First lockdown brought better air

The amount of nitrogen oxides fell by more than half in some cases due to the lockdown

23-Sep-2021 - Several studies have already shown: Concentrations of typical air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter have decreased worldwide during corona-related lockdowns. Scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon have now calculated in a comprehensive study for whole Central Europe ...

Catalysts for controlled cascade reactions

01-Apr-2019 - It is difficult to convert carbon dioxide or nitrogen oxides into useful or harmless substances. Wolfgang Schuhmann wants to find a way and is being helped to do so by the EU. Professor Wolfgang Schuhmann intends to produce useful platform chemicals from harmful gases on an industrial scale using ...

Soil crusts emit nitrogen oxides and nitrous acid

Study shows that biological soil crusts release large quantities of reactive nitrogen compounds

03-Dec-2015 - For a long time now, researchers have been racking their brains over the large quantities of reactive nitrogen compounds observed in arid regions after periods of rainfall without being able to identify the source. A study is now bringing light into the darkness. Bettina Weber and her colleagues ...

Middle East: The atmospheric signs of the crises

Study shows how armed conflicts, political and economic crises and also environmental legislation impacts air quality

25-Aug-2015 - Political and economic crises as well as international conflicts may have short-term, drastic impacts on society and also on pollutant emissions. That's what researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry have found in a study of the Middle East. Scientists analyzed nitrogen dioxide ...

With carbon nanotubes, a path to flexible, low-cost sensors

Potential applications range from air-quality monitors to electronic skin

27-Sep-2013 - Researchers at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) are showing the way toward low-cost, industrial-scale manufacturing of a new family of electronic devices. A leading example is a gas sensor that could be integrated into food packaging to gauge freshness, or into compact wireless ...

Breathe freely with photocatalysis

06-Nov-2012 - Photoactive roofs ensure clean air: Photoactive roof tile surfaces are effective against harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx) from exhaust gases in the air. For this purpose a special titanium dioxide (TiO2) photocatalyst is imbedded in the mineral surface. The photocatalyst is not affected or changed ...

Clean soot particle filters

08-Nov-2011 - The soot particle filters found on diesel vehicles are designed to ensure that no harm- ful particles make their way through the exhaust pipe. Often, though, the exhaust from newer-model engines is not hot enough to free the filters from soot particles on a regular basis. A new method removes ...