Nitrogen Anoxia Research

Newly designed nitrogen-filled, hermetically sealed case to protect objects from deterioration caused by biological factors and oxidation

Project Details

About

Goal

A challenge in protecting and displaying environmentally sensitive museum objects is preventing deterioration caused by the presence of oxygen. The Nitrogen Anoxia Research project designed and constructed an oxygen-free, hermetically sealed display and storage case for the long-term protection of such objects.

Outcome

  • Hermetically sealed prototype cases, which led to the production of similar cases used in the Egyptian Museum and for the display and storage of the Constitution of India at the Parliament Library in New Delhi

Background

Nitrogen environments provide a safe, effective place to prevent museum objects from deterioration caused by biological factors and oxidation. The efficacy of nitrogen environments for storing sensitive organic objects was first studied at the Getty Conservation Institute between 1987 and 1989, as part of a project to develop cases for the Royal Mummy Collection in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

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