Resumen de Vacuum Freeze-Drying of Waterlogged Archaeological Wood and Selecting the Impregnation Agent Prior to Drying
The article gives a short background about degradation of waterlogged wood, methods for conservation and how vacuum freeze-drying can meet the challenges related to the conservationof degraded waterlogged wood. A crucial parameter for a successful vacuum freeze-drying result, is the selection of the appropriate impregnation agent for pre-treating the wood prior to vacuumfreeze drying. Almost thirty years of research in the National Museum of Denmark points to Polyethylene glycol (PEG 2000) as the impregnation agent fulfilling most of the listed criteria that are central in conservation of archaeological waterlogged artefacts that will be incorporated in heritage collections. Wood from two archaeological sites (Nydam and Roskilde Harbour), with very different types of artefacts and degradation, are used as examples on the conservation approaches and results in the National Museum of Denmark.
