The use of gels in localized dechlorination treatments of metallic cultural heritage objects

Gels were used to perform localized dechlorination treatments on ferrous or copper alloy archaeological objects. Agar gel (3% w ) was used as a medium for the electrolyte, a 1% w KNO 3 solution. Localized electrolysis with gel was carried out using the same parameters as immersion electrolysis. This study shows that the technique results in the efficient extraction of chlorides. To determine the end of treatment, two tools were validated: determining the quantity of chlorides present in the gels by XRF and monitoring the oxygen consumption of an object before and after treatment.