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PROVEN ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

Testing shows how Auranox gives back to the environment

Auranox tiles were tested by the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (IBP), member of the Fraunhofer Association – Europe’s largest organisation for applied research. With the environment as one of their major research initiatives, the Fraunhofer IBP thoroughly tested Auranox tiles to determine their real impact on the environment through their ability to break down nitrogen oxide gases.

The test

The Fraunhofer IBP testing had two main purposes: 1) to help MONIER developers test and compare the performance of various roof tile surfaces formulated from titanium dioxide (TiO2), a non-toxic mineral found in nature, and 2) to calculate the effect of the TiO2-based surfaces on NO, a harmful air pollutant mainly resulting from the combustion process found in engines and heating systems.

To conduct the test, the roof tiles were placed in a chamber with a steady flow of air polluted by NO. The amount of NO in the airstream was measured at the entrance to the chamber to determine the level of NO pollution to which the Auranox tiles were exposed. Once the roof tiles were in the chamber long enough to become saturated with NO, the tiles were exposed to UV light. This resulted in a photo-catalytic reaction where the TiO2 Auranox surface naturally degraded the NO molecules. A final measurement of the NO level was taken at the exit of the chamber to survey the air following its exposure to Auranox tiles under UV light.

The result was a significantly reduced amount of NO pollution compared to the level in the airstream entering the chamber. Developers were also able to see which TiO2-based surface formula was best for Auranox tiles.

HOW THE SELECTED AURANOX TiO2-BASED SURFACE FORMULA PERFORMED

How the selected Auranox TiO2-based surface formula performed
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TiO2-BASED SURFACE FORMULAS TESTED BY FRAUNHOFER IBP

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TiO2-based surface forumlas tested by Fraunhofer IBP
The black line shows the NO parts per billion (ppb) entering the chamber through the airstream. The other lines show the NO measurements at the exit of the chamber for each different surface formula. The greatest decrease in NO levels occurred when the tiles were exposed to UV light (orange columns).

As seen in the graph to the left, the surface formula selected for Auranox roof tiles degraded a significant amount of NO molecules when exposed to UV light within the chamber. The orange line demonstrates the NO ppb entering the chamber, and the green line shows the amount of NO molecules exiting the chamber, which was lowest during the UV light exposure periods.