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New road concrete developed that actually cleans the air
“The air-purifying properties of the new paving stones had already been shown in the laboratory, but these results now show that they also work outdoors”
- prof. Jos Brouwers
Wouldn’t it be great if cars put out less pollution? You can breathe a sigh of relief, because researchers have discovered a breakthrough that will lead to reduced pollution and cleaner air.
Researchers at EUT believe that roads made of a blend of concrete and titanium dioxide can remove up to 45 percent of the nitrogen oxides that it comes in contact with.
Capturing the airborn nitrogen oxides, the titanium dioxide (a photocatalytic material) uses the sun to convert the nasty nitrogen oxide into nitrates that are easily and harmlessly washed away by the rain.
The concrete stones used in the tests are made by paving stone manufacturer Struyk Verwo Infra, and are already available for use. For roads where an asphalt surface is preferred the air-purifying concrete can be mixed with open asphalt, according to Brouwers. It can also be used in self-cleaning and air-purifying building walls.