How to remove fumes in Prague? Self-cleaning facades can help
/ PHOTO GALLERY / In the capital, the permitted emission limits are exceeded daily due to car traffic. However, self-cleaning facades with nanocoat based on the principle of photocatalysis could improve this.
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From meetings and sailing on the waves of ecology in Prague.
| Photo: Diary / Radek Cihla
Research carried out in Legerova Street in Prague confirmed that the paint on the facades can remove even half of the oxides of nitrogen and ozone. The experiment ran throughout the year to cover all seasons. A special transparent reactor with a 3D model of this part of the city was placed on one of the balconies above the busy intersection in Legerova Street. The scientists then used it to ensure the cleanliness of the air at the inlet and outlet. Inside the device, the exhaust fumes from the air were projected on the facades of the model houses.
“Thanks to the research, a system was created that moved photocatalysis to the point where, based on measurements and tables, we know how it will work in a specific urban area and we can accurately predict this ecological effect,” says scientist Jan Procházka, who developed the unique technology.
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During photocatalysis, harmful substances are decomposed by light. “When photocatalysis first appeared 30 years ago, people had the idea of eliminating oil spills, but it doesn’t have that much power. But he has enough for the liquidation of city waste, as well as for odors, “Procházka explains.
Procházka’s main benefit lies in the fact that he developed a binder that does not destroy photocatalysis when mixed with coatings, which, according to him, opens this chemical process to worldwide use.
The research cost over 30 million crowns
Procházka presented the results of the research together with Jiří Rathouský from the J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry. About 30 million crowns were invested in this research, with the Ministry of Industry and Trade contributing about half.
The oldest use of photocatalysis is by center lines on the road, which would otherwise soon turn black under the wheels of cars. Now several houses in Prague are captured in this way. For example, part of the Mánes Gallery, an apartment building next to the Dancing House or buildings in Žluté lázně. As part of the eight-year research, the noise walls at the intersection of K Barrandov and Lamačov were also natural.
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“Together, these objects from the urban air directly three tons of fumes. That’s an incredible number, “says the inventor. Coatings also work indoors, just turn on the lights for a few minutes at home. For example, a home for the elderly in Kladno has recently been painted in this way.
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