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MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

Session 2017-2021

“Self Cleaning Concrete – Environment

Friendly Material”

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CT GROUP OF INSTITUTIONS
SHAHPUR JALANDHAR-PUNJAB

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

A project report on

“Self Cleaning Concrete”

Submitted in partial fulfillment for the award of the

degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY

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DECLARATION
We hereby certify that the work which is being presented
in the report entitled “Self Cleaning Concrete” By

HARWINDER 1803538
NIKU 1704044
KAMALDEEP 1704040
JASKIRAT SINGH 1704308
RADHEY CHOUHAN 1704314

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of

degree of Bachelor of Technology (civil) submitted to CT
GROUP OF INSTITUTION, Jalandhar, department of civil
engineering is authentic record of our own work carried
out during a period of JULY-NOV, 2019 under the
supervision and guidance of ER. VISHAV PREM
This is to certify that the above statement made by the
candidates is correct of my knowledge.

Sign of mentor

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TABLE OF CONTENT
S. NO. TITTAL PAGE NO.
1. Abstract 5
2. Introduction 6
3. Background 7
4. Objective 9
5. Literature review 14
6. Material used 17
7. Concrete and its grade 30
8. Methodology followed 33
9. Testing procedure 35
10. Compressive Test 36
11. Decolorization test 38
12. Nitrogen Oxidation test 38
13. Future analysis 39
14. Conclusion 40
15. References 41

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ABSTRACT
Concrete is the most widely used construction materials
for building technology. However, cement production
releases high amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the
atmosphere that leads to increasing the global warming.
The concrete materials also have been developed to be
functioned as self-cleaning construction materials. The
self-cleaning properties of the concrete are induced by
introducing the photo catalytic materials such as ‘titania’
(TiO2) and zinc oxide (Zn O). Self-cleaning concrete that
contains those photo catalysts will be energized by
ultraviolet (UV) radiation and accelerates the
decomposition of organic particulates. Thus, the
cleanliness of the building surfaces can be maintained and
the air surrounding air pollution can be reduced. In this
paper a brief study has been carried out on the properties
of self-cleaning concrete using Titanium dioxide. The
decolourization and oxidation effect are studied using
Rhoda mine dye and nitrogen dioxide respectively.
Key Words: self-cleaning, Titanium dioxide, Rhoda mine B
Dye, Nitrogen Dioxide, Concrete.

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INTRODUCTION
A construction material removes pollutants from the air as
it keeps its surface clean. This new astonishing concrete
that not only keeps itself clean but also removes
pollutants from the air is called Self Cleaning Concrete.
The key to such properties are catalytic components that
use the energy from ultraviolet rays to oxidize most
organic and some inorganic compounds. Air pollutants
that would normally result in discoloration of exposed
surfaces are removed from the atmosphere by the
components, And their residues are washed off by rain.
So, this new cement can be used to produce concrete and
plaster products that save on maintenance costs while
they ensure a cleaner environment. When light and heat
strikes the concrete's surface, catalysts (usually titanium
oxides) use that energy to break down the dirt into
molecules like oxygen, water, carbon dioxide, nitrates, and
sulphates. Gases float away, while liquids or solids are left
on surface to be washed away by rain. Through a similar
process, concrete can also break down pollutants in the
air around it: if a pollutant strikes the surface, the titanium
oxide reacts with it in the same way.

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Background
Photocatalytic concrete is an innovative advancement in
material science that enables the photocatalytic
phenomenon to occur within the building material itself
and has good potential to reduce airborne pollutants such
as sulphur oxide (SOx), particulate matter (PM10), volatile
organic compounds (VOCs), and nitrogen oxide (NOx).
Photocatalysis is a process that uses the power of the
ultraviolet (UV-A) portion of sunlight to accelerate the
natural oxidation process to decompose pollutants. In the
past decade, photocatalytic technologies have been
applied to glass, ceramic, and cement-based materials.
The photocatalytic mechanism is not new, in fact the
process has been understood and applied since the 1960s
(Fujishima et al., 2000). There has been considerable focus
on water treatment technologies, but the application of
photocatalytic oxidation to construction materials has
been gaining attention since the 1990s. More recently,
photocatalysis has been integrated directly into
construction building materials. Its effectiveness as a
sustainable option is currently being assessed through
pilot studies in France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan.
Photocatalytic concrete is also known as smog-eating and
self-cleaning concrete because it assists in air pollution
reduction (Essroc Italcementi Group, 2009).

