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SMOG-EATING CEMENT: A CONCRETE CONTRIBUTION TO THE ENVIRONMENT
Rome (Ign) - Cement can help fight urban pollution, reducing the concentrations of nitrogen oxides in the air by as much as 70%. We are obviously not talking about any ordinary product, but TX Active, the "antismog" cement designed by Italcementi, Italy's leading producer of hydraulic binders. TX Active has passed all the tests and checks, imposed under European regulations, and has had the honour of a mention in the Herald Tribune and the New York Times. The principle contained in its titanium-based mix actively interacts with the pollutants present in the atmosphere and causes them to crystallise, by means of a process fuelled by energy from the sun's rays. In this way the polluting compounds do not remain in suspension in the air, but are eliminated. Today, Italcementi offers a wide range of building products containing the TX Active photo-catalytic principle, from exterior paints and grouts, prefabricated products for plastering, flooring and all types of structures or horizontal and vertical facing, to binders for the realisation of load bearing structures. Moreover, the products ensure greater duration of structures and colours over time.
There are two types of TX Active at present commercialised by Italcementi. The first is TX Arca, a cement conforming to the requirements of EN 197/1 regulations, which is used for the realisation of a prestigious architectural works. The aesthetic characteristics of the structures are emphasised and conserved over time, while decomposition of polluting microorganisms makes it possible to keep the brilliant sheen of the surfaces unaltered. The second is TX Aria, a binder used to make paints, grouts and smoothers, plasters and photosensitive concrete for structures, which eliminates the nitrogen oxides produced by any process of combustion, from boilers and cars, central heating and domestic ovens right up to power stations. The "smog-eating" cement was used for the first time in the construction of the Dives in Misericordia Church at Tor Tre Teste in Rome (shown in the photograph), designed by the architect Richard Meier and commissioned by Pope John Paul II to commemorate the Jubilee in 2000. Subsequently, it was used to pave Via Borgo Palazzo in Bergamo. According to tests, in both sites the concentrations of nitrogen oxides during the day are reduced by percentages of between 26 and 56%, depending on the light and weather conditions.
Italcementi is one of the leading European businesses in the construction industry and is listed on the Italian stock exchange: its 2006 balance sheet saw profits up by 20.5% at the figure of €651.4m, thanks to development of all the divisions in the group and to geographical diversification which will be further increased in coming years, also aiming at the difficult but promising Chinese market. The group from Bergamo, owned by the Pesenti family, has started a phase of important industrial investments, worth over €500m, and in coming years intends to develop along three lines: the improvement of existing activities, increased production capacity in emerging countries, and development also through takeovers in high growth areas such as the Mediterranean basin, the Middle and Far East.
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