This document summarizes a project that studied the potential for a new porcelain ceramic tile called BIONICTILE® impregnated with a photoactive ingredient called OFFNOX® to reduce nitrogen oxide levels in the atmosphere. The project was conducted using the EUPHORE atmospheric simulation chambers, which are well equipped to simulate urban air pollution conditions. Results showed that the BIONICTILE® tiles were able to reduce nitric acid levels and uptake over 130 mg of NOx per square meter, representing a potential new way to help reduce air pollution in cities.

1. 4th Technology-Business Networking Event
HABITAT, CONSTRUCTION, ARCHITECTURE & CERAMICS
Organizers:
Supporters:
Dr. Amalia SPEAKER, POSITION IN THE COMPANY and Manager
NAME OF THEMuñoz, Senior Researcher. EUPHORE ROLE IN THE PROJECT
Cerámica Innova 4: From research to market
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Title of the project :
STUDY OF THE NITROGEN OXIDE REDUCTION POTENTIAL
Organizers:
OF THE MATERIAL BIONICTILE®, IMPREGNATED WITH
THE PHOTOACTIVE INGREDIENT, OFFNOX®, UNDER
CONTROLLED CONDITIONS IN THE EUPHORE
SIMULATION CHAMBERS
Supporters:
Length: START 14/12/2009
End 30/04/2010
Website of the project:
NAME OF THE SPEAKER, POSITION IN THE COMPANY and ROLE IN THE PROJECT
http://www.ceracasa.com/620800_es/BIONICTILE%C2%AE/
Cerámica Innova 4: From research to market
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Consortium:
– Co-ordinator: CERACASA
Organizers:
– Partners and roles:
• CERACASA: Bionictile® development
Supporters:
• FORET: photoactive ingredient OFFNOX®
• CEAM: To conduct studies about analysis of the efficiency
porcelain ceramic in reducing nitrogen oxides present in the
atmosphere under representative conditions of an urban
environment (city of Valencia). PILOT SCALE
NAME OF THE SPEAKER, POSITION IN THE COMPANY and ROLE IN THE PROJECT
Cerámica Innova 4: From research to market
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4. 4th Technology-Business Networking Event
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
Background:
Air Organizers:
pollution causes harm to both health and
environment. A significant proportion of Europe’s
population live in areas such as cities where
of the the average daily
exceedances of air quality standards occur. ThisWeekly evolution evolution ofaverage daily
puts
Fig1. Weekly
cycle at 2 at the Valencia stations (UTC
those populations at health risk, particularly cycle of NO2of NOthe Valencia stations
from
time).
ozone, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter
(UTC time).
Supporters: to reduce air pollution remains an
pollution. The need
important issue. The effects caused by air pollution
depend mainly on the concentration of pollutants,
chemical nature, exposure time and temporal
fluctuations on their concentration, and also on the
receptor sensitivity and synergisms between
pollutants. The primary pollutants are oxides of
nitrogen (NOx) mainly nitrogen monoxideCOMPANY and ROLE IN THE PROJECT
NAME OF THE SPEAKER, POSITION IN THE (NO), and
Figure 2. Basis of self-cleaning effect provided by
volatile organic compounds (VOC).
the titanium dioxide
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5. 4th Technology-Business Networking Event
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
Objectives:
To demonstrate, at a pilot scale, the environmental possibilities of a new
Organizers:
range of porcelain ceramic in reducing nitrogen oxides present in the
atmosphere.
To conduct studies about the efficiency of BIONICTILE-OFFNOx porcelain
ceramic in reducing nitrogen oxides present in the atmosphere under
representative conditions of an urban environment in terms of daily NOx
pattern concentration, humidity and radiation (city of Valencia), using the
Supporters:
Atmospheric Simulation chamber EUPHORE (European PHOto-REactor)
NAME OF THE SPEAKER, POSITION IN THE COMPANY and ROLE IN THE PROJECT
Cerámica Innova 4: From research to market
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6. 4th Technology-Business Networking Event
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
Results
Organizers:
Supporters:
Concentration of NOx reached using the NOx control system. The
graph represents a 48-hour cycle
NAME OF THE SPEAKER, POSITION IN THE COMPANY and ROLE IN THE PROJECT
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7. 4th Technology-Business Networking Event
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
NITRATOS
BIONICTILE® CERACASA
Blanco
Results
Norte arriba
Norte abajo
Sur arriba
Sur abajo
Este arriba
Este abajo
Oeste arriba
Oeste abajo
6
4
2
Oeste abajo
Oeste arriba
Este abajo
Este arriba
Sur abajo
Sur arriba
Norte abajo
Norte arriba
0
Cubierta 2
Supporters:
8
Cubierta 1
uptake (November-January
• or 271 µg/ (m2 /h) NOx por m2/h ( sunny
hours)
•
Cubierta 2
10
Blanco
• A decrease in the levels of nitric acid (HNO3)
Concentración de Nitratos [mg/m2]
Organizers:
• 132 mg NOx/m2
in Valencia)
Cubierta 1
12
Muestra
Figure 1. Concentration of nitrates
obtained, after washing the pieces and by
unit of area. No particles were detected by
the denuder filters or the SMPS, so at all
10 times better than experiments at
the nitrate contained in the tiles was
formed through heterogeneous catalytic
laboratory scale using artificial sunlight
reaction on the surface of the impregnated
photocatalytic material and was not
deposited as a photochemical product
NAME OF THE SPEAKER, POSITION IN THE COMPANY and ROLE IN THE PROJECT
particle generated within the chamber
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8. 4th Technology-Business Networking Event
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
 Other highlights
•
Organizers:
EUPHORE chambers are one of the best equipped European outdoor photoreactors
for studying atmospheric chemistry, capable of simulating the daily patterns of
total NOx for urban environments and for analyzing the efficiency of the
reduction potential of oxides of nitrogen, and VOCs in the atmosphere of
materials impregnated with a photoactive additive under different typical urban
conditions and/or 24-hour solar cycles.
Supporters:
•
Due to its high volume, about 200 m3, a huge surface of material could be installed
inside one of the EUPHORE photochemical chambers ( several m2) where they can
be continuously exposed to controlled atmospheric NOx concentrations, natural
sunlight, as well to humidity and other pollutants. In that sense, EUPHORE facilities
are powerful tools for studying nitrogen-oxides, tropospheric O3, and VOCs
reduction potential of materials impregnated with photoactive additives.
NAME OF THE SPEAKER, POSITION IN THE COMPANY and ROLE IN THE PROJECT
• BIONICTILE®: International recognition and awards
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