This Company's Porous Concrete Could Help Cities Become More Environmentally Friendly

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With an estimated 10 trillion gallons discharged into clean waterways every year, stormwater runoff pollution has quietly become a pervasive environmental issue many cities face today.

Stormwater runoff can cause flooding and property damage, and often overwhelms outdated infrastructure. Existing paved surfaces like parking lots, roads, and driveways often do not allow the water to soak into the ground, interfering with the natural water cycle. 

This water can carry pollutants like trash, bacteria, and heavy metals from various sources such as pet waste, lawn fertilization, cars, construction sites, illegal dumping and spills through storm sewers into waterways, streams, and lakes.

Researchers have found that as the amount of paved surfaces increases, stormwater runoff will increase, which will ultimately cause a decline in the health of streams. The challenges presented by urbanization, climate change, and dilapidated infrastructure are reportedly only getting worse.

Over the years, there have been active efforts by municipal authorities and governments to halt this menace from ravaging water bodies and infrastructure. Communities have for years used gray infrastructure such as dams, seawalls, roads, pipes, or water treatment plants from companies like Forterra Inc. FRTA, Hydro International PLC HYD, and Abtech Holdings Inc. ABHD to manage stormwater runoff. 

While gray infrastructure systems were designed to move urban stormwater away from the built environment, they are aging, and advocates argue that climate change is making them ineffective today. In response, more communities are adopting green infrastructure systems to reinforce their capacity to manage stormwater. This infrastructure naturally filters and absorbs stormwater.

Green infrastructure deployed to fight stormwater includes downspout disconnection, rainwater harvesting, rain gardens, planter boxes, permeable pavements, green streets and alleys, green parking, green roofs, and urban tree canopies.

Municipalities and the federal government are increasing spending on infrastructure. U.S. infrastructure spending is expected to eclipse $1 trillion, and as the country looks to revamp critical infrastructure in the face of climate change, billions will be spent to improve water infrastructure in the next 10 years, with an estimated $32 billion needed specifically for municipal stormwater upgrades each year.

As more cities adopt green infrastructure approaches as part of their stormwater management plans, the global permeable pavement market’s projected value will eclipse $22 billion by 2026.

Next-Generation Stormwater Solution? 

Startup AquiPor Technologies reports having developed a next-generation stormwater solution to avert runoff. AquiPor, is currently raising funds via equity crowdfunding on StartEngine STCC and is attempting to revolutionize permeable concrete to help improve the way urban stormwater systems work and interact with the natural environment.

The company’s technology — a type of green infrastructure — is being developed to be as durable as normal concrete yet permeable enough to handle up to 25 inches of water per hour. With porosity measured at 1 to 5 microns, internal tests have shown that this new material can filter out stormwater pollutants and particulate matter without getting clogged up by debris, allowing clean water to permeate and drain into the water table below. 

Produced in an inherently green way, AquiPor’s product utilizes reclaimed aggregate material and a proprietary, low-carbon cement.

AquiPor’s Reported Benefits

• Versatile application potential: Whether installed as pavers or larger precast units, AquiPor material can be applied in new ways to manage stormwater on-site.

• Low maintenance: AquiPor material is resistant to clogging, making it easy to maintain with current street-cleaning and maintenance equipment.

• New development: AquiPor is ideal as a stormwater best management practice for new development.

• Large-scale potential: AquiPor’s porous concrete products can be manufactured utilizing the same equipment and plant capital of the existing concrete industry.  Retrofit potential: AquiPor has tremendous future retrofit potential — there are over 1 million miles of urban arterials in the U.S. alone.

• Augmentation potential: AquiPor is augmentative to existing infrastructure, fitting seamlessly into existing cityscapes.

AquiPor is currently pilot manufacturing its products and has broken ground on a neighborhood-scale mock up project to showcase its technologies’ unique performance, cost-effectiveness, and environmental improvements, along with the effectiveness of the company’s business model as an engineering, procurement, and construction-management entity in the stormwater space.

AquiPor is seeking investors who value the Company’s mission and want to help bring infrastructure into the 21st century.”

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This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.