SMOG EATING CONCRETE

ABSTRACT

EPA lists Nitrogen Oxides (NO and NO2, together referred to as “NOx”) as one of the
six common air pollutants. NOx is present in emissions from transportation (cars, trucks, etc.)
and also in power plant and other combustion process emissions. The more toxic form, NO2, is
recognized to have extensive direct effects on human health (such as asthma and acute
respiratory diseases) and also on many other organisms, especially aquatic life forms (due to
eutrophication from atmospheric deposition). NOx additionally affects the environment by
promoting acid rain and the formation of ground-level ozone, which causes smogs and is harmful
to sensitive plant life and ecosystems. The technology used in “smog-eating” (or “de-polluting”)
concrete helps mitigate the effect of atmospheric NO2. Contrary to other solutions, this
technology does not rely on photo-catalysis and therefore can function perfectly well in the dark.
So it is especially suitable for use in confined areas prone to very high NO2 concentrations, such
as tunnels or parking garages. Research shows that all concretes have some tendency to absorb
NO2. However, this tendency depends on the concrete mix design, and it is also reduced
significantly over time by carbonation. The use of small additions of activated carbon can greatly
enhance the NO2 absorption properties of many classes of concrete and also reduces the negative
influence of carbonation the process. The use of “smog-eating concrete” may provide a way to
improve our cities. By reducing ambient NOx concentrations, it will have a benefic impact on
human health as well as on animal and plant life.
 INTRODUCTION

The current climatic situations all over the world are alarming. The deviations through
which nature and the environment have gone through in the past few decades are very much
observable and uncontrollable and have had harmful effects on the environment like; Glaciers
have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges have shifted
and trees are flowering sooner. These are the side effects of the magnified global warming. The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) tells in a report that, the temperature rise of
2.5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit is expected over the next century. Not only the rise in temperature,
pollution has made the air unfit for breathing. The poor indoor air quality is now a common issue
in almost all of the urban and industrial areas. Fumes from industries, emissions from vehicular
exhausts, extensive burning of coal and the other fossil fuels, forest and agricultural fires and
many other such activities has increased the public concern. One of the side effects of all these
activities is smog. Smog is nothing but a type of air pollution formed from all these sources that
react in the atmosphere with sunlight to form secondary pollutants that also combine with the
primary emissions to form photochemical smog. The major air pollutants that are responsible for
the formation of smog are Aldehydes, Nitrogen oxides (Nox), Sulphur oxides (Sox), Peroxyacyl
nitrates, tropospheric ozone and VOC’s .In some of the most polluted cities like Delhi, smog is
one of the major problems and its severity is often aggravated by stubble burning in
neighbouring agricultural areas. In such conditions, a cementitious material that has pollution-
eating and self-cleaning properties when applied to infrastructural work will be very beneficial
and can contribute to cleaning the environment and help in improving sustainability. This
construction material with the help of its photocatalytic ability is able to accelerate the natural
oxidation process of many pollutants leading to their faster decomposition and preventing them
from accumulating and forming persistent compounds. This photocatalytic cement has titanium
dioxide (TiO2) mixed with other pozzolanic ingredients. This cement, when exposed to sunlight,
triggers a chemical reaction, which in turn results in breaking down of some of the major
pollutants, which contribute to the formation of smog. One of the major pollutants which are
readily decomposed by this photocatalytic cement is Nitrogen oxides (Nox) and its compounds.
Nox is a result of the burning of fossil fuels which further breaks down in the atmosphere and
creates smog and is also responsible for the formation of ground-level ozone. It has been found
that it almost decomposes 25% - 45% Nitrogen oxides up to 2-3m near and around the surface.
Construction materials which are both environment-friendly, as well as sustainable, are the need,
of the current civil engineering world because until now, both, the construction materials and the
construction processes are known to contribute a significant amount of pollutants to the air and
the water resources. The endeavour for finding alternative construction materials that are
environment-friendly and pose a lesser threat to living world has led to the exploration of this
photocatalytic, selfcleaning, smog-eating cementitious material. Self-cleaning and pollution-
eating buildings and road pavements may seem a part of the futuristic infrastructure but they are
a part of realities in some parts of today’s world. This innovation in the field of civil and
environmental engineering is very much based on the properties of TiO2 which can be
incorporated directly into the concrete or can be brought to work by applying coatings of the
material over the surface of the buildings or the pavements. TiO2 not only provides the self-
cleaning and pollution-eating advantages but also being white in colour ads to the aesthetics of
the buildings and constructions. The main focus of this paper is to tell the readers about the
advantages of using this cementitious material, and about its properties and the working
principle, that are responsible for the self cleaning and pollution-eating behavior of this material,
which are strongly supported by some case studies that will help in understanding the changes
brought about and in nearby neighborhood by the use of this material
 LITERATURE SURVEY

