Air quality is a concern for us all, which is why we created the industry’s first smog-reducing shingle, using 3M™ Smog-Reducing Granules – TIME Magazine’s Top 50 Inventions of 2018.
Smog is a form of air pollution resulting from the interaction of UV sunlight with chemicals in the atmosphere like nitrogen oxides that get into the air primarily from the burning of fuel (ex. vehicle emissions).
As a gas, smog is easily inhaled, making it extremely hazardous to humans and animals, and can lead to severe health risks including lung tissue damage, bronchial infections, and heart problems.
Trees are nature’s air filters. They clean particulates out of the air and absorb pollutant gases like nitrogen oxides (NOx) by trapping them on leaves and bark.
All Malarkey shingles include 3M™ Smog-Reducing Granules. By integrating these granules, Malarkey shingles help actively reduce emission-based air pollution equivalent to planting ~2 trees per roof.*
* Approximation assuming standard roof of 30 squares. Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and 3M.
All Malarkey shingles include 3M™ Smog-Reducing Granules. These granules, which blend inconspicuously into the shingle’s color, contain a photocatalytic coating which, when activated by the UV rays of the sun, creates the energy needed to break-apart airborne water molecules (like from humidity) into their component parts (i.e., H20 breaks into H and OH).
The newly formed OH molecule, called a hydroxyl radical, seeks to bind with other molecules. When a smog-molecule gets near the roof, the OH molecule binds with it, chemically transforming it from a dangerous, inhalable gas (NO2) into a water-soluble nitrate salt solid (NO3), a plant usable form of nitrogen that washes away with rainwater as a mild fertilizer.
Dense, non-porous, mineral is the core of the granule, providing strength and long-lasting, weather-resistant durability.
Colored, ceramic coating adds lasting color vibrancy, in an array of colors, and helps defend against hail, scuffing, and UV aging.
For granules to work, they need to stay on the shingle. 3M™ adds an adhesion promoter to each granule to enhance granule adhesion, while our NEX® rubberized asphalt technology allows for deeper granule embedment, both of which help reduce granule loss.
Malarkey shingles have up to 65% greater granule retention than the industry standard specification (ASTM D3462).
UV coating acts as sunscreen to help protect the shingle from premature aging from UV sunlight.
Photocatalytic coating, when activated by the UV rays of the sun, creates the energy needed to break-apart airborne water molecules (like from humidity) into their component parts (i.e., H20 breaks into H and OH) that bind with smog molecules, transforming them from a dangerous gas to a water-soluble nitrate salt solid.