How it Works

Sunlight interacts with granules to convert smog into water-soluble ions.

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.