Imperial researchers develop roadside barrier design to mitigate air pollution

With air pollution becoming an increasingly dangerous global health challenge, researchers are constantly working on innovating novel solutions to tackle these 21st century problems. At Imperial College London, researchers are using airflow modelling techniques to study the effects of unique roadside structures to deflect particulates away from pedestrians.

The health concerns arising from lower air quality are more significant amongst lower income communities which are more likely to be situated near heavily traffic-laden thoroughfares. Similarly, children are both more vulnerable to and more readily exposed to air pollution simply due to their proximity to the ground, where heavier pollutants settle over time. Real-time data on air pollution in London and south east England can be found on London Air, a tool run by the London Air Quality Network at Imperial.

Initially building off simple models, researchers explored ideas of urban design that would mitigate these vortex effects and improve air quality for pedestrians and especially children. Inspired by airfield baffles and the curved sound-walls alongside motorways in Germany and the Netherlands, the researchers found that curved structures would more effectively disperse and reflect pollutants back towards the roads and would very rapidly improve air quality for pedestrians in an inexpensive manner.

Read more at Imperial College London

Image Credit: Imperial College London

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