Skip to main content

Clean air solution to cut pollution

An innovative material is now available that could help absorb harmful airborne molecules and disperse cleaner air. The material has been developed by a team of leading Italian researchers and is being rolled-out across several European cities, including Rome and Milan. The material will be used on outdoor advertising sites in London and Italy. The launch of this material comes following a series of alarming studies warning about the dangers posed by air pollution to Londoners. Last week, a new stud
March 2, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Using the material alongside roads can help tackle exhaust pollution
An innovative material is now available that could help absorb harmful airborne molecules and disperse cleaner air. The material has been developed by a team of leading Italian researchers and is being rolled-out across several European cities, including Rome and Milan. The material will be used on outdoor advertising sites in London and Italy.

The launch of this material comes following a series of alarming studies warning about the dangers posed by air pollution to Londoners.

Last week, a new study commissioned by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, found that tens of thousands of children in 802 of London's schools are exposed to illegal levels of air pollution that can damage their health permanently. Similarly, a leading study conducted by Kings College London for 2387 Transport for London and the Greater London Authority, found that in 2010 dirty air contributed towards up to 9,500 deaths in London. The same study estimated the annual economic cost of these health impacts was equivalent to £3.7 billion.

According to Anemotech, The material’s inventor, it uses a series of nano-molecules and the local atmosphere’s natural air flow to remove harmful pollutants such as nitrous oxides, sulphur oxides and particulates. The material can be used for both indoor and outdoor purposes, including for office workstations, classrooms and public advertising spaces.  

The inventors claim that once the material is installed it can absorb high concentrations of air pollution within a 25m area. By installing 250m2 of the material over a one year period, The Breath’s inventors claim its impact on the environment is the equivalent of removing pollution from over 750,000 unleaded vehicles and 300,000 diesel cars.

Research into tests carried out at 1-4 Leicester Square in London by Universita’ Politecnica delle Marche in Italy last autumn have proved to be positive. Using these initial results, researchers at The Breath estimate that just two 10m² sheets of the material correctly positioned in the square over a one-year period could cancel out nitrogen oxide emissions from 5,475 diesel vehicles and volatile organic compounds emitted from 13,650 unleaded cars.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Venezuela has a high road fatality rate
    February 26, 2014
    New research identifies Venezuela as having the most dangerous roads in Latin America. This comes from a study by the University of Michigan (UM), which shows Venezuela to have the highest risk of car crash fatalities for a Latin American country, according to a report by Business News Americas. The study showed that Venezuela has 35 road deaths/100,000 population. The Dominican Republic has 32 road deaths/100,000 population, El Salvador has 29/100,000, Brazil has 22/100,000, Paraguay has 20/100,000, Ecuado
  • London to trial wireless charging
    April 30, 2012
    Qualcomm has announced the first wireless electric vehicle charging (WEVC) trial for London in collaboration with the UK Government, as well as the Mayor of London's office and Transport for London (TfL). The pre-commercial trial is expected to start in early 2012 and will involve as many as 50 electric vehicles (EVs) using Qualcomm wireless inductive power transfer technology that enables high-efficiency power transfer across a large air gap. The driver simply parks the vehicle in the usual way and the sys
  • Central Hall
    January 11, 2017
    Over 300,000 square feet and 230+ exhibitors displaying the latest in aggregate processing, asphalt production & paving, & more
  • South Halls
    January 10, 2017
    Over 300,000 square feet and 440+ exhibitors displaying the latest in concrete construction, trucking, engines, components, electronics & more.