Smog-Busting Street Cleans Up Pollution

A recent press release from IChemE reveals a smog-eating street. I can't help but picture a road lifting up its concrete slab and noshing on nitrogen oxide to rid the world of nasty smog. The caption would say: "Taking A Bite Out Of Pollution" a la McGruff the Crime Dog ads from the 1980s.Apparently, a full-scale test of a chemically engineered air-purifying pavement in The Netherlands took place and was conducted over a one-year period. The results show that the smog-busting street managed to reduce nitrogen oxide air pollution by up to nearly half (45%) in ideal weather conditions and by nearly one-fifth (19%) over the duration of a whole day.The experiment had a control street and a street paved with ‘photocatalytic’ material, which has been known to reduce air pollution. This latest experiment used titanium oxide (TiO2), which can be easily sprayed onto surfaces, and has the ability to remove chemical pollutants from the air and turn them into less harmful chemicals such as nitrates.Obviously, stopping pollution before it happens is ideal. But if that can't be achieved, this is certainly a great second defense.Read the full release here.

Traci PurdumSenior Digital Editor and fan of pollution fighters.Google+