Cutting down at road polution
First, a note.
Fuel efficiency and "greenness" are two separate features of a car. A Mercedes SL is "green" due its construction and emissions. A Geo Metro is fuel efficient, as is a dirt bike, but neither are "green."
That said, an interesting new way to greenify the dirty business of driving around has come about: absorb the pollutants into... the road.
Obviously, cost is a limiting factor here, and the effectiveness is yet to be seen in a real world situation, but its coming about:
It looks like the Dutch aren't the only ones looking to snag some car pollution before it gets too far from the source, with Madrid now also paving at least one of streets with a special asphalt of its own that promises to capture up to 90 percent of the pollutants on a sunny day. Unlike the special mix of concrete used in the Dutch town of Hengelo, however, this method apparently uses a layer of a product called "noxer" that's affixed to regular asphalt which, again, produces a reaction that turns the captured nitrogen oxide into a more harmless material that can be washed away whenever it rains. What's more, Madrid is also rolling out another type of pavement that contains recycled tires in other parts of the city, which it hopes will cut down on the city's noise pollution. No word on any plans to combine the two just yet though.
Fuel efficiency and "greenness" are two separate features of a car. A Mercedes SL is "green" due its construction and emissions. A Geo Metro is fuel efficient, as is a dirt bike, but neither are "green."
That said, an interesting new way to greenify the dirty business of driving around has come about: absorb the pollutants into... the road.
Obviously, cost is a limiting factor here, and the effectiveness is yet to be seen in a real world situation, but its coming about:
Madrid gets in on the pollution-cutting asphalt action
It looks like the Dutch aren't the only ones looking to snag some car pollution before it gets too far from the source, with Madrid now also paving at least one of streets with a special asphalt of its own that promises to capture up to 90 percent of the pollutants on a sunny day. Unlike the special mix of concrete used in the Dutch town of Hengelo, however, this method apparently uses a layer of a product called "noxer" that's affixed to regular asphalt which, again, produces a reaction that turns the captured nitrogen oxide into a more harmless material that can be washed away whenever it rains. What's more, Madrid is also rolling out another type of pavement that contains recycled tires in other parts of the city, which it hopes will cut down on the city's noise pollution. No word on any plans to combine the two just yet though.
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