Eco Factor: Paving slabs convert atmospheric nitrogen oxide into nitrates.
With a constant rise in the amount of toxic gases in the atmosphere, researchers in Germany are finding ways to convert these gases into substances that don’t have any harmful effect on the ecosystem. The Baroque city of Fulda is currently embarking on new ways to combat air pollution, which features use of special paving slabs, which can suck nitrogen oxide from air and convert it into harmless nitrates.
The paving slabs are to be laid the length of Petersberger Straße, where recorded pollution levels topped the annual mean limit of 40 micrograms per cubic meter last year. Coated with nanoparticles of titanium oxide, these slabs convert nitrogen oxides into nitrates using sunlight. The speed of the chemical reaction changes with exposure to light.
During an extended time field test, the research team was able to record nitrogen oxide degradation rates of 20 to 30 percent in specially created street canyons. Moreover, when the wind was still, the experts recorded degradation rates as high as 70 percent for both nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide.
Via: Science Daily
