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In this study, 6 different coatings have been developed as photocatalytic coatings based on TiO2, which can be applied to concrete for road applications. The goal of these coatings is to degrade pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds emitted by road transport. The coatings are synthesized by sol-gel process in organic or water solvent or by a functionalization technique with hydroxybenzoic acid on commercial TiO2 nanoparticles (P25). These suspensions are deposited by dip-coating or spray-coating on three different concrete substrates: pavement blocks, brushed or exposed aggregates road concrete. For each process, particular attention has been paid to the development of TiO2 synthesis that will be easily produced on a larger scale. The samples are characterized with photocatalytic test on NOx degradation, mechanical resistance test and resistance to freeze-thaw cycles in presence of de-icing salts. Except from the samples resulting from the sol-gel organic route, all other samples show a NOx degradation between 10 and 45%. From resistance point of view, the best coating is the TiO2 P25/E coating synthesized by functionalization of P25 nanoparticles. Results highlight that anatase TiO2 is well present at the surface of the sample and an optimal TiO2 loading exists for this coating. The TiO2 P25/E coating shows promising properties for road applications.
Julien G. Mahy; Carlos A. Paez; Jonas Hollevoet; Luc Courard; Elia Boonen; Stéphanie D. Lambert. Durable photocatalytic thin coatings for road applications. Construction and Building Materials 2019, 215, 422 -434.
AMA StyleJulien G. Mahy, Carlos A. Paez, Jonas Hollevoet, Luc Courard, Elia Boonen, Stéphanie D. Lambert. Durable photocatalytic thin coatings for road applications. Construction and Building Materials. 2019; 215 ():422-434.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJulien G. Mahy; Carlos A. Paez; Jonas Hollevoet; Luc Courard; Elia Boonen; Stéphanie D. Lambert. 2019. "Durable photocatalytic thin coatings for road applications." Construction and Building Materials 215, no. : 422-434.
Elia Boonen; Anne Beeldens; Inge Dirkx; Veerle Bams. Durability of Cementitious Photocatalytic Building Materials. Catalysis Today 2017, 287, 196 -202.
AMA StyleElia Boonen, Anne Beeldens, Inge Dirkx, Veerle Bams. Durability of Cementitious Photocatalytic Building Materials. Catalysis Today. 2017; 287 ():196-202.
Chicago/Turabian StyleElia Boonen; Anne Beeldens; Inge Dirkx; Veerle Bams. 2017. "Durability of Cementitious Photocatalytic Building Materials." Catalysis Today 287, no. : 196-202.
Emission factors (EFs) of pollutants emitted by light-duty vehicles (LDV) were investigated in the Leopold II tunnel in Brussels city center (Belgium), in September 2011 and in January 2013, respectively. Two sampling sites were housing the instruments for the measurements of a large range of air pollutants, including non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2). The NMVOCs and NOx traffic EFs for LDV were determined from their correlation with CO2 using a single point analysis method. The emission factor of NOx is (544 ± 199) mg vehicle−1 km−1; NMVOCs emission factors vary from (0.26 ± 0.09) mg vehicle−1 km−1 for cis-but-2-ene to (8.11 ± 2.71) mg vehicle−1 km−1 for toluene. Good agreement is observed between the EFs determined in the Leopold II tunnel and the most recent EFs determined in another European roadway tunnel in 2004, with only a slight decrease of the EFs during the last decade. An historical perspective is provided and the observed trend in the NMVOCs emission factors reflect changes in the car fleet composition, the fuels and/or the engine technology that have occurred within the last three decades in Europe.
W. Ait-Helal; A. Beeldens; E. Boonen; Agnès Borbon; A. Boréave; M. Cazaunau; Hui Chen; V. Daële; Y. Dupart; C. Gaimoz; M. Gallus; C. George; N. Grand; B. Grosselin; H. Herrmann; S. Ifang; R. Kurtenbach; M. Maille; I. Marjanovic; A. Mellouki; Killian Miet; F. Mothes; L. Poulain; R. Rabe; P. Zapf; J. Kleffmann; J.-F. Doussin. On-road measurements of NMVOCs and NO x : Determination of light-duty vehicles emission factors from tunnel studies in Brussels city center. Atmospheric Environment 2015, 122, 799 -807.
