Albedo of Pervious Concrete and Its Implications for Mitigating Urban Heat Island

Yunan Lu, Yinghong Qin, Chan Huang and Xijun Pang ()
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Yunan Lu: Guangxi Hualan Geotechnical Engineering Limited Company (Group Co., Ltd.), 38 Wangzhou Road Beierli, Xixiangtang District, Nanning 530001, China
Yinghong Qin: School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Guangxi Minzu University, 188 University Road, Nanning 530006, China
Chan Huang: School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Guangxi Minzu University, 188 University Road, Nanning 530006, China
Xijun Pang: College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Guangxi University, 100 University Road, Nanning 530004, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 10, 1-11

Abstract: Urban heat islands have become a growing concern in many cities around the world. Pervious pavements have been proposed as a potential solution to mitigate this effect, but their effectiveness in reducing surface temperatures is still uncertain. This experimental study aims to investigate the reflectivity of pervious concrete to determine whether pervious pavements are cooler than conventional pavements. To achieve this, five different Portland cement concrete mixes are used to create pervious concrete samples with varying porosity levels. The samples are sliced, and their spectral reflectance and albedo are measured and analyzed. The results showed that the albedo of dry pervious concrete decreases linearly with increasing porosity. Pervious concrete with a wet surface exhibits an albedo of approximately 0.15 which is independent of porosity. Additionally, fresh, dry pervious Portland concrete has an albedo ranging from 0.20 to 0.35, which is 0.10 to 0.20 lower than conventional fresh cement concrete. As a result of this low albedo, caution should be exercised when developing pervious concrete as a solution to combat the urban heat island effect, unless measures are taken to increase evaporation and offset the additional solar absorption resulting from the low albedo. Overall, these findings suggest that the use of pervious pavements alone may not be sufficient to reduce surface temperatures in urban areas. Future research should explore ways to increase the albedo of pervious pavements and develop effective strategies to mitigate the urban heat island effect.

Keywords: Portland cement concrete; spectral reflectance; evaporation; solar absorption; urban heat island (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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