Tarmac, a CRH Company from the UK, has developed a new thirsty permeable concrete for surface and storm water management.
The company provides aggregates and asphalt, ready mix, packed cement, bulk cement, lime powders, solutions, as well as contracting and building solutions. Tarmac works in a wide range of industries including aviation, housing, water, energy, rail, defense, educational and health, ports and harbors, utilities, roads, and more.
While Tarmac’s permeable concrete drains water through a matrix of large pebbles, as shown in the image below, the product does not (yet) handle flash flooding typical in urban areas. According to Tarmac, “permeable concrete can help water freely drain through the surface to the underlying ground and acts as a reservoir during periods of heavy rainfall.”
Permeable concrete has been used for decades as an underlying layer below the surface level but advances in concrete now allow it to be used at the surface level.
WHydro Media Drainage (Image Courtesy www.tarmac.com)
Permeable Concrete (Image Courtesy www.tarmac.com)
The following video shows a concrete truck dumping 880 gallons (4,000 liters) of water onto the surface of a parking lot, with the water disappearing into the concrete almost immediately.
