Texas Zinc Company

DEZ [Diethyl zinc] A process for preserving books and documents by treatment with diethyl zinc vapor, which neutralizes ary residual acidity from the papermaking process. The articles are placed in a low-pressure chamber and suffused by diethyl zinc vapor. This vapor reacts with the moisture in the paper to yield zinc oxide, which neutralizes the acid. The process was developed by Texas Alkyls (a joint company of Akzo and Hercules) and the U S. Library of Congress. A pilot plant was set up in 1988, capable of treating batches of 300 books, and plans to build two larger plants were announced in 1989. 

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