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RESEARCHERS in the UK have developed a laundry additive which actively removes nitrogen oxides (NOx) from the air when washed into clothes.

CatClo was developed by a team of researchers led by University of Sheffield physical chemistry professor Tony Ryan and London College of Fashion professor Helen Storey. Nitrogen oxides are a major source of air pollution with serious health effects, reacting with other components of air to form nitric acid vapours, ozone and other chemicals which irritate lungs and exacerbate existing conditions such as asthma and bronchitis. An easy way to remove NOx would alleviate symptoms for sufferers around the world. Other pollutants would also be broken down.

CatClo contains nanoparticles of titanium dioxide, which adhere strongly to clothing and act as a photocatalyst. In the presence of light (natural or artificial), pollutants adsorbed onto the surface of the clothing are broken down through the action of the catalyst. Nitrous oxide (NO) for example, is broken down into soluble nitrates, while volatile organic compounds become soaps or fatty acids. These are then easily removed when the clothing is next washed. Both the additive and the catalytic products are harmless to the wearer.

Any item of clothing can be washed in CatClo, although it is particularly effective on denim, and garments only need to be washed once.

“If thousands of people in a typical town used the additive, the result would be a significant improvement in local air quality,” says Ryan. “This additive creates the potential for community action to deliver a real environmental benefit that could actually help to cut disease and save lives. In Sheffield, for instance, if everyone washed their clothes in the additive, there would be no pollution problem caused by nitrogen oxides at all.”

Ryan and Storey are working to commercialise their discovery, and hope that air-purifying clothes could be on the market within two years. They are working with “a manufacturer of environmentally friendly cleaning products” and believe that there could be a very big market for the product.

The research will be exhibited at Manchester Science Festival from 27 October – 4 November, and will include a ‘catalytic field of jeans’ that have been treated with CatClo.