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Cellulose oxidative and hydrolytical degradation is one of the greatest problems for the conservation of paper supports. To contrast these degradation processes, both deacidification and reduction of the oxidized functions are needed. Dealing with original documents, it is often impossible to perform the two mentioned treatments in aqueous solutions and in a distinct subsequent way, because of the fragility of the artifacts. After studying, in a separate way, an effective deacidifier (calcium propionate) soluble in ethyl alcohol and many reducers (boron complexes), able to act in different non-aqueous solvents, it was decided to test a simultaneous method of deacidification and reduction in ethanol. This paper presents the chemical-physical results obtained by applying simple deacidification and simultaneous deacidification-reduction on laboratory paper samples that were artificially aged and then re-measured after 10 and 15 years of natural aging. Results show that all alcoholic treatments are very effective: papers are stable also after a long period of both artificial and natural aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Wood from the leguminous tree, Leucaena diversifolia, was subjected to hydrothermal treatment (autohydrolysis) at 160–180°C for 0–30min followed by ethanol–soda–anthraquinone delignification. The liquid phase contained 18.65g of sugars per liter, and the solid phase had a gross heating value of 19.083MJ/kg, but could also be used as a source of cellulose pulp for the production of paper with tear, burst, and tensile indexes of 2.4Nm2/kg, 2.6MPam2/kg and 40.7kNm/kg, respectively. L. diversifolia lends itself readily to valorization for energy production, and also to integral, fractional exploitation by autohydrolysis and ethanol–soda–anthraquinone delignification, which can additionally bring environmental benefits to cropping zones. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]