Words by Smiley Team
Floods have devastated lives, and livelihoods, across the world this summer. One of the issues in highly populated areas is that concrete – and pavements, in general – can’t absorb the water. And the climate crisis is to blame, driving more extreme and unpredictable flooding.
Green space can filter water, so adding more of this to urban areas could be a solution. But a start-up believes they have found another: what’s called “porous pavement”. The start-up, called AquiPor, is now beginning to test pilots on this different type of material that lets rain actually flow through it, while also filtering out pollutants.
Filtering out pollution is important, say AquiPor, because stormwater runoff pollution has “quietly become the most pervasive environmental issue that cities face today”.
[Read More: Apple to support flood relief efforts]
"AquiPor's permeable surface technology is being developed with strength adn durability characteristics on par with traditional concrete and with permeability rates capable of handling most 100-year storm events," CEO of AquiPor, Greg Johnson, tells Smiley News. "What makes AquiPor's material so unique in comparison to permeable pavements is that it features sub-micron porosity throughout the material. Dirt, debris, and sedimentary pollution commonly found in stormwater runoff simply gets filtered onto the surface of the material for easy maintenance and cleaning."
Because no debris or dirt can flow through the pavement, this, essentially, stops the material becoming clogged up. And Johnson says the more water you can get in the ground naturally, the better it is.
It’s early days, but AquiPor is currently manufacturing the material test it during a pilot on private land. Find out more about its solution-based pavement on its website.
Image credit: RenineR / Shutterstock
