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Impact of photocatalytic remediation of pollutants on urban air quality

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Abstract

In the recent years, photocatalytic self-cleaning and “depolluting” materials have been suggested as a remediation technology mainly for NO x and aromatic VOCs in urban areas. A number of products incorporating the aforementioned technology have been made commercially available with the aim to improve urban air quality. These commercial products are based on the photocatalytic properties of a thin layer of TiO2 at the surface of the material (such as glass, pavement, etc.) or embedded in paints or concrete. The use of TiO2 photocatalysts as an emerging air pollution control technology has been reported in many locations worldwide. However, up to now, the effectiveness measured in situ and the expected positive impact on air quality of this relatively new technology has only been demonstrated in a limited manner. Assessing and demonstrating the effectiveness of these depolluting techniques in real scale applications aims to create a real added value, in terms of policy making (i.e., implementing air quality strategies) and economics (by providing a demonstration of the actual performance of a new technique).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5256, IRCELYON, Institut de recherches sur la catalyse et l’environnement de Lyon, Villeurbanne, F-69626, France

    Christian George

  2. Belgian Road Research Centre (BRRC), Woluwedal, 42-1200 Brussels, Belgium

    Anne Beeldens

  3. Laboratory of Heat Transfer and Environmental Engineering (LHTEE), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Box 483, GR 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Fotios Barmpas

  4. LISA, UMR CNRS 7583, Université Paris Est Créteil et Université Paris Diderot, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Créteil, 94010, France

    Jean-François Doussin

  5. CTG Italcementi Group, Via Stezzano 87, 24126, Bergamo, Italy

    Giuseppe Manganelli

  6. Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie / School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Bergische Universität Wuppertal (BUW), 42119, Wuppertal, Germany

    Hartmut Herrmann

  7. Leibniz-Institut für Troposphärenforschunge.V. (TROPOS), Atmospheric Chemistry Department, 04318, Leipzig, Germany

    Jörg Kleffmann

  8. Institut de Combustion, Aérothermique, Réactivité et Environnement (ICARE), CNRS (UPR 3021)/OSUC, 1C Avenue de la Recherche Scientifique, Orléans, 457071, France

    Abdelwahid Mellouki

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  1. Christian George
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  2. Anne Beeldens
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Correspondence to Christian George.

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George, C., Beeldens, A., Barmpas, F. et al. Impact of photocatalytic remediation of pollutants on urban air quality. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 10, 2 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-016-0834-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-016-0834-1

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