Heating, industrial processes and exhaust from vehicles are among the main factors responsible for air pollution in cities. According to the latest Legambiente report, Mal’aria 2012 (bad air 2012), this is an emergency in 67% of Italian cities (+12% compared to last year) which are outside the legal limits of PM10. But as well as particulate matter other pollutants must also be considered, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) whose threshold is 200 mcg/m3 – an hourly limit which must not be exceeded for more than 18 days/year.
These limits refer to the standards in place for air quality in the environment governed by the European Directive 2008/50/EC incorporated into Italian Law with Legislative Decree no. 155 of 13 August 2010.
To prevent and fight smog – and all the negative consequences deriving from it – action is being taken. For example, in Milan the Area C is being set up in Lombardy where measures have been put in place for updating boilers and stopping the circulation of more polluting vehicles.
But the situation is even more critical and the unhealthy air penetrates into our lungs whether we’re walking along the road or in our houses. A solution to this problem comes from research and technological innovation. There are, in fact, new materials, such as breathable tiles, which have been shown to be able to absorb pollutants and purify the air.
Recent research conducted by the University of Milan has shown that 100 m2 of White Ground Active tiles made by the GranitiFiandre group break down the same amount of NOx pollutants (nitrogen oxides and their mixtures) in six hours as the daily work of 30 trees corresponding to 22 m2 of leaf surface area. The study was carried out by simulating what happened in Milan during the month of November 2011 (Via Pascal - Città Studi Unit) and the results showed that this material can bring the pollution values back down below the threshold of 40 mcg/m3 in just over three hours. In the event of critical levels of nitrogen oxides, the tiles have even broken down the pollutant, bringing levels back below the threshold limit in 6/7 hours.
All this is due to the photocatalytic action of this material. “The Active tiles are very stable materials which, in the first place, maintain their main characteristic of hardness and resistance over time, typical of porcelain stoneware materials, but they also have new added surface properties thanks to the presence of titanium dioxide in the most external layer, which allows them to be defined as photocatalytic” commented the study supervisor Claudia Bianchi, lecturer of industrial chemistry and chemical plants.
“Products like Active - added the expert - can also be defined as self-cleaning materials". In fact, because of their proven ability to break down pollutant molecules including dirt (grease and cigarette smoke) they allow easier cleaning with just water and therefore limit the use of detergents which are also a source of pollution. “The tests carried out in my laboratories, at the University of Milan - continued Bianchi - confirmed that Active tiles can break down nitrogen oxides, hence allowing an improvement in the air that we breathe, in a relatively short timescale”.
As for the future of these materials, the manufacturer is thinking of extending the use of the product to external tiles and, in particular, increasing their use indoors “from private homes to nursery schools, schools, clinics, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, spas and gyms. In other words all the environments where an aseptic environment is required, free from pathogenic germs, bacteria, funguses, mould and microorganisms in general”, said Graziano Verdi, the President of GranitiFiandre.
This is because, as well as the anti-polluting action, “Active tiles - concluded Verdi - can break down and totally eliminate different bacterial strains such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae” with significant advantages for human health. The satisfaction with the product is so high that GranitiFiandre expects it to reach at least 10% of the total sales of Fiandre and Iris Ceramica branded materials in 2012.
Via Virgilio GoGreen
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