Elena Badea

• PhD in Chemical Engineering, Summa cum laude, University Dunărea de Jos Galaţi, Romania
• Managing Director at National Research & Development Institute for Textiles and Leather, Bucharest

This study explores the development and characterization of biodegradable leather using alginate derivatives as sustainable tanning agents, aiming to reduce the environmental impact associated with traditional leather tanning processes. Alginate, a natural polysaccharide derived from brown algae, was modified through ultrasound treatment to reduce...

The COST EU-PoTaRCh Action establishes a network focused on the past, present, and future significance, production, and use of major forest by-products in Europe and beyond. The Action centers around forest by-products—primarily potash, tar, resin, and charcoal (PoTaRCh), along with plant extracts—which have been produced and utilized for over 100,...

Oak bark is a by-product known for its richness in polyphenols, with tanning substances being particularly interesting for their application in different fields. Vegetable tannins are mostly utilized in the leather sector, but are also widely used as adhesives, in cement plasticizers and for medical and agrochemical applications owing to their natu...

In this study, the results of a campaign of measurements by non-destructive and micro-destructive techniques on gilt and painted leather hangings from Chigi Palace (Ariccia, Italy) are reported. Both in-situ and laboratory analyses were performed to draw a comprehensive description of the manufacturing of leather, the support of such a delicate and...

Leather objects, either modern or historical, are sensitive to moisture and, in particular, to temperature and relative humidity (RH) variations, and prone to microbial attack. Such climatic changes can cause microbiological, chemical and mechanical damage to (i) historical object in uncontrolled environmental conditions as seen in old buildings an...

In this study, sodium alginate (SA) was oxidized with potassium periodate to produce an alginate-based tanning agent. Using OSA as a biodegradable tanning agent and a nano-hydroxyapatite (nano-HAp) low concentration suspension to give flame retardancy to leather, eco-design concepts were applied to establish a chrome-, aldehyde-, and phenol-free ta...

This paper is a contribution to a wider study that aims to shed new light on Transylvanian icon painting from historical and scientific perspectives. The purpose is to uncover the origins and characteristics of the materials used, as well as to reconstruct the traditional techniques employed in icon painting. To achieve this goal, a set of represen...

In this study, sodium alginate (SA) was oxidized with potassium periodate to produce an alginate-based tanning agent. Using OSA as a biodegradable tanning agent and a nano-hydroxyapatite (nano-HAp) low concentration suspension to give flame retardancy to leather, eco-design concepts were applied to establish a chrome-, aldehyde-, and phenol-free ta...

Leather objects, either modern or historical, are sensitive to moisture and, in particular, to temperature and relative humidity (RH) variations, and prone to microbial attack. Such climatic changes can cause microbiological, chemical and mechanical damage to (i) historical object in uncontrolled environmental conditions as seen in old buildings an...

This study is part of a larger research project aimed at reconstructing icon painting techniques from eighteenth-and early nineteenth-century Transylvania by identifying the materials used and their provenance and adapting the restoration methodology to the technical particularities and conservation issues of these artefacts. For this purpose, a gr...

The paper presents the influence of a mixture of elastomeric and protein waste from the footwear industry on the properties of elastomeric compounds based on NBR (butadiene-co-acrylonitrile) rubber, as well as their obtaining and characterization. The mixture of leather and rubber waste was cryogenically ground, in three grinding cycles, and the se...

MUSEION project aims at developing an integrated IoT based platform for the sustainable management of environmental control and adaptation to climate change of museum collections. The MUSEION solution will thus provide the optimization of resources such costs, energy, staff workload, while contributing to carbon footprint reduction. This solution i...

The leather industry creates a product that is both natural and long lasting. Leather is unique in its ability to combine beauty, comfort and practicality. Finishing, the last operation in natural leather processing, determines the appearance and value of the finished product, and has the purpose of embellishment, providing lustre and pleasant feel...

Leather has a natural beauty that, unlike many materials, improves with age, and has long been a component of luxury goods such as footwear, leather goods and clothing. It is a natural and durable material, unmatched by any synthetic product, in terms of hygienic and protective properties. Thanks to the skills of leather producers, who take the sam...

This work concerns with obtaining and characterization of new hydrogels based on sodium alginate and gelatin in the form of cross-linked polymer networks, aimed at medical applications, for example controlled release of bioactive agents (pharmaceutical industry) and bioinks (regenerative medicine). Our synthesis strategy was based on the use of mil...

