo di deacidificazione presso il Centro BBIB Singosari e osservare i fattori fisici che influiscono sulla conservazione. Livelli di acidità elevati danneggiano la carta d’archivio, ingiallendola e rendendola fragile. Il processo di deacidificazione può cambiare le condizioni della carta in alcaline. In questa sperimentazione il processo di deacidificazione avviene mediante tecniche di spazzolatura e spruzzatura utilizzando soluzioni di carbonato di calcio (CaCO3) e carbonato di sodio (Na2CO3) allo 0,1% e all’1%.
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1973-9494
15259
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Nanda Mareta Krisnandita
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Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage
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Application of deacidification for archives conservation at the Singosari national artificial insemination center (Balai Besar Inseminasi Buatan, BBIB), Indonesia
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Nanda Mareta Krisnandita
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10.48255/1973-9494.JCSCH.21.2021.17
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Faculty of Vocational Studies, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia
1973-9494
paper
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Application of deacidification for archives conservation at the Singosari national artificial insemination center (Balai Besar Inseminasi Buatan, BBIB), Indonesia
https://conservation-science.unibo.it/article/download/15259/14498
21
A    PPLICATION OF DEACIDIFICATION
     FOR ARCHIVES CONSERVATION AT THE
     SINGOSARI NATIONAL ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION CENTER
     (BALAI BESAR INSEMINASI BUATAN, BBIB), INDONESIA

   Eka Ratri Noor Wulandari *, Tri Mega Asri, Nanda Mareta Krisnandita
                                 1




   Faculty of Vocational Studies, Universitas Brawijaya,
   Malang, Indonesia

   Keywords: deacidification, acidity, calcium carbonate, sodium carbonate, conservation,
   paper

   DOI: 10.48255/1973-9494.JCSCH.21.2021.17



   1. Introduction

    Archives are generally printed on paper. The paper constituting the archives can be
affected by internal and external factors and over a long period of time, can easily de-
cay and yellow stain spots can appear. Factors such as temperature, humidity, and the
acidity level of the paper, will influence the physical strength of the paper. In order to
save the valuable information in the archives, it is therefore essential to take action to
preserve the physical paper. One of the internal factors that can cause deterioration and
decoloration, especially for paper, is the acidity generated during its natural ageing.
    Paper is a material containing several substances such as cellulose. Most paper is
made of wood pulp. Cellulose is a linear polymer formed of repeating glucose molecules.
Cellulose molecules in the wood pulp form strong hydrogen bonds with each other, as the
water is drained and evaporated from the newly made paper [1]. The structure of cellu-
lose is shown in Figure 1. Paper has a fairly random network consisting mostly of cellu-
lose fibers, and very small amounts of lignin and hemicelluloses. The structure of the net-
work and the length of the fibers determine the physical and mechanical properties of the
paper. The strength of the paper depends on the quality of the cellulose fibers used [2].




                                     Figure 1. Cellulose

    The chemical reaction that occurs during the aging of the paper is acid catalyzed hy-
drolysis of cellulose. The hydrolysis process lowers the degree of polymerization; conse-
quently, there is a loss in paper strength and further hydrolysis will result in embrittele-
ment. The reaction of acid catalyzed hydrolysis of cellulose is shown in Figure 2 [3].


   * Corresponding author: ekaratri@ub.ac.id
E. Ratri Noor Wulandari, T. Mega Asri, N. Mareta Krisnandita - Application of deacidification for archives conservation (BBIB), Indonesia




                                                                                                                                                                   Figure 2. Acid catalyzed hydrolysis of cellulose.


