A NEW APPROACH TO THE TREATMENT OF IRON GALL INK CORROSION USING PLANT BIOMASS

Iron gall ink (IGI) was the most common writing ink for centuries, meanwhile one of the major responsible factors for paper degradation. Corrosive constituents are responsible for acid hydrolysis and metalcatalyzed oxidation. The study proposes a new stabilization treatment using two aquatic plants biomass. Handmade biomass interleaving paper (BIP) was produced from duckweed Lemna gibba L. Lemnaceae (L.gibba) and water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes (E. crassipes).The produced BIP offered a promising synergy of deacidification and stabilization of model and historical samples. The treatment impact was evaluated on thermally aged and on post treated model inked paper using pH measurement, Fe2+detection and colorimetry. Moreover, removal capacity of corrosive metal ions; Zn2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Mn2+, and Pb2+was assessed. The BIP biosorption and preference of corrosive transition metals were evaluated using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and combined scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX). All produced BIP absorbed transition metals in different concentrations, particularly L-BIP treatment gave the maximum removal of corrosive metals after treatment for 24 h in the order Fe > Mn > Cu > Zn > Pb.