FMG Fabbrica Marmi e Graniti has launched Active Clean Air & Antibacterial Ceramic™, the innovative production methodology applied to porcelain slabs, which removes up to 70% of the pollutants from the air.

An innovative method, its effect confirmed by the Tile Council of North America and Centro Ceramico Bologna, which gives FMG porcelain slabs anti-pollutant, self-cleaning and antibacterial properties, allowing the use for indoor and outdoor coverings of a new ceramic material treated with an active substance with antibacterial properties, capable of reducing the level of pollution and nitrogen oxide in the atmosphere.

Below we summarise the results of the research published by Centro Ceramico Bologna on 23 July 2009, which reveal the following:

Photocatalytic activity in liquid phase: photo degradation index η%
Ceramic slab without photocatalytic coating: <10
Ceramic slab with photocatalytic coating: 70

Photocatalytic activity in gaseous phase: in conformity with UNI-11247-2007 standard
Ceramic slab without photocatalytic coating: NOx 23.3 / NO 31.4
Ceramic slab with photocatalytic coating: NOx 69.4 / NO 107.3

Tests on resistance to bacteria growth: survival %
Ceramic slab without photocatalytic coating: survival 100%
Ceramic slab with photocatalytic coating: survival 0

The beneficial effects of photocatalytic slabs activated by light and water have been investigated and confirmed by the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) and Centro Ceramico Bologna in a special joint research and verification programme.

The results show that the use of Active Clean Air & Antibacterial Ceramic™ as a wall and floor covering has a major effect in improving environmental sustainability by removing most of the harmful emissions and particulate from the air, with a significant reduction in organic and inorganic pollutants, as well as providing a large decrease in maintenance requirements and eliminating the pollution created by chemicals used for cleaning.

In particular, Active Clean Air & Antibacterial Ceramic™ is able to cut the levels of organic pollutants and oxides of nitrogen, amongst the main toxic ingredients of urban air, while thanks to its reduction of the surface tension of water, it also has a self-cleaning capability and considerable anti-microbe and anti-fungus properties.

“With Active Clean Air & Antibacterial Ceramic™”, states Graziano Verdi, GranitiFiandre Chairman and CEO and Iris Ceramica S.p.A. CEO, “we now have materials available for buildings and street furniture that make an active contribution to the creation of a better environment and atmosphere.
“On the technological plane,” Mr Verdi continues, “this innovation is an effective response to today’s difficult economic situation, demonstrating that one way out of the crisis involves not only rising whole-heartedly to the challenge of environmental sustainability and the green economy, but above all achieving results as impressive as those illustrated today, which can really improve end users’ quality of life”.

The production plants for Active Clean Air & Antibacterial Ceramic™ have already been completed both in Tennessee (USA) and at Sassuolo (Italy).