Assessing the Feasibility of Removing Graffiti from Railway Vehicles Using Ultra-Freezing Air Projection
Source abstract
Abstract
Unauthorised graffiti is a challenge in urban environments, affecting railway structures, stations, tracks, and vehicles. Inefficient cleaning methods increase the costs and downtime of railcars, limiting passenger transport. In turn, they are harmful to the operator’s health and the environment, due to the VOCs they release. This study focuses on the feasibility of dry-ice blasting, replacing carbon dioxide with ambient air as an innovative and sustainable solution to remove graffiti from rail vehicles. Experimental tests have been carried out with 13 different aerosols, controlling the temperature (<−80 °C), pressure (up to 3 bar), projection distance (0.5 cm) and exposure times (30″/1′/2′/4′/6′/8′/++). The results showed that ultra-freezing with ambient air preserved the integrity of the support materials and altered the topography, colourimetry and adhesion of the aerosols tested, achieving the total removal of one of the paints. Preliminary results suggest that ultra-freezing with ambient air could be a viable and sustainable solution for graffiti removal on railway structures, transferable to other urban environments.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Smart Materials for Construction · Fire dynamics and safety research · Public Spaces through Art
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Department of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, Faculty of Fine Arts, Polytechnic University of Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Instituto Universitario de Restauración del Patrimonio, Polytechnic University of Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain
CMT—Clean Mobility & Thermofluids, Polytechnic University of Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Funding
Vice-Rectorate for Research of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (PAID-11-22) · ISTOBAL Chair of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) · European Union
References (67)
Show source-provided references
1. Acercamiento a la evolución histórica y tecnológica de los materiales pictóricos
2. “Our desires are ungovernable” Writing graffiti in urban space10.1177/1362480606065908 ↗
3. From broken windows to a renovated research agenda: A review of the literature on vandalism and graffiti in the rail industry10.1016/j.tra.2012.04.002 ↗
4. Identification of Influencing Factors of Graffiti Occurrence at Nevada State Highway Bridges and Soundwalls10.1061/(ASCE)IS.1943-555X.0000368 ↗
5. Moura, A.R., Flores-Colen, I., and de Brito, J. (2014, January 11–12). Analysis of graffiti removal techniques and anti-graffiti products for porous materials. Proceedings of the Hydrophobe VII—7th International Conference on Water Repellent Treatment and Protective Surface Technology for Building Materials, Lisbon, Portugal.
6. Roviello, V., Gilhen-Baker, M., and Roviello, G.N. (2023). Graffiti Paint on Urban Trees: A Review of Removal Procedures and Ecological and Human Health Considerations. Sustainability, 15.10.3390/su15054022 ↗
7. Broken Windows
8. Spatio-temporal analysis of graffiti occurrence in an inner-city urban environment10.1016/j.apgeog.2012.10.002 ↗
9. The right to stay: Exploring graffiti and street art as political representations against touristification in Lisbon
10. Sustainable Grafiti Management Solutions for Public Areas
11. Legal Walls and Professional Paths: The Mobilities of Graffiti Writers in Sydney10.1177/0042098012468894 ↗
12. Sanmartín, P., and Bosch-Roig, P. (2019). Biocleaning to Remove Graffiti: A Real Possibility? Advances towards a Complete Protocol of Action. Coatings, 9.10.3390/coatings9020104 ↗
13. (2024, February 06). Graffiti Costs UK Over £100 Million Every Year. Marketers Media Newsroom. Available online: https://news.marketersmedia.com/graffiti-costs-uk-over-100-million-every-year/88901842.
14. Medina, F. (2024, February 13). El Coste de Limpiar los Grafitis se Dispara en Madrid: Más de 10.000 Euros al Día. El Mundo. Available online: https://www.elmundo.es/madrid/2019/09/01/5d6a92fafc6c83ee4c8b4571.html.
15. Killen, A., Coxon, S., and Napper, R. (2017, January 27–29). A Review of the Literature on Mitigation Strategies for Vandalism in Rail Environments. Proceedings of the 39th Australasian Transport Research Forum (ATRF), Auckland, New Zealand.
16. Behavioral and organizational interventions to prevent trespass and graffiti vandalism on railway property10.1177/0954409716675004 ↗
17. Conceptual Progress in Understanding Fear of Crime in Railway Stations10.17575/rpsicol.v21i2.370 ↗
18. Enever, P. (2013, January 26–28). Cutting graffiti costs through Queensland Rail prevention and management. Proceedings of the AusRAIL PLUS 2013, Driving the Costs out of Rail, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
19. Rodríguez, J. (2024, February 06). Entre 15 y 25 Millones de Euros Anuales: El Coste de los Grafitis en los Trenes de Renfe. El Confidencial. Available online: https://www.elconfidencial.com/espana/2019-02-21/juicios-grafiteros-trenes-renfe-aumentaron_1839774/.
