POSCO-Vietnam is taking the lead in eco-friendly low-carbon management with INNOVILT products, the eco-friendly steel products for construction. Let’s have a look at Pumi in Vietnam, where the PosMAC Barrier is installed to supply air and moisture to the soil and prevent the uplift of the roots of roadside trees.
▲Commemorative photo taken before the construction of the PosMAC Barrier on the street in front of the Government Complex in Pumi.
POSCO-Vietnam donated the PosMAC Barrier, an INNOVILT certified product, to the local government of Pumi on July 21st. PosMAC Barrier is a roadside tree guard made of PosMAC, highly corrosion-resistant steel, that continuously supplies air and moisture to the soil and prevents plant roots from uplifting which can destroy sidewalk blocks. In other words, it stores rainwater and retains moisture in the soil to help the roots grow well.
But why was PosMAC Barrier installed in Vietnam? On the soil of Vietnam, a tropical region, plants such as roadside trees are difficult to grow well. The average annual precipitation in Vietnam is 1500~2000mm, which is higher than the average annual precipitation of 1200mm in Korea last year, but there are distinct dry and rainy seasons. In the rainy season, 80-90% of the annual precipitation is concentrated, but in the dry season, it is too dry that the ground is even cracked. Also, due to the high temperature, there is inevitably less moisture in the soil and plants. In particular, the soil organic matter is rapidly decomposed in the center of the city due to high temperature so the organic matter in the soil is far insufficient.
Recently, the Vietnamese government has been actively implementing eco-friendly policies such as declaring carbon neutrality. POSCO-Vietnam has begun to look for INNOVILT products suitable for Vietnam’s climate characteristics to respond to environmental issues which are global issues. In Vietnam, due to the poor soil, the growth condition of trees is not good. Also, the destruction of urban infrastructure can be seen everywhere due to severe root uplift. PosMAC Barrier was an essential product for roadside trees in Vietnam as it can store rainwater as a water supply block to keep the soil moist and help the roots grow well. In addition, it was the most suitable product for the current situation as it provides an optimal growth environment for roadside trees and prevents urban heat island.
The government of Pumi, where POSCO-Vietnam is located, also showed high interest in eco-friendly policies. “We will actively consider introducing PosMAC Barrier to the roadside tree maintenance project in Pumi City,” said the chairman of the People’s Committee.
▲ Posmac Barrier article published in Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu, Vietnam
The local media also introduced PosMAC Barrier as an eco-friendly product that can fundamentally help the growth of roadside trees in the city. It mentioned that the upper body of the product exposed to the outside is PosMAC, high-strength, high-corrosion-resistant steel of POSCO and covered in detail about the water tank for collecting rainwater, the EPP filter that guards off foreign body, and the pipe that supplies stored water to the soil and the roots.
Despite the truckers’ strike in June, POSCO worked with INNOVILT Alliance MYSTECH Co., Ltd., POSCO International Steel Sheet Group, and POSCO-Vietnam to export PosMAC Barrier products to POSCO- Vietnam in the shortest period of time. MYSTECH Co., Ltd., the supplier of PosMAC Barrier, was able to create the first successful overseas export case with the help of POSCO and POSCO International.
In addition to donating to the local government of Pumi, POSCO-Vietnam plans to install PosMAC Barriers around the dormitories in POSCO-Vietnam to protect urban infrastructure and respond to climate change. Using this eco-friendly green solution as a model, we hope that eco-friendly INNOVILT products will be used not only in Vietnam but also in other regions of the world.