By Tessa Salazar
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Filed Under: Science & Technology
KNOXOUT, WHICH IS claimed as the world’s first “air cleaning” paint, has garnered the Chemrez Green Chemistry Award in the concluded 2009 National Invention Contest and Exhibits organized by the Department of Science and Technology. The award, sponsored by Chemrez Technologies Inc., was held at the Philippine Trade and Training Center in Pasay City.

This air-cleaning paint supposedly contains a photo catalytic titanium dioxide which, upon exposure to light, transforms ordinary water vapor into free radicals that break down Nitrous oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

‘Air-cleaning’ paint

The development of an “air cleaning” paint such as KnoxOut together with the subsequent recognition of the technology underlines the importance of addressing the worsening air pollution in Metro Manila. As vehicular traffic is seen to increase in 2010, what naturally follows is an already heavily polluted city, which will have to suffer even increased levels of air pollution, or smog, caused by combustion emissions from the millions of vehicles.

How much air pollution is there swirling around the city? At the Guadalupe MRT station, for instance, a device measuring the levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx)—toxic fumes formed at the high temperatures of internal combustion engines—gives a reading of over 200 micrograms per cubic meter. That’s five times over the safe levels of 40 micrograms set by the World Health Organization.

And that reading was taken two months after. Imagine how much more that would have increased by now.

But then, a few months ago, just as the device was installed, the Boysen Paints team also started painting the 3-story Guadalupe MRT station with its KnoxOut NOx-filtering paint.

The early results showed that at this section alone, the KnoxOut could “suck” out 1.3 tons of NOx a year from the air in the area, in effect making the Guadualupe MRT station the biggest “air-purifying station” in the world.
18 passive samplers

Conexo, a Swedish environmental project management company that oversaw the test, revealed that it used 18 passive samplers attached to the polluted areas, near heavy pedestrian traffic, and in the tunnels. These passive samplers were also fitted with NOx monitors. Traffic densities were estimated by the National Center of Transportation Studies, with meteorological assistance from the Manila Observatory.

The accumulated data were then sent to the Philippine Institute for Pure and Applied Chemistry (Pipac) at the Ateneo de Manila University for analysis.

Johnson Ongking, vice president of Pacific Paints (Boysen) Philippines Inc., said that while the coating industry has been focused on reducing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of their paint formula, KnoxOut actually takes VOCs out of the air, effectively moving the benchmark from eco-friendly paints to eco-active paints.

KnoxOut aims to prove in its study that it can convert NOx into harmless substances with the help of UV light and moisture.

Special ingredient

It has a special ingredient-air cleaning titanium dioxide (TiO2), often referred to as a photocatalyst. When activated by light, it speeds up chemical reaction that turns ordinary water vapor into free radicals that attack NOx and VOCs, the two components of smog and transform them into harmless substances.

KnoxOut is developed by Pacific Paint (Boysen) Philippines.

NOx are highly reactive gases that have hazardous effects on health and the environment. They form smog or ground level ozone and small particulate matter that can cause respiratory problems and lead to corrosive acid rain.