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Environmental pollution has raised global attention of the

need to implement environmentally friendly technologies
and practices. Industry flue gases, local traffic and diesel
engines play major roles in generating emissions like
volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hydrocarbons that
have evaporated from chemical plants; nitrogen oxides
(NOx) produced primarily by internal combustion engines;
and sulphur oxides (SOx) formed when fuel such as coal
and oil is burned (Hassan, 2010). NOx (NO and NO2) is
responsible for ozone and particulate build-up through
photochemical reactions with hydrocarbon (Barbesta and
Schaffer, 2009). Due to these highly reactive gases, there
are a variety of health and environmental impacts such as
urban smog and acid rain, which harms forests, crops and
aquatic life. Since the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970,
in the United States, the concentration of principal air
pollutants, except NOx, have decreased (Hassan, 2010).
Thus, NOx emissions have been a focus of environmental
regulations and can be controlled by two different
approaches: the reduction of NOx back to molecular
nitrogen (N2), or its oxidation to nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
and nitric acid (HNO3). For example, the oxidation of nitric
acid completes the nitrogen fixation and has useful
applications such as in fertilizers. Many organic
compounds and air pollutants can be decomposed by
ultraviolet radiation but this process is extremely slow.
The conversion of NOx to low concentrated nitrates

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makes this pollutant compound soluble in water, which

can be flushed away by rain. This type of photochemical
conversion is called photocatalytic oxidation (PCO)
(Husken, 2009).
The sun can provide up to 3×1024 J of energy per year,
which is 10,000 times more than the whole world’s annual
energy consumption (Butcher et al., 1992). The fact that
many compounds of air pollutants such as NOx and SOx
can be decomposed by ultraviolet radiation has led to the
exploration of the uses of solar energy in context with
building materials (Diamanti et al., 2008).

Objectives
The intent of this study is to test photocatalytic concrete
properties and long-term performance. This study also
examines its potential pollution abating effectiveness in
Ontario. The potential usage of photocatalytic concrete
cannot solely be based on its benefits related to pollution
degradation; a complete evaluation of its durability is
required as well as other critical factors that need to be
considered in selecting environmentally friendly building
materials. There is a current need for improved materials
and evaluation of crucial parameters that influence and
impact the physical and mechanical properties of the
photocatalytic concrete.

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Advantages of Self-Cleaning Concretes

 As the temperature increases in areas where
urbanization is intense, air pollution and chemical
reactions that produce pollution also increase. The
purpose of using self-cleaning concretes is to use
materials that stay cool in sunlight and have at least
29 solar reflective indexes (SRI). SRI value of ordinary
Portland cement is about 35, and the SRI value of
new concrete produced with white cement is 86. It is
seen that the concrete produced with TiO2 added
cement will maintain a higher SRI value for a much
longer time.

 All building energy simulations prepared by computer

modelling will show us the benefits of concrete
prepared with TiO2 cement by solving the complex
problems between the sunlight reflection rate and
emission rate between concrete prepared with TiO2
added to cement and concrete prepared with
traditional methods.

 Exceptional performance in reducing air pollution -

The use of concrete prepared with cement containing
TiO2 will reduce organic and inorganic substances
causing air pollution. Durability - Concrete prepared
with cement containing TiO2 preserves its durability
for a longer period without using protective coating
materials.

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Disadvantages of Self-Cleaning Concretes

 White spots are formed on the surface of self-
cleaning concrete due to titanium dioxide. Light is
needed to react chemically and is therefore not
suitable for indoor applications. The cost of self-
cleaning concrete is much higher than conventional
concrete and no standard has been published in our
country.

