Urban waterlogging, stormwater runoff pollution, and the intensifying “urban heat island effect” as urbanization deepens, traditional stormwater management models that rely primarily on drainage are struggling to cope with increasingly severe challenges facing the urban water environment. The “Sponge City” concept emerged to address this, aiming to make cities function like sponges possessing the resilience to adapt to environmental changes and withstand natural disasters by absorbing, storing, infiltrating, and purifying rainwater, and then releasing and utilizing that stored water when needed. Within this ambitious blueprint, permeable paving serves as the “first line of defense” in Sponge City construction, playing an indispensable role. Meanwhile, the complete production equipment for permeable bricks manufactured by Qunfeng Machinery, renowned for its exceptional performance and extensive practical application, has become a vital force driving the development of Sponge Cities.
1. Permeable Bricks: The “Capillaries” of Sponge Cities
Permeable bricks are the core material for permeable paving in “Sponge Cities.” The national standard “Permeable Pavement Bricks and Slabs” (GB/T 25993) sets forth clear technical requirements regarding the physical properties of permeable bricks. A high-quality permeable brick must possess characteristics such as high permeability, high compressive strength, and good resistance to abrasion and freeze-thaw cycles. Its inherent porous structure allows rainwater to rapidly infiltrate the ground, replenishing groundwater and reducing surface runoff. At the same time, permeable brick paving helps regulate surface moisture and improve living conditions for soil microorganisms; furthermore, the evaporation process dissipates heat, effectively mitigating the urban “heat island effect.”
It can be said that permeable bricks are a key building material for unlocking the “capillaries” of the sponge city—enabling every inch of paved surface to absorb rainwater and provide ecological regulation.
2. Qunfeng Machinery: The Preferred Brand for Permeable Brick Equipment
As a national high-tech enterprise and a national-level specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative “Little Giant” enterprise, Qunfeng Machinery has been deeply engaged in the building materials machinery sector for over thirty years. The company holds more than 300 valid authorized patents and has participated in the drafting and revision of over forty national and industry standards. Its products are sold to more than 120 countries and regions worldwide, serving a customer base exceeding 10,000.
Qunfeng Machinery’s 215,000-square-meter digital manufacturing base
In the field of permeable brick production, Qunfeng Machinery’s QS series fully automatic block-making production line stands out as a flagship product. Renowned for its high level of automation, high production capacity, and superior efficiency, this series offers the following core advantages:
Firstly, the system offers high production efficiency and flexible switching capabilities: The QS series production line features a high-efficiency servo-driven vibration system with rapid response times, ensuring superior product quality in terms of density, freeze-thaw resistance, flexural strength, wear resistance, and permeability. Additionally, the equipment is equipped with an auxiliary automatic mold-changing system that allows for quick mold swaps, enabling the flexible production of various concrete products such as permeable pavers, paving stones, grass pavers, slope protection blocks, and curbstones. Taking standard bricks as an example, the molding speed per pallet is 3 to 4 seconds faster than comparable models on the market, resulting in a significant boost in production efficiency.
Qunfeng Machinery QS Series Intelligent Block-Making Machine
Secondly, the system promotes the utilization of solid waste and green circularity: A key highlight of Qunfeng Machinery’s production lines is their robust solid waste processing capability. By adjusting raw material ratios, the lines can utilize industrial solid wastes—such as recycled aggregates from construction debris, fly ash, tailings, slag, and coal gangue—as raw materials for block production. This capability not only alleviates the problem of urban waste accumulation but also achieves energy conservation and emission reduction directly within the building material manufacturing process. This embodies Qunfeng Machinery’s guiding philosophy: “Creating eco-cities through intelligence; building an environmentally friendly society through technology.”
Thirdly, it offers energy savings, cost reductions, and high economic returns: the highly automated configuration significantly cuts labor costs. Customers have reported that after adopting Qunfeng Machinery’s “Supersonic” production line, the workforce required per shift dropped from eight people to four, while production efficiency saw a dramatic increase.
3.Practical Evidence: Advancing “Sponge City” Construction
Qunfeng Machinery’s permeable brick production equipment has been deployed across numerous regions nationwide, delivering impressive results in “Sponge City” construction projects:
Jiangsu Qunfeng Machinery supplied a fully automated production line to the local area, capable of producing hundreds of thousands of square meters of permeable bricks annually. Since the line went into operation, instances of water pooling on roads during rain and the need for residents to wade through water have dropped significantly across various parts of Jiangsu, leaving city streets noticeably drier.
The Qunfeng machinery purchased by a client in Jiangsu is consistently producing high-quality permeable bricks.
Qunfeng Machinery’s QS1300 fully automatic block production line in Tai’an, Shandong, boasts an annual output of 400,000 square meters of permeable bricks, supplying the Tai’an region with reliable, high-quality permeable bricks for “Sponge City” projects. The customer commented: “Qunfeng Machinery’s QS series fully automatic block production line features a high level of automation; it delivers high production efficiency while producing permeable bricks that are stable in performance, aesthetically pleasing, and durable.”
Qunfeng Machinery QS1300 fully automatic block production line put into operation in Shandong.
In Beijing, Qunfeng Machinery has entered into a long-term strategic partnership with a leading enterprise in the sand industry innovation to jointly explore the application of aeolian sand in permeable bricks for “Sponge City” projects. Permeable bricks produced using Qunfeng’s equipment have been widely installed on urban sidewalks and public plazas; after years of use, the bricks remain intact, and their permeability performance continues to be excellent. Notably, these permeable bricks have also been used to pave the plazas in front of iconic landmarks such as the “Water Cube”(National Aquatics Center) and the “Bird’s Nest” (National Stadium).
4. Looking to the Future: Contributing to the Eco-city
The development of “sponge cities” is advancing rapidly across the country. With the updated implementation of the national standard “Permeable Pavement Bricks and Slabs” (GB/T 25993-2023) and the launch of key demonstration projects in various regions, permeable paving a core measure in sponge city construction enjoys increasingly broad market prospects.
Qunfeng Machinery remains committed to its mission of “creating eco-cities through intelligence and building an environmentally friendly society through technology.” By leveraging full-chain independent innovation and highly customized solutions, the company provides superior, one-stop block-making services to global clients. From solid waste recycling to green intelligent manufacturing, the permeable bricks produced by Qunfeng Machinery are enabling more cities to “breathe,” contributing indispensable expertise to the construction of a Beautiful China.
