Environmental impact of nano-functionalized construction materials: leaching of titanium and nitrates from photocatalytic pavements under outdoor conditions

The Science of the Total Environment
E Jimenez-RelinqueM Castellote

Abstract

There is a growing use of nano-functionalized construction materials, which contain nanoparticles embedded in their bulk or deposited on their surfaces. In the case of photocatalytic materials, nano-TiO2 is usually added to provide it's functionality. One concern about these materials, in addition to release of nanoparticles as airborne, is that they can be leached into the aquatic environment. Moreover, water eutrophication could be caused due to the increase in NO3- as a product of the photocatalytic oxidation of NOx in runoff. In this paper, a systematic long term campaign assessing these potential side effects in the real outdoor environment has been carried out. Rainwater leachates from 4 m2 slabs of 7 different photocatalytic materials exposed outdoors in two different locations (platforms) were collected and analysed over more than 800 days. Ti, NO3-, pH and conductivity were analysed. Ti was found in the leachates of almost every material, without a clear relation with the type of application (percolated cementitious slurry, suspension/emulsion or TiO2 built-in). The highest concentration found was of 60 μg/L, which seems to be rather small when comparing with some threshold values for drinking water. In all the cases, ...Continue Reading

Citations

Nov 17, 2020·Frontiers in Chemistry·Eva Jimenez-RelinqueMarta Castellote
Mar 19, 2021·Environmental Science and Pollution Research International·Maria SapiñaMarta Castellote

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