Pollution-Absorbing Paint Cleaning Up the Air in Manila

Manila is one of the top five dirtiest cities when it comes to air pollution. Residents have high rates of asthma and air pollution is responsible for about 4,000 deaths a year. The city is trying to tackle the problem with an innovative solution -- paint.

The city has begun using a paint called Boysen KNOxOUT that is able to filter out nitrogen oxides from the air. The chemical within the paint reacts with sunlight and water vapor making it absorb NOx at a rate of about 20 percent. The city is also taking a beautifying approach by not just slathering the paint on surfaces, but by using it to paint murals along the main highway in Manila, putting the paint right at the source of much of the smog while also making it a more attractive place.

The scientists that developed the paint say that one square foot of the paint absorbs the same amount of pollution as a full-grown tree. The city is painting 11,000 square feet of murals, which means the city will see the same air quality benefits as if they planted 11,000 trees. Cities in the U.S., especially somewhere like Los Angeles that suffers from its own heavy share of smog, could benefit from a little of this paint as well.

via BBC

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written by Sam, April 23, 2012

Yes! Finally! I love seeing things that decrease worldsuck happen in my city. smilies/cheesy.gif

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written by Gripp, April 24, 2012

What happens when the paint is saturated and needs to be re-applied. Do they just paint over the top of the old surface, do they scrape off the old paint and properly dispose of it?

This sounds like a cute idea but I reckon it is all smoke and mirrors and smacks of a politics rather than science.

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written by Boysen KNOxOUT Philippines, April 24, 2012

Thanks so much for helping us spread the word about Boysen KNOxOUT and the urban renewal initiative The EDSA Project (Everyone Deserves Safe Air).

Just to tell you a bit more about the project, the medium used in the art works is Boysen KNOxOUT –the first air-cleaning paint in the which has been proven to transform 10 cars worth of emissions per square meter painted. Eight walls measuring 1000sqm each along the nearly 24-kilometer stretch of historic EDSA will be repainted using the paint. Each art work is expected to purify the emissions of 10,000 cars everyday.

You can also check out these sites for more info: http://knoxoutpaints.com/ and http://edsa.me/

Mr
written by Andy, April 24, 2012

Trees can live for decades or centuries, provide an ecosystem for hundreds or thousands of creature and have a use at their end of life. As good a technical innovation as this paint is, providing jobs and wealth on the way, in my opinion, it can't beat a more natural solution.

Every little counts though.

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written by Jane, April 29, 2012

Good post! Good to know such products help our environment from pollution. Thanks for the good information. =)

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written by Evaldas, May 03, 2012

I'd like to start by answering to Andy. Unless you're ready to donate the land under your house to trees, your argument goes invalid. We have to account to the growing population and "paint over trees" is pretty much the only way forward. What I am concerned about too, is what happens after the pollution is absorbed? Does the "art work" grows and needs to be removed at certain periods or what?

Pollution-Absorbing Paint Cleaning Up the Air in Manila
written by jocuri, June 02, 2012

Manila is so poluated..

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Pollution-Absorbing Paint Cleaning Up the Air in Manila

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