Simulation of the use of rainwater for car washing at a dealership in Aracaju/SE

Abstract

The demographic and economic growth of a country automatically generates an increase in the demand for water, which consequently promotes a problem that is socially worsening. Faced with this situation, one of the actions that can be adopted in order to save water, and which has become popular in recent years, is the implementation of systems for capturing and reusing rainwater. In view of the above, this article aims to perform a simulation of the capture and use of rainwater in a vehicle dealership located in the city of Aracaju/SE. Initially based on the roof area and rainfall data for the years 2016 to 2020, the volume of water captured by the roof was calculated, and finally, the percentage of consumption that could be met with the use of this water was estimated, in this case, the washing of vehicles, and the impact generated on the local urban drainage network was analyzed. In the analyzed period, the average monthly demand was 30.0 m³, the monthly volume collected by the roof resulted in an average of 301.8 m³ and the average monthly reduction in the volume of water thrown into the drainage network was of the order of 30, 7%. It is concluded that rainwater fully meets the estimated demand, the use of rainwater reservoir positively impacts the drainage network, and for this, it must be used on a large scale.