Abstract
The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential for potable water savings by using rainwater in the residential sector of Joinville, a city located in southern Brazil. Data on roof areas of residential buildings were obtained from the Joinville city council. By considering the roof areas and typologies of residential buildings, representative models were created. The following parameters were used to determine the rainwater tank capacity: the number of dwellers; the total daily water demand per capita; and the rainwater demand. To carry out the simulations for determining the optimal rainwater tank sizes and potential for potable water savings, the computer program Netuno was used to run 33,720 different scenarios. By considering the occurrence percentage for each representative building model (weighted average), the average potential for potable water savings by using rainwater was calculated. The average potential in the central region of Joinville was 18.5% when there is rainwater use only in toilets, and 40.8% when there is rainwater use in toilets and washing machines. The rainwater harvesting system showed a better performance for a rainwater demand equal to 20% of the total daily water demand. The results indicate the necessity to properly size rainwater tank capacities to meet water demands, thereby encouraging more people to adopt rainwater harvesting as an alternative source for non-potable water in buildings. The demand for rainwater should be carefully evaluated, especially in multi-story residential buildings, due to the low availability of roof areas.
Highlights
By 2030, the current world population (7.6 billion) is expected to increase by 13% and reach8.6 billion [1]
The rainwater harvesting system showed a better performance for a rainwater demand equal to 20% of the total daily water demand
This study aims to estimate the potential for potable water savings by using rainwater in houses houses and multi-story residential buildings in Joinville, southern Brazil
Summary
By 2030, the current world population (7.6 billion) is expected to increase by 13% and reach8.6 billion [1]. By 2030, the current world population (7.6 billion) is expected to increase by 13% and reach. Water shortage is a problem that deserves significant attention, given the fundamental role of water in human development and economic growth [3]. In several regions of the world, population growth, industrial growth, and climate change have put great pressure on the water resources, thereby necessitating the development of new techniques to tackle the increasing water demand [4,5]. As well as social and economic changes, has forced society to continually adapt to water shortages [6,7,8]. Various strategies have been developed and improved in the last decades to mitigate water shortage, such as rainwater harvesting [9,10,11,12], greywater use [13], and hybrid rainwater–greywater systems [14]
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