LowEmissionAsphalt-136pg-WhitePaper-May2023

P a g e | 106 In contrast to other products, various PlusTi TM products incorporate well-known pavement preservation solutions as the carriers in a “two-for-one” single application to also promote traditional pavement preservation. The technique has been proven to promote the desired photocatalytic efficiencies of prior products but for long duration deployment while materially reducing costs. PlusTi TM can be used on new pavements soon after construction or on existing pavements as a retrofit. “Synthetic Forests” – A Natural Molecular Approach Nanoparticle titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) is a powerful solar reactive ore capable of resolving and detoxicating most compounds via mineralization such as a pollutant as the catalyst particles receive energy from the Sun. Mineralization is the process that turns a pollutant such as CO 2 or NOx into a solid mineral, such as carbonate or nitrate, respectively. It is a chemical reaction that occurs when certain compounds get exposed to sunlight and oxygen. In chemistry, the process is referred to as reduction by oxidation or “redox”. The process is generally slow unless a catalyst material is also present. One such catalyst is TiO 2 . When TiO 2 is used to accelerate mineralization, it is called photocatalysis or photocatalytic oxidation (PCO). 225 The biggest advantage of this method of pollutant species capture, conversion, and sequestration is that CO 2 and NOx cannot escape back to the atmosphere as it turns to a solid. In the case of CO 2 and NOx mineralization, the resultant carbonate and nitrate are naturally consumed by vegetation as part of photosynthesis, so uptake is completed via biological storage . As a result, PCO offers a durable carbon capture and storage solution for industries, such as transportation, looking to offset their emissions. Once solar energized, TiO 2 releases electrons into the surrounding area that combine with oxygen in the air to create the superoxide anion (HO 2 -). Simultaneously, the catalyst replaces its lost electrons by attracting electrons from ambient humidity, and hence returns to its original state or is not exhausted. 225 photocatalytic reaction(s) : superoxide and hydroxyl radicals (collectively - oxygen radicals or “oxyradicals”) are produced by a combination of light energy and oxygen in the presence of a catalyst, creating these powerful oxidants via accelerated redox with an efficient metallic semiconductor such as TiO 2 .