Examples of Photocatalytic Concrete

Applications in the World:
• Self-cleaning locked cobblestone pavement on 'Borgo
Palazzo' Street (Bergamo, Italy). In the measurements
made on the street, a reduction in air pollution between
30% and 40% was observed.
• Painting of the tunnel of 'Umberto I' (Rome, Italy) with
Photocatalytic material.
• 'Dives in Misericordia' Church (Rome, Italy) is one of the
architectural works that preserves its beauty with its self-
cleaning feature .
• Cité de la Musique et des Beaux-Arts’(Chambery,
France).
• The Hôtel de Police’ (Bordeaux, France).
• MSV Arena Football Stadium (Germany).

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• ‘Bienvenue a Ciments du Maroc’(Morocco).

• ’Charles de Gaulle’ Airport (Paris, France).
• Saint John’s Court Montecarlo Bay residence (Monaco).
• Manuel de Gonzalez Hospital, Mexico.
• Tüpras Refinery, Kocaeli - Turkey.

‘’Dives in Missericordia’’ Church-Rome, 1996

‘Cité de la Musique et des Beaux-Arts’-France,

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MSV Arena Football Stadium-Germany, 2004

’Bienvenue a Ciments du Maroc’-Morocco, 2005

Manuel de Gonzalez Hospital-Mexico, 2013

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Literature Review
It was described by Frank and Brad in 1977 as the
decomposition of cyanide in a liquid titanium dioxide
(TiO2) solution; this is one of the first reports to reveal the
usability of semiconductor powders in photocatalytic
production [18]. The first examples used in photocatalysis
building materials are cement mortars, paving stones, tile
materials, glasses and PVC fabrics. In 1997, concrete
paving stone production containing TiO2 was started for
the first time in Japan. It was used for the first time in
1998 in a self-cleaning concrete structure. The Jubilee
Church (officially known as the Misericordia Church) in
Rome is the first building containing self-cleaning concrete
. Folli et al. They investigated how TiO2 dimensions used
as photocatalysts of self-cleaning concretes affected
selfcleaning performance in 2009.They reported that
samples containing micro sizes of TiO2 showed better
photocatalytic performance than samples containing nano
sizes of TiO2 . Rout et al. In 2009 he compared the self-
cleaning performance of cement paste and mortars. They
produced samples containing 0%, 1%, 3% and 5% TiO2 for
both groups. In both groups, they performed better than
the mortars in the samples containing 5% TiO2 and
cement paste.
Hüsken et al. In 2009, they produced photocatalytic
concrete with TiO2 additives. As a result of the

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experiments, they reported that they separated NO and

NO2 compounds under UV light.
Chen et al. In 2011, he investigated the self-cleaning
performance of cement mortars. Rhodamine-B was
chosen as the pollutant. The colour change was observed
in products containing Ti02. No colour change was
observed in non-Ti02 products.
In a thesis study on self-cleaning concrete in 2010, four
different types of concrete were produced: white
concrete, white concrete with Ti02 additive, self-setting
concrete and self-settling concrete with Ti02 additive. To
examine the effect of photocatalytic properties, physical
properties and durability properties on surface properties;
To examine the effect of photocatalytic properties,
physical properties and durability properties on surface
properties; Three different formwork types have been
produced for each type of concrete, metal, wood and
rubber. To investigate photocatalytic properties,
Rhodamine-B experiment and experiments for
Phenantroquinone cleaning properties were investigated.
The results obtained in the research are presented
comprehensively. At the end of 28 days, the series that
remained under UV in Rhodamine-B experiment was
found to be in white concrete samples containing Ti02
additives with the highest colour change 43.5% colour
change was observed in self compacting concrete. While

