Application of Pervious Concrete: Reuse of Rainwater and Flood Control

Published in: Engineering Innovations for Global Sustainability: Proceedings of the 14th Latin American and Caribbean Conference for Engineering and Technology
Date of Conference: July 20-22, 2016
Location of Conference: San Jose, Costa Rica
Authors: Carol Pacheco Vidal
Carlos R. Rodríguez
Ángel D. Ramírez
Daniel Salas Márquez
Andrea Boero Vera
Ana Meléndres Palma
Jorge Duque Rivera
Daniel Petroche Sánchez
Refereed Paper: #83

Abstract:

The present study proposes the implementation of a new system for rainwater management, called Sustainable Roads, responding to two issues present in the city of Guayaquil: The effects of the floods as well as the urban regeneration of settlements, through the harvesting and reuse of rainwater. The system used as residential roads includes a layer of treat (surface layer/cover) consisting of a pervious concrete so that it has the necessary strength for residential traffic, but permeable enough so the rainwater can go through the filtering layers made of zeolite and gravel reaching the necessary removal of total suspended solids for its later usage. The filtered water conduction occurs through a PVC pipe perforated that conducts it to the distribution system, supplying water for the discharge of toilets, outdoor cleaning and maintenance of green areas. As a method of abstraction, to verify the optimal performance of this type of roads, a model has been built retrieving flow uptake and solids removal data. The purpose of the implementation of Sustainable Roads in new projects and in the regeneration of irregular settlements areas, is to have a system for rain water management that works both as an effective flood control tool, and as the means of its acquisition for the preservation of drinking water while conserving hydric resources.