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Green Conservation and Cultural Heritage: State of Art and Perspectives

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Tourism, Culture, and Heritage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 10706

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Prof. Dr. Mauro Francesco La Russa

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Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, 87036 Cosenza, Italy
Interests: cultural heritage; the characterization of stone building materials and their decay, the experimentation of innovative protective products, the archeometria study of chronologically different ceramic remains in subaerial and underwater environments
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Dr. Andrea Macchia

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Guest Editor

1. YOCOCU APS, Rome, Italy
2. Sapienza, University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Interests: green chemistry; chemistry applied to the cultural heritage; environmental chemistry and monitoring; molecular spectroscopy (Raman and FTIR)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last decade, in the field of cultural heritage, interest has increased concerning the development of innovative products and protocols focused on the criterion of sustainability. In particular, one of the main challenges has been developing innovative products for conservation and restoration that respect both the environment and, at the same time, the operator. Green conservation is now emerging in the field of cultural heritage conservation as a result. Green conservation aims to improve the understanding of the concept of green, the development and implementation of eco-sustainable materials and methods, health and safety, environmental protection, technologies applied to cultural heritage in museums, cultural sites, restoration activities, and in general cultural heritage sustainability. In this context, a multidisciplinary approach represents the best way to share knowledge and define new strategies and opportunities to improve the conservation of cultural heritage and to protect operators and the environment.

We would like to invite you to submit your work to this Special Issue, entitled "Green Conservation of Cultural Heritage: state of the art and perspectives”, to understand the best solutions, products and protocols, and to find the most suitable treatment to avoid the degradation of materials employed in cultural heritage, and at the same time to safeguard the environment and operators in this field. This last issue is particularly relevant, because green conservation represents a new frontier to protect, restore, and preserve cultural heritage, in line with the objectives of Agenda 20230. Only in recent years has it become possible to find commercial green formulates used to address biological degradation problems, but their interactions with the original materials and their effective antimicrobic properties over time have not often been investigated over time and in situ. At the moment, much research is being carried out in the laboratory on new green products and protocols applied to different materials (stone, mortars, metals, paper, etc.), but the goal is to transfer the results of this research to the specific field of restoration, and consequently to the market.

The aim of this Special Issue is to present the latest developments in the field through a combination of research papers, communications, and review articles from leading groups around the world that focus on green conservation. Case studies are also welcome; these should report on the monitoring of surface treatments in cultural heritage that have a prominent role in conservation, constituting valuable knowledge in the case of future interventions.

The Special Issue will serve as a forum for papers on the following topics:

Green and sustainable building practices for museums and architectural cultural heritage;
Sustainable exhibition design;
Experiences to transform ‘environmentally sustainable’ practices into ‘common’ practices;
National and international sustainable projects on cultural heritage and landscape;
Sustainable, ecological, and rational solutions between the cultural heritage and landscape and the local context;
Best practices for a sustainable tourism;
Biotechnology applications to conservation and the development of bio-based products;
Green chemistry and nanotechnology for eco-friendly conservation;
Feasibility of the application of innovative green methods, products, and strategies.

Prof. Dr. Mauro Francesco La Russa
Dr. Andrea Macchia
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

cultural heritage
green conservation
natural products
new products

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 7440 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Architectural Heritage Preservation for Rural Revitalization: Typical Case of Traditional Village Retrofitting in China

by Kai Xie, Yin Zhang and Wenyang Han

Sustainability 2024, 16(2), 681; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020681 - 12 Jan 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 967

