Word: cementing
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There's a man here who wants to say one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening? Cement. As head of research and development for Italcementi, Enrico Borgarello knows cement isn't considered the most high-tech--or environmentally friendly--of products. But under his direction, the Bergamo-based Italian company has developed a substance that could turn an ordinary building into a weapon against air pollution...
...called TX Active, and it's an additive for cement that literally eats surrounding smog. "When light shines on TX, the material becomes active and neutralizes surrounding pollutants like nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide," says Borgarello. According to tests conducted by Italcementi, which spent more than a decade and $10 million developing the product, TX can reduce local air pollutants from 20% to 70%, depending on sunlight levels and wind. (It also adds as much as 20% to the cost of the cement.) Cover 15% of the exposed surfaces of a city like Milan, Borgarello estimates, and you could...
...needed to determine just how effective TX Active is over the long term. So-called catalytic agents can lose their power over time. But Italcementi is already marketing it in the U.S. and Europe.The biggest potential, however, could be in rapidly growing countries like India and China. With annual cement demand expected to exceed 1 billion tons in China alone by 2008, building materials will have an enormous effect on changing urban environments. "We want to show that cement can contribute to the reduction of pollution," says Borgarello. "We can deal with problems that every city faces." As he said...
...those viewing the war in Iraq from afar, reports from inside the Green Zone can make this ravaged city look almost serene. Protected on two sides by the wide, caramel-colored waters of the Tigris and surrounded by high cement walls, the 4-sq.-mi. Green Zone (officially called the International Zone) sits in the middle of Baghdad and is home to thousands of people, including many members of the Iraqi government. Since the ouster of Saddam Hussein, the Green Zone has been the seat of U.S. power in Iraq, first in the form of the ill-fated Coalition Provisional...
...windowless shop through large Gothic doors in the front or a cloud-festooned hallway that leads from the rear parking lot. Classic Diesel design aspects, such as the worn-in, vintage atmosphere of other locations, have been discarded in favor of unique lighting techniques and product displays. The stark cement floor gives way to a decorative metal-studded wood-marquetry design near the entrance. In addition, men's and women's clothing and accessories will be dedicated to the brand's most fashion-forward looks. But jeans devotees needn't worry: Diesel's signature denim bar will have a large...