FGD and DeNOx
NEWSLETTER       

                                                                                                         September 2005
                                                                                                             No. 329

European Projects to Develop Photocatalytic Cement

A $1.7-million Swedish-Finnish project is looking at catalytic cement and concrete products coated with titanium dioxide. UV rays hitting the titanium dioxide trigger a catalytic reaction that breaks down pollutants, including NO_x. Research in this field has been made possible by developments in nanotechnology. The titanium dioxide becomes active when applied in a very thin layer or in microscopic particles.

In a test in 2003, Italcementi coated 75,000 square feet of road surface on the outskirts of Milan with photocatalytic cement. It found NO_x levels were reduced by up to 60 percent, depending on weather conditions. A similar experiment in France found NO_x levels were 20-80 percent lower in a wall plastered with photocatalytic cement than with regular cement. The EU last year earmarked $2.27 billion for a project to develop “smart” construction materials that would break down pollutants and other toxic substances.   

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