Container Lab
To complete its artefact laboratory system, the CSMC has developed a novel modular container laboratory ensemble that bridges the gap between stationary high-performance analytics and in situ analysis with portable instruments.
The Container Lab has a modular design. It contains an area for performing wet chemical operations (e.g. emergency preservation measures) as well as a clean room area for taking samples for DNA analysis. The laboratories are equipped with two digestories, gas bottles, chemical cabinets, and cooling capacities. Access to the facility is regulated via airlocks and the interior is air-conditioned, providing the conditions to work with valuable artefacts.
The individual modules of the Container Lab can be assembled according to the requirements of the respective mission. In total, the facility consists of seven 20-foot high cube containers: In addition to five laboratory containers and one for storage, a supply container, which houses as an 85-kVA power generator plus a 1000-litre diesel tank, allows the whole facility to operate self-sufficiently. Furthermore, there are fresh and waste water tanks. The gas supply is provided by mobile gas bottles.
All containers are intended for worldwide use and transportation by ship and truck. The container boxes are sea-going shipping containers with CSC safety approval so they can be transported on container ships without restriction.
From summer 2024 to autumn 2025, the Container Lab is stationed in Puducherry, India. There, researchers from the CSMC’s ‘Palm-Leaf Manuscript Profiling Initiative’ are working with our local partners to analyse palm-leaf manuscripts belonging to the UNESCO Memory of the World. Their aim is to use material analyses to determine the largely unknown origin of the historical documents.