Ben Rucka – Smog-reducing Granules and How They Work

By Evelyn Witterholt, RCS Reporter. 

Malarkey Roofing’s Ben Rucka breaks down the innovative technology behind this special shingle coating. 

RCS President Heidi J. Ellsworth sat down with Ben Rucka, district manager of Malarkey Roofing in Season 3, Episode 59 of Roofing Road Trips. In the podcast, Ben discussed how they have been utilizing 3M™ Smog-reducing Granules in all of their shingles and how their company incorporates upcycled materials into their products.  

“It really is similar to a catalytic converter,” said Ben when describing the process. The granules are incorporated into the coating on the shingles Malarkey Roofing makes. When it interacts with smog, the granules get the smog attached to it and change the catalytic ions into an NO3. Then, the NO3 gets rinsed off the granule with moisture such as rain or dew and the coating on the granule stays in tact.”  

Since 2019, every shingle Malarkey Roofing has made has used this granule, making it available at every price point. “If you buy a Malarkey roof and it's 30 squares, you're planting two and a half trees in your yard without planting those trees, which is an incredible benefit to all,” Ben said. 

Ben delved into how Malarkey Roofing has always been trying to be sustainable with their practices. He told the story of former President Michael Malarkey who wanted to reduce the amount of methane being emitted from a Portland landfill. Ben said, “He basically 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.” 

Malarkey Roofing is always looking for ways to be more sustainable by using recycled materials. In one of their shingles, the Highlander NEX 241, they actually incorporate upcycled material into the shingle. Ben states, “If you ever look at different plastics, they all have a number on them. We are using certain versions of that plastic to mix in our shingle blend and we came up with the next formulation of asphalt and that's really been a big winner in my world, the Highlander NEX 241. It's a great shingle.” 

Listen to the entire podcast to learn more about the smog-reducing granules and the other sustainable practices of Malarkey Roofing. 

Learn more about Malarkey in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit www.malarkeyroofing.com.