PurePave: pioneering permeable pavement technology for sustainable stormwater management in sponge cities

This study evaluates PurePave, a hydrophobic polyurethane (PU)-based permeable pavement (PP) system developed to address the limitations of traditional PPs, including low strength, limited durability, and poor stormwater management. The influence of varying PU binder content and different aggregate types and sizes on engineering properties was investigated. The optimized mix, using multi-red and white quartz aggregates with a 3:2 PU ratio, achieved compressive and flexural strengths of 39.5 and 6.18 MPa, respectively. Despite the high binder content, permeability remained between 1.05 and 1.3 mm/s, with porosity of 17%–21%. The system also indicated stable performance under freeze–thaw conditions, with less than 0.5% mass loss after 40 cycles. Stormwater analysis showed that replacing 20% of a 10 ha impervious surface with PurePave could fully manage runoff from a 100 year, 24 h storm. The system’s flexibility and fatigue resistance suggest its suitability for high-traffic urban areas, supporting its potential use in sustainable stormwater infrastructure.