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natural concrete and self-settling concrete with Ti02

additive and without Ti02 additive are left to natural
environmental conditions, the most colour change was
observed in the samples left open to the rain. In the
samples left horizontally and vertically closed and exposed
to sunlight, colour change was observed at the end of 28
days. Here, it has been observed that substances that
break down by photocatalytic reaction and cause
contamination with Ti02 must be removed from the
concrete surface by rainwater.
Biolzi et al. In 2013, they investigated the photocatalytic
properties of self-cleaning concretes under high
temperatures. While maintaining the self-cleaning feature
at 500 °C, it has been reported to rise to 750 °C while a
decrease in this feature has been reported.
Mendoza et al. In 2015, they investigated the
photocatalytic performance of mortars containing silicon
Ti02.They reported that the discoloration reached 90% at
the same time, the samples were reported to have good
early performance.
In 2020, Chen et al. They prepared composite
photocatalysts by loading nano-TiO2 on recycled clay,
brick sands and recycled glass. And they did a study to
observe the rheological behaviour, mechanical
performance and NOx removal of the photocatalytic
mortar prepared with these photocatalysts. The combined

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use of Nano-Ti02 with recycled clay, brick sands and

recycled glass is beneficial for rheological behaviour. The
inclusion of composite photocatalysts has been found to
support photocatalysis. Besides, NOx removal was
reported to be increased by 18,8% while cost was reduced
by 80% due to mixing.

Material and Properties

a). Cement
Cement is a material that has cohesive and adhesive
properties in the presence of water. Such cements are
called hydraulic cements. Cement is a binding material in
concrete, which binds the other materials to form a
compact mass. Generally OPC is used for all Engineering
Construction works. OPC is available in three grades of 33,
43, and 53.In this project, 53 grade cement is used for the
experimental study.

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Table 1. below shows the properties of cement.

S. No. Properties Value

1. Specific gravity 3.15
2. Initial setting time 40 min.
3. Final setting time 450 min.
4. Standard consistency 30%
Table 2. Chemical composition of Ordinary Portland
cement (OPC)

S. No. Particular Proportion

1. Calcium oxide 60-67%
2. Silicon dioxide 17-25%
3. Aluminium oxide 3-8%
4. Iron oxide 0.5-6%
5. Magnesium oxide 0.1-4%
6. Sulphuric trioxide 1-3%
7. Sodium oxide 0.5-1.3%

b). Fine Aggregate

Concrete with better quality can be made with sand
consisting of rounded grains rather than angular grains.
River or manufactured sand must be used and not sea
sand as it contains salt other impurities. In this project

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study, manufactured sand is used as fine aggregate. By

conducting sieve analysis the zone is found.
Manufactured sand (M-Sand) is a substitute of river sand
for concrete construction. Manufactured sand is produced
from hard granite stone by crushing. The crushed sand is
of cubical shape with grounded edges, washed and graded
to as a construction material. The size of manufactured
sand (M-Sand) is less than 4.75mm.

Table 3. below shows the properties of sand

S. No. Properties Value

1. Specific gravity 2.62

2. Fineness modulus 2.6

3. Water absorption 6.5%

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c). Course Aggregates

Coarse aggregate is mined from rock quarries or dredged
from river beds, therefore the size, shape, hardness,
texture and many other properties can vary greatly based
on location. Most generally, coarse aggregate can be
characterized as either smooth or rounded (such as river
gravel) or angular (such as crushed stone). Because of this
variability, test methods exist to characterize the most
relevant characteristics since exact identification would be
impossible. Several key characteristics that are frequently
used to describe the behavior of coarse aggregates
include relative density (or specific gravity), bulk density,
and absorption. In our studies 20mm aggregate is used.
Table 3 shows the properties of coarse aggregates.

Table 4. below shows the properties of sand

S. No. Properties Value

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1. Specific gravity 2.88

2. Impact value 26

3. Water absorption 0.5%

d). Water/Cement Ratio

Water cement ratio plays an important role which
influences various properties such as workability, strength
and durability. Adequate water cement ratio is required
for production of workable concrete. When water is mixed
with materials, cement reacts with water and hydration
reaction starts. This reaction helps ingredients to form a
hard matrix that binds the materials together into a
durable stone-like material. Concrete can be casted in any
shape. Since it is a plastic material in fresh state, various
shapes and sizes of forms or formworks are used to
provide different shapes such as rectangular, circular etc.
There are different types of admixtures which are used to
provide certain properties. Admixtures or additives such
as super plasticizers are included in the mixture to
improve the physical properties of the wet mix or the
finished material. water cement ratio as per Indian
standard IS 456-2000 is given as below:-