AMA StyleW. Ait-Helal, A. Beeldens, E. Boonen, Agnès Borbon, A. Boréave, M. Cazaunau, Hui Chen, V. Daële, Y. Dupart, C. Gaimoz, M. Gallus, C. George, N. Grand, B. Grosselin, H. Herrmann, S. Ifang, R. Kurtenbach, M. Maille, I. Marjanovic, A. Mellouki, Killian Miet, F. Mothes, L. Poulain, R. Rabe, P. Zapf, J. Kleffmann, J.-F. Doussin. On-road measurements of NMVOCs and NO x : Determination of light-duty vehicles emission factors from tunnel studies in Brussels city center. Atmospheric Environment. 2015; 122 ():799-807.
Chicago/Turabian StyleW. Ait-Helal; A. Beeldens; E. Boonen; Agnès Borbon; A. Boréave; M. Cazaunau; Hui Chen; V. Daële; Y. Dupart; C. Gaimoz; M. Gallus; C. George; N. Grand; B. Grosselin; H. Herrmann; S. Ifang; R. Kurtenbach; M. Maille; I. Marjanovic; A. Mellouki; Killian Miet; F. Mothes; L. Poulain; R. Rabe; P. Zapf; J. Kleffmann; J.-F. Doussin. 2015. "On-road measurements of NMVOCs and NO x : Determination of light-duty vehicles emission factors from tunnel studies in Brussels city center." Atmospheric Environment 122, no. : 799-807.
Within the framework of the European Life+-funded project PhotoPAQ (Demonstration of Photocatalytic remediation Processes on Air Quality), which was aimed at demonstrating the effectiveness of photocatalytic coating materials on a realistic scale, a photocatalytic de-polluting field site was set up in the Leopold II tunnel in Brussels, Belgium. For that purpose, photocatalytic cementitious materials were applied on the side walls and ceiling of selected test sections inside a one-way tunnel tube. This article presents the configuration of the test sections used and the preparation and implementation of the measuring campaigns inside the Leopold II tunnel. While emphasizing on how to implement measuring campaigns under such conditions, difficulties encountered during these extensive field campaigns are presented and discussed. This included the severe de-activation observed for the investigated material under the polluted tunnel conditions, which was revealed by additional laboratory experiments on photocatalytic samples that were exposed to tunnel air. Finally, recommendations for future applications of photocatalytic building materials inside tunnels are given.
E. Boonen; V. Akylas; F. Barmpas; A. Boréave; L. Bottalico; M. Cazaunau; Hui Chen; V. Daële; T. De Marco; J.F. Doussin; C. Gaimoz; M. Gallus; C. George; N. Grand; B. Grosselin; Gian Luca Guerrini; H. Herrmann; S. Ifang; J. Kleffmann; R. Kurtenbach; M. Maille; G. Manganelli; A. Mellouki; K. Miet; F. Mothes; N. Moussiopoulos; L. Poulain; R. Rabe; P. Zapf; A. Beeldens. Construction of a photocatalytic de-polluting field site in the Leopold II tunnel in Brussels. Journal of Environmental Management 2015, 155, 136 -144.
AMA StyleE. Boonen, V. Akylas, F. Barmpas, A. Boréave, L. Bottalico, M. Cazaunau, Hui Chen, V. Daële, T. De Marco, J.F. Doussin, C. Gaimoz, M. Gallus, C. George, N. Grand, B. Grosselin, Gian Luca Guerrini, H. Herrmann, S. Ifang, J. Kleffmann, R. Kurtenbach, M. Maille, G. Manganelli, A. Mellouki, K. Miet, F. Mothes, N. Moussiopoulos, L. Poulain, R. Rabe, P. Zapf, A. Beeldens. Construction of a photocatalytic de-polluting field site in the Leopold II tunnel in Brussels. Journal of Environmental Management. 2015; 155 ():136-144.