20. (2024, February 06). Renfe Gasta 25 Millones de Euros al Año en Evitar y Limpiar Grafitis en Sus Trenes. Europa Press. Available online: https://www.europapress.es/economia/noticia-renfe-gasta-25-millones-euros-ano-evitar-limpiar-grafitis-trenes-20181116140347.html.
21. Rovira, M. (2023, July 18). Los Grafitis en los Trenes en Cataluña Cuestan 6.5 Millones de Euros a Renfe. EL PAÍS. Available online: https://elpais.com/espana/catalunya/2021-01-19/los-grafitis-en-los-trenes-cuestan-65-millones-de-euros-a-renfe.html.
22. Morales, E. (2023, July 18). Renfe Adjudica un Macrocontrato de Más de 400 Millones Para Limpiar Estaciones y Grafitis. The Objective Media S.L. Available online: https://theobjective.com/economia/2023-01-07/renfe-contrato-millones-grafitis-celse-acciona/.
23. (2024, February 06). Removing Graffiti from Trains Cost SNCB €6 Million in 2020. The Brussels Times. Available online: https://www.brusselstimes.com/177167/removing-graffiti-from-trains-cost-sncb-e6-million-in-2020.
24. Wighton, D. (2024, February 06). Graffiti en Trenes: Cómo Aborda ALEMANIA su Problema de 38 Millones de Euros. The Local de. Available online: https://www-thelocal-de.translate.goog/20190510/train-graffiti-how-germany-is-tackling-its-38-million-problem?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=es&_x_tr_hl=es&_x_tr_pto=sc.
25. Jardim, V. (2024, February 06). Graffiti Criminals Costing $30 m, Delaying Commuters—And Risking Death. 9 News. Available online: https://www.9news.com.au/national/graffiti-criminals-sydney-trains-cost-delays-death-and-injuries/849054e6-9287-45ef-b78f-f6985130df56.
26. Effectiveness of Anti-Graffiti Coatings used in Rolling Stock10.21741/9781644901038-34 ↗
27. TeleMadrid (2024, February 06). Así se Limpian los Grafitis de los Trenes de Cercanías de Madrid. Available online: https://www.telemadrid.es/programas/telenoticias-1/limpian-grafitis-cuestan-RENFE-millones-2-2097110309--20190221030903.html.
28. Air and biological monitoring of solvent exposure during graffiti removal10.1007/s004200000157 ↗
29. Acute health effects common during graffiti removal10.1007/s004200000211 ↗
30. Instituto Nacional de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo (2024, February 28). ICSC 0360-HIDRÓXIDO DE SODIO. Available online: https://www.ilo.org/dyn/icsc/showcard.display?p_version=2&p_card_id=0360&p_lang=es.
31. Cost and Benefit Evaluation of Graffiti Countermeasures on the Nevada Highways
32. García García, M., González Arrieta, M.A., Rodríguez González, S., Márquez-Sánchez, S., and Da Silva Ramos, C.F. Graffiti Identification System Using Low-Cost Sensors. Int. J. Interact. Multimed. Artif. Intell., 2023. in press.10.9781/ijimai.2023.05.001 ↗
33. Willcocks, M., Malpass, M., and Toylan, G. (2024, February 19). D2.1 Graffiti Vandalism in Public Areas and Transport Report and Categorisation Model. Available online: http://project.graffolution.eu.
34. Behaviour of different removers on permanent anti-graffiti organic coatings10.1016/j.jobe.2015.12.004 ↗
35. Recent developments in the anti-graffiti coatings: An attentive review10.1007/s11998-021-00580-z ↗
36. Rossi, S., Fedel, M., Petrolli, S., and Deflorian, F. (2017). Characterization of the Anti-Graffiti Properties of Powder Organic Coatings Applied in Train Field. Coatings, 7.10.3390/coatings7050067 ↗
37. CyreneTM, a Sustainable Solution for Graffiti Paint Removal10.3390/suschem4020012 ↗
38. Quann, J. (2024, February 06). Irish Rail Looking at Innovative Ways to Remove Graffiti. News Talk. Available online: https://www.newstalk.com/news/irish-rail-looking-at-innovate-ways-to-remove-graffiti-1163975.
39. Renfe (2024, February 06). “¿Cuánto Tiempo Crees Que Lleva Limpiar un Tren de Grafitis? #LaObraMásCara”. Available online: https://twitter.com/renfe/status/1101421890835566592.
40. (2024, February 06). Esto nos Cuestan los Grafitis: 6.5 Millones en 2020 Para Limpiar Pintadas en Rodalies. Metrópoli Abierta-El Español. Available online: https://metropoliabierta.elespanol.com/informacion-municipal/20210119/esto-nos-cuestan-los-grafitis-millones-en-para-limpiar-pintadas-rodalies/552444952_0.html.
