Potencial de resíduos da construção civil reutilizados para a obtenção de matéria-prima com características de uma célula fotovoltaica

Abstract

The construction industry is one of the key drivers of any nation’s economy; it makes considerable contribution to the gross national product and bears significant impact on the local and regional economies as large infrastructure projects such as road works can infuse employment and business opportunities into a region. However, the construction waste (CW) generation in big cities is a problem for which there is still no ecologically correct solution, and when this waste is disposed irregular place lead to contamination of the soil and all environments around it. In order to minimize the environmental impacts of the CW several researches have been developed, such as the reuse of CW masonry and ceramics contents in the thermoluminescent or radionucleic sensor or in the substitution of chemical products in sewage treatment plants and the CW wood waste is being used to generate energy. Several semiconductors are present in the composition of construction waste, mainly the silicon that composes the mortar and the ceramics. They when the exposure to visible light generates an electrical voltage in a semiconductor material is called photovoltaic effect. This work aimed to test the CW in obtaining a photovoltaic cell (PV), as an environmentally and economically feasible way to reuse this residue. To this end, the waste from the construction industry was calcined in muffle furnaces and copper salts, sodium chloride and a mixture of both salts were added to the surfaces. These proof bode were exposed to solar radiation on clear days and measured their temperature, currents, resistance and electrical power. The PV cells were classified according to their conversion efficiency in electric energy, as indicated by the Brazilian standard. Environmental cost accounting theory has been used to show that the production process is environmentally and ecologically viable. The results showed that all the specimens had properties suitable for a photovoltaic cell. The yields of conversion to elastic energy varied from 4 to 9%, classifying the cells in classes B (good yield) and C (regular yield), demonstrating that it is possible to obtain a photovoltaic cell from the CW. It was adopted as a strategy the selling price of R $ 7.79 (US $ 1.97) for presenting half of the value of a commercialized PV cell, obtaining a profit of R$ 458,000.00 / month (US$ 116,539). Concludes, through these facts, that it is possible to obtain a photovoltaic cell economically and environmentally viable from reuse of construction waste.