Random Thought Thread

[oldmanwilly]

I wo.der even what the skinner doesn't look like

same, same. but different.

least thats how im picturing it

It's been embiggened. Maybe.

 

[Standard78]

This is such a cool technology. There is a surface treatment for pavements that contains titanium dioxide that catalyzes with sunlight and consumes emissions, the byproduct of that reaction becoming essentially plant food that gets cast or sloughed to the side. It was undergoing pilot programs through a few of the universities a couple of years back, the results of which were looking very promising.

The question that always comes up though when it comes to pavement management, how is going to get paid for and by whom? A lot of folks don't have a good understanding of infrastructure funding mechanisms, which is a big part of civil engineering.

Oh I’m sure we’ll be footing the bill like usual, but it does look promising and worth it in my opinion.
I haven’t kept up with any of the progress from the major test cities, so I appreciate the nudge in the right direction. The last time I dug into this possibly positive treatment was nearly a decade ago when I stumbled across an LA Times article about Dutch scientists creating smog eating pavement blocks.
I just now read that this treatment can extend the life of asphalt roads 5-8 years longer in Raleigh NC, so it sounds like it could eventually pay for itself in the long run in that type of application so that’s pretty exciting.
It doesn’t seem to have a long lifespan on heavily-trafficked preexisting concrete highways though, so application would have to happen yearly, but If we could lower road temperatures, lower urban city temperatures and cut back on pollutants, I assume it would be worth the effort.
SharpBits made a great point about it being bright white, though, or bright it general because that could be a major safety concern. Too bad satin or flat finishes don’t have the same refractive abilities.