Avaliação do ciclo de vida do programa de coleta seletiva de metais no município de João Pessoa/PB – Brasil

Abstract

The problem of population growth gives rise to major concerns about the future. Among the main reasons for this is the increase in waste generation, mainly due to the capitalist and consumer model of the current society, combined with production that increasingly stimulates the obsolescence of products, encouraging periodic exchanges and increasing solid waste produced. With this context, the correct disposal of solid wastes is of great importance in order to mitigate impacts to the environment in a significant way. For this, the procedure of selective collection is presented as an important tool for the good management of discarded materials. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the life cycle (LCA) of the selective metal collection program in the city of João Pessoa / PB-Brazil, under the environmental approach. For the application of LCA, the software SimaPro 8.0 and the CML impact assessment method were used, selecting the impact categories acidification, eutrophication, global warming, ozone layer destruction and photochemical oxidation. In addition, it was sought to verify the contribution of each stage of the management of metallic waste, in order to verify how they act in the generation of these impacts. Therefore, the methodological procedures adopted by the research for the use of the ACV tool followed the recommendations of ISO 14040 (2014) and ISO 14044 (2014). Thus, it was verified that the selective collection contributes in a positive way to minimize negative environmental impacts. In addition, it was also possible to realize that implementations are necessary to optimize some stages of the procedure, aiming at the reduction of emissions. In addition, the social sector also needs care, and it is important to develop public policies that encourage the population to adhere to the selective collection program in said municipality, since great difficulties found in the collection are conditioned to the most effective participation of the people. Another important tool that requires greater disclosure about its importance for society, besides stimulating its prioritization in the treatment of waste, is recycling. Through the life cycle assessment tool, the results obtained show the collaborative participation of recycling in the compensation of emissions related to the impacts of global warming and photochemical oxidation. However, for the categories related to depletion of the ozone layer, eutrophication and acidification, pollutant emissions were higher than the negative contributions generated by the recycling phase. Therefore, it was verified that the selective collection program of the municipality needs to be optimized in some stages, mainly by increasing the quantity of solid waste sent to recycling, reducing the pollutants emitted from the burning of fossil fuels during transportation and reuse of the gases produced in the landfill.