Dutch Town Using Air-Purifying Concrete to Cut Down on Pollution
The Dutch town of Hengelo looks to be taking a rather unique approach to cleaning the air, with it now testing out a new type of "air-purifying concrete" developed by the University of Twente that promises to soak up the nitrogen oxide particles emitted by car exhausts. That's done with the aid of a titanium dioxide-based additive which, with the help of some sunlight, binds with the nitrogen oxide particles and turns them into harmless nitrates, which can apparently just wash away with the next rain shower.
The town isn't fully sold on the idea just yet, however, with it only paving half of a road now under construction with the so-called "green bricks" (pictured above), while the other half is getting paved with plain old concrete. They'll then take some air measurements from each section early next year and decide whether to continue paving the town green or not.
[Via Physorg]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mitchel eisenstein @ Aug 8th 2008 5:36PM
this is a fantastic invention. just think, a passive pollution filtration device. what we really need though is a passive filtration device that filters out greenhouse gasses. we have ten years until the irreversible tipping point for this planet. you need to know that. get off of your asses and get with the program. otherwise the greenland glaciers will melt and the planet will heat up to the point where there is going to catastrophic sea level rise with accompanying world war. this means that 3.5 billion people will be on the move.
the entire penninsula of florida, only averaging 3 feet above sea level, will be completely submerged. thats almost 4% of the entire land mass of the united states right there. all of the coastal wetlands will be destroyed along with their irreplaceable fish hatchery functions. no wetlands mean no fish. that means starvation for you and me. you need to know that the consequence of destroying the environment means certain death for your family. half of everyone you know, at the very least, will die either by murder or starvation. you will kill your own children, friends and neighbors for a bite to eat. and you will cry out why, why did this happen. and there will be silence. you murderers of life, you will be answered by silence.
Juan twan @ Aug 12th 2008 7:52PM
Nitrates may be fine for the air, but they are bad in the water. Surely this is not an oversight, but just not clarified in the report. Some engineer is probably to blame for dumbing it down for us. P.S. Mitch, I eat beef and the majority of fish don't spawn in the wetlands.