Assessing the suitability of new film laminates for sustainable insect eradication by modified atmosphere in museums

Abstract

The increasing demand for applying modified inert atmosphere systems for insect eradication in museums has led to the desire for lower-cost consumable materials, particularly laminated plastic films. An ultra-low oxygen-permeable laminate is required for creating successful systems of modified inert atmosphere to keep the oxygen concentration lower than 0.3%. A range of ultra-high barrier laminates is commercially available but at a high cost, which could affect the sustainability of applying these systems in museums of limited budgets. The wide use of local laminates for food preservation makes them a perfect target for testing and improvement as alternatives. However, a laboratorial test method for evaluating their oxygen permeability is required to assess their suitability for insect eradication using modified atmospheres. Therefore, the present work investigates the potential of using two laminates (one local and one imported) to create a successful modified atmosphere system. A laboratory easy-to-use test method was used to assess the oxygen permeability of each laminate and calculate its oxygen transmission rate. The test method is a sealed static chamber separated in the middle by a known area of the laminate to be tested. The test relies on monitoring the change of oxygen concentration overtime on either side of the laminate membrane within the sealed system to assess its oxygen transmission rate. The specifications and design of the test chamber are adopted from the ASTM Designation: E2945 − 14. Results indicated that the new method is useful for an unlimited number of tests of an unlimited number of laminates. The conducted tests proved that the local laminate normally used for food packaging showed good results in terms of its oxygen transmission rate.