Chicago/Turabian StyleE. Boonen; V. Akylas; F. Barmpas; A. Boréave; L. Bottalico; M. Cazaunau; Hui Chen; V. Daële; T. De Marco; J.F. Doussin; C. Gaimoz; M. Gallus; C. George; N. Grand; B. Grosselin; Gian Luca Guerrini; H. Herrmann; S. Ifang; J. Kleffmann; R. Kurtenbach; M. Maille; G. Manganelli; A. Mellouki; K. Miet; F. Mothes; N. Moussiopoulos; L. Poulain; R. Rabe; P. Zapf; A. Beeldens. 2015. "Construction of a photocatalytic de-polluting field site in the Leopold II tunnel in Brussels." Journal of Environmental Management 155, no. : 136-144.
Photocatalytic concrete constitutes a promising technique to reduce a number of air contaminants such as NOx and VOC’s, especially at sites with a high level of pollution: highly trafficked canyon streets, road tunnels, the urban environment, etc. Ideally, the photocatalyst, titanium dioxide, is introduced in the top layer of the concrete pavement for best results. In addition, the combination of TiO2 with cement-based products offers some synergistic advantages, as the reaction products can be adsorbed at the surface and subsequently be washed away by rain. A first application has been studied by the Belgian Road Research Center (BRRC) on the side roads of a main entrance axis in Antwerp with the installation of 10.000 m² of photocatalytic concrete paving blocks. For now however, the translation of laboratory testing towards results in situ remains critical of demonstrating the effectiveness in large scale applications. Moreover, the durability of the air cleaning characteristic with time remains challenging for application in concrete roads. From this perspective, several new trial applications have been initiated in Belgium in recent years to assess the “real life” behavior, including a field site set up in the Leopold II tunnel of Brussels and the construction of new photocatalytic pavements on industrial zones in the cities of Wijnegem and Lier (province of Antwerp). This paper first gives a short overview of the photocatalytic principle applied in concrete, to continue with some main results of the laboratory research recognizing the important parameters that come into play. In addition, some of the methods and results, obtained for the existing application in Antwerp (2005) and during the implementation of the new realizations in Wijnegem and Lier (2010–2012) and in Brussels (2011–2013), will be presented.
Elia Boonen; Anne Beeldens. Recent Photocatalytic Applications for Air Purification in Belgium. Coatings 2014, 4, 553 -573.
AMA StyleElia Boonen, Anne Beeldens. Recent Photocatalytic Applications for Air Purification in Belgium. Coatings. 2014; 4 (3):553-573.
Chicago/Turabian StyleElia Boonen; Anne Beeldens. 2014. "Recent Photocatalytic Applications for Air Purification in Belgium." Coatings 4, no. 3: 553-573.
This paper gives an overview of our research on photocatalytic concrete, which exhibits air purifying properties. Under the action of sunlight, a catalyst present at the surface of the material is activated, enabling degradation of pollutants from the surroundings and transformation to less harmful products. It is a promising technique to reduce a number of air contaminants, especially at sites with a high level of pollution: highly trafficked canyon streets, road tunnels, etc. In addition, the combination with cement offers some synergistic advantages, as the reaction products can be adsorbed at the surface and subsequently washed away by rain. However, the great potential of this emerging technology is hampered by the lack of uniform testing methods at European level to evaluate the photocatalytic activity. Laboratory research is undertaken at BRRC to compare existing methods and draw up recommendations for future standards. Furthermore, translation of lab testing towards results in situ remains critical to demonstrate the effectiveness on larger scale. In this perspective, several trial applications have recently been initiated in Belgium to asses the “real life” behavior. The paper gives a short overview of the photocatalytic principle and the application in concrete, as well as some main results of the laboratory research recognizing the important parameters that come into play. In addition, the implementation efforts of some recent realizations in Belgium will be presented. Already some very promising results towards air purification have been obtained. Nevertheless, further validation, also with modeling, is necessary to extrapolate the findings and enable a judicial implementation of photocatalytic road materials across the globe.
Elia Boonen; Anne Beeldens. Photocatalytic roads: from lab tests to real scale applications. European Transport Research Review 2012, 5, 79 -89.
AMA StyleElia Boonen, Anne Beeldens. Photocatalytic roads: from lab tests to real scale applications. European Transport Research Review. 2012; 5 (2):79-89.
Chicago/Turabian StyleElia Boonen; Anne Beeldens. 2012. "Photocatalytic roads: from lab tests to real scale applications." European Transport Research Review 5, no. 2: 79-89.