PERMEABLE PAVEMENT

SPECIAL permeable concrete pavement can help reduce the “urban heat island effect” that causes cities to sizzle in the summer, according to an engineering team led by Rutgers University New Brunswick.

Impermeable pavement made of concrete or asphalt covers more than 30% of most urban areas and can exceed 60ºc in the summertime.

It heats the air, posing human health risks, and surface run-off, threatening aquatic life.

The team at Rutgers developed designs for permeable concrete that is highly effective in handling heat. It contains large connected pores, allowing water to drain through and reducing pavement temperature.

“Water in pores will also evaporate, reducing pavement surface temperature. Moreover, permeable concrete pavement does a better job reflecting heat than asphalt pavement,” the university said in a statement.

The study, published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, found that permeable concrete pavement gives off slightly more heat on sunny days compared with conventional concrete pavement, but 25% to 30% less heat on days after rainfall.

“The engineers improved the design of permeable concrete with high thermal conductivity – meaning it can transfer heat more quickly to the ground – further reducing heat output by 2.5% to 5.2%”.