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e). Titanium dioxide

Titanium dioxide is a chemical compound, also known as
titanium oxide or Titania, is the naturally occurring oxide
of titanium, chemical formula TiO₂. The photo catalytic
activity, which is another property of TiO2, is increased
considerably through the high surface-to-volume ratio of
the Nano particles as compared to that of micro particles.
Scientific studies on photo catalysis started about two and
a half decades ago. Titanium dioxide (TiO2), which is one
of the most basic materials in our daily life, has emerged
as an excellent photo catalyst material for environmental
purification. In this review, current progress in the area of
TiO2 photo catalysis, mainly photo catalytic air purification

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is studied. Photo catalysis takes place only when the

surface is treated with UV light or sun light. Its molecular
formula TiO2 and molecular weight 79.87, is a kind of
powder. Titanium dioxide color is white. Formula for
titanium dioxide is TiO2.
Titanium dioxide case no. IS 13463-67-7 is a soft solid and
melts at 1800 Degrees Celsius. It has special performance,
such as insulation, corrosion, flags, etc. It is polymorphous
and it exists in three types of crystal structures a) rutile, b)
anatase, c) brookite

Structure of Titanium Dioxide

Almost everything has two aspects of the property. The
titanium dioxide properties also have two sides: the
physical properties of titanium dioxide and the titanium
dioxide chemical properties. The physical properties of
titanium dioxide include titanium dioxide solubility,
titanium dioxide colour and so on.

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 The Physical Property of Titanium Dioxide:

Molar mass: 79.8658 g · mol-1
Refractive index: 2.76 ~ 2.55
Mohr's Hardness: 6-7, 5.5-6
Capacitance ratio: 114 to 31
The coefficient of linear expansion: 25
Thermal Conductivity: 1.809 to 10.3
Oil Absorption: 16 ~48, 18 ~30
Particle size: 0.2 ~ 0.3, 0.3
 Solubility: It is insoluble in dilute alkali, dilute acid,
but soluble in hot concentrated Sulphuric acid,
hydrochloric acid, nitric acid. The solubility of
titanium dioxide is related to solutes.
 Relative Density: In the commonly used white
pigment, the relative density of titanium dioxide is

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mini mum. Of the same quality white pigment,

titanium dioxide surface area is the largest and
pigment volume is the highest.

 Permittivity: Because of high dielectric constant of

titanium dioxide, it has excellent electrical properties.
Anatase titanium dioxide’s permittivity is lower, only
48.
 Conductivity: Titanium dioxide with the performance
of the semiconductor, its conductivity increased
rapidly with increasing temperature, but also is very
sensitive to hypoxia.
 Melting and boiling points: It can be transformed
into rutile when anatase and plate titanium dioxide
are at high temperatures, so melting and boiling
points of the board of rutile and anatase titanium
dioxide actually does not exist. Only rutile titanium
dioxide has a melting point and boiling point, rutile
titanium dioxide, a melting point of 1850 C, the
melting point in oxygen-rich is 1879.
 Hydro scope city: Although titanium dioxide has
hydro scope city, but not too strong, the hydrophilic
is related to surface area, the surface area is larger;
the moisture absorption is higher. The moisture
absorption of titanium dioxide is relevant to the
surface treatment and the nature too.

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 Thermal Stability: Titanium dioxide has a good

thermal stability, the general amount of 0.01% to
0.12%.
 The Chemical Property of Titanium Dioxide:
Titanium dioxide is non-toxic and chemical properties are
stable. It almost has no reaction with other material
produce under normal temperature. It is a partial acid. It
has no reaction with oxygen, hydrogen Sulphur, Sulphur
dioxide, carbon dioxide and ammonia and is not soluble in
water, fatty acids, other organic acid and weak inorganic
acid except for alkali and hot nitric acid.
But, in some specific conditions, titanium dioxide can get
reaction with some substance. For example, these
reactions as follows:
Only in the circumstance of long time boiling can it be
totally soluble in strong sulphuric acid and hydrofluoric
acid.

