This type of asphalt can absorb air pollution
The researchers developed a special substance that could be applied to roads to help cut high concentrations of polluting gases released into the atmosphere.
[dropcap]C[/dropcap]alled a photocatalytic pavement, the technology was tested in the urban area of the city of Hengelo, in the east of the Netherlands. According to the BBC, the pavement was treated with titanium dioxide sprinkled on the concrete, which managed to reduce carbon dioxide in the environment by up to 45%.
The only negative side, so far detected, is the price, which can rise by up to 50% compared to a common road. There are already countries interested in this new floor. They are China, South Africa and the United States.
This would be a perfect investment for the Chinese since pollution in this country reaches record levels, with levels many times higher than the limit considered healthy by the World Health Organization.
The road devised by Dutch scientists receives a special cement-based pavement containing an additive that captures particles of nitrogen oxides emitted by vehicles.
The air-purifying cement receives in its formula an additive based on titanium dioxide. When exposed to sunlight, the material reacts with nitrogen oxides, transforming them into nitrates, which are harmless to the environment.
