Roads that Absorb…Water

What you would say if I told you that scientists are working, and have developed, a road that will actually “drink” water? No…the road doesn’t have a mouth like you or I, but when water gets on the newly developed road, the road will then absorb (drink) the water.  Leaving the road as dry as possible, even during a severe thunderstorm, will help to prevent flash flooding.

The horrible divesting flood of 2007 brought researchers together, to provide a new means of a drainage system for our roadways. Tarmac, based in the UK, has designed a new porous concrete. This new concrete is able to absorb up to 4,000 liters of water within 60 seconds. This comes to be an average of 600 liters per minute, per meter squared.

So how does this new contraption work?

The surface of the concrete actually possess a permeable layer of “pebbles,” which the water will be able to percolate easily. Beneath this pebble layer, we have an attenuation layer, which is what is assisting in feeding the water directly onto the underground drain system. It is then utilized for irrigation and drinking purposes.

Being as though this concrete is super absorbent, the concrete itself is also cooler than what we see on regular concrete, even during those hot summer months.

Have a look at this video to see the Super-Absorbent Concrete in Action.

While this new revolutionary technology is boasting with potential, the only constraint within the compounds of the application is of the drainage system. This application is presently able to be placed in areas where the temperature doesn’t fall below the water’s freezing point. If the temperature of the water fell below freezing, the entire drainage system would simply collapse.

After seeing this in action on YouTube its hopeful the company Tarmac will soon be able to devise a system that will see the drainage system working properly. If Tarmac does provide a fully working new form of road, those dangerous rainy days may very well be behind us.

Sources: YouTube | Blog.Al.Com  |Fossbytes.Com

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