[1] L Cassar, “Photocatalysis of cementitious materials: Clean buildings and clear

air”,Materials Research Society Bulletin, vol. 29, pp. 328- 331, 2004.

This seeks to highlight key aspects and recent trends in the development and application
of nanotechnology to facilitate sustainable construction, use and demolition of buildings and
infrastructure structures, i.e. ‘nanoconstruction’. Nanotechnology is not a technology but a very
diverse technological field that covers many application areas. The chapter therefore aims to
provide a framework for addressing relevant issues of green nanoconstruction and to bring an
overview and illustrative examples of current early developments.

[2] L., Beeldens, A., Pimpinelli, N., Guerrini, G.L. Cassar, “Photocatalysis of cementitious
materials”, Int. RILEM Symposium on Photocatalysis, Environment and Construction
materials, Florence, Italy, 8-9 October 2007. RILEM Publications PRO55, Bagne," in Int.
RILEM Symposium on Photocatalysis, Environment and Construction materials.,
Florence, 2007.

A new and innovative approach to the material science has demonstrated that
photocatalytic activity may be conferred to cementitious construction materials such as paints,
mortars, concrete manufacts, pavements, etc. This has been confirmed by the results obtained in
the generalised use of self-cleaning surfaces which allows buildings to maintain their aesthetic
appearance unaltered over time. In parallel, the capability of photocatalysis in cementitious
materials to reduce the levels of urban pollution has been demonstrated in laboratory, at pilot
scale and, more recently, with some specific in-field monitoring programs carried in occasion of
relevant realizations. In this paper, after a description of the most relevant aspects concerning the
photocatalysis applied to the cement-based materials, some test methods for the evaluation of the
photocatalytic activity will be described. Furthermore, some pilot projects will be cited and
finally, some examples of relevant applications will be reported.
[3] G.L. Guerrini, “Photocatalytic cement based materials- Situations, challenges and
perspectives.” in World Cement, 2010.

This paper briefly reviews the situation with the photocatalytic cement-based materials
and their current applications in the building sector. Starting from the pioneer application of the
Church “Dives in Misericordia” in Rome, where a new type of cement was used with the aim of
providing an innovative property (maintenance of white colour along time), it can be said that
these materials are now a valid solution which is frequently chosen by architects, designers and
stakeholders for the achievement of structures, buildings and large works which are
environmentally friendly and distinctive in terms of quality and durability. Considerable costs
have been sustained in “pilot” projects, in order to validate the solutions which were certified by
means of laboratory tests specifically developed for the assessment of photocatalytic properties.
However, photocatalytic cement-based applications are by now widely recognized as effective
and environmentally friendly. The research activity on this field is still remarkable, aiming to
develop further functional properties which can be added to the classic ones ( maintenance of
color sometimes called “self cleaning” and depolluting).

[4] Tata N.Rao, Donald A.Tryk. Akira Fujishima, "Akira Fujishima, Tata N.Rao, Donald
A.Tryk. “Titanium doxide photocatalysis” , Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology
C: Photochemistry Reviews, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1-21, June 2000.

Scientific studies on photocatalysis started about two and a half decades ago. Titanium
dioxide (TiO2), which is one of the most basic materials in our daily life, has emerged as an
excellent photocatalyst material for environmental purification. In this review, current progress
in the area of TiO2 photocatalysis, mainly photocatalytic air purification, sterilization and cancer
therapy are discussed together with some fundamental aspects. A novel photoinduced
superhydrophilic phenomenon involving TiO2 and its applications are presented.

[5] Bina Rani, Upma Singh, A K Chuhan, Diwakar Sharma, and Raaz. Maheshwari,
“Photochemical Smog Pollution and Its Mitigation Measures.”, Journal of Advanced
Scientific Research, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 28-33, November 2011.

