New paint tackles air pollution

With technology imported from the Philippines, Knoxout paint cleans the air while its on the wall -- so the theory goes. 

Redwood City, Calif.-based Environmental Imports Inc. signed a deal with Pacific Paint Philippines to distribute Knoxout Air Cleaning Paint in the United States. 

In Knoxout, a compound called CristalActiv uses light energy to break down nitrogen oxide (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (the two components of smog) into harmless substances through a process called photocatalysis.

Air pollution is a problem in most major cities around the world," said Johnson Ongking , VP of Pacific Paint. "Eliminating emissions of NOx and other air pollutants would be the best solution, but that is not yet possible in today's world. Painting a wall with Knoxout is one of the few ways for people to take an active part in cleaning out the NOx that we put in the air. By transforming ordinary walls into air purifiers with a few brushstrokes, people all over the world can be part of the movement for cleaner air."

According to the company, a surface painted with Knoxout is able to continuously clean the air as long as the paint is on the wall. The company puts it another way: “In essence, it transforms ordinary painted surfaces into air purifiers.”