The reaction equation is as follows:

TiO2+ 2H2 SO4 = Ti (SO4)4 + 2H2O
TiO2+ H2 SO4 = Ti OSO
In this project cement is replaced by 3%, 4% and 5% of
titanium dioxide and further examined.

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f). Rhoda mine B dye

It is a chemical compound and a dye. It is often used as a
tracer dye within water to determine the rate and
direction of flow and transport. dyes fluoresce and can
thus be detected easily and inexpensively with
instruments called. Rhoda mine dyes are used extensively
in biotechnology applications such as fluorescence
microscopy, flow cytometry, fluorescence correlation
spectroscopy and ELISA.
 Properties
Chemical formula: C28 H31 C1 N2 O3
Molar mass: 479.02
Appearance: red to violet powder
Melting point: 210 to 211 °C (410 to 412 °F; 483 to
484 K)
Solubility in water: ~15 g/L (20 °C) [1]

Structure of Rhoda Mine B dye

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g). Nitrogen
Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the
formula NO2. It is one of several nitrogen oxides. NO2 is
an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid,
millions of tons of which are produced each year. At
higher temperatures it is a reddish-brown gas that has a
characteristic sharp, biting odour and is a prominent air
pollutant. Nitrogen dioxide is a paramagnetic, bent
molecule with C2v point group symmetry.

 Properties
Chemical formula: NO2
Molar mass: 46.0055 g mol−1
Appearance: Vivid orange gas

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Odour: Chlorine like

Density: 1.88 g dm−3 *2+
Melting point: 11.2 °C (11.8 °F; 261.9 K)
Boiling point: 21.2 °C (70.2 °F; 294.3 K)
Solubility in water Hydrolyses
Solubility: soluble in CCl4, nitric acid.
Vapour pressure: 98.80 k Pa (at 20 °C)
Magnetic susceptibility (χ): +150.0·10−6 cm3/mol.
Refractive index (N d): 1.449 (at 20 °C)
Point group: C2v
Molecular shap: Bent
Specific heat capacity (C): 37.5 J/mol K
 Hazards
Main hazards: Poison, oxidizer
GHS signal word: Danger

Structure of Nitrogen dioxide

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Concrete and its grade

What is concrete?
 Concrete is a construction material composed of
cement, fine aggregates (sand) and coarse aggregates
mixed with water which hardens with time. Portland
cement is the commonly used type of cement for
production of concrete. Concrete technology deals
with study of properties of concrete and its practical
applications.
 In a building construction, concrete is used for the
construction of foundations, columns, beams, slabs
and other load bearing elements.
 There are different types of binding material is used
other than cement such as lime for lime concrete and
bitumen for asphalt concrete which is used for road
construction. Various types of cements are used for
concrete works which have different properties and
applications. Some of the types of cement are
Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC), rapid hardening
cement, Sulphate resistant cement etc.
Materials are mixed in specific proportions to obtain the
required strength. Strength of mix is specified as M5, M10,
M15, M20, M25, M30 etc., where M signifies Mix and 5,
10, 15 etc. as their strength in kN/m2. In United States,

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concrete strength is specified in PSI which is Pounds per

Square Inch

Component Of Concrete:- Components of concrete are

cement, sand, aggregates and water. Mixture of Portland
cement and water is called as paste. So, concrete can be
called as a mixture of paste, sand and aggregates.
Sometimes rocks are used instead of aggregates.
The cement paste coats the surface of the fine and coarse
aggregates when mixed thoroughly and binds them. Soon
after mixing the components, hydration reaction starts
which provides strength and a rock solid concrete is
obtained.
 Grade Of Concrete:- Grade of concrete denotes its
strength required for construction. For example, M30
grade signifies that compressive strength required for
construction is 30MPa. The first letter in grade “M” is

