It turns out that the titanium dioxide that we have in our tooth paste, our natural sun block, and our white field paint is the new magic ingredient in eco building! Coating surfaces with it apparently reduces smog in the surrounding air by 50-65% and acts as a self-cleaning agent for the surface. In an article on BBC News website, they discuss a two year study in a tunnel in London that reduced the levels of smog by 65%. Alcoa recently made news with their "EcoClean" aluminum building panels that self-clean and reduce smog, but ten years ago, Italcementi, an Italian cement manufacturer was researching the effects of titanium dioxide when mixed with cement.
Today, they produce TX Active, the 37th product listed in Time Magazine's Best Inventions of 2008. Their first project was the Jubilee church in Rome, requested mainly for it's self-cleaning properties. They have since discovered the 'side effect' of reducing smog from the air. According to Time, Italcementi built several buildings with this "smog-eating" cement in their town of Segrate, Italy (just outside of Milan) and they claim that the Nitrogen oxides in the area has reduced by 60%.
There are several uses for this titanium dioxide additive. It has been combined with paint, used as a coating to glass, aluminum panels, ceramic tiles, roofing tiles and even toilets--all of which have shown a significant reduction of NOx (smog gases) in the surrounding areas. According to Alcoa, 1000 square meters of their coated panels can reduce the equivalent of smog from four cars. What and exciting discovery for the future of our smog-ridden cities.
