Air Pollution from High-rise Construction in Rotterdam: Comparison of black carbon (BC), ultrafine (UFP)and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) ambient concentrations from conventional and biobased (Cross-Laminated Timber CLT) construction methods

This research addresses the challenge of climate change and air quality, focusing on the construction industry's impact in the Netherlands. The construction sector, a significant source of air pollution, necessitates sustainable practices for mitigating the effects of climate change and reducing pollutants. The study emphasises the need for...

Reducing the indoor exposure to traffic emissions: Study and concept design of air purification systems for the façades of high-rise buildings in industrialized urban environments

The problem for which solutions are proposed in this report is ambient air pollution, which causes health risks for people living indoors worldwide. This research focuses on the two Major Air Pollutants nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, that cause the most problems now and in the future.<br/><br/>The starting point of this research is to...

Trench Siltation near the ETM of a Well-mixed Estuary

To exploit its socio-economic functions, engineering measures are regularly applied in estuaries. Estuaries are, however, known to be very complex systems. Stemming from this complexity is the generation of a so-called estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM), which poses great siltation problems to the engineering measures. An engineering measure,...

Calibration of optical backscatter sensor for measurements of sediment transport through the Marsdiep inlet

In highly dynamic and vulnerable tidal systems such as the Wadden Sea, the importance of understanding natural processes and how they are hampered by anthropogenic pressure is highly demanding. Within these processes the sediment transport is one of the most challenging movements to be monitored. With this in mind, suspended particulate matter ...

Correction Model for Particulate Matter Measurements with a Low-Cost Sensor Network in Rotterdam

Low-cost air quality sensors can fill gaps between the sparse measurements done with high-quality national monitoring grids and might contribute to creating a more complete understanding of air pollution in an urban area. However, until there is no agreement on what degree of sensor accuracy is acceptable, the sensor data quality should be...

Suspended Sediment Modelling in the Port of Rotterdam

This Master thesis presents an improved model for the transport of fine suspended sediment (SPM) in the Rhine region of fresh water influence (ROFI) and in the Port of Rotterdam. It is known that the transport of SPM in the Rotterdam harbor depends on marine as well as fluvial processes. SPM transport inside the harbor has been modelled in the...

Pollution dispersion from highways: Enhancing particulate matter capture using aerodynamics

People living or working close to the highways are at risk to higher exposure levels of different air pollutants, one of which is particulate matter. The Antea group has recently proposed the addition of Electrostatic Precipitators (or ESPs) on the top of sound barriers adjacent to highways, in order to capture the particulate matter and safely...

Dirty cities, fresh schools

Schools have developed into institutions with more functions besides solely education. This poses new demands on school buildings. One of them is a good accessibility by car. Therefore, schools could benefit from being placed along roads with big capacities. The obvious counterpart is the risk of health. Above everything else, children should be...

The design of a sustainable fence for Heras

Background: The emerging ‘green’ economy lets Heras, Dutch market leader in outside security, respond by re-considering its position in the market. To remain market leader, a company should invest in innovation to be one step ahead of the competition, in this case by implementing sustainability. Results: Field research, a life cycle assessment...

The Living Bridge

The intention of cities is to grow closer and closer to their highways. The positive side is that it increases the mobility of the inhabitants because they are close to the infrastructure. However till now the highway is often not really implemented in the urban plan, but is more a separated element, which cuts through the landscape. This is...