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the mix and 30 is the required strength in MPa. Based

on various lab tests, grade of concrete is presented in
Mix Proportions. For example, for M30 grade, the
mix proportion can be 1:1:2, where 1 is the ratio of
cement, 1 is the ratio of sand and 2 is the ratio of
coarse aggregate based on volume or weight of
materials. The strength is measured with concrete
cube or cylinders by civil engineers at construction
site. Cube or cylinders are made during casting of
structural member and after hardening it is cured for
28 days. Then compressive strength test is conducted
to find the strength. Regular grades of concrete are
M15, M20, M25 etc. For plain cement concrete
works, generally M15 is used. For reinforced concrete
construction minimum M20 grade of concrete are
used.
For Normal Grade of Concrete:-

Concrete Mix ratio Compressive strength

grade MPa(N/mm2)
M5 1:5:10 5
M7.5 1:4:8 7.5
M10 1:3:6 10
M15 1:2:4 15
M20 1:1.5:3 20

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Standard grade of concrete

Concrete Mix ratio Compressive strength

grade MPa(N/mm2)
M25 1:1:2 25
M30 Design mix 30
M35 Design mix 35
M40 Design mix 40
M45 Design mix 45

Methodology followed
(a) Batching of materials:
Volume batching is not good method for proportioning
the material because of difficulty it offers to measure
granular material in terms of volume. Volume of moist
sand is loose conditions weighs much less than the same
volume of dry compacted sand. The amount of solid
granular material in cubic meter is indefinite quantities
because of this for quality concrete materials have to
measure by weigh only.
(b) Mixing and Casting :
The properties of the material, which are used for
investigation, are presented in this section. All the
experiments that are adapted to determine characteristics
of the material are carried out as per Indian standards.
This section also includes mix design for concrete as per

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Indian standards. The casting procedure was explained

under five categories:
 Material used
 Mould details
 Preparation of mould
 Preparation of concrete
 Preparing the specimen for testing
Concrete was hand mixed and specimens were casted
using steel moulds. Specimens were demoulded 24
hours after casting and cured at 27 2°C in water until
the testing age of 28days.
(c) Curing
Concrete derives its strength by the hydration of
cement particles. The hydration of cement is not a
momentary action but a process continuing for long
time. Of course, the rate of hydration is fast to start
with, but continues over a very long time at a
decreasing rate. The quantity of the product of
hydration and consequently the amount of get formed
depends upon the extent of hydration. It has been
mentioned earlier that cement requires a w/e ratio
about 0.23 for hydration and a w/e ratio of 0.15 for
filling the voids in a gel pores. In other works, a w/c of
about 0.38 would be required to hydrate all the

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particles of cement and also to occupy the space in the

gel pores.

Testing of Photocatalytic concrete

The experimental program was designed to study the
properties of concrete with partial replacement of cement
by titanium dioxide for M20 grade of concrete. The
compressive strength of the cubes after replacing the
cement by 3% and 4% and 5% as is check for after 28 days.
For the test specimens, 53 grade ordinary Portland
cement, manufactured sand and coarse aggregate,
titanium dioxide are being utilized. The maximum size of
the coarse aggregate was limited to 20mm. The concrete
mix proportions of M20 with the water cement ratio of
0.4 were used. The concrete mix design was proposed to
achieve the compressive strength of 20MPa after 28 days
curing, in case of cubes. The concrete cubes (150mm x
150mm x 150mm), for conventional as well as other mixes
were casted. Each layer was compacted with 25 blow
using 16mm diameter rod.

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a). Compressive Strength Test

Compressive test is the most common test conducted
on hardened concrete, partly because it is an easy test to
perform, the partly because most of the desirable
characteristic properties of concrete are qualitatively
related to its compressive strength. The compressive test
is carried out on specimens cubical or cylindrical in shape.
The cube specimen is of the size 150mm x 150mm x
150mm. The test cube specimens are made as soon as
practicable after mixing and such a way as to produce full
compaction of the concrete with neither segregation nor
excessive laitance.
The concrete is filled into mould in layers approximately
50mm deep. The cubes are tested as per IS: 516-1979. The
tests are done on an electro hydraulically operated
compression-testing machine and compressive load is
applied on opposite faces axially, slowly at the rate of 140
MP a/minute. The compressive load is noted for the
ultimate failure.
In this project the cement was partially replaced by
Titanium oxide in 3%, 4 % and 5% by weight of Cement.
The Specimens were casted and cured. The Compressive
strength of Concrete was determined as per Indian
standard Specifications and the results are tabulated
under.

