Available green conservation methodologies for the cleaning of cultural heritage: an overview

Abstract

The introduction of new guidelines and regulations on chemical production, use, treatment or disposal demanded the development of greener alternatives to conventional products and methodologies. This review briefly presents some of the most promising innovative systems applied in the cleaning of cultural heritage – lasers, green solvents, microemulsions or micellar solutions, bacterial cells or enzymes, ionic liquids and gels. Their advantages and drawbacks are discussed, along with further improvements.