Antifungals on paper conservation: An overview

Since its invention, paper has become one of the main carriers of our cultural, scientific, political, economic and historical information. Given the importance of this material, its preservation is a matter of great interest. Paper can be deteriorated due to physical, chemical and biological agents. Within microorganisms, fungi are the major paper biodeteriogens. Throughout history, several methods have been used to prevent and stop fungal deterioration on paper based materials. In this work we present a review of the main chemical and physical methods used to avoid fungal paper biodeterioration until nowadays and also of some new approaches tested recently. The advantages and disadvantages of these methods are discussed as well as their health effects. Studies regarding antifungal compositions, methods of application, performance and effects on the treated materials are also presented with the aim of providing a clear set of conclusions on the topic. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.