Avaliação econômica e ambiental de bloco de concreto não estrutural fabricados com adição de resíduos de fibra de vidro

Resumo (EN)

The use of fiberglass in industry generates a significant amount of waste and raises concerns about proper disposal. As thermoset composites, their recycling is more complex since they cannot be softened and remolded through heating. In Brazil, the composites sector generates approximately 18,000 tons of waste per year, resulting in a disposal cost of around BRL 120 million in landfills. This study proposes an alternative to reuse these by-products as raw material in the production of non-structural concrete blocks for the construction industry, validating the proposal from both economic and environmental perspectives. The study focuses on a region in São Paulo that concentrates clusters of companies with potential for this application. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Emergy Synthesis methods were applied to measure environmental impacts, along with classical economic analysis to assess the financial feasibility of the produced blocks. The results indicate that the alternative blocks have better environmental performance compared to conventional ones, with emissions of 51.97 kgCO₂-eq./ton-block (a reduction of 24%). The emergy synthesis showed a savings of 2.68E17 sej/year and an ECBR rate of 0.10, representing a 10% annual return, in addition to direct cost savings of up to BRL 21,600.00 per year. The study provides support for public policies and for the planning of more sustainable industrial clusters based on industrial symbiosis.