Buildings That 'Eat' Smog? Mexico City Has One Alex A. Kecskes - Care2 | |
go to original October 28, 2014 |
Mexico City has a pollution problem. So why not have buildings that eat smog? CNN's Nick Parker has the story. (CNN)
A new titanium oxide panel helps clean itself and the air around it. When sunlight strikes these specially coated panels, free radicals attack any organic material either on the panel’s surface or floating near it. The most common organic material constantly bombarding buildings is nitrogen oxide — a main component of smog. When smog molecules float near the surface of these panels, they are gobbled up by free radicals generated from the coating reacting with water and oxygen in the air. Smog-eating panels can’t do the job of major macro solutions like eliminating air polluting vehicles and industrial emissions, but they can provide localized relief — and at a surprisingly low cost. The smog-absorbing material used on buildings adds no more than 5 percent to construction costs.
The Manuel Gea González Hospital in Mexico City serves as a perfect example of this technology in a city known for high concentrations of smog. The building’s façade is covered with 2,500 square meters of titanium dioxide coating to neutralize the effects of 1,000 cars each day. The coating turns smog into carbon dioxide and water and lasts for up to ten years.
Read the whole story at Care2
We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!
From activities like hiking, swimming, bike riding and yoga, to restaurants offering healthy menus, Vallarta-Nayarit is the ideal place to continue - or start - your healthy lifestyle routine.