The European GoGreen project is bringing new eco-friendly approaches to the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage. After four years of research, the project has delivered low-toxicity treatments and materials, learning activities for conservation professionals, and digital tools to compare the environmental impact of different treatments and materials.
Coordinated by the University of Amsterdam, the project involved thirteen universities, research institutes and museums from seven countries, with the aim of supporting the conservation and restoration sector towards a sustainability-based approach, by moving beyond the use of toxic solvents, single-use plastics and high-energy-consuming climate control systems.
Among the partners involved, the University of Bologna took part with the Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician" - CHIM, coordinating the activities dedicated to developing more sustainable methods for cleaning artworks.
"This is a particularly delicate phase of restoration, which requires the selective removal of unwanted layers, such as aged varnishes, with thicknesses of just a few thousandths of a millimetre, without damaging the underlying materials, for example the painted surface of a painting", explains Silvia Prati, a Professor at the Department of Chemistry who led the University of Bologna group. "As part of the project, we developed photothermal electrospun materials by incorporating melanin nanoparticles within the fibres: by illuminating the material with an LED source, we can achieve a controlled increase in temperature that facilitates the selective removal of layers that are particularly difficult to solubilise".
In collaboration with Professors Giorgia Sciutto, Chiara Gualandi and Maria Letizia Focarete and with Professor Marco Montalti, the research group perfected a technology already covered by a patent filed by the University of Bologna, based on the use of non-woven fabrics obtained by electrospinning. Thanks to their high surface area, these materials make it possible to transfer in a controlled way the solvent needed for cleaning and to absorb the swollen varnish layer, limiting the need to intervene mechanically on the surface of the artwork and reducing the amount of solvent used.
A further strength is versatility: by changing the nature of the polymer and incorporating specific additives into the fibres, it is possible to tailor the material’s properties to different cleaning requirements. Integrating the additives within the fibres also helps to limit the risk of them being released onto the surface of the artwork.
At the close of the project, the partners in the GoGreen consortium undertook to keep the tools, standards and resources developed over the four years of work active and available. The project’s work on defining sustainable conservation, along with the tools, models, materials and methods it has developed, offers practical ways to make sustainability part of everyday conservation and restoration work. According to the consortium, this shift could shape the profession in the years ahead.
