Dear fellow bloggers,
About two weeks ago we hopped on the bus, all acting like elated schoolchildren going on a trip, and we headed for Kapelle-op-den-Bos. We took off for another informative business visit at Eternit, a Belgian company founded in 1905 which is known for its roof covering (e.g. roofing slates) and wallboards. They gave us a presentation and a guided tour of the factory. During the presentation, the slates called Activa, which are equipped with an air purifying layer, struck my eye.
How does it work exactly? The tiles are equipped with photocatalysts, which are activated by the UV content in daylight. These photocatalysts interact with harmful nitrogen oxides (NOX) in the air and help in converting them into innocuous nitrates (NO-3). While raining, these nitrates are washed off the roof.
This process repeats countless times, for as long as your roof exists. During the average life span of a roof covered with Activa slates, this brilliant roofing material will clean an amount of air equivalent to the amount of harmful exhaust fumes a car emits during a 160 000 kilometres cycle.
The way I see it, these tiles could mean an important step towards living more green. It would partially compensate for the environmental pollution the human race causes. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the tiles, which cover thousands of buildings and we need for protecting our houses anyway, would have the gift to clean the air?
Eline Moens
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