The conservation of archaeological waterlogged wood by using starch impregnation coupled with thermal treatment process

We performed experiments using starch and its derivatives for impregnation coupled with thermal treatment and a new drying process called the Successive Pressure Drops Dehydration (DDS). This treatment aims to stabilise the archaeological waterlogged woods originated from different museums in France, Italy and Spain. Over all anti-shrink efficiency, (ASE) values in range of 77 to 94% were achieved. We chose to use the corresponding normal measured shrinks which values lay between 4,19 and 8,8 %. The resulting appearance, based on the colour analysis and the splits checking of the treated samples, was aesthetically pleasing. The scanning electronic microscopy and the determination of the dry matter gain showed that the starch and its derivatives penetrated and partially bulked the degraded woods. The experimental results showed that the devised process, starch impregnation plus thermal treatment and DDS, was a suitable treatment method for the conservation of the waterlogged wooden artefacts.