As the UK is warned by the Supreme Court that it must act to meet failing air pollution targets, Marley Eternit is urging the new Government to consider the use of photocatalytic technology on roads and buildings as part of its new air pollution plan.

The roofing and facades manufacturer suggests the UK could follow the lead of other countries such as Japan and the Netherlands by using the pollution absorbing technology to effectively ‘eat’ excess levels of nitrogen dioxide and nitric oxide (NOx) in the air.

Gavin White, product manager at Marley Eternit, explains: “The UK is in breach of its air pollution targets in 16 areas, mainly busy cities. The Government has been warned that it must reduce the amount of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) the UK produces and submit a plan outlining how it will do this by the end of 2015. The first area to address is clearly the polluter itself – mainly vehicles, particularly diesels. It is likely therefore that the Government plan will already include measures such as low emission zones, incentivising the use of cleaner technology in vehicles and reducing the amount of car journeys we make.


“It sounds incredulous but the technology exists right now to use photocatalytic coatings on roof tiles to ‘eat’ pollution from the air but we are the only manufacturer that does it. In fact, we launched our pollution eating roof tile, EcoLogic, back in 2007, which means not only is it readily available but it is also affordable and uses 50% recycled materials. It is already used by some local authorities on their housing stock to improve air quality in the local area.”

The external coating on Ecologic tiles contains titanium dioxide which speeds up the naturally occurring nitrogen cycle. The coating reacts with asthma-causing nitrogen oxides in the air to convert them to nitric acid, which is then neutralised to form calcium nitrate, a liquid fertiliser that is harmless to the environment (and, in fact, can even help to fertilise a garden). Tests show that the coating is expected to continue absorbing pollutants for around 25 years.


The data from other applications of photocatalytic technology also backs this up. The technology is already used in cement on pavements in countries such as Japan, America and the Netherlands to cut pollution at the roadside. A study of busy roadways in the Netherlands found that photocatalytic concrete decreased NOx levels by 25% up to as much as 45% in ideal weather conditions.

