Italy Italcementi develops Eco Cement

Italian cement producer and distributor Italcementi has developed special ecological cement to reduce the nitrogen oxide emissions in big cities, the company said on May 25, 2004 at the congress of the Italian Federation of Scientific and Technical Associations held in Milan, northern Italy.

The cement is designed to coat large urban surfaces such as streets and might cut by one third the pollution in a city like Milan, northern Italy, on an annual basis, company specialists said. The product’s components are activated at the contact with sunlight and emit substances, which neutralise the polluting effects of nitrogen oxide.

The product has been tested on a large scale and the results have been quite positive, the company said. It also reduces the levels of carbon dioxide and sulfur oxide. According to company experts a 15 pct coating of outdoor surfaces in Italian cities will reduce pollution by 50 pct.

During the tests the nitrogen emissions disappeared within five seconds in the cases of eco cement, while it took 30 seconds to ordinary asphalt to neutralise the pollution caused by one single car.