ZnO nanostructures based innovative photocatalytic road for air purification. (10th October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Le Pivert, Marie; Kerivel, Olivier; Zerelli, Brahim; Leprince-Wang, Yamin
• Is Part Of: Journal of cleaner production. Volume 318(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-10-10
• Subjects: Air purification -- Innovative road -- Photocatalysis -- Advanced oxidation process -- Zinc oxide nanostructures -- Climatic chamber; Factory and trade waste -- Management -- Periodicals; Manufactures -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Déchets industriels -- Gestion -- Périodiques; Usines -- Aspect de l'environnement -- Périodiques; 628.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128447
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-6526

Abstract

Abstract: Atmospheric pollution is a major issue affecting environment and health. Therefore, semi-conductor-nanoparticles-based photocatalytic infrastructures appeared as a promising solution to improve urban air quality due to their abilities to mineralize toxic organic compounds. To avoid the direct use of free nanoparticles, as nanomaterials are suspected to be carcinogenic, this work intends to develop civil engineering materials functionalized by direct growth of ZnO nanostructures as a more environmentally friendly and biocompatible approach to reduce the air pollution. By scaling-up an innovative and low-cost hydrothermal direct growth synthesis, a few square meters paved with tiling and bitumen road were easily produced in order to evaluate their photocatalytic activity at large scale under solar lamp in a climatic chamber (Sense-City, 3200 m 3 ) to reflect real atmospheric air purification situations. Observations provide insights into their ability to simultaneously remove various pollutants from a real car exhaust (O3, COX, NOX, VOCs) and their durability, as well as understandings of the weather conditions impact on the photocatalytic degradation of these pollutants and of the relationships between pollutants trend evolution. This study also seems to prove that, when exposed to sunlight, bitumen roads are responsible of pollutants emission and causes modifications in the Chapman cycle. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: Zinc oxide nanostructures were directly grown on building materials. A few square meters of photocatalytic urban infrastructures were provided. Photocatalytic infrastructures purified exhaust gas under sunlight at large scale. Relationship between pollutants and climatic conditions were established. Track type influence on depollution was also investigated.