Abstract

With the massive urbanization and industrialization in China, the paradox between fast modernization and cultural preservation arouses challenges on new insight into green construction and sustainable development strategies throughout the nation. Particularly, how to strike a balanced cultural–modern rural revitalization has become a research priority, especially for cultural and historical villages in relatively under developed western regions. In this paper, taking Gaotunzi Village, a traditional ethnic village in western high-altitude plateau as an illustrative example, the typical green design manner and optimization strategy are proposed for cultural and architectural heritage preservation. The detailed architecture and structure design is conducted for both old temple retrofitting and new museum construction, with consideration for retaining traditional building colors, styles, and materials. Moreover, land use planning is demonstrated for local public space and services upgrading. The overall design strategy has been taken into practice for the local renovation construction program. The preliminary results indicate that this green retrofitting idea and approach are quite locally feasible for sustainable rural revitalization with local heritage conservation, including traditional wooden buildings, Buddhism belief, Tibetan icons, and ethnic symbolic culture preservation and promotion. This work can provide a typical design reference and application prototype for rural construction and modernization with local heritage preservation considerations, especially for those traditional villages in developing countries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Conservation and Cultural Heritage: State of Art and Perspectives)

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17 pages, 26087 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cultural Heritage Resilience in the Face of Extreme Weather: Lessons from the UNESCO Site of Alberobello

by Alessandra Mascitelli, Fernanda Prestileo, Alberico Sonnessa, Stefano Federico, Rosa Claudia Torcasio, Roberta Ravanelli, Riccardo Biondi and Stefano Dietrich

Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15556; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115556 - 02 Nov 2023

Viewed by 993

Abstract

The study of natural disasters has become increasingly important in recent years as the frequency and impact of such events on society have risen. Italy, which has the largest number of sites on the World Heritage List, offers many examples of interactions between atmospheric phenomena and cultural heritage. The research presented here aimed to investigate the potential of one of these sites, Alberobello in the Apulia region, to respond to the stresses induced by intense weather phenomena that occurred in August 2022. Data from conventional and nonconventional sensors were employed to characterize the event. During previous studies, regions prone to meteorological risk were identified based on long-term model analyses. According to these studies, the marked area resulted in a region sensitive to convective precipitation and thus represents an interesting case study. The weather event investigated caused flooding and damage in the Alberobello surroundings; however, the UNESCO site showed a positive response. We explored the reasons by consulting the literature to outline the site’s peculiarities, especially its architectural features, building materials, and terrain morphology. The results revealed that the mutual relationship between the buildings and the environment and the dual role of cultural heritage are values that need to be protected as a resource for natural hazard mitigation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Conservation and Cultural Heritage: State of Art and Perspectives)

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19 pages, 5898 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Innovation in Green Materials for the Non-Contact Stabilization of Sensitive Works of Art: Preliminary Assessment and the First Application of Ultra-Low Viscosity Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose (HPMC) by Ultrasonic Misting to Consolidate Unstable Porous and Powdery Media

by Tomas Markevicius

Sustainability 2023, 15(20), 14699; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152014699 - 10 Oct 2023

Viewed by 2247

Abstract

Paintings and other works of art created with fragile and mechanically unstable powdery media present challenges to conservators. Frequently, powdery media is water-sensitive, extremely fragile, tends to delaminate, and may be altered by even the slightest physical action or interaction with liquids. Materials that can provide an efficient stabilization without unacceptably altering the optical characteristics of the delicate substrate are extremely limited. Among these, Funori, Isinglass, and Methocel A4C have become established for this use. In bench practice, consolidants are frequently applied in a non-contact way, using ultrasonic and pneumatic aerosol generators to minimize the impact of the consolidant on sensitive substrates. However, nebulizing the available materials is problematic in bench practice, because of their high viscosity and, only extremely low concentrations can be nebulized using low kinetic impact ultrasonic or pressure-based misting systems adopted from the healthcare industry. As a potential innovative solution, this study introduces novel ultra-low viscosity (ULV) cellulose ethers (ULV-HPMC) for stabilisation of unstable porous and powdery surfaces, which have been successfully applied in bench practice for the pilot treatment of Edvard Munch painting on canvas and two 19th c. Thai gouache paintings on panel. Novel ULV-HPMC materials have multiple desirable qualities for consolidation treatments in conservation, and in accelerated aging tests marginally outperformed Methocel A4C, considered to be one of the most stable consolidants in the practice of conservation. Because of the ultra-low viscosity, higher concentrations of ULV-HPMC materials can be applied as water-based aerosols in a non-contact way and in fewer applications, which is a significant advantage in the treatment of delicate water-sensitive surfaces. Notably, novel ULV biopolymers are low-cost, derive from sustainable and renewable sources, and do not raise health and environmental concerns. Such novel materials and methods seamlessly resonate with the ICOM-CC’s Melbourne 2014 declaration, EU Green Deal, and the UN’s Sustainable Development goals and show potential adding new sustainable materials with the exceptionally low viscosity to the conservator’s tool box. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Conservation and Cultural Heritage: State of Art and Perspectives)

