PURPOSES : Recently, air pollution due to fine particulate matter has been increasing in Korea. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are particulate matter precursors significantly contributing to air pollution. Increasing efforts have been dedicated to NOx removal from air, since it is particularly harmful. Application of titanium dioxide (TiO2) for concrete road structures is a suitable alternative to remove NOx. As the photocatalytic reaction of TiO2 is the mechanism that eliminates NOx, the ultraviolet rays in sunlight and TiO2 in existing concrete structures need to be contacted for the reaction process. For the application of vertical concrete road structures such as retaining walls, side ditches, and barriers, a pressurized TiO2 fixation method has been developed considering the pressure and pressurization time. In this study, longterm serviceability and repeatability were investigated on concrete specimens applying the dynamic pressurized TiO2 fixation method. Additionally, the environmental hazards of nitrate adsorbed on TiO2 particles were evaluated. METHODS : Concrete specimens to simulate roadside vertical concrete structures were manufactured and used to evaluate the long-term serviceability and repeatability of the dynamic pressurized TiO2 fixation method. The NOx removal efficiency was measured using NOx evaluation equipment based on ISO 22197-1. In addition, the nitrate concentration was measured using a comprehensive water quality analyzer for evaluating environmental hazards. RESULTS : As the experiment to evaluate the NOx removal efficiency of the dynamic pressurized TiO2 fixation method progressed from one to seven cycles, the nitrate concentration increased from 2.35 mg/L to 3.06 mg/L, and the NOx removal efficiency decreased from 53% to 25%. After seven cycles of NOx removal efficiency evaluation, the average nitrate concentration was 3.06 mg/L. The nitrate concentration collected immediately after the NOx removal efficiency test for each cycle was in the range of 2.51 to 2.57 mg/L. By contrast, it was confirmed that the nitrate concentration was lowered to approximately 2.1 mg/L when the surface was washed with water. CONCLUSIONS : The NOx removal efficiency was maintained at over 25% even after seven cycles of NOx removal efficiency evaluation, securing long-term serviceability. In addition, the harmful effects on the environment and human health are insignificant, since the nitrate concentration was less than 10 mg/L, in accordance with domestic and foreign standards. Practical applicability of the pressurized TiO2 fixation method was established by evaluating the long-term serviceability, repeatability, and environmental hazards.

PURPOSES : Advancements in science and technology caused by industrialization have led to an increase in particulate matter emissions and, consequently, severity of air pollution. Nitrogen oxide (NOx), which accounts for 58% of road transport pollutants, adversely affects both human health and the environment. A test-bed was constructed to determine NOx removal efficiency at the roadside. TiO2, a material used to reduce particulate matter, was used to remove NOx. It was applied to a vertical concrete structure using the dynamic pressurized penetration TiO2 fixation method, which can be easily applied to vertical concrete structures. This study was conducted to evaluate the NOx removal efficiency of the dynamic pressurized-penetration TiO2 fixation method in a test-bed under real roadside conditions. METHODS : A test-bed was constructed in order to determine the NOx removal efficiency using the dynamic pressurized penetration TiO2 fixation method on the roadside. The dynamic pressurized-penetration TiO2 fixation method was applied by installing a vertical concrete structure. NOx was injected into the test-bed using an exhaust gas generator. By installing a shading screen, the photocatalytic reaction of TiO2 was suppressed to a maximum concentration of 1000 ppb along the roadside. The removal efficiency was evaluated by measuring NOx concentrations. In addition, illuminance was measured using an illuminance meter. RESULTS : From the results of the analysis of the NOx removal efficiency in the test-bed which the dynamic pressurized type TiO2 fixation method was applied to, an average removal efficiency ranging from 18% to 40% was achieved, depending on the illuminance. Similarly, according to the results of the evaluation of the NO removal efficiency, an average of removal efficiency ranging from 20% to 62% was achieved. Thus, the NOx removal efficiency increased when the illuminance was high. CONCLUSIONS : From the results of the experiment conducted, the efficiency of NOx removal per unit volume was obtained according to the illuminance of TiO2 concrete along an actual road. Field applicability of the dynamic pressurized-penetration-type TiO2 fixation method to vertical concrete structures along roads was confirmed.

PURPOSES : Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are the main precursors to generate fine particulate matter, which significantly contribute to air pollution. NOx gases are transmitted into the atmosphere in large quantities, especially in areas with a high volume of traffic. Titanium dioxide (TiO2), which is a photocatalytic reaction material, is very efficient for removing NOx. The application of TiO2 to concrete road structures is a good alternative to remove NOx. Generally, TiO2 concrete is produced by mixing concrete with TiO2 . However, a significant amount of TiO2 in concrete cannot be exposed to air pollutants or UV. Therefore, an alternative method of penetrating TiO2 into horizontal concrete structures using a surface penetration agent was proposed in a previous study. This method may not only be economical but also applicable to various types of horizontal concrete structures. However, the TiO2 penetration method may not be applied to vertical structures because it has a mechanism for the penetration of TiO2-containing penetration agents via gravity and capillary forces. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the applicability of the pressurized TiO2 fixation method for existing vertical road structures. METHODS : For the application of vertical concrete structures — such as retaining walls, side ditches, and barriers — the applicability of a static and dynamic pressurized TiO2 fixation method was evaluated according to the experimental conditions, considering the amount of pressure and time. The penetration depth and distribution of TiO2 particles in the concrete specimen were measured using SEM/EDAX. In addition, the NOx removal efficiencies of TiO2 concrete were evaluated using the NOx analysis system. RESULTS : As a result of measuring the penetration depth and distribution of TiO2 in the concrete, it was found that the surface-predicted mass ratio increased with increasing pressure and time. In the case of the static pressurized fixation method, it was confirmed that a pressure time of at least 10 s at a pressure of 0.2 MPa and 5 s at a pressure higher than 0.3 MPa were required to achieve a NOx removal efficiency higher than 40 %. Conversely, for the dynamic pressurized fixation method applying a hitting energy of 16.95 J, NOx removal efficiencies higher than 50 % were secured in a pressure time of more than 3 s. CONCLUSIONS : The results of this study showed that the static and dynamic pressurized TiO2 fixation method was advantageous in penetrating and distributing TiO2 particles into the concrete surface to effectively remove NOx. It was confirmed that the proposed method to remove NOx was sufficiently applicable to existing vertical concrete road structures.