In this study we used an analytical approach based on complementary techniques that targets all structural levels of collagen in leather to investigate how vegetable-tanned leather deteriorates during soil burial tests. For the first time, a group of deterioration markers specific to molecular, fibrillar and fibrous structure of collagen in leather...

The goal of this study was to obtain information about the thermal stability, composition and molecular structure of four historical leather bookbindings dated between the 17th and 19th century and to identify correlations between their thermal, structural and chemical properties and deterioration mechanisms by using thermal analysis and decomposit...

Recent archaeological excavations made on the plateau located east of the medieval fortress at Oratea (Podu Dâmboviţei, Argeş County) evidenced a fortified position of the Roman Age. Among other finds there is a relatively large leather fragment, belonging to the earliest phase (beginning of the second century AD). This discovery is extremely rare...

In this study we used an analytical approach based on complementary techniques that targets all structural levels of collagen to investigate the effects of burrial tests on vegetable-tanned lather. For the first time, a group of deterioration markers specific to molecular, fibrillar and and fibrous structure of collagen in leather was associated wi...

Leather artefacts, archaeological, historical or modern, are prone to microbiological attack which could lead to irreversible degradation. Previous studies performed on new leather mock-ups indicated good resistance of leather at doses up to (25–50) kGy. The aim of this research is to improve our understanding about the changes in the thermal stabi...

Parchment exposed to dry heating shows (i) thermal destabilization of collagen and formation of intermediate states (ii) denaturation at 120 °C (iii) gelatinization at 180 °C. FTIR-ATR markers assigned to parchment gelatinization: prevalence of vibrations at 1632 and 1518 cm−1, fully depletion of the bands at 1549 and 1692 cm−1, occurrence of the...

The paper refers to a composition with antifungal and antibacterial effect in order to test new materials for preserving heritage objects on collagen support with bactericidal/antifungal role, essential oils-based from Vetrice (Tanacetum vulgare, Compositae family), having antifungal and antibacterial properties. The biocidal effect of plant extrac...

The art of bookbinding requires not only skills in the old craft of bookbinding but also materials that can transform a simple book into a high-quality artistic product. Due to its unique properties, leather still remains the first-choice material in the case of art and archival bindings. However, the long-term durability of modern leather is not k...

Leather is a complex material mostly consisting of a matrix of collagen, chemically stabilized by various tannins. This matrix, sooner or later undergoes alterations as a consequence of interactions between their structure and environment. A comprehensive study based on multiple chemical and physico-mechanical standard tests regarding leather sampl...

Fur and leather have been among the first materials used for clothing and bodily decoration. It is known that Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis used fur clothing. Even though the invention of inexpensive synthetic textiles for insulating clothing led to fur clothing falling out of fashion, fur is still worn in most cool climates around the wor...

In this study NMR MOUSE and micro DSC techniques were used to investigate the interaction between collagen and various vegetable tannins during leather making process with the aim of gaining a deeper understanding of different water environment in relation to tannin type. We have previously showed that relaxation times may provide useful informatio...

Cultural heritage represents a national treasure evolving from the culture and spirituality of people. Therefore, it must be continuously recovered, protected and developed by all generations as priceless heritage. Referring to the Romanian cultural heritage items that are placed in restoration, at present, some works have been done for partial or...

The methods for processing raw hides over time, have been numerous: smoke, fat, fermented milk, egg, volcanic soils, plants (shells, fruits, leaves) and so on. The books binding with leather has its origins in the Orient and are known various types of goatskin and calfskin, tanned with sumac finished marbled (sapphire), in black (Moroccan), by floa...

The International Conference on Emerging Technology and Innovation for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ETICCH) aims at building a relationship between science and sustainable conservation. To this end, ETICCH is committing to bringing together conservators, restorers, curators, bibliographers, archivists, conservation scientists, chemists, p...

Parchment used for restoration, book binding and art requires special performance on physical-chemical, organoleptic and aesthetic characteristics, but also good long-term stability. In this sense, the parchment is ecologically processed, with features that ensure firmness, fullness, light resistance, dimensional stability, thermal stability, malle...

This study aims to characterize new and artificially aged parchments. Parchment samples of calf, sheep, goat and pig were exposed to artificial ageing at 70°C in 3 cycles: first cycle for 7 days, second cycle for 14 days and 21 days for the 3rd cycle. Thus, a treatment temperature of 70°C was selected to avoid sudden structural changes and rapid co...

Ancient vegetable tanned leathers and parchments are very complex materials in which both different manufacturing and deterioration processes make their study and chemical characterization difficult. In this research, solid state NMR spectroscopy was applied to identify different tannin families (condensed and hydrolyzable) in historical leather ob...

