| European cultural heritage is often damaged by salt related damaging processes. There appears to be an increasing risk of salt damage to our monuments, due to climate changes and possibly resulting floods. According to recent research, in some situations, desalination may be the only possible conservation technique. For buildings, desalination still constitutes a major problem, as the bath-method cannot be used. The use of desalination mortar/poultices seems to be the most promising conservation technique for immovable objects. However, the performance and especially the effectiveness of different desalination systems are not clear, which hinders the choice of an appropriate mortar/poultice.The research project DESALINATION will result in a clear guideline how to choose an adequate desalination system. This is of great importance to the European decision makers and will incorporated in a knowledge based decision tool. A second major result will be better knowledge of moisture and salt transport from the historic material to the desalination product. This knowledge will give raise to a recommendation for a test to assess the effectiveness of desalination products. The better understanding of the transport process may be used in product development and increases the competitiveness of European SMEs, and may have a much broader spin-off in all kind of salt related problems. |