                                                                                                                                                 The external factors that cause deterioration of paper consist of poor handling and
                                                                                                                                            storage, fire and flood, pests, pollution, light, incorrect temperature and relative humid-
                                                                                                                                            ity [4]. Physical factors are usually caused by environmental conditions. Temperature
                                                                                                                                            and relative humidity should be controlled to preserve paper because a high level of
                                                                                                                                            both temperature and relative humidity can significantly damage collections. Relative
                                                                                                                                            humidity (RH) is the ratio of water vapour pressure to saturation water vapour pressure
                                                                                                                                            (over water) at gas temperature [5]. High relative humidity can lead to harmful chemi-
                                                                                                                                            cal reactions in materials. If it is combined with a high temperature, it encourages mold
                                                                                                                                            growth and insect activity. Extremely low relative humidity can occur in very dry climates
                                                                                                                                            and may lead to desiccation and brittleness of the paper [4].
                                                                                                                                                 Archival paper is a type of paper that has high permanence and durability, so it has
                                                                                                                                            the ability to retain its chemical and physical properties for long periods of time in a
                                                                                                                                            controlled environment. The paper included in the archive classification of paper should
                                                                                                                                            meet the parameters tested. The average pH of paper is in the range of 7.5-10.0 when
                                                                                                                                            using the cold extraction method according to ISO 6588 and the pH of the paper
                                                                                                                                            surface is greater than 7.5 [6].
                                                                                                                                                 Deacidification is a process that neutralizes the high acidity in paper. It is done by
                                                                                                                                            adding buffer solution to maintain the proper acidity of the paper [7]. Deacidification
                                                                                                                                            can be used to neutralize acid content in paper surfaces. Alkaline reagents that are
                                                                                                                                            suitable for deacidification include water soluble inorganic compounds such as calci-
                                                                                                                                            um, sodium and magnesium. Applying an alkaline solution is effective in treatIng yel-
                                                                                                                                            lowing paper [8].


                                                                                                                                               2. Method

                                                                                                                                                 This experiment was carried out in the old record center of Singosari National Arti-
                                                                                                                                            ficial Insemination Center which has about 2500 original copies in their archives. These
                                                                                                                                            archives include the artificial insemination reports of Malang city, East Java, so they
                                                                                                                                            are important for reference purposes. The archives were created between 1980-2000.
                                                                                                                                            Around 40% of the archives in BBIB Singosari are damaged due to the process of ag-
                                                                                                                                            ing and inappropriate storage conditions.


                                                                                             346
   The experimental method employed is shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Experimental method

 METHOD                          ANNOTATION

                                 The measurement of the temperature and humidity of the
 Measurement of Temperature      storage room was taken using a digital thermo-hygrometer.
 and Humidity                    Measurements were done three times: in the morning, day-
                                 time and afternoon for 30 minutes to get valid results.

                                 Selection of the paper for deacidification was based on the
                                 value of the information (subject content), the year of creation
                                 (from 1980-2000), the chosen condition of the paper was its
 Selection of Paper
                                 colour: brown or yellow, and the selected paper type was thin
                                 light-weight paper (e.g. carbon paper), scribbling paper and
                                 HVS paper.
                                 Apparatus:

                                 Gloves, ruler, Mylar plastic, pipette, glass beaker, pencil,
                                 scissors.
 Apparatus and Materials for
 Initial pH Measurement
                                 Materials:

                                 Demineralized water “Hydrobatt”, Universal pH “MColorpHast
                                 Merck”, Blue Litmus “Macherey-Nagel”.
                                 To measure the degree of acidity (pH) on the archive paper
 Initial pH measurement
                                 before the deacidification process
                                 Two techniques were used: brushing and spraying.




                                                                                                          CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
 Deacidification process
                                 Reagents: calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and sodium carbonate
                                 (Na2CO3) solution of 0.1% and 1%.
                                 Apparatus:

                                 Gloves, Mylar plastic, glass beaker, dark glass bottle, scissors,
                                 spray bottle, brush, ruler, pipette, pencil, stirring bar, measuring
                                 cylinder
 Deacidification Apparatus and
 Materials
                                 Materials:

                                 Demineralized water “Hydrobatt”, Universal pH “MColorpHast
                                 Merck”, Blue Litmus “Macherey-Nagel”, CaCO3 and Na2CO3
                                 solution of 0.1% and 1%.
                                 A flat brush was used to apply the solution on the archive
 Brushing Technique
                                 paper.
                                 A gun sprayer (150ml) was used to apply the solution on the
 Spraying Technique
                                 archive paper.
                                 After the deacidification process was completed, the pH was
 Final pH Measurement            measured.



