Joint Material with Molecular Sieves for Rainwater Filtration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surface coverings using concrete blocks face issues with rainwater seepage through joints and the material itself, leading to contamination of groundwater due to pollutants like mineral oils and heavy metals, and existing solutions either compromise on joint stability or pollutant retention.
Innovation Solution
A surface covering with a joint material composed of a mixture of sand-like components, fine components, and artificial molecular sieves, where the artificial molecular sieve constitutes between 2% and 10% of the volume, forming a filter layer to remove pollutants from rainwater runoff, while ensuring load transfer and joint stability with a sand-like material and fine quartz flour.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional water-impermeable shaped blocks are used with wide joints or coarse joint material, then rainwater can seep through the joints, but the stabilizing function of the joint is impaired leading to damage to the dressing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters of the joint material by incorporating artificial molecular sieves (zeolites) with specific pore diameters (3-10 Å) into a sand-like matrix. This creates a material that can simultaneously provide structural stability through the sand component and pollutant retention through the molecular sieve component, resolving the contradiction between joint stability and pollutant filtration capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The joint material is designed as a composite consisting of sand-like material (providing mechanical stability), fine component (improving flow characteristics), and artificial molecular sieve (providing pollutant retention). This composite structure allows the joint material to fulfill multiple functions simultaneously: stabilizing the joint while filtering pollutants from rainwater runoff.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If coarse joint material is used to allow rainwater seepage, then water can pass through joints, but pollutant retention is almost none since it depends on the inner surface of the material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the porous structure of artificial molecular sieves (zeolites) which have uniform pore diameters of 3-10 Å. These pores provide extensive internal surface area within a small volume, enabling effective pollutant retention through adsorption on the inner surfaces of the pores, thereby overcoming the limitation of coarse materials that lack sufficient surface area for pollutant retention.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If shaped stones made from no-fines concrete are used, then rainwater can seep through the shaped stone itself, but the surface cannot be designed as desired and salt-related cracking and frost damage occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the water permeability function from the shaped blocks themselves and relocates it to the joint material. By using conventional dense, water-impermeable blocks with joints filled with the specialized filter material, the system achieves rainwater seepage and pollutant retention without compromising the strength and durability of the blocks against salt and frost.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively filters out pollutants from rainwater runoff, maintaining joint stability and allowing for easy replacement of the joint material, thereby preventing groundwater contamination and ensuring sustainable rainwater management.
Implementation Method 1
natural and artificial molecular sieves in the form of natural and artificial zeolites are known, which have a high adsorption capacity, in particular for dissolved substances of a certain molecular size
Implementation Method 2
Molecules of a certain molecular size can be filtered out, for example from rainwater, by a suitable choice of a molecular sieve
Data Source
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AI summary
The surface covering (1) comprises molded bricks (3, 3', 3'') made of concrete provided together with a bedding layer (2), where the molded bricks are created by plasters, and the adjacent molded bricks form joints (4, 4') that are filled with a sand-like joint material (5) and form an infiltration way for draining precipitation water runoffs form a surface of the surface covering into the bedding layer. The joint material forms a filter layer for the removal of pollutants from the precipitation water runoffs, and consists of a mixture of a sand-like portion and a fine portion. The surface covering (1) comprises molded bricks (3, 3', 3'') made of concrete provided together with a bedding layer (2), where the molded bricks are created by plasters, and the adjacent molded bricks form joints (4, 4') that are filled with a sand-like joint material (5) and form an infiltration way for draining precipitation water runoffs form a surface of the surface covering into the bedding layer. The joint material forms a filter layer for the removal of pollutants from the precipitation water runoffs, and consists of a mixture of a sand-like portion, a fine portion and an artificial molecular sieve, where a volume percentage of the: artificial molecular sieve is 2-10%; fine portion is 3%; artificial molecular sieve is 5%; and sand-like portion is 92% based on the total volume of the mixture. A quartz powder as fine portion has a grain size of 0.001-0.2 mm. The artificial molecular sieve has a grain size of 1.8-2.3 mm, and a pore diameter of 4 Å , 5 Å or 10 Å . The joints have a width of 4-8 mm. The bedding layer is formed with stable filters opposite to a filler material, and is formed form a material mixture having a particle size of 0-5 mm, where the material mixture has a particle size of smaller than 0.63 mm, and a volume percentage of the material mixture is 3%. The molded bricks are constructed in two layers, and comprise a waterproof face concrete layer, and a waterproof core concrete layer, which is made of no-fines concrete. An independent claim is included for a joint material for grouting a surface covering.