Random Thought Thread

Pàdruig said:
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.
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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 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.
 
yoko said:
That's sweet

I need to work on my Monte Carlo
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Do it!

2v2Z4GCAzxAhvqS.jpg
 
Standard78 said:
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 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.
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I love this idea. But have you heard of......


SOLAR FREAKIN ROADWAYS!!!

 
Non.Nisi.Te said:
I love this idea. But have you heard of......


SOLAR FREAKIN ROADWAYS!!!

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That’s actually pretty cool; if it’s feasible. A lot of potential issues/concerns though.

For one thing, light needs to effectively reach the photovoltaic cells to convert to electricity. Thousands of vehicles driving over the panels will degrade the surface. With existing solar panels, taking something like a steel wool pad to the surface, will significantly degrade the output.

OTOH, Japan started installing piezoelectric panels in high pedestrian traffic areas. They generate electricity with every step.
https://www.pricetocompare.com/blog/how-japan-uses-sidewalks-for-energy-production/

Seems like this approach might be worth looking into, for both roadways AND sidewalks here.

Thousands of vehicles driving over them, not to mention the most recent US data shows that ~70% of US adults are fat/overweight, and ~40% are obese, and at the current rates of increase, it’s projected that 50% of US adults will be obese by 2030. Piezoelectric sidewalks should generate a ton of energy, just being installed at the entrances of every Walmart 😂
 
You'd have to install an entire grid based on the roads and where would you place the equipment for that, what are you doing with the existing roads. Are we building an entirely new parallel highway and sidewalk system or just shutting everything down for months or years. This is like a kindergarten tier idea
 
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