A relatively large number of marble cultural relics, such as railings, have been preserved at BeiYue Temple. Because they are old, have been exposed to salt for a long time, and have not been preserved properly, these objects are now damaged by salt weathering. To mitigate salt damage, two typical base materials were selected for research on the effect of desalination treatment in this study: desalination pulp and rice paper. Three sets of compound additives at different ratios (1:2, 1:2.5 and 1:3) were added to these materials and then desalinated. At the same time, many other ways were employed to evaluate the desalinisation effect and changes in the marble surface, such as ion chromatography, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, conductivity measurement and digital microscopy. Based on the above results, the 1:2 polyacrylic acid-Poly(epoxysuccinic acid) (PAA-PESA) formulation showed the highest conductivity value (244 μS/cm) and was thus most effective for salt removal; as a result, visibly cleaner macro- and micro-surfaces were obtained after treatment. On the other hand, the 1:2.5 and 1:3 ratios were still relatively large and small black particulate contaminants. Compound modifiers were also added to increase the yield of soluble salts for the experimental group over that in the control group. Increase the supersaturation of the salt solution to improve desalination; thus, increase the extent of dissolution and salt removal. The above results provide some assistance for the research on desalination methods of marble conservation and offer a scientific basis for the preservation of salt-affected stone artifacts.
