Demonstration Air-Purifying Pavement

MARÍA DE LOS MILAGROS BALLARI; JEROEN H.T.J. OVERMAN; JOS H.J.H. BROUWERS

Nicosia (Chipre)

Conferencia; 2nd European Conference on Environmental Applications of Advanced Oxidation Processes; 2009

Nitrogen oxides (NOx) is the generic term for a group of highly reactive gases, most of them emitted in air in the form of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). NOx cause a wide variety of health and environmental impacts, like the formation of tropospheric ozone, urban smog and acid rain. The European Union (EU) [1] has taken important steps over the past decade leading to a decrease in the emissions to air and water of a number of contaminants. Some of the pollutant emissions have since become more or less manageable, although particulates, NOx and smog are still problematic. Heterogeneous photocatalysis represents an emerging environmental control option for the efficient removal of chemical pollutants. This process involves a solid semiconductor catalyst, regularly titanium dioxide (TiO2), which is activated with ultraviolet light of the appropriate wavelength. The development of innovative materials that can be easily applied on structures, with both de-soiling and de-polluting properties, is a significant step towards improvement of air quality. The use of TiO2 photocatalyst in combination with cementitious and other construction materials has shown a favorable effect in the removal of nitrogen oxides [2]. The present research project is aimed to study the air purification induced by concrete pavement stones that are provided with photocatalytic surface. The pavement stones developed at the University of Twente will be tested in a road segment (Castorweg street) in the city of Hengelo, The Netherlands. In the present work the preliminary air quality measurements prior to the application of active stones and the DeNOx process simulations in the canyon street employing a CFD tool are shown.