Cemex develops new concrete

Cemex has presented a new water-permeable concrete called Acuicreto, which allows water to filter through to urban aquifers, local press reported. "It is a permeable and ecological concrete because it allows filtration of water into the subsoil, minimizing the rainwater runoff that causes flooding and ponding, with the latter being a source of contamination due to the waste carried [in the water]," Cemex executive Romero Esquinca was quoted as saying by daily Milenio.

The new product took the company three years to develop and is being used for the first time in a residential complex close to Río Churubusco and División del Norte in Mexico City and it will soon be used in other housing projects.

The product is to go on the market costing around five per cent more than traditional concretes used for construction of housing areas and sidewalks.