A giant vacuum cleaner on the crash barrier: it could well be a new weapon against nitrogen and particulate matter. A test along the A58 motorway near Oirschot will determine whether it works. “It’s really cool that it’s finally starting!” says the wildly enthusiastic developer Martin Voorma.
“Fantastic! It took a lot of hard work,” says Voorma, bouncing with enthusiasm. The preparations took more than a year, but the vacuum cleaner is now up and running.
How it works
A huge pipe with small holes is mounted on the crash barrier. This pipe sucks in air, which passes through various chambers. The air is purified of particulate matter and the nitrogen is rendered harmless.
How? “With paint and a light source,” Voorma explains in extremely simplified terms. The solution is quite chemical in nature. An oxygen atom is added to the harmful nitrogen particles, rendering them harmless.
The particulate matter is removed by a filter – not a simple cloth but a so-called electrostatic filter. “The particles are then electrically charged and captured,” the developer explains in plain terms to Omroep Brabant.
Mold
Brabant is in lockdown due to the nitrogen crisis, so something needs to be done. ‘Brainiacs’ have been given permission by Rijkswaterstaat to experiment in a testing ground at the Kloosters car park along the A58 motorway between Oirschot and Best. This is how the government agency hopes to achieve its climate targets.
Five smart gadgets are being tested there. One of them is a technique for removing nitrogen from water using fungi. The clever minds at the TNO knowledge institute are also involved.
However, we cannot all immediately start driving at 130 km/h and lift the restrictions in the Netherlands straight away. “It is always a combination of many measures, including carpooling and electric vehicles,” Voorma adds.
Crazy
Vacuum cleaners everywhere, is that realistic? “I understand that it sounds crazy, but who would have thought thirty years ago that we would put up matrix signs everywhere,” Voorma counters. “Now they are everywhere.
The trial will last for a year. Only then will it become clear whether the technology works well and how many of these vacuum cleaners are needed. Voorma beams: “Technically, it’s possible! I really believe in it.”
Source: Studio040
Tranlsated by: Vanya