Photochemical smog is a unique type of air pollution. In the 1940s a new type of smog,
known as photochemical smog, was first described in Los Angeles. Major Air Pollutants
responsible for photochemical smog are carbon oxides (CO, CO2), nitrogen oxides and nitric
acid (NO, NO2, HNO3), sulphur dioxide and sulphuric acid (SO2, H2SO4), suspended
particulate matter (SPM), ozone (O3), volatile organic compounds (VOCs).The reactions that
lead to the formation of photochemical smog. Photochemical smog is a serious problem in many
cities and continues to harmful for senior citizens, children, and people with heart and lung
conditions such as emphysema, bronchitis and asthma. Vegetation is easily harmed main agents
of damage are ozone and PAN. Smog can also accelerate the deterioration of rubber, plastics,
paints and dyes, damage to metals, stone, concrete, clothing, rubber and plastic is directly related
to contaminants in the air. Photochemical ozone concentrations can be decreased by reduction in
hydrocarbon and other VOC emissions and by reduction in NOx but there is a non-linear (and
sometimes inverse) dependence of ozone production on precursor emissions have developed
models to predict ozone concentrations and their response to different control measures

[6] JW Chu M Chen, “NOx photocatalytic degradation on active concrete road surface—
from experiment to real-scale application”, Journal of Cleaner Production, 2011.

The use of titanium dioxide (TiO2) as a photocatalyst in concrete pavements has received
considerable attention in recent years due to its ability to decontaminate via photocatalytic
processes. The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of activated concrete road in
the degradation of nitrogen oxides (NOx). We have used a TiO2 and activated carbon (AC)
permeable spray solution to coat concrete to assess its NOx purifying ability. A number of
experiments were undertaken to ascertain the conditions that affect NOx purification. Indoor
simulation experiments with active concrete road at optimum conditions show that it has good
purification ability, self-regeneration and repetition ability, with a minimum decontamination
rate for NO and NO2 of 37.4% and 25.84%, respectively. Outdoor experiments show that the
photodegradation of NOx is related to light intensity and temperature. As the light intensity
increases the reaction rate increases, and conversely as temperature increases the reaction rate
decreases.
[7] b , Amer Hakkia , Fazhou Wangb, Donald E. Macpheea Lu Yanga, "“Photocatalyst
efficiencies in concrete technology: The effect of photocatalyst placement” , Applied
Catalysis B: Environmental.

The application of photocatalysts in concrete technology is by now a well-established

concept. However, despite the great opportunities for air quality improvements to be derived
from the considerable concrete surfaces exposed to the atmosphere, particularly in cities where
air quality is greatly affected by vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions, photocatalytic
concretes are still not in mainstream application. With current levels of NOx pollution
considerably exceeding EU legislative guidelines in urban centres throughout the industrialised
world, it is important to consider what the issues are. The likely barriers to more widespread
implementation are likely to include cost effectiveness, which needs to be related to
photocatalyst impact, but the challenges in measuring impact on air quality directly are complex.
This paper seeks to place photocatalytic efficiencies into context, comparing performances of the
conventional photocatalyst dispersion in surface mortar coatings with that of photocatalysts
supported on surface exposed aggregates. The nature and impact of catalyst binding to the
aggregate is also discussed.

[8] Parmar K. A., Arora N.K. Odedra R. K., "Photocatalytic Self cleaning Concrete ,"
IJSRD Internatonal Journal for Scientific Research & Development, vol. 1, no. 11, pp.
2521-2523, 2014.
Air pollution is a significant risk factor for a number of pollution related disease and
health conditions. Self-cleaning concrete having a technique to reduce the air contaminants such
as NOX, SO2, CO2 and VOC’S from vehicular traffic on streets, any industrial activity and
the urban environment. Photocatalytic materials are used in conventional concrete for urban
buildings and road pavements to reduce air pollution. The primary photocatalytic material is
Titanium dioxide (TiO2), a white coloured powder. TiO2 is activated by the energy from the sun
light or UV lamps and it decompose the external pollutants on the surface of the concrete, which
is removed by wind and rain action. The presence or removals of pollutants are monitored by the
laboratory tests. The workability, compressive strength and durability of the self-cleaning
concrete is also tested. As a result it reduces the air pollution (also smog) and causes to self-
cleaning activity.

