The project “Basalto: new materials based on alginates for the removal of airborne particulate matter” by Professor Elza Bontempi (Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering) wins the Innovation Village Award 2019, the award established by Innovation Village and ASviS – Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development in order to enhance innovation experiences able to make a contribution to the achievement of the 17 SDGs, the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 UN Agenda.
“Basalto” is the project that INSTM, Regione Lombardia and Xear Pro have co-financed for the development of new materials based on alginates for the removal of airborne particulate matter. The World Health Organization has estimated that in 2013, in Europe, 467,000 premature deaths were attributable to fine particulate air pollution. The “Basalto” project responded to a specific request from the European Commission, which established a Horizon call for the development of innovative and low-cost materials for the reduction of particulate matter at the urban level.
The result of the project led to the patenting of a new porous plaster for the trapping of airborne particulate matter. In the various metropolises around the world, the currently most efficient method for reducing particulates is given by vegetation: the leaves trap a large amount of atmospheric dust, which is then washed ashore by rain. The new developed plaster absorbs at least 24 g / m2 of fine particulate matter (this value is greater than 2 orders of magnitude compared to the particulate that can absorb the leaves). The sustainability of the porous material developed is also due to the use of industrial waste and materials for food use.