JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Transportation is testing a new type of smog-eating concrete on a state road in St. Louis. Earlier this month, a contractor started pouring about a third of a mile of a road with a special concrete that has an additive of titanium dioxide. MoDOT said it believes it’s the first time the special concrete is being used in the U.S. Those places in Europe that have used it have seen a reduction of nearly 40 percent in some types of air pollution, MoDOT said. The additive absorbs smog, uses sunlight to break it down and releases it as more harmless nitrogen and carbon dioxide, MoDOT said. Because the additive is so expensive, MoDOT said the road is being poured in two layers, with a thin top layer that has the additive.
Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2 p.m.