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Compression testing machine

S.no. %age of TiO2 7 days 14days

1. 3% 22.3 24.9
2. 4% 18.9 20.8
3. 5% 17.8 19.93

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(b) Decolorization test

In this test the concrete containing TiO2 photo catalysts
have been evaluated based on decolourization under sun
light, a standard test for self-cleaning cementious
materials. Experimental data are discussed in relation to
dye decolourization of 3%, 4% and 5% of TiO2 replaced
concrete under sunlight. On the surface of the casted
concrete cubes 1ml of Rhoda mine dye is dropped on each
cube sample and placed under direct sunlight and the
results are recorded.

The above picture samples show that the decolourization

of Rhoda mine dye occurs on the surface of the cubes
after some hours. The observation shows that the value of
decolourization increases when the percentage of TiO2
increases.
(c) Nitrogen Oxidation test

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Test In this experimental test the oxidation time of

nitrogen dioxide gas is measured for each sample with 3%,
4%, 5% of titanium dioxide. The time taken by each
sample to oxidize the nitrogen dioxide gas is found and
the conclusion is made by those results.
 PREPARATION OF NO2 GAS:
The nitrogen gas is prepared by mixing copper turnings
with concentrated nitric acid.
Cu + 4HNO3 = Cu (NO3)2 + 2NO2 + 2H2O

Future Scope
 To conduct a detailed literature review.

 To conduct a laboratory experimental program to

characterize the mechanical, transport and durability
properties of photocatalytic concrete in comparison with
conventional concrete.

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 To examine high pollution regions in Ontario (including

Toronto) and assess the interplay between pollutant
concentrations.

 To identify regions where photocatalytic concrete

infrastructure has the potential to be most effective based
on the experimental results and the literature reported
ranges for NOx abatement rates.

 To reveal the influence of environmental conditions,

particularly temperature, on the photocatalytic pollution
degradation mechanism in order to develop a correlation
between photocatalytic effectiveness and seasonal
climate.

Conclusions
When the literature studies are reviewed on self-cleaning
concretes that emerged as a result of the developments in
concrete technology, it is seen that the developments
have progressed considerably. The current knowledge
shows that the influence of adding of photocatalysts (as
nano-TiO2) in the cementitious material to be as filler or
replacing part of cement improve the performances of
self-cleaning behaviour. Photocatalysts will also remove
odours and indoor air quality, so that, the city will become
clean and beautiful. Nowadays, atmospheric pollution also
causes the external decay of buildings due to the
deposition of organic matter and contaminants.

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Environmentally friendly building materials will fulfil their

duty in reducing air pollution, one of the biggest problems
of our time. Selfcleaning concrete has a potential to keep
the city clean by reducing the air pollutants. It is obvious
that self-cleaning concrete will reduce air pollution by 30-
40%.

References
1. Aissa. A. H, E. Puzenat, A. Plassais, J. M.
Herrman, C. Haehnal and C. Guillard, 2011
Applied Catalysis B : Environmental, vol. 107, pp.
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2. Banerjee. S, D. D. Doinysiou and S. C. Pillai,
2015 Applied Catalysis B : Environmental, vol.
176, pp. 396-428.
3. Chen. J, S. C. Kou, and C. S. Poon, 2011 Building
and Environment, vol. 46, pp. 1827-1833.
4. Chusid. M, 2005 Concrete DECOR, vol.5.
5. Duan. P, C. Yan, W. Luo and W. Zhou, 2016
Construction and Building Materials, vol. 106, pp.
115-125.

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6. Feng. D, N. Xie, C. Gong, Z. Leng, H. Xiao, H.

Lui and X. Shi, 2013 Industrial and Engineering
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