Environmental analysis of a domestic rainwater harvesting system: A case study in France

Abstract

This is an author's version published in: http://oatao.univ-toulouse.fr/23721 ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords:Rainwater hatvesting Environmental impacts Life cycle assessment Water footprintLife cycle assessment methodology along with water footprint analysis was used to assess the envi ronmental impacts of a domestic rainwater harvesting system (RWH) in France. Firstly, the relevance of substituting drinking water(DW) with rainwater in a private individual household was studied. Secondly, the effect of several parameters namely construction of infrastructures, building scale and disinfection were evaluated. The quantification of environmental impacts was performed using Ecoinvent inventory data and Impact 2002+ evaluation method. The water footprint was assessed through the water stress indicator (WS(}. From an environmental standpoint, the RWH system has only slightly higher impact than the DW system. The consumption of electricity for pumping generates the strongest impact. The analysis of the WSI showed that the RWH system can relieve a stress on water resources where it exists. Consideration of infrastructures and disinfection turns environmental impacts significantly higher in ail impact categories. Setting up the RWH system at bigger scale, i.e., building scale, is a bit Jess favoured than the RWH system at household se.ale. This study aims at pointing out areas of improvement which need to be further studied to make RWH systems more sustainable.

An Analysis of the Effectiveness of Two Rainwater Harvesting Systems Located in Central Eastern Europe

“…Many publications point to the economic and ecological advantages of rainwater harvesting systems [25][26][27][28][29]. The rainwater collected is mainly used as a substitute for tap water for non-potable purposes, such as toilet flushing, washing, car washing, cleaning, and watering green areas [30][31][32][33].…”

Avaliação ambiental de sistemas de aproveitamento de água pluvial – um mapeamento da literatura

“…A Figura 8 apresenta os 9 países restantes que foram verificados. -PINZÓN et al, 2014;RYGAARD et al, 2014;MORALES-PINZÓN et al, 2015;VIALLE et al, 2015;ANGRILL et al, 2017;GAO et al, 2016;JEONG et al, 2016;VALDEZ et al, 2016) e comerciais (CHANG; LEE; YOON, 2017;GHIMIRE et al, 2017). No entanto, a tipologia residencial unifamiliar foi a que teve o maior número de casos analisados na amostra estudada.…”

“…A Figura 10 apresenta também os demais usos para os quais a água de chuva foi destinada. -PINZÓN et al, 2014;VIALLE et al, 2015;GAO et al, 2016;VALDEZ et al, 2016;ANGRILL et al, 2017;).…”

Investigation of the Current Situation and Prospects for the Development of Rainwater Harvesting as a Tool to Confront Water Scarcity Worldwide

“…In reality, it is about regulations, which define better management of the use of rainwater and the precise technical requirements to be met by the components of the collection systems supplying both outdoor and indoor uses. Specifically, the regulations prohibit the use of harvested rainwater for drinking, showering, or bathing, but they allow its use for toilet flushing; cleaning the ground; and, under certain conditions, washing clothes [73]. In France, according to a survey conducted in 2009, 15% of the population have an RWH system in urban areas [74].…”