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30 pages, 3053 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Open Access to Data about Silk Heritage: A Case Study in Digital Information Sustainability

by Jorge Sebastián Lozano, Ester Alba Pagán, Eliseo Martínez Roig, Mar Gaitán Salvatella, Arabella León Muñoz, Javier Sevilla Peris, Pierre Vernus, Marie Puren, Luis Rei and Dunja Mladenič

Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14340; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914340 - 28 Sep 2023

Viewed by 896

Abstract

This article builds on work conducted and lessons learned within SILKNOW, a research project that aimed at enhancing the preservation and digital dissemination of silk heritage. Taking the project and this heritage typology as a case study in the digital transformation of cultural heritage institutions, it illustrates specific challenges that these institutions must face and demonstrates a few innovative answers to meet those challenges. The methodology combines approaches typical of the humanities and others usual in ICT, being inductive regarding materials and methods (consisting of a detailed review of existing online repositories and research projects devoted to textile heritage) and descriptive for the results and discussion (which explain at length the development of some tools and resources that responded to the needs detected in the previous analysis). The article reports on the state of the art and recent developments in the field of textile heritage, the tools implemented to allow the semantic access and text analysis of descriptive records associated with silk fabrics, and the spatiotemporal visualization of that information. Finally, it argues that institutional policies, namely the creation and free dissemination of open data related to cultural heritage are just as important as technical developments, showing why any future effort in these areas should take data sustainability, both in its technical and in institutional aspects, into account, since it is the most responsible and reasonable approach in terms of efficient resource allocation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Conservation and Cultural Heritage: State of Art and Perspectives)

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19 pages, 39497 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Multi-Analytical Investigation of the Oil Painting “Il Venditore di Cerini” by Antonio Mancini and Definition of the Best Green Cleaning Treatment

by Andrea Macchia, Chiara Biribicchi, Paola Carnazza, Stefania Montorsi, Nausicaa Sangiorgi, Giuseppe Demasi, Fernanda Prestileo, Eleonora Cerafogli, Irene Angela Colasanti, Helene Aureli, Margherita Zappelli, Michela Ricca and Mauro Francesco La Russa

Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 3972; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14073972 - 28 Mar 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2914

Abstract

This paper describes the multi-analytical approach implemented for the study of the oil painting Il Venditore di Cerini made by Antonio Mancini in 1878. The research was carried out to characterize both the original stratigraphy and the alleged non-original varnish on the surface. SEM/EDS analysis showed the presence of pigments already detected in other paintings by Antonio Mancini. Multispectral imaging, DinoLite microscope, and FT-IR ATR spectroscopy revealed significant data regarding the invention of the “graticola” method—a technique implemented by Mancini to respect the proportions of the figures—also proving the presence of an aged layer of non-original shellac on the surface. The yellow/brownish tone of the varnish was hiding the real shapes of the figure, requiring a selective removal of the aged coating. The proposed cleaning systems were chosen among the green chemical alternatives present in the market, aiming at promoting a sustainable development in the Cultural Heritage field. The selection was made according to the Fd parameter of the cleaning systems—which defines the energy from dispersion forces between molecules—in relation to what is defined in the literature as the suitable Fd value for the removal of the shellac. The best-performing green cleaning system proved to be the Polar Varnish Rescue GEL—a gelled acetals mixture developed by YOCOCU APS—for its effectiveness in selectively remove the aged shellac while preserving the integrity of the original stratigraphy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Conservation and Cultural Heritage: State of Art and Perspectives)

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