This paper presents a comprehensive deterioration profiling of the leather bookbinding of Cazania lui Vaarlam printed in 1643 and owned by the National Museum of Romanian Literature. A complex analytical approach encompassing spectroscopic techniques and thermal analysis methods was set up for the leather bookbinding to investigate collagen structu...

Abstract The damaging effects of mixed light-thermal ageing on parchment were studied by exposing mock-ups to artificial light (162 W/m2 irradiance) at controlled temperature and relative humidity (52 °C, 30% RH) for up to 748 h, with testing being made during this time incrementally. The physical–chemical changes (deterioration) resulting from the...

Chemistry plays a multi-faceted rôle in understanding, protecting and transmitting the legacy of physical artefacts we inherited from past generations. Chemists are called to contribute to solving some of the challenges that face heritage today, from the composition and structure of heritage materials - information from whom provenance, period of c...

Leather artefacts in historical collections and old leather bookbindings in archives and libraries frequently show a variety of visible changes which alter their appearance and ability to be used, such as powdery surface, weakened structure, complete or partial loss of the grain layer. However, historical leather stabilization and consolidation yet...

The aim of this study was to advance the current understanding on the mechanism of deterioration of historical vegetable tanned leathers and establish new criteria for quantifying their deterioration using micro differential scanning calorimetry (micro DSC) and micro hot table (MHT) method. Ten historical leather objects were investigated to this p...

This paper presents an overview of the conservation state of the tawed white leather, parchment and reused parchment bookbindings from the Rare Book Collection of the Romanian Academy Library. The transdisciplinary study was jointly conducted by the researchers of INCDTP-ICPI and Manuscripts and Rare Book Department of the Romanian Academy Library....

In this study, hydrolyzable tannins (commercial chestnut, valonea and tara extracts), condensed tannins (commercial quebracho and mimosa extracts) as well as calf leathers produced using these vegetable tanning agents were characterized by thermal decomposition methods using slow and high heating rates. Calf gelatin obtained by heating calf pelt in...

Historical leathers, in a huge variety of items as footwear and garments, bookbinding, wall tapestry, upholstery, harnesses, armours, storage vessels, household tools, cases, musical instruments, toys, ritual objects are regarded as important testimonials of our cultural heritage. It is vital therefore that these objects remain well preserved along...

The International Seminar and Workshop on Emerging Technology and Innovation for Cultural Heritage (ETICH) aims at building a relationtionship between science and sustainable conservation. To this end ETICH is commiting to bring together conservators, restorers, curators, bibliographers, archivists, conservation scientists, chemists, physicians, en...

New and artificially aged parchments were studied by unilateral NMR and micro DSC. Samples were obtained by exposing new parchments to 80 °C and alternate 40 and 80% relative humidity for increasing times up to 32 days. The impact of accelerated ageing was assessed by measuring both the proton transverse relaxation times (T2eff) and thermodynamic p...

The dose dependent effect of gamma irradiation on collagen in vegetable tanned leather was studied by the MHT method. Examination of the irradiated samples at 3 months after the irradiation treatment revealed variations of the main shrinkage temperatures and intervals. Up to 25 kGy, the shrinkage temperature does not vary while the total shrinkage...

This essay describes the properties and the voices of the materials that make up the will, which have long been ignored. Ancient objects speak through their materials, techniques, shapes and colors, and their social and cultural identity symbols, and we can be amazed at the amount of knowledge that went into their making. The material aspects of th...

The paper studied the effect of four materials for the preservation of collagen-based heritage objects. The products developed were applied to new leather samples tanned with vegetable tanning agents such as quebracho and mimosa, which were then subjected to accelerated ageing for 24, 48 and 72 hours, at the temperature of 50°C. The effects of the...

Micro-differential scanning calorimetry was used to reveal the deterioration patterns of collagen in vegetable-tanned leather. The influence of both the tannin type, i.e. hydrolysable or condensed, and collagen animal species, i.e. calf and sheep, was investigated. Comparison with the behaviour of unmodified collagen in parchment was made to explai...

Unilateral nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and imaging thermal microscopy (imageMHT) were performed on newly obtained and artificially aged vegetable tanned leathers. Calf and sheep leathers tanned with vegetal extracts of mimosa bark, quebracho and chestnut wood were compared. Ageing was simulated by exposing the leather samples to heating at 70...

. The dose dependent effect of gamma irradiation on collagen in vegetable tanned leather was studied by unilateral nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Examination of the irradiated samples after 1 week of treatment revealed variations of both spin-lattice (T1) and spin-spin (T2) proton relaxation times. To evaluate the long-term effects of gamma irra...

Leather and parchment are among the oldest man-made biomaterials. There is a huge variety of historical and cultural objects made of parchment (scrolls, documents and codices, bookbindings, etc.) and leather (wall tapestry, storage vessels, musical instruments, luggage, objects of personal use such as shoes and garments, and mummified skins of anim...

Exciting discoveries can occur while studying archival and library parchments. This paper presents three case studies focusing on parchment manuscripts, i.e. notary and accounting documents, and codices of different age and provenance, all analyzed and investigated within international collaboration projects conducted in Romania and Italy. The fir...

The aging mechanism of leather and parchment was studied by thermoanalytical methods to understand the effect of the environment on the historical manuscripts and the heritage of libraries and archives. Alkaline and acidic treatments followed by thermal dehydration were applied to achieve chemical changes in the structure of new leather and parchme...

In the last decade differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) has emerged as a powerful technique for minimally invasive characterisation of damage and quantification of environmental risk in parchment historical and archaeological artefacts. The possibility to determine which objects are most environmentally sensitive and to quantify deterioration fr...

The aim of this preliminary study was to observe the effect of glycerin on the denaturation (shrinkage) temperature of leather. For this, samples of chrome- and vegetable-tanned leathers were analyzed by DSC measurements while immersed in pure water, glycerine-water solutions of different concentrations (25, 50, 75, 90%) and pure glycerin, in pres...

Historical leather is a complex biological material, and due to various methods of production or tannins used, unknown environmental histories of objects and heterogeneous composition and stratigraphy, it represents a particular analytical challenge. Recent analytical and technological improvements have allowed to reveal the causes of degradations...

Unilateral NMR has proven to be a valuable tool in the field of collagen-based cultural heritage where non-destructive analyses are highly demanded. Old leather is a collagen-based biomaterial made from animal hides chemically treated by vegetable or mineral tanning to increase chemical and physical durability and confer desired handling and workin...

The present paper reports the results obtained by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Micro Hot Table method (MHT) for new vegetable tanned leathers exposed to 80°C and 80% RH for 1 to 32 days. DSC measurements were carried out both in water excess (heating rate 10 C/min , temperature range 25 to 110°C), and under nitrogen flow (heating rat...

Il presente studio si propone di individuare un protocollo analitico per la validazione dei procedimenti di restauro conservativo della pergamena, che vede l'azione congiunta di conservatori, restauratori e ricercatori. Il metodo adottato consiste in un esame multiscala basato su indagini non-invasive e micro-invasive per caratterizzare le propriet...

The thermally-induced structural collapse of collagen fibres in collagen-based historical materials and artefacts such as leather, parchment and skin is currently measured through the Micro Hot Table (MHT) method. This method, widely used in conservation-restoration for characterising historical materials' deterioration, is based on a combined ther...

Il presente studio si propone di individuare un protocollo analitico per la validazione dei procedimenti di restauro conservativo della pergamena, che vede l'azione congiunta di conservatori, restauratori e ricercatori. Il metodo adottato consiste in un esame multiscala basato su indagini non-invasive e micro-invasive per caratterizzare le propriet...

The International Seminar and Workshop on Emerging Technology and Innovation for Cultural Heritage (ETICH) is dedicated to the natural connection between science and conservation. The main aim of ETICH is to bring together conservators, restorers, conservation scientists, chemists, physicians, engineers, teachers and show how interdisciplinary work...

Aim: The present work reports a comparative study between three different in vitro tests (cytotoxicity, viability, calorimetry) performed to assess the activity of antineoplastic drugs on tumor cells. Its aim is to define the experimental conditions under which these tests can be considered equivalent and interchangeable giving identical IC50 value...

Micro differential scanning calorimetry (micro DSC), micro hot table (MHT) method, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy measurements were used to investigate the synergistic effects of temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) on deterioration of parchment from microscopic to molecular level. Sample...

Micro DSC measurements were used to investigate the synergistic effects of temperature and relative humidity on deterioration of parchment. Samples were obtained by exposing new parchments to various temperature and relative humidity atmospheres for increasing times in controlled test chambers. The impact of this accelerated ageing was assessed by...

The microscopic assessment of collagen fibres structure and measurement of their shrinkage activity were used to provide a quantification of the deterioration at microscopic level for two groups of historical parchments from the Royal Library of Copenhagen and the State Archives of Florence. The micro differential scanning calorimetry (micro DSC) w...