Annotated Summary

Hammes, G., Thives, L., & Ghisi, E. (2018). Application of stormwater collected from porous asphalt pavements for non-potable uses in buildings. Journal of Environmental Management, 222, 338–347. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.05.094

This article focuses on the applications of stormwater filtered by a porous asphalt pavement in a parking lot in Brazil, which include non-potable uses in buildings such as for toilets and sanitary purposes (flushing urinals and toilets). Evaluation of two dissimilar porous asphalt pavement models were made, and both models showed a high potential of filtered stormwater collection of more than 70% each. The stormwater collected was then later used for “flushing urinals and toilets” in a building, which led to savings of 53 to 54% of potable water. The article highlighted that even though these porous asphalt pavements would require capital for additional infrastructure like “tanks, pipes and filters’, the expansion and common use of these pavements would make the more cost-effective in the long run. The article provides a useful platform for our research project on the use of porous asphalt roads to prevent flooding. From the aspect of sustainability, the collection of stormwater from the abovementioned porous asphalt roads, as shown by the research in the article, can be collected for non-potable use in buildings. This would make porous asphalt roads dual-purpose and sustainable (preventing floods and recycling water simultaneously). While the research in the article was only performed and tested in a parking lot, the article still provides useful information and statistics about the potential water savings from stormwater collection, which is a relevant aspect for our research project.