Christophe Rocca-Serra
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Inventor fighting air pollution
Efforts to slash emissions from transport typically focus on CO2 and other gasses like nitrogen dioxide. But Christophe Rocca-Serra, the founder of Tallano Technologies, has zeroed in another major contributor to air pollution: the tiny particulate matter emitted when a driver hits the brakes. The company, founded a decade ago, has invented a device to hoover up so-called non-exhaust emissions — which account for nearly a third of all polluting fine particulate matter emitted by passenger cars.
That problem is only set to grow with the shift to heavier electric vehicles, which tend to expel higher amounts of brake dust compared to traditional combustion engine cars, according to Rocca-Serra.
The Frenchman has been busy pushing that message in Brussels, lobbying EU officials to include binding targets on reducing non-exhaust emissions — rather than only tailpipe fumes — in its upcoming revision of cars, trucks and busses emissions standards legislation, known as Euro 7.
The Commission is expected to tackle brake and tire particulate matter, and Rocca-Serra could see a surge in demand for the technology he’s developed, with Tallano Technologies already being a frontrunner in the field.
The company is also working with public transport companies — notably in Paris and Seoul — to install its technology on their underground trains.
What to look out for this year? The Commission will present its revision of the EU Ambient Air Quality Directive in October, tightening maximum pollution limits outdoors. It’s also slated to present its much-awaited Euro 7 standards, which are expected to cover non-CO2 pollution from cars, trucks and buses.
What’s their superpower? A high-tech hoover for polluting brake dust.
Influence score: 14/30