The Egyptian Antiquities Ministry, in collaboration with the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, has invented the first ever Egyptian restoration material made from nuclear power, the ministry announced Monday.
The new material called Carbon 13 will be presented and explained at the International Atomic Energy Agency's 59th General Conference in Austria's Vienna, which started Monday and will conclude on Friday.
Antiquities Minister Mamdouh Eldamaty indicated that the Carbon 13 project will represent Egypt in the international conference, in which the promising results of the project will be presented as it has produced Egypt's first ever patented restoration material.
In addition, a number of archaeological replicas that have been restored and treated during the project will be displayed at the conference, according to the president of the museums sector, Elham Salah.
Eldamaty added that the collaborative project came about as a result of the ministry's commitment to Egypt's initiative of using nuclear power in different fields for safe and peaceful purposes.
The initiative is specifically concerned with the conservation of cultural heritage to preserve ancient artifacts and to allow Egypt to become a producer of restoration materials created according to the latest technologies.
The project's scientific coordinator Islam Ezzat, who will represent the Antiquities Ministry at the conference, said that the ministry was working on developing the methods of its archaeological and restorative work further by resorting to nanotechnology as well.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, which is known as the world's "Atoms for Peace" organization within the United Nations, is the world's main organization for promoting safe and peaceful use of nuclear technology and ensuring cooperation between its member states to achieve that.
Its annual General Conference serves as a forum of debate concerning all relevant issues and policies related to the peaceful use of nuclear technology in which all 165 member states participate, of which Egypt and the majority of Arab states are a part of.