by Brianna Crandall — May 13, 2011—Alcoa launched Reynobond with EcoClean, touted as the first coil-coated architectural panel that helps clean itself and the air around it, on May 12 at the AIA 2011 National Convention and Design Exposition in New Orleans. This “game-changing” product was created by merging breakthrough innovations in science and design from Alcoa and Japanese manufacturer TOTO.
Reynobond with EcoClean is an economically viable self-cleaning technology that reduces maintenance costs and helps with the decomposition of smog and other pollutants, from dirt to diesel fumes, which cling to building surfaces. In fact, 10,000 square feet of Reynobond with EcoClean has enough cleansing power to offset the smog created by the pollution output of four cars every day, which is the approximate air cleansing power of 80 trees, claims Alcoa.
Alcoa scientists developed a proprietary process that leverages patented Hydrotect technology from TOTO to apply a titanium dioxide coating, called EcoClean, to the pre-painted aluminum surface of Reynobond. The result is a sustainable aluminum panel that, when combined with sunlight, acts as a catalyst to break down organic pollutants on its surface and in the air around it, like smog, into harmless matter that is then washed away by rainwater.
