Dr Eng. Magdalena Janus, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin is working on the development of an innovative method of air purification. According to the concept of the Szczecin researcher, pollutants will be broken down by active substances contained in paints and plasters.
Such materials are already in use and give good results, removing even very harmful substances. Prof. Magdalena Janus focused her research on photoactive building materials. She has recently completed her research at the Berlin University of Technology.
Photoactivity is imparted by introducing a photocatalyst into a matrix of a building material such as plaster or cement. The photocatalyst is titanium dioxide – titanium white used as an additive to paints, paper and cosmetics. Under the influence of light, hydroxyl radicals are formed on the surface of such material. They are able to decompose the organic compound into carbon dioxide and water.
