MonierLifetile, now part of the newly created Boral Roofing, has introduced “smog-eating tile,” concrete roof tiles said to reduce the amount of smog in the atmosphere.According to the company, titanium dioxide blended into the tile causes the surface to react with sunlight to neutralize nitrogen oxide pollutants; the leftover organic nitrate residue rinses off the roof when it rains, where it can aid grass and plant growth.

Boral says a 2,000-square-foot roof can eliminate the same amount of nitrogen oxide that a car will produce when it drives 10,800 miles. The technology has been in use in Europe for a few years, mainly on road materials. Boral is testing it for other product offerings, including clay tiles.

The tiles will carry a price premium, an increase the company expects to come down with volume and time. Installation, performance, and weight are unchanged.

In July, KB Home was the first to install the roofing, in its Alamosa community in Lancaster, Calif.

Katy Tomasulo is Deputy Editor for EcoHome.