In America buildings are responsible for some 40% of energy use. Considering this figure, it would make a lot of sense if they were able to contribute to cleaning the air.
"Reyobond with EcoClean" is a new coating by Alcoa, an American company that produces aluminium panels for the construction industry. When this Reyobond with EcoClean is applied to aluminium panels, the titanium dioxide coating interacts with sunlight to break down the nitrogen oxide compound which causes smog. The nitrogen oxide is broken down into an innocuous substance that washes off the building with rain water.
Alcoa believes that 3 000 square metres of aluminium panels can same the same air-cleaning effect as 80 trees, which translates to great number of panels to really reduce pollution. A mammoth task perhaps, but every little bit helps.
Photo: Olympic Village, Vancouver, with Alcoa aluminium panels, courtesy Flickr user Payton Chung.