                                                                                                        347
                                                                                                                                               3. Result
E. Ratri Noor Wulandari, T. Mega Asri, N. Mareta Krisnandita - Application of deacidification for archives conservation (BBIB), Indonesia




                                                                                                                                                3.1. Temperature and Humidity in the Singosari National Artificial Insemina-
                                                                                                                                            tion Center

                                                                                                                                                 Temperature and humidity were measured to better understand the microclimatic con-
                                                                                                                                            ditions in the record center room. From the results shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4, the av-
                                                                                                                                            erage temperature is 23ºC and the relative humidity is 79% (RH). That means that there
                                                                                                                                            is a high level of humidity in the storage room. As a result, fungus grows in the archives.




                                                                                                                                                                       Figure 3. Temperature measurement.




                                                                                                                                                                     Figure 4. Relative Humidity measurement.


                                                                                                                                               3.2. Deacidification

                                                                                                                                               Deacidification was carried out on the three types of achive paper shown in Figure 5.
                                                                                                                                            Figure 5a is thin paper (carbon paper) which has turned yellow, 5b is scribbling paper
                                                                                                                                            which has turned brown or yellow and is moldy and damp, and 5c is HVS (wood-free)
                                                                                                                                            paper which is less yellow than the other papers. Before applying the deacidification
                                                                                                                                            reagent, the initial pH was measured to ensure the acidity condition of the sample
                                                                                                                                            paper, and this was done using blue litmus and universal pH.


                                                                                             348
                            Figure 5. Different types of archive paper.


      3.3. Initial pH measurement

     The results of the initial pH measurement of the archive papers are shown in Table
2. The majority of archive papers have a low pH, which means they have a high acidi-
ty level. Among the sampled papers, there is one archive paper that gives a level of pH
7. It means the condition of the paper is neutral. This neutral pH condition is also
proved by the litmus measurement. If the blue litmus turns red, it means that the paper
has an acid condition.

Table 2. Results of the initial pH reading

 No          Storage           Type of Paper           Color                  Initial pH
                                                                    Universal pH    Blue Litmus




                                                                                                    CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
                                 Thin paper            Yellow             6                Red
  1       Ordner (1992)
                                 HVS paper              Ivory             5                Red
                                 HVS paper             White              7                Blue
  2        Box (1998)
                                 Thin paper       Yellowish white         5                Red
         Bundled archives     Scribbing paper     Yellowish white         6                Red
  3          (1984)              Thin paper       Yellowish white         5                Red
  4       Humid Odner         Scribbing paper       Yellow with           5                Red
            (1985)                                  fungus spot
                                 Thin paper            White              5                Red
  5        Box (1987)         Scribbing paper     Yellowish white         5                Red
                                 HVS paper        Yellowish white         5                Red



      3.4. Deacidification using the brushing technique

    The deacidification process was done by the brushing technique using a CaCO3
and Na2CO3 solution of 0.1% and 1%. Firstly, the surface of the archive paper was
brushed using the solution; the paper was then left to dry for a night to ensure the solu-
tion had been completely absorbed by the paper. The final pH measurements are
shown in Table 3.


                                                                                                  349
                                                                                                                                            Table 3. Final pH measurements by brushing technique
E. Ratri Noor Wulandari, T. Mega Asri, N. Mareta Krisnandita - Application of deacidification for archives conservation (BBIB), Indonesia




                                                                                                                                             No    Storage           Type of Paper     Initial pH   Final pH
                                                                                                                                                                                                    C a C O 3 C a C O 3 Na 2 CO 3   Na 2 CO 3
                                                                                                                                                                                                    0.1%      1%        0.1%        1%
                                                                                                                                                                     Thin paper        6            6          7        7           10
                                                                                                                                             1     Odner (1992)
                                                                                                                                                                     HVS paper         5            6          7        7           10
                                                                                                                                                                     HVS paper         7            7          7        9           11
                                                                                                                                             2     Box (1998)
                                                                                                                                                                     Thin paper        5            6          7        6           11
                                                                                                                                                   Bundled
                                                                                                                                             3                       Scribbing paper   6            7          7        7           11
                                                                                                                                                   archives (1984)


