Assessment of A Rainwater Harvesting System in A Multi-Storey Residential Building in Brazil

Jéssica Kuntz Maykot,Enedir Ghisi

doi:10.3390/w12020546

Jéssica Kuntz Maykot, Enedir Ghisi

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/w12020546

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Journal: Water	Publication Date: Feb 15, 2020
Citations: 20	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Abstract

This article aims to present an economic feasibility and user satisfaction analysis of a rainwater harvesting system in a multi-storey residential building (where there is rainwater to supply toilets) located in Florianópolis, southern Brazil. This research used detailed methods and also considered the opinion and habits of users regarding the use of a rainwater harvesting system. The water end-uses were estimated through questionnaire survey in each flat. The potential for potable water savings was estimated using computer simulations. Simulations were performed using the computer programme Netuno, version 4 and economic feasibility analyses were performed considering different rainwater demands. Analyses associated with the habits of the residents, the satisfaction of users and the importance of saving potable water were also carried out. Showers were responsible for the highest share (54.2%) of water consumption in the flats, followed by the other end-uses: washing machine (21.3%), kitchen tap (9.3%), toilet flush (9.2%) and washbasins (2.6%). The most economically feasible system, which presented lower payback and higher internal rate of return, corresponds to the system sized to supply rainwater only to toilet flushing. Such a system would need a rainwater tank with a capacity smaller than the capacity of the one currently in use. In general, residents expressed satisfaction regarding the rainwater harvesting system installed in the building. The study is important because, besides obtaining water end-uses in the flats, it also investigates the perception of residents related to rainwater harvesting, which has been little explored in the scientific literature.

Highlights

Multiple factors contribute to water scarcity, including its heterogeneous distribution, population growth and increased water consumption in the agricultural, industrial and energy production sectors [1,2,3]
A Multi-Storey residents; the water end-uses were estimated and two scenarios considering differentfor water the water end-uses were estimated and two scenarios considering water consumption non consumption for non potable purposes were simulated to verify the ideal capacity of rainwater tank
It was observed that daily water consumption per capita is similar to the consumption of water found in surveys conducted by Willis et al [15] in Australian similar to the consumption of water found in surveys conducted by Willis et al [15] in Australian residential buildings and by Loh and Coghlan [16], who analysed water consumption in Australian residential buildings and by Loh and Coghlan [16], who analysed water consumption in households

Summary

Introduction

Multiple factors contribute to water scarcity, including its heterogeneous distribution, population growth and increased water consumption in the agricultural, industrial and energy production sectors [1,2,3]. One of the solutions that can be used in buildings in order to save potable water is the rainwater harvesting system. Brazil has a high potential for saving potable water [4,5,6,7] through the use of rainwater, since the annual rainfall average ranges from 1146 mm to 2182 mm [5], depending on the region of the country. In residential buildings located in Santa Catarina, it is estimated that the potential for saving potable water varies between 23% and 100% [8]. According to Lopes et al [9], it is possible to save between 75 and 471 L/household/day when using rainwater in houses in Santa Catarina. It is important that the management of water consists of reusing, recycling and recovering the resource [3]

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Conclusion