Air Scrubbing Bricks Hope to Clean the Air
© Ahron de Leeuw
China is busting pollution down for the Olympics in all sorts of wildly technological ways, but they are not the only ones. Researchers from the University of Twente have combined concrete, science, and a bit of previous Japanese technology to create concrete bricks that can actually rid the air of pollution.
The process involves infusing the concrete with a titanium-oxide coating which will bind with the pollutants and convert them into more inert nitrates. Then the rain comes down and washes them away. All and all the process is able to rapidly and efficiently cleanse the air.
The bricks are being tested in the small Dutch town of Hengelo. A road is being constructed with the super-bricks. Researchers will monitor the pollution in both areas and see just how green the new bricks are. Personally, this kind of passive use of technology to increase the quality of air and the environment is the right kind of move. I think too many people are waiting for the revolutionary big fix before they are willing to move. These small passive fixes, when combined globally, can probably accomplish more and accomplish it quicker.
