Addressing Iron Sulfate and Sulfuric Acid Generation in Artifacts Treated with Silicone Oil

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Conservation of Archaeological Materials from Submerged Sites", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The generation of iron sulfates and sulfuric acid in submerged organic artifacts was originally

recognized in the early 2000s and has been the subject of research and concern since then.

Initially thought to be the result of iron contamination interacting with PEG, it is now evident

that the problem is not limited to artifacts treated with PEG. Recent analysis of degradation

products from a 17th century gun carriage treated with silicone oil has revealed that the artifact is

suffering from the same process. Subsequently, research has begun on whether such artifacts will

respond to traditional chelation treatments and how the treatments affect both the artifact and the

silicone polymers embedded within it.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• Conservation of Archaeological Materials from Submerged Sites

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow