Press Release Back Number(2005)

Developing porous mortar material that encourages the growth of plants on the surface of concrete blocks
- Environmentally-friendly material taking advantage of the nutrient-retention capacity of artificial zeolite "Circulash" -

June 14, 2005
Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.

In partnership with Milcon Co., Ltd., we have developed a porous*1 mortar material that encourages the growth of plants on the surface of concrete blocks used in river bank and slope protection.
This material contains our artificial zeolite "Circulash" (a fine powdery substance created by chemically processing coal ash) and "plant activator (J-WISH*2)." When it is added to cement, the cement hardens in a porous structure with innumerable pores, similar to the structure of soil.

The newly developed porous mortar material has the following features:

  1. (1) This mortar material has a porous structure with high water-absorbing and water-holding capacity.
  2. (2) Plant activator contributes to the creation of a vegetation base layer, which helps plants to absorb necessary minerals and promotes the growth of bacteria.
  3. (3) Circulash enhances the water-holding capacity of the mortar material and helps it to maintain vegetation function through its nutrient-retention capacity, which prevents minerals from being washed away by rainfall.

When this porous mortar material is applied to the surface of concrete blocks, mosses and algae are expected to grow, depending on surrounding environmental conditions. It is also possible to accelerate vegetation growth by mixing plant seeds into the mortar material. We plan to take advantage of these features to apply it to various fields as an environmentally-friendly material that can meet a wide range of needs for afforestation and vegetation.


  1. *1 Porous: With many pores through which water and air can penetrate
  2. *2 J-WISH: This consists of a natural mineral (tourmaline), a type of high polymer organic matter (chitosan), carbon, and microorganisms.