[9] Carmine Pepe , Giampietro Tognon , Gian Luca Guerrini , Rossano Amadelli Luigi
Cassar, "White Cement For Architectural Concrete, Possessing Photocatalytic Properties,"
in 11th Int. Congr. on the Chemistry of Cement , Durban, 2003.
White cement is a key ingredient in architectural and decorative concrete. By using it, in
particular, the resulting concrete not only becomes an expressive material that having an infinite
range of colour tones, intensifies one of its aesthetic qualities, but could also gain remarkable
validity in terms of structural qualities due to its high mechanical strength. This paper is intended
to provide technical information to designers, architects and contractors, in order to obtain a high
performance concrete, similar to the natural materials like marble, possessing relevant properties
in terms of durability, performances and added environmental properties. Indeed, a new type of
white cement is here proposed, containing TiO2, possessing photocatalytic properties which
allow to maintain the aesthetic characteristics of concrete over time and contribute to eliminate
dangerous pollutants from the urban environment. A remarkable application is also described,
concerning the innovative construction of a church in Rome, named "Dives in Misericordia"
whose sales were built using white High Performance Concrete, based on this new cement. Main
physical and mechanical properties of this HPC are described.

[10] Beeldens A Boonen E., "Recent Photocatalytic Applications for Air Purification in
Belgium," in Coatings 2014, 2014, pp. 553-573.
Photocatalytic concrete constitutes a promising technique to reduce a number of air
contaminants such as NOx and VOC’s, especially at sites with a high level of pollution: highly
trafficked canyon streets, road tunnels, the urban environment, etc. Ideally, the photocatalyst,
titanium dioxide, is introduced in the top layer of the concrete pavement for best results. In
addition, the combination of TiO2 with cement-based products offers some synergistic
advantages, as the reaction products can be adsorbed at the surface and subsequently be washed
away by rain. A first application has been studied by the Belgian Road Research Center (BRRC)
on the side roads of a main entrance axis in Antwerp with the installation of 10.000 m² of
photocatalytic concrete paving blocks. For now however, the translation of laboratory testing
towards results in situ remains critical of demonstrating the effectiveness in large scale
applications. Moreover, the durability of the air cleaning characteristic with time remains
challenging for application in concrete roads. From this perspective, several new trial
applications have been initiated in Belgium in recent years to assess the “real life” behavior,
including a field site set up in the Leopold II tunnel of Brussels and the construction of new
photocatalytic pavements on industrial zones in the cities of Wijnegem and Lier (province of
Antwerp). This paper first gives a short overview of the photocatalytic principle applied in
concrete, to continue with some main results of the laboratory research recognizing the important
parameters that come into play.

[11] Hiroshi Irie, Akira Fujishima Kazuhito Hashimoto, "TiO2 Photocatalysis: A

Historical Overview and Future Prospects," Japanese Journal Of Applied Physics, vol. 44,
no. 12, pp. 8269-8285, 2005.
Photocatalysis has recently become a common word and various products using
photocatalytic functions have been commercialized. Among many candidates for photocatalysts,
TiO2 is almost the only material suitable for industrial use at present and also probably in the
future. This is because TiO2 has the most efficient photoactivity, the highest stability and the
lowest cost. More significantly, it has been used as a white pigment from ancient times, and thus,
its safety to humans and the environment is guaranteed by history. There are two types of
photochemical reaction proceeding on a TiO2 surface when irradiated with ultraviolet light. One
includes the photo-induced redox reactions of adsorbed substances, and the other is the photo-
induced hydrophilic conversion of TiO2itself. The former type has been known since the early
part of the 20th century, but the latter was found only at the end of the century. The combination
of these two functions has opened up various novel applications of TiO2, particularly in the field
of building materials. Here, we review the progress of the scientific research on
TiO2 photocatalysis as well as its industrial applications, and describe future prospects of this
field mainly based on the present authors' work.
[12] A.Ashok Kumar, U.Umapathy. N.Subramani, "Experimental Investigation on the
Photocatalic Concrete with Partial Replacement Of Glass Fiber To Fine Aggregate," SSRG
International Journal of Civil Engineering – (ICCREST’17), no. special issue, march 2017.
Waste management is becoming a major issue for community worldwide. Glass being
non-bio degradable is not suitable for additional to land fill, and as such recycling opportunities
need to be investigated .due to the high material consumption of the construction industry. The
utilization of waste glass has a partial replacement for fine aggregate in structural concrete
is particularly attractive. To attain the set out objectives of the present investigation, sand
has been replaced with glass powder by10, 20 and 30% and palm kernel shell fiber by 5, 10 and
15% produce concrete respectively. The concrete specimen tested for compressive, split tension
and flexural strength. The concrete are three concrete samples were tested at 7, 14 and 28 days

