The Chemistry of Paper Preservation. Part 5. Permanent Paper

Abstract

The acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of cellulose accounts for the deterioration of paper in library books and other written records. To combat this threat to our written heritage, new permanent papers have been developed that are relatively chemically stable and undergo a very slow rate of deterioration. Many of these new papers are manufactured from mechanical pulps that contain large amounts of lignin, and are stable when a calcium carbonate buffer is present. Based on the performance involving accelerated aging of the papers, the inclusion of lignin has been accepted in the standards for permanent paper by Canada and Germany, providing that a calcium carbonate buffer is present. Other countries are still reluctant to make the change in standards to include lignin. Research needs to be done to define optical properties and their requirements for the standards. The applications of the chemistry of paper preservation to teaching are also discussed.