                                                                                                                                                Based on the final pH measurement using the brushing technique, it is known that
                                                                                                                                            CaCO3 gives a moderate increase in the pH of the paper. The increase in pH is de-
                                                                                                                                            scribed by the chemical reaction in the paper. This happens because of the CaCO3 in
                                                                                                                                            the water (solution) which acts as a weak base that produces Ca(OH)2. The neutraliza-
                                                                                                                                            tion reaction occurs between the OH- and acid substance in the paper. The Ca2+ from
                                                                                                                                            the solution bonds with the carboxyl anions in the oxidized cellulose. Thus, it deceler-
                                                                                                                                            ates the degradation of the paper. The remaining calcium ion will produce CaCO3 to
                                                                                                                                            protect the surface of the paper [9].
                                                                                                                                                Na2CO3 gives a higher pH and increases significantly when applying 1% Na2CO3.
                                                                                                                                            When Na2CO3 is dissolved in water, it produces a strong base. This research, also con-
                                                                                                                                            firmed by Bansa [8]; Stefanis [10]; Botti [11], shows that calcium compounds perform
                                                                                                                                            better than other alkaline compounds for deacidification.


                                                                                                                                                 3.5. Deacidification using the spraying technique

                                                                                                                                                The spraying technique was carried out using a sprayer with the same solution as
                                                                                                                                            that used for the brushing technique. The final pH measurements are shown in Table
                                                                                                                                            4. The spraying technique gives similar results to the brushing technique. Based on
                                                                                                                                            Wojciak [12] it is known that the spraying technique gives a better dispersion of the
                                                                                                                                            compound on the surface of the paper.

                                                                                                                                            Table 4. Final pH measurement by spraying technique

                                                                                                                                             No    Storage           Type of Paper     Initial pH   Final pH
                                                                                                                                                                                                    C a C O 3 C a C O 3 Na 2 CO 3 Na 2 CO 3
                                                                                                                                                                                                    0.1%      1%        0.1%      1%
                                                                                                                                             1     Bundled             Thin paper      5            7          7        6           8
                                                                                                                                                   archives (1984)
                                                                                                                                             2     Humid Odner       Scribbing paper   5            6          7        6           10
                                                                                                                                                   (1985)
                                                                                                                                                                     Thin paper        5            6          8        7           10
                                                                                                                                             3     Box (1987)        Scribbing paper   5            6          7        6           10
                                                                                                                                                                     HVS paper         5            5          7        6           10



                                                                                                350
      4. Conclusion

    Deacidification for archives conservation in the Singosari National Artificial Insemi-
nation Center (Balai Besar Inseminasi Buatan, BBIB) was carried out. Solutions of
CaCO3 and Na2CO3 at 0.1% and 1% respectively were applied by brushing and spray-
ing techniques. Application of a CaCO3 solution gives a moderate increase of pH and
Na2CO3 gives a higher pH. Thus, application of CaCO3 is appropriate for the deacidifi-
cation of paper archives.


      References

[1]     Gettys, N.S and Jacobsen, E.K. (2001). New Paper from Newspaper. Journal of
        Chemical Education 78 1512A
[2]     Zhang, S.J, X.G Zhang, and W.T Shang. (2015). Chemical Investigation of Po-
        tassium Methyl Siliconate as Deacidification and Strengthening Agent for
        Preservation of Aged Papers. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 33 (12):
        1672-1682.
[3]     Carter, H.A. (1989). Chemistry in the comics: Part 3. The Acidity of Paper. Jour-
        nal of Chemical Education 66 883-886.
[4]     Walker, A. (2013). Basic Preservation for Library and Archive Collections. The
        British Library. ISBN 0 7123 4842 5
[5]     Vaisala Oyj. Calculation Formulas for Humidity—Humidity Conversion Formu-
        las. Helsinki, Finland 2013. http://www.vaisala.com/Vaisala%20Documents/
        Application%20notes/Humidity_Conversion_Formulas_B210973EN-F.pdf.
[6]     Peraturan Kepala Arsip Nasional Republik Indonesia Nomor 30 Tahun 2011.
        http://jdih.anri.go.id/peraturan/Perka%2030_2011%20fix.pdf
[7]     Prosedur Tetap Nomor 22 Tahun 2010. http://www.anri.go.id/assets/download/




