Reutilização de contêineres marítimos como construção: circularidade e avaliação do ciclo de vida

Abstract

The focus on sustainability encourages the creation of innovative products and methods. By focusing on the environment, Circular Economy promotes a change in the mode of consumption and production of capital goods and consumption focused on the environment. The smart use of natural resources has proved to be not only environmentally beneficial, but also economically advantageous. Following this line of reasoning, shipping containers have been used as buildings after the end of their use in cargo transportation with numerous benefits, not only environmental, but also social and economic. Although its secondary function is not recent, studies on its relationship with the Circular Economy are still not easily found, nor studies on the environmental impacts generated in the process of transformation and use of them. Therefore, this work aims to study the reuse of containers, relating it to the new economy and to the environment. For this, the study followed a already developed method to measure the circularity through the calculation of the Material Recovery Potential Index and also carried out the Life Cycle Assessment of the product, according to norms established by the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards. The bibliographic review presents previous studies on the theme, but out of the Circular Economy. This study is guided by the environmental assessment of the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment Center and a project already completed for the construction of the Low-Cost Bioclimatic Chamber at the Federal University of Technology ­ Paraná. At the end of the study, the prerogative of building sustainability involving shipping containers was confirmed since it was reused after the end of its primary function. The study ends with the calculation of the circularity of the construction, as well as, with a score of the difficulties encountered in carrying out the present work.