Photocatalysis applied to concrete products
Part 3: Practical relevance and modeling of the degradation process
Summary: The third and last part of this article series concludes the characterization of influencing factors on the degradation performance illustrated by the influence of pigments. Furthermore, the results of an accelerated durability test carried out on coated samples described in the second part of this article series will be presented. Here, attention was not only paid to the investigation of the durability of the coated samples but also to the inhibition of the growth of green algae on the surface of paving blocks. Besides the practical issues, an approach for modeling the reaction process within a reactor cell will be briefly introduced.
1 Influence of pigments on the degradation process
Enhanced aesthetic and architectural requirements in inner-city areas on the paving of public places demand the application of colored concrete paving blocks. The application of pigments helps to integrate a concrete paving within an already existing architectural situation. This meets the public perceptions regarding the aesthetic quality of public places but also causes problems when photocatalytic materials are applied. Problems mainly result from the increased water demand of the mixtures when fine pigment particles are added.
For a...