[13] Gian Luca Guerrini, "Case study: The Italcementi TX ACTIVE story," in Cristal
Global Conference, London, 17th November, 2011.
Photochemistry plays a role of primary importance in both biological processes and
environmental control. For this reason, the use of light for environmental purposes could be a
valid answer to the demand for a cleaner environment and a better quality of life. Accordingly,
the photochemical technology applied to building materials can be a winning solution, and the
intense researches in this field has laid the foundation for extensive applications in various
industrial sectors. The solar energy that reaches the Earth’s surface is equivalent to
approximately 10,000 times the annual energy consumption worldwide and the pursuit of an
efficient conversion of all of this energy into useful forms (i.e. thermal conditioning,
transportation, industrial production, etc.) is one of the most important opportunities for
technology developments. In particular, a new promising field is represented by the
environmental depollution, and within this challenge Italcementi developed a new photocatalytic
cement able to answer the environmental concerns by triggering its TX Active® principle
contained in the final products. The results of the tests performed in our laboratories and on site
allow us to state that photocatalytic cementitious materials, when irradiated by appropriate light,
increase the effectiveness of abating noxious organic and inorganic substances they come into
contact with, such as NOX, SOX, NH3, CO, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chlorinated
organic compounds, aldehydes and polycondensed aromatic compounds that are responsible for
air pollution. In addition, experimental evidences show that photocatalytic cement based
products are able to maintain their aesthetic appearance unaltered for a long time as well. In view
of the above, we believe the use of photocatalysts applied to building materials could
improvement of the living conditions of our urban environments.

[14] Srivastave A., Bansal A. Kumar J., "Production of self-cleaning cement using
modified titanium dioxide," IJRSET, International Journal of Innovative Research in
Science, Engineering and Technology, vol. 2, no. 7, pp. 2688-2693, July 2013.
The present work explores the applications of titanium dioxide and photocatalysis to
produce self-cleaning cement. In the present study, self-cleaning cement was prepared using
titanium dioxide and white cement. To enhance the performance, titanium dioxide was also
doped with Ag, and further used for preparation of self-cleaning cement. The doped titanium
dioxide was characterized using XRD and TEM. The surface of prepared cement samples were
analyzed using SEM. The self-cleaning ability of the prepared cement samples were evaluated in
a photocatalytic activity test under sun-light as well as artificial UV-light. It has been observed
that prepared cement samples are able to clean their surfaces.

[15] J. Dostanic, B. Grbic, N. Radic, S. Stojadinovic, R. Vasilic, Z. Vukovic. “Preparation

and photocatalytic properties of TiO2-P25 film prepared by spray pyrolysis method.”
Applied Surface Science. 3.15.2013. Accessed 2.28.2018
The aim of this article is to evaluate the photocatalytic activities of the immobilized
catalyst layers of titanium dioxide for the decolorization of methyl orange aqueous solution
(MO) as a model organic contaminant under UV irradiation. Three stable layers of TiO2 powder
were coated on glass substrate by facile dip-coating technique. XRD analysis showed anatase
crystalline structure of catalyst films. The films crystallinity increased with the layers number.
SEM analysis showed porous TiO2 films. The multicoating increased the coverage surface of
glass support. The catalyst films showed well reproducibility and good adhesion to the support
after tests. The effects of operating parameters and the number of catalyst layers on the MO
decolorization were investigated. The kinetic study of the MO photodecolorization showed a
pseudo-first-order reaction. The MO color removal by the use of three coated layers of catalyst in
the optimum reactor was more effective and 5 times faster than that with the use of one coated
layer of catalyst at normal conditions. The immobilized layers of TiO2 powder were found
photocatalytic active for complete MO decolorization in the optimum reactor. The immobilized
system may replace suspension mode and eliminate the costly separation process