                                                                                               CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
        92Protap%20No%2022%20Tahun%202010%20Tentang%20Perbaikan%20
        Arsip%20Konvensional.pdf
[8]     Bansa, H. (1998). Aqueous Deacidification-With Calcium or With Magnesium?
        Restaurator.19:1-40
[9]     Sequeira, S, C. Casanova, E.J Cabrita (2006). Deacidification of Paper Using
        Dispersions of Ca(OH)2 Nanoparticle in Isopropanol Study of Efficiency. Journal
        of Cultural Heritage. 7(4):264-272
[10]    Stefanis, E. (2010). Deacidification of Document Containing Iron Gall Ink With
        Dispersion of Ca(OH)2 and Mg(OH)2 Nanoparticles. Restaurator. 32:19
[11]    Botti, L. (2006). The Effect of Sodium and Calcium Ions in The Deacidification of
        Paper: a Chemo-Physical Study Using Thermal Analysis. Restaurator. 27:9-23
[12]    Wojciak, Adam. (2015). Washing, Spraying and Brushing. A Comparison of Pa-
        per Deacidification by Magnesium Hydroxide Nanoparticles. De Gruyter, Restaur
        36(1): 3-23.


      Biographical notes

    Eka Ratri Noow Wulandari has a master’s degree in Chemistry; she is a lecturer at
the Faculty of Vocational Education, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia. Her re-
search interest is in applied chemistry for life activities such as document preservation.


                                                                                             351
                                                                                                                                                 Tri Mega Asri has a master’s degree in Communication and Library Science Stud-
E. Ratri Noor Wulandari, T. Mega Asri, N. Mareta Krisnandita - Application of deacidification for archives conservation (BBIB), Indonesia



                                                                                                                                            ies. Her research is in media communication for all purposes, especially in the field of
                                                                                                                                            libraries. She is a lecturer at the Faculty of Vocational Education, Universitas Brawijaya,
                                                                                                                                            Malang, Indonesia.

                                                                                                                                               Nanda Mareta Krisnandita has a diploma degree in Library and Archives Studies.
                                                                                                                                            She is a graduate of the Faculty of Vocational Studies, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia.


                                                                                                                                               Summary

                                                                                                                                                Deacidification is a method used to neutralize acids that can damage paper and
                                                                                                                                            provide a buffer to protect paper from the effects of acid from the outside. This resear-
                                                                                                                                            ch is related to the application of deacidification for archive paper at BBIB Singosari.
                                                                                                                                            BBIB Singosari is the Singosari Center for Artificial Insemination (BBIB) and is a tech-
                                                                                                                                            nical implementation unit (UPT) of the Directorate General of Livestock and Animal
                                                                                                                                            Health. The purpose of this research is to apply the deacidification process at the
                                                                                                                                            BBIB Singosari Center and observe the physical factors which have an effect on pre-
                                                                                                                                            servation efforts. High acidity levels cause damage to archive paper, staining it yellow,
                                                                                                                                            and making it brittle. The deacidification process can change the condition of the paper
                                                                                                                                            to alkaline. In this experiment, the deacidification process is done by means of brushing
                                                                                                                                            and spraying techniques using calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and sodium carbonate
                                                                                                                                            (Na2CO3) solutions at 0.1% and 1%.


                                                                                                                                               Riassunto

                                                                                                                                                La deacidificazione è un metodo utilizzato per neutralizzare gli acidi che possono
                                                                                                                                            danneggiare la carta e fornire un tampone per proteggere la carta dagli effetti degli aci-
                                                                                                                                            di provenienti dall’esterno. Questa ricerca riguarda la deacidificazione della carta d’ar-
                                                                                                                                            chivio presso il Centro Singosari per l’Inseminazione Artificiale (BBIB): un’unità di im-
                                                                                                                                            plementazione tecnica (UPT) della Direzione Generale Zootecnia e Salute Animale.
                                                                                                                                            Lo scopo di questa ricerca è applicare il processo di deacidificazione presso il Centro
                                                                                                                                            BBIB Singosari e osservare i fattori fisici che influiscono sulla conservazione.
                                                                                                                                                Livelli di acidità elevati danneggiano la carta d’archivio, ingiallendola e rendendola
                                                                                                                                            fragile. Il processo di deacidificazione può cambiare le condizioni della carta in alcali-
                                                                                                                                            ne. In questa sperimentazione il processo di deacidificazione avviene mediante tecni-
                                                                                                                                            che di spazzolatura e spruzzatura utilizzando soluzioni di carbonato di calcio (CaCO3)
                                                                                                                                            e carbonato di sodio (Na2CO3) allo 0,1% e all’1%.




                                                                                                      352
