IAEA Workshop on Innovative Approaches of Accelerator Science and Technology for Sustainable Heritage Management

Radiation processing for cultural heritage preservation – Tunisian experience

14 Jun 2022, 10:00

20m

Board Room C (IAEA Headquarters)

POSTER Track 2: Interpretation, presentation and dissemination of the scientific results Poster session

Speaker

Mr Mokhtar Kraiem (CNSTN, Tunisia)

Description

Tunisian National Centre for Nuclear Science and Technology-CNSTN (Tunisia) has two irradiation facilities : a 10MeV 5kW LINAC electron beam accelerator (since 2010) and Cobalt-60 gamma irradiator de 100 kCi (since 1999) used for radiation sterilization of medical devices, food irradiation and preservation of art objects.
Since ionizing radiation has been considered an efficient technique for decontamination of biodeteriorated cultural heritage, wooden and textile items as well as mummified animals, from national museums, are irradiated by the CNSTN's facilities.
This paper presents some examples of cultural heritage treated by irradiation in Tunisia.