Ben Bahlenhorst
Zheng Fu
Joe Hill
Ian Laird
Long Nguyen
Binh Phan
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Introduction
 Smog-Eating Tiles: Compostable tiles created by
Boral that absorb smog in areas that harbor large
quantities of inhabitants
 Purpose: inform the reader about the costs and
benefits of smog-eating tiles in areas that have high
levels of smog
 Benefits the
environment, and
human health in
densely populated
metropolises
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How They Work
 Tiles are coated with titanium dioxide
 In sunlight, the titanium dioxide reacts with the
nitrogen oxides, which breaks them down into calcium
nitrate:
TiO2 + NOx + Sunlight = Ca(NO3)2
 Calcium nitrates do not harm human health. These
substance are left on tiles, and washed off when it rains
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How They Work
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Costs
 Initial costs average about 25% more than
traditional tiles
 Installation costs do not differ from
traditional tiles
 Removal costs are also the same, but
transportation to a recycling facility add
additional costs
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Subsidize
 Local government should provide tax cuts to
those who purchase smog eating roofs
 A tax on traditional roof tiles and
maintenance will pay for the tax incentive
 This makes smog eating tiles the cheaper
option
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Benefits
 Reduced smog pollution in densely
populated areas
 Nitrates: great for surrounding plant life
 Keeps homes warm in the winter and cool in
the summer
 Human health will increase considerably
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Lifespan
 Compostable materials are durable
 Tiles last for an average of 25 years before
they need to be replaced
 Half as long as traditional tile life
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Disposal
 Need to be replaced just as
wood or asphalt
 However, concrete tiles are replaced less
often
 They will not clog landfills like other
roofing materials
 Tiles can be recycled and made into new
tiles, or infrastructure
 They benefit the environment
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Conclusion
 Benefits outweigh the costs
 Smog level reduction creates a healthier
environment and inhabitants
 Tiles reduce home heating and cooling
costs
 Recyclable tiles mitigate the amount of
landfill waste
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Questions?
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Works Cited

Benefits of concrete roofing tile recycling. (2008, October 20). Retrieved from http://www.boralna.com/rooftiles/concrete-recyclingbenefits.asp

Emission Standards Reference Guide. Retrieved from
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/standards/light-duty/ld-cff.htm

Levinson, R. (2007). Cooler tile-roofed buildings with near-infrared-reflective non-white coatings. Building and Environment, 42(7), doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2006.06.005

Palmer, J. (2011, November 12). 'smog-eating' material breaking into the big time. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/scienceenvironment-15694973

Peters, J. (2011, February 1). Los angeles homes going green with smog-eating roof tiles. Retrieved from http://www.homejane.com/los-angeleshomes-going-green-with-smog-eating-roof-tiles.html

Renowden, J. (2012, July 19). Smog-eating tile: A real-world product for reducing the harmful health effects of contaminated air. Retrieved from
http://www.rci-online.org/interface/2012-01-renowden.pdf

Renowden, J. (2011, July 12). Smog eating tile with boralpure™ technology. Retrieved from http://www.boralna.com/rooftiles/smog-eatingtile.asp

Titanium dioxide used to reduce no levels in. (2011, April 1). Retrieved from
http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c3a3e876-00b6-4abf-a84f-bb2444cfe6a4@sessionmgr10&vid=2&hid=5

Verwymeren, A. (2011, September 12). Smog-eating tiles may make pollution a thing of the past. Retrieved from
http://www.networx.com/article/smog-eating-tiles-may-make-pollution-a-t

What is photocatalyst. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.photocoat.com/What_is_Photocatalyst.html
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