Active & intelligent PAckaging materials and display cases as a tool for preventive conservation of Cultural Heritage.

Project Information

APACHE

Grant agreement ID: 814496

DOI

10.3030/814496

Project closed

EC signature date 12 December 2018

Start date 1 January 2019

End date 30 June 2022

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies - Advanced materials

Total cost

€ 7 873 590,90

EU contribution

€ 6 837 732,75

Coordinated by

CONSORZIO INTERUNIVERSITARIO PERLO SVILUPPO DEI SISTEMI A GRANDE INTERFASE
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - APACHE (Active & intelligent PAckaging materials and display cases as a tool for preventive conservation of Cultural Heritage.)

Reporting period: 2021-07-01 to 2022-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

European Cultural Heritage (CH) has wide societal and economic relevance, but to produce such benefits it must be well preserved and accessible. However, artifacts are subjected to degradation increased by disadvantageous and unstable climate conditions and pollution. The vast majority of CH is often stored in unsuitable climate conditions, especially in small/medium museums. Traditional active and intelligent packaging materials are short-term solutions that cannot grant CH preservation, where long-term stability (> 50 years) is mandatory. The main goal of APACHE was to dramatically reduce the costs of climate control and monitoring, developing and customizing novel smart and affordable materials for Preventive Conservation (PC) based on advanced material science and discrete/continuum modeling, namely: 1) ACTIVE Packaging and display-cases/boxes solutions, to create a stable and optimized climate in enclosures using innovative functional materials that influence and interact with the packed objects. 2) INTELLIGENT Packaging and display-cases/boxes with additional function, including sensors that monitor the packed object or its surrounding atmosphere, and communicate through WST such as Wireless Sensor Networks and Radio Frequency Identification Devices. These solutions have low environmental impacts and have been screened by Life Cycle Assessment and Cost, allowing the estimation of impact on climate change, human toxicity, ecotoxicity, etc.
In conclusion, APACHE has produced and validated a set of VOC absorbers, Temperature/Relative Humidity regulators, sensors (T/RH and a multitrack VOC sensor) and their connection for close and far data acquisition/transmission, models for the degradation of CH objects, and a Decision Supporting System that collects state-of-the art solutions in preventive and remedial conservation for professional conservators and curators. The new products have reduced costs and higher performances than traditional benchmarks, and some of them are ready to hit the market, where they are expected to have large impact. These results have been widely disseminated through multiple channels (despite the difficulties of the Covid-19 pandemic) from publications to social media and training events that involved conservators from different areas in Europe and worldwide.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The foreseen tasks and objectives have been fulfilled for each WP
WP1 developed a model to predict internal microclimates of enclosures, and an app (https://hsll.shinyapps.io/ha_index_pub/) as part of the APACHE decision supporting system (DSS). A damage function for PVC was developed and integrated in the DSS; changes of properties of Poly(methyl methacrylate) were monitored vs. humidity. The most promising absorbers developed in WP3 were validated in complete boxes
WP2 used multiscale coarse-grained and continuum models to study the absorption/desorption dynamics of VOCs into acrylics, with quantitative information on structural changes. The VOCs flow in the room and deposition on artworks was also modeled. The APACHE APP combines the mesoscopic and continuum model, using the SimPhoNy CUDS data structures. Machine learning models applied to paper enclosures were produced, based on the XGBoost algorithm to predict T and RH in enclosures
WP3 produced a set of absorbers against VOCs typically found in museums, providing candidates to replace benchmark absorbers in terms of cost-effectiveness. Examples include castor oil based hybrid inorganic-organic composites, chitosan or graphene-based aerogels, cross linked resins, Poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes, polymer-silica composites in cellulose foams. They were tested in laboratory and in museums, and integrated in archive/deposit boxes
WP4 developed: sensor front end solutions for RH, T and VOC; short range communication solutions; long range Lorawann or Bluetooth solutions for museum interiors; application server and smartphone applications developed for short range sensors
WP5 produced and tested a repository for preventive conservation measures, demonstrated in two APACHE training workshops, with positive feedback from end-users. The APACHE DSS software was also completed and released
WP6: the project has produced patents and trademarks, and some of the best systems are ready for introduction in the market. A spin-off company (Adsorbi) has been created to distribute absorbers even beyond the CH conservation market. Prototypes of display cases were implemented with philtering systems, passive absorbers and sensors. LCA and LCC applications were carried out for the best systems developed by the project
WP7 has carried out intensive dissemination of the project results in more than 70 events in Europe and worldwide, despite the difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic These included public trainings, workshops, a symposium, and the APACHE School, including end-users external to the project, and clustering with other H2020 projects on the same topics. APACHE also participated to events organized by the European CH cluster ECHOES. The project produced 26 publications, and ca. 10 more are in preparation. The project website and social Media activity were updated regularly

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Overall, APACHE produced advancements from the state of the art in PC by developing cost-effective solutions for the PC of large and small collections and CH assets. The main progress and the impacts of such advancements include:
• Practical and affordable tools/solutions in terms of cost and/or complexity of operation. A cost reduction of at least 50% was achieved as compared to existing solutions and improved compliance with PC recommendations, in particular for end-users such as small and medium sized museums;
• APACHE coupled existing physic/chemistry models to machine learning, data mining and materials informatics paradigms. This approach is a break through the limitation of current state of the art in material modeling of CH: APACHE has developed specific descriptors that are needed to bridge the gap between materials modeling and the preservation of art on the one hand, and between various materials models on different scales describing relevant degradation processes.
• Clear prospect for quantified socio-economic gains from the proposed solutions (e.g. the creation of new services) also beyond their application for CH
• Effective market uptake across Europe of the proposed solutions within 1-5 years after the end of the project
• Contribution to sustainable open repositories of simulation/experimental/measurement data
• Contribution to an increased citizens' awareness of PC of tangible CH
• APACHE has substantially enhanced the digital museum revolution through the development of tools to check remotely the behavior of display cases, storage crates and archive boxes
• From a social point of view the relevance of APACHE is of outstanding importance since the museums are one on the most relevant assets of European cultural heritage
• The innovative solutions for preventive conservation developed within APACHE foster the safe fruition of unique and valuable objects that are particularly prone to degradation. Many artifacts composed by vulnerable materials are currently not exhibited and transported to avoid their deterioration. The PC solutions developed within APACHE make possible the safe exhibition, transport and fruition of a wide number of artifacts, thus attracting an increasing number of visitors and promoting the tourism industry.