Ben Rucka - How Shingles are Reducing Smog

By Colin Sheehan, RCS Reporter. 

How contractors can differentiate their business with smog-reducing granule technology. 

In Season 3, Episode 59 of Roofing Road Trips, Heidi J. Ellsworth visits with Ben Rucka, district manager with Malarkey Roofing Products about the important trend of using roofing materials to battle smog; all Malarkey shingles include 3M™ Smog-reducing Granules. In this podcast, Ben and Heidi discuss the importance of new science in roofing and how Malarkey shingles help actively reduce emission-based air pollution equivalent to planting two and a half trees per roof. 

These granules, which blend inconspicuously into the shingle’s color, contain a photocatalytic coating which, when activated by the UV rays of the sun, creates the energy needed to begin the process of breaking down dangerous, inhalable gas (NO2) into a water-soluble nitrate salt solid (NO₃), a plant usable form of nitrogen that washes away with rainwater as a mild fertilizer.  

"It’s just rinse and repeat,” said Ben. “Over time that granule is the equivalent [of] planting two and a half trees, which are nature's basic filter for pulling carbon dioxide and difficult chemicals out of the air and putting them back into the earth.” 

3M and Malarkey Roofing Products have been working side by side to develop these smog-reducing granules, which were a Time Magazine invention of the year in 2018. 3M produced the coating that was added to Malarkey’s granule, which acts like a catalytic converter. Essentially, the smog attaches to the granule and catalytic ions change the NO₂ into a NO₃ before the NO₃ is washed off the roof. 

Since 2019, every shingle Malarkey offers incorporates this granule technology. This means every roof with at least 30 squares of Malarkey shingles is aiding in the reduction of harmful chemicals in the air, a tremendous benefit for everyone. This is not the first time Malarkey has gone above and beyond for the health of communities and the sustainability of our planet, in fact generations of Malarkey leadership have made this commitment an integral part of their company culture and values. 

“Our president, Greg Malarkey talks about a closed system and that's basically the earth,” said Ben. “If you start thinking about progressing and just doing the right thing, [second generation owner] Michael Malarkey found out that the landfill nearby our plant in Portland was creating a lot of methane that was just getting burned off or launched into the atmosphere. He financed a pipe to bring that methane gas from the landfill to our plant and still to this day, our fiberglass mat is made with a big chunk of that methane gas from the Portland landfill.” 

Listen to the entire podcast to hear more from Ben and how 3M™ Smog Reducing Granules are re-envisioning what a roofing shingle can do.