THE PROBLEM

The National Archives Museum in Washington, D.C. conducted an environmental assessment to identify harmful gases that could potentially damage its artifacts. The findings revealed nitogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) as the primary concerns, with levels reaching up to 22.21 ppb and 1.68 ppb respectively. Over time, these gas concentrations could cause irreversible damage to the museum’s valuable collections. The client, well-versed in gas-phase filtration technology, selected three companies to participate in a study to determine which chemisorbant media was most effective at removing the damaging gases with the winner gaining the museum’s business.