Gerenciamento e reaproveitamento do resíduo de poda urbana

Abstract

Urban arborization encompasses all vegetation cover within a city's perimeter, which can be classified into green areas, such as parks and squares, and public roadways. Beyond the visual aspect, green presence appears to mitigate common issues in Brazilian cities, such as heat islands and noise and air pollution. For instance, the waste generated from maintenance services in the city of São Carlos, after