Development of passive controlled atmosphere display cases for the conservation of cultural assets

Abstract This work expands the study of the conservation of organic specimens of historical and artistic interest, assessing both biological and physical-chemical conservation requirements, in order to arrive at the tangible solution, set out herein. The results of the experiment carried out on the prototype demonstrated the performance in terms of gas tightness achieved by the system, as well as the ability to maintain stable storage parameters for a very long period of time. During the course of the study, the chemical compounds emitted by the materials used in construction were taken into consideration, and the effect of the climatic variations present in museum exhibition areas, archives or churches on the physical properties was monitored. This study saw the development of two innovative patented technologies (IT-1398645 and IT-1425729) applied to the construction of two cases, designed to conserve and display the mummies of Rosalia Lombardo (1918–1920 AD) in Palermo, Italy and Princess Anna of Bavaria (1319 AD) in Kastl, Germany.