Eco Factor: New road paving material removes the nitrogen oxide from the air and converts it into harmless nitrate.
Doesn’t the idea of a paving that can remove pollutants from the air sound interesting? Well, researchers at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands have done just that. The research team has been working on a type of paving material that that actually removes some pollutants from the air as cars travel over the surface. It can be combined with normal asphalt or concrete and is capable of eliminating nearly 25% to 45% of nitrogen oxides from vehicle emissions.
The material is made using titanium dioxide that works in combination with sunlight, causing a chemical reaction that removes the nitrogen oxide from the air and converts it into nitrate. The nitrites can easily be washed away by the rain. Last year the team performed the first area-wide tests of the material by covering 1,000 square meters of existing road surface with the air-purifying concrete paving stones, while 1,000 square meters was surfaced with normal paving stones for comparison.
Then they measured the air between 0.5 and 1.5 meters above the road surface on both types of paving stones and found that nearby air above the air-purifying pavement has half the nitrogen oxides as compared to the normal one. The material also has an added advantage, it can break down algae and dirt, keeping the surface relatively clean. But, the researchers will have to find ways to deal with its negatives. The material costs 10% more to install than traditional road materials and harmless nitrates washed away when reaches groundwater in large quantity can cause health issues.
Via: Gas2.0
