Application of Photocatalytic Concrete Paving Blocks in Poland-Verification of Effectiveness of Nitric Oxides Reduction and Novel Test Method

Photocatalytic concrete is one of the most promising concrete technologies of the past decades. Application of nanometric TiO₂ to cement matrices enables the reduction of harmful airborne pollutants. Although a number of implementations of this technology are described in this paper, problems related to test conditions are also reported. One major issue is the sufficient light irradiation that for higher latitudes can be significantly reduced. In this paper, a field campaign on the implementation of photocatalytic concrete pavement in Warsaw (52.23° N) is briefly described. Based on experience from the field campaign, a novel test method is developed. In the research, the effectiveness of nitric oxide reduction is verified at natural light irradiation for various dates of solar position at noon in central Poland (51.83° N). The results confirm the benefits of using photocatalytic materials at higher latitudinal locations. The experimental setup presented in the study combines the advantages of controlled measurement conditions typical in laboratory tests with the possibility of including natural sunlight conditions in the investigation process.