Construction coating that eliminates air pollutants

Researchers of the UPNA-Public University of Navarre in Spain, working with the construction company Obras y Servicios TEX SL, have developed a coating for construction materials based on nanoparticles that interact with sunlight and trigger a chemical reaction that eliminates certain air pollutants. It is estimated that the reduction in atmospheric pollution could be 90% of nitrogen oxides, 80% of hydrocarbons and 75% of carbon monoxides emitted.

L’Urederra manufactures the nanoparticles and adapts them so that they can be incorporated into the coatings and the company TEX provides the concrete and the technical specifications on the building material, since the final aim of the project is to obtain a marketable product. The research team did not have a laboratory available to measure the reduction in gases so they conducted a standard test consisting of applying a bluish ink on to the surface of the concrete to which the coating was then applied.