Study of menthol sublimation kinetics to deliver essential oil for the disinfection of stone monuments
Year: 2026
Authors: Capasso F.E., Vergelli L., Ioele M., Fontana R., Dal Fovo A., Porcu D., Vannini E., Bartolini M., Antonelli F., Gioventsch E.
Autors Affiliation: Ist Cent Restauro, Stone Mat Lab, Rome, Italy; Sapienza Univ Rome, Dept Environm Biol, Rome, Italy; Ist Cent Restauro, Chem Lab, Rome, Italy; Natl Inst Opt CNR INO, Natl Res Council, Largo E Fermi 6, I-50125 Florence, Italy; Univ Florence, Dept Phys & Astron, Via Sansone 1, I-50019 Florence, Italy; Ist Cent Restauro, Biol Lab, Rome, Italy; Bio Co Re Lab, Scurcola Marsicana, Italy.
Abstract: The biodeterioration of stone substrates represents a major issue in cultural heritage conservation, as mi-crobial colonization-driven by environmental factors and stone bioreceptivity-can induce irreversible surface and structural damage over time. Chemical biocides remain widely used, but their environmental and toxicological drawbacks have prompted the search for sustainable and eco-compatible alternatives. Within this context, Essential Oils (EOs) are increasingly studied for their antimicrobial activity and low environmental impact, although their high volatility strongly limits persistence and long-term perfor-mance on stone surfaces. This study introduces an innovative approach based on the use of menthol as a film-forming, volatile binding medium for EOs, aimed at modulating its evaporation kinetics and en-hancing coating stability. Oregano EO (Origanum vulgare L.), one of the most frequently employed natural biocides against stone-colonizing microorganisms, was selected and combined with menthol at different ratios. The mixtures were characterized by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, while sublimation kinetics were in-vestigated on both non-porous glass slides and porous stone substrates (Carrara marble and Peperino). Gravimetric monitoring was performed under controlled conditions, and additional morphological and optical surface assessments were carried out using Optical Coherence Tomography and Fiber Optics Re-flectance Spectroscopy. The results demonstrate that menthol affects the sublimation dynamics, film morphology, and evapora-tion rate of oregano EO. These findings highlight the potential of EO-menthol systems as sustainable and adaptable surface treatments. By addressing the intrinsic limitations of EO volatility, this work provides new insights into the design of next-generation, eco-compatible biocidal formulations specifically tailored to the preventive conservation of stone cultural heritage.
Journal/Review: JOURNAL OF CULTURAL HERITAGE
Volume: 81 Pages from: 221 to: 231
More Information: This research was funded by PNRR CHANGES (Cultural Heritage Active Innovation for Sustainable Society) Project (PE_00000020), CUP_D53C22002560006 funded by the European Union-Next Generation EU M4.C2.1.1 and PNRR H2IOSC (Humanities and Cultural Heritage Italian Open Science Cloud) Project (IR0000029), CUP_B63C22000730005, funded by Next Generation EU.KeyWords: Menthol; Essential oils; Sublimation kinetics; Sustainable conservationDOI: 10.1016/j.culher.2026.07.005
