Avaliação comparativa do ciclo de vida entre sistemas de aquecimento solar de água utilizados em habitações de interesse social

Abstract

The industrialized solar hot water systems are produced with high cost materials for the acquisition of low income population, because of that, many alternative systems, that aims a reduction of cost of the product for the user, have been proposed. The present work compares the environmental impacts caused by industrialized and alternative solar hot water systems, used in social interest habitations, by means of life cycle assessment evaluated according to Eco-indicator 99 methodology. The low cost solar heater (ASBC) developed by Sociedade do Sol, the solar heater composed of dismissible packings developed by José Alcino Alano and his family and the compact solar heater produced by Soletrol company, have been studied. For the study, three hypotheses have been taken into account, varying the ways of disposition of the materials that compose the systems at the end of their useful lives. For the three systems, the Eco-indicators have been determinated for the three hypotheses, possibiliting the knowledge and comparison of the environmental impacts of the three systems on each hypothesis. Two considerations have been made for the solar heater composed of dismissible packings. One of them hasn t taken into account, in the calculation of the Eco-indicators values, the materials that are being reused. The results have revealed that when the dismissible packings are taken into account, this system contributes much more to the environment degradation due to the impact caused by PET packings. Furthermore, the study has shown that alternative systems reach Eco-indicators values approximate and even lower than those of the industrialized system, when the final disposal varies. However, amongst the considered hypotheses the one that supposes the recycling of only the materials of the industrialized systems (most likely to occur) revealed this system as the one with the least environmental impact.