Browsing by Author "Abrantes, Sofia"
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- Recycling of rainwater in a social and cultural centerPublication . Abrantes, Sofia; Silva, Flora; Albuquerque, AntónioAccording to the World Water Council about 12% of the world's population does not have access to drinking water or water with quality for drinking. The consequences of climate change and the unsustainable use of water resources are demanding measures for minimizing the lack of water in quantity and quality. The Portuguese National Program for the Efficient Use of Water (PNUEA) [2] establishes measures that serve as a basis for the efficient use of water, promoting the valorisation of water resources. The high water supply billing in the social and cultural center of Santo Aleixo (Unhais da Serra, Covilhã, Portugal) (Image 1-a), led to the concern of finding potential solutions for reducing water consumption in the building. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of untreated rainwater reuse in the referred building (Image 1-b), proposing solutions for reducing drinking water consumption and doing a study of technical and economic feasibility of technical four solutions, which could be replicated in other areas of the country.2. Experimental – Two options were studied for reducing the consumption of drinking water in the building. The first involved a scenario of replacement and modification of some equipment, and the second involved the study of three scenarios for the reuse of rainwater [3]. The technical and economic feasibility of the four scenarios in the county of Covilhã were analysed. 3. Results and Discussion – In terms of water efficiency, the greatest saving was achieved with the option of replacing water taps and flushing cisterns with hydraulically efficient equipments together with the reuse of rainwater. This option has allowed an average annual saving of drinking water of about 80% [3]. 4. Conclusions – Rainwater reuse in buildings, in addition to bringing economic benefits in areas where water billing reaches high levels, also brings environmental benefits by reducing drinking water consumption. 5. References [1] “World Water Council”, Janeiro 2008 (Online). [2] Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente, “National Program for the Efficient Use of Water”, APA, 2012 (in Portuguese). [3] S. Abrantes, “Evaluation of the potential of water reuse in the social and cultural center of Santo Aleixo in Unhais da Serra”. MSc Thesis in Civil Engineering, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal, 2017, p. 159 (in Portuguese).
- Recycling of rainwater in a social and cultural centerPublication . Abrantes, Sofia; Silva, Flora; Albuquerque, AntónioThe potential reuse of rainwater in a Social and Cultural Center of Santo Aleixo (Unhais da Serra, Covilhã, Portugal) can reduce drinking water consumption up to 80.1% and can promote water savings of around 40,000.00 € in 20 years by combining the use of rainwater with the installation of hydraulically efficient equipment’s.
- Technical solutions for water reuse in a social and cultural centerPublication . Abrantes, Sofia; Silva, Flora; Albuquerque, AntónioThis study evaluated the potential of water reuse in a social and cultural center, proposing solutions for the reduction of potable water consumption and testing the technical feasibility of four water reuse solutions. One of the solutions only suggests the replacement and/or the modification of the equipment, whilst the remaining solutions point out for the use of rainwater for supplying the cleaning water cisterns with variation of the volume. Any of the solutions can be implemented and would lead to a considerable reduction of the water consumption and the water service cost. However, the use of rainwater to supply flushing cisterns entails very high investment costs compared to the savings achieved, making it unviable for regions of the country with lower water prices. In a short time period, the solution with the fastest return investment is also the one with the lowest investment costs. However, in a long time period the greatest savings are achieved by combining rainwater harvesting with the installation of more efficient equipment for water consumption. Therefore, in areas with lower water billing prices, the most viable investment it seems to be the adoption of high water efficiency equipment’s. In areas where the billing reaches higher values, it is economically feasible to invest in a rainwater supply system, preferably in conjunction with the use of equipment with good water efficiency.
- Technical solutions for water reuse in a social and cultural centerPublication . Abrantes, Sofia; Silva, Flora; Albuquerque, AntónioThis study evaluated the potential of water reuse in a social and cultural center, proposing solutions for the reduction of potable water consumption and testing the technical feasibility of four water reuse solutions. One of the solutions only suggests the replacement and/or the modification of the equipment, whilst the remaining solutions point out for the use of rainwater for supplying the cleaning water cisterns with variation of the volume. Any of the solutions can be implemented and would lead to a considerable reduction of the water consumption and the water service cost. However, the use of rainwater to supply flushing cisterns entails very high investment costs compared to the savings achieved, making it unviable for regions of the country with lower water prices. In a short time period, the solution with the fastest return investment is also the one with the lowest investment costs. However, in a long time period the greatest savings are achieved by combining rainwater harvesting with the installation of more efficient equipment for water consumption. Therefore, in areas with lower water billing prices, the most viable investment it seems to be the adoption of high water efficiency equipment’s. In areas where the billing reaches higher values, it is economically feasible to invest in a rainwater supply system, preferably in conjunction with the use of equipment with good water efficiency.