41. Cryogenics as an advanced method of cleaning cultural heritage. Challenges and solutions
42. Applications of dry vapor steam cleaning technique for removal of surface contaminants
43. Applications of Solid Carbon Dioxide (Dry Ice) Pellet Blasting for Removal of Surface Contaminants
44. Dry-ice blasting for cleaning: Process, optimization and application10.1016/S0043-1648(99)00204-5 ↗
45. Dzido, A., and Krawczyk, P. (2023). Abrasive Technologies with Dry Ice as a Blasting Medium. Energies, 16.10.3390/en16031014 ↗
46. Máša, V., Horňák, D., and Petrilák, D. (2021). Industrial use of dry ice blasting in surface cleaning. J. Clean. Prod., 329.10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129630 ↗
47. Vehicle-based cryogenic rail cleaning: An alternative solution to “leaves on the line”
48. Carbon dioxide snow cleaning of paper10.1186/s40494-021-00622-0 ↗
49. Eco-innovation in the cleaning process: An application of dry ice blasting in automotive painting industry10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122987 ↗
50. Environmental Evaluation of Abrasive Blasting with Sand, Water, and Dry Ice
51. Suárez Koch, J.J. (2022, July 29). Estudio de Prefactibilidad Para La Instalación de Un Servicio de Limpieza Criogénica Con Hielo Seco Para El Sector de Generación de Energía Eléctrica. Universidad de Lima. Available online: https://repositorio.ulima.edu.pe/bitstream/handle/20.500.12724/11574/Su%c3%a1rez_Koch_Jimena_Josceline.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.
52. Desantes, J.M., Benajes, J.V., Broatch, J.A., Galindo, L.J., Serrano, C.J.R., Olmeda, G.P.C., Dolz, R.V., and Fernandez, B.M. (2022, October 27). ES2747856 (A1). Espacenet. Available online: https://lp.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=lp.espacenet.com&II=0&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=es_LP&FT=D&date=20200311&CC=ES&NR=2747856A1&KC=A1.
53. Desantes, J.M., Benajes, J.V., Broatch, J.A., Galindo, L.J., Serrano, C.J.R., Olmeda, G.P.C., Dolz, R.V., and Fernandez, B.M. (2024, April 11). WO2021123484 (A1). Espacenet. Available online: https://lp.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/originalDocument?FT=D&date=20210624&DB=lp.espacenet.com&locale=es_LP&CC=WO&NR=2021123469A1&KC=A1&ND=4.
54. Experimental Assessment of a Reverse Brayton Cycle Based on Automotive Turbochargers and E-Chargers for Cryogenic Applications
55. Marazioti, V., Douvas, A.M., Katsaros, F., Koralli, P., Chochos, C., Gregoriou, V.G., Boyatzis, S., and Facorellis, Y. (2023). Chemical characterisation of artists’ spray-paints: A diagnostic tool for urban art conservation. Spectrochim. Acta A Mol. Biomol. Spectrosc., 291.10.1016/j.saa.2023.122375 ↗
56. A multi-analytical approach for precise identification of alkyd spray paints and for a better understanding of their ageing behaviour in graffiti and urban artworks10.1016/j.jaap.2022.105576 ↗
57. Montana Colors, S.L. (2024, February 23). MTN 94. Available online: https://www.montanacolors.com/downloads/TDS_MTN_94_EN_23.pdf.
58. Montana Colors, S.L. (2024, February 23). Hardcore. Available online: https://www.montanacolors.com/downloads/TDS_MTN_Hardcore_EN.pdf.
59. Montana Colors, S.L. (2024, February 23). WATER BASED. Available online: https://www.montanacolors.com/downloads/TDS_MTN_WaterBased_400_EN.pdf.
60. Montana-Cans (2024, February 16). MONTANA TARBLACK 600 ML. Available online: www.montana-cans.com/en/spray-cans/montana-spray-paint/black-50ml-600ml-graffiti-paint/montana-tarblack-600ml.
61. Montana Colors, S.L. (2024, February 23). Nitro 2G Negro. Available online: https://www.montanacolors.com/downloads/TDS_MTN_Nitro%202G_ES.pdf.
62. Neurtek Instruments (2024, April 11). Corte Enrejado. Ensayo de Adherencia. Available online: https://www.neurtek.com/descargas/neurtek_corte_enrejado_es.pdf.
63. (2020). Paints and Varnishes—Cross-Cut Test (Standard No. ISO 2409:2020). Available online: https://www.iso.org/standard/76041.html.
64. Tesa® (2024, April 11). Tesa® 4024. Poliolefina High Tack. Available online: https://www.tesa.com/es-es/industria/tesa-4024-poliolefina-high-tack.html.
65. AENOR (2024, February 23). UNE-EN 15886 Conservación del Patrimonio Cultural. Métodos de Ensayo. Medición del Color de Superficies. Available online: www.aenor.es.
66. Konica Minolta, Inc (2024, April 11). Espectrofotómetro CM-2600d/2500d. Available online: https://www.konicaminolta.com/instruments/download/instruction_manual/color/pdf/cm-2600d-2500d_instruction_spa.pdf.
67. Hardeberg, J.Y. (2001). Acquisition and Reproduction of Color Images: Colorimetric and Multispectral, Dissertation.com.