Evaluation of the Environmental and Economic Impacts on the Life Cycle of Different Solutions for Toilet Flush Systems

The use of plumbing fixtures to promote water saving in the built environment is a common practice in water conservation programs. However, the environmental implications of fixtures replacement should be taken into consideration. This paper analyzes three different scenarios for the provision of wa...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2019-09, Vol.11 (17), p.4742
Main Authors: Gnoatto, Eloise Leonora, Kalbusch, Andreza, Henning, Elisa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Climate change
Construction industry
Economic analysis
Economic impact
Energy consumption
Environmental aspects
Environmental assessment
Environmental impact
Evaluation
Fixtures
Global warming
Greywater
Hydraulics
Lavatories
Natural resources
Plumbing
Plumbing fixtures
Rain
Raw materials
Toilet facilities
Urban environments
Water conservation
Water reuse
Water supply
Wetlands
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The use of plumbing fixtures to promote water saving in the built environment is a common practice in water conservation programs. However, the environmental implications of fixtures replacement should be taken into consideration. This paper analyzes three different scenarios for the provision of water in toilets installed in a university campus. In scenarios 1 and 2, single flush and dual flush devices were installed in the toilets, respectively. In scenario 3, in addition to the installation of dual flush devices, a greywater reuse system from the lavatories was analyzed. The objective is to evaluate, through the Life Cycle Assessment, the environmental aspects related to these scenarios. The economic analysis of the three scenarios was also carried out. Measurements were taken on all plumbing fixtures installed in a building of a university campus in Southern Brazil. The research was conducted using smart meters in two periods: with single flush and dual flush devices installed in toilets. Considering the environmental impacts analyzed, scenario 3 presented lower water and energy consumption in the life cycle. Scenario 2, however, presented lower global warming potential. The net present value results were R$ 23,575.71, R$ 19,091.41, and R$ 22,500.55 for scenarios 1, 2 and 3, respectively.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su11174742