Applicability of Phenoxyethanol as a Preservative in Animal Glue for Dancheong

Abstract

The animal glue used as a vehicle in dancheong easily rots, thereby not allowing easy storage and usability. Therefore, the study explored a method of delaying the rate of rotting through a method of adding preservatives to the animal glue, which increases resistance against microorganisms. For the preservative, the study selected the best condition in terms of preservative efficacy out of three conditions (Phenoxyethanol, Phenoxyethanol : Ethylhexylglycerin (9 : 1), alum) through the use of biological experimentation. Consequently, the study found that the exclusive use of phenoxyethanol demonstrated the highest level of preservative effect. The preservative efficacy under this condition was proportional to the mixing concentration of the preservative, and in particular, the initial growth rate of mold was roughly 1.4 to 2 times lower than the condition where no preservatives were added. Based on these results, a material properties evaluation and a weathering test were used to observe the impact of phenoxyethanol on the material properties and the colored layer of the animal glue. Ultimately, the impact of phenoxyethanol on the viscosity, pH of animal glue, and chromaticity of the colored layer was small. Discoloration and flaking characteristic due to degradation was similar to a condition of not applying phenoxyethanol. The study confirmed phenoxyethanol to be stable in term s of the m aterial properties and the colored layer of the anim al glue for up to a m axim um of 20% of the weight of the animal glue. Simultaneously, phenoxyethanol was confirmed to improve the preservative efficacy of the animal glue.