Comparative Hydrodynamic Study on Non-Aqueous Soluble Archaeological Wood Consolidants: Butvar B-98 and PDMS-OH Siloxanes.

Butvar B-98 and PDMS-OH both have a demonstrable ability as consolidants for archaeological wood. This makes them both potential treatment options for the Oseberg collection, which is one of the most important archaeological finds from the Viking era. Both Butvar B-98 and PDMS-OH are soluble in organic solvents, offering a useful alternative to aqueous-based consolidants. Extensive characterisation studies were carried out on both of these polymers, with the use of analytical ultracentrifugation and viscometry, for the benefit of conservators wanting to know more about the physical properties of these materials. Short column sedimentation equilibrium analysis using SEDFIT-MSTAR revealed a weight-average molar mass (weight-average molecular weight) Mw of (54.0 ± 1.5) kDa (kg · mol-1) for Butvar B-98, while four samples of PDMS-OH siloxanes (each with a different molar mass) had an Mw of (52.5 ± 3.0) kDa, (38.8 ± 1.5) kDa, (6.2 ± 0.7) kDa and (1.6 ± 0.1) kDa. Sedimentation velocity confirmed that all polymers were heterogeneous, with a wide range of molar masses. All molecular species showed considerable conformational asymmetry from measurements of intrinsic viscosity, which would facilitate networking interactions as consolidants. It is anticipated that the accumulated data on these two consolidants will enable conservators to make a more informed decision when it comes to choosing which treatment to administer to archaeological artefacts.

Plastic ingestion by Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) from the Norwegian coast.

This study documents the occurrence of microplastic (<5mm), mesoplastics (5-20mm) and macroplastic (>20mm) in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), a common and economically important species of marine fish in Norway. Fish stomachs (n=302) were examined from six different locations along the coast of Norway. Three percent of the individual stomachs contained items identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) as synthetic polymers. Bergen City Harbour was a hotspot with 27% of the cod examined found to contain plastic. Polyester was the most frequently detected polymer. All bar one of the stomachs that contained plastic were full of organic stomach content, suggesting a plastic gut clearance rate similar to the ingested food. It is proposed that stomach fullness is an important metric in order to avoid underestimations when assessing the levels of microplastic ingested by fish.