Michael Durante | Pavement Technology Inc.

Social Media Handle: @michael_durante

Presentation Description

The use of photocatalytic-grade titanium dioxide (TiO2) for commercial scale decarbonization, better air quality, stormwater purification, and urban heat island mitigation for transportation infrastructure has now been realized. The historic hurdles of cost and durability in “photocatalytic pavement” solutions have been resolved by combining TiO2 nanoparticles into traditional pavement preservation (life-cycle extending) penetrants.

With products for both concrete and asphalt surfaces, Pavement Technology Inc. has completed over seven years of field and laboratory testing with the help of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, Purdue University and WAP Sustainability Consulting. Pavements retrofitted with TiO2 have been tested to remove 40% or more of on-road tailpipe emissions including carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and volatiles (VOCs). They are capable of removing nearly 100% of road-associated microplastics (RAMPs) related to toxic tire and brake-pad wear, a growing danger as EV adoption accelerates. And meet LEED and ENVISION for urban heat island (UHI) mitigation by creating so-called “cool pavements” with dramatically lower emissivity properties.

The technology and methods developed can be used with a multitude of pavement maintenance procedures to “upgrade” just about any road or airfield surface to “fully photocatalytic”. Compatible with most pavement maintenance strategies.

The lessons learned also can help any transportation industry low embodied carbon and/or carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technology firm navigate the measurement, verification and validation processes and establish LCAs and EPDs for their products.

For agencies and industry, this is the first scalable carbon dioxide removal technology that can be used to offset Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions in paving construction and maintenance projects by targeting the critical Scope 3 mobile source emissions in the transportation that are the largest source.

Every mile of TiO2 retrofit pavement is capable of removing thousands of tons of CO2 and CO2e per year perpetually. And at a cost that is well below $10 a ton.

Photocatalysis is all-natural decarbonization via reduction by oxidation mechanics. TiO2 is a super redox catalyst which is non-exhaustive. Retrofitting roads and airfields with TiO2 requires no energy (100% solar powered); no land displacement or repurposing; and no storage as photocatalytic redox fully decomposes CO2, NOx and MPPs etc. So, nearly 100% of the carbon removed is accretive to an agency’s or firm’s climate goals and carbon accounting.

Speaker Biography

Michael Durante mdurante@pavetechinc.com is Vice President Finance and Strategic Planning for Pavement Technology, Inc., and Managing Partner of economic advisory BlackwallPartners LLC. He is formerly Federal Reserve and Salomon Brothers.

Durante holds degrees in finance and economics from Vanderbilt University and the University of Oxford and is an ISI/Harvard GSD credentialed Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP).

Co-presenters

Mirian Velay-Lizancos, Ph.D.
Purdue University. Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering

Marina Garcia Lopez-Arias
Purdue University. Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering

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