Dimensionamento de um sistema de armazenamento de águas pluviais para fins não potáveis em uma creche pública no município de Inhapi - AL

Abstract

Water, being a limited natural resource and of common ownership, has become increasingly scarce, which puts its future availability at risk. As a way to help address this challenge, rainwater harvesting technology presents itself as a viable solution that not only increases water security but also reduces potable water consumption, generating significant environmental and financial benefits. Based on NBR 15527 (ABNT, 2019), this study aims to compare different methods for sizing rainwater reservoirs to meet the annual demand of a daycare center located in the city of Inhapi, in the semi-arid region of Alagoas. The focus of the analysis was to assess the efficiency and compatibility of the sizing methodologies applied with the characteristics of the region and the adopted demand scenarios. For this analysis, the Rippl, Simulation, German Practical, and Australian Practical methods were used. Thus, three demand scenarios were considered: the first involves using rainwater for floor cleaning and garden irrigation; the second for floor cleaning and toilet flushing; and the third for floor cleaning, garden irrigation, and partial use (50%) of the collected water for toilet flushing. In the analyzed scenarios, the Rippl, Simulation, and Australian Practical methods presented similar results, while the German Practical method proved less efficient. For the daycare center studied, the Simulation and Australian Practical methods stood out as the most suitable, as they better considered the region's climatic specificities, resulting in the smallest reservoir volumes and efficiency exceeding 90% in the analyzed cases. Furthermore, it is important to highlight that the efficiency of a rainwater harvesting system in the institution can generate significant economic and environmental benefits, acting as a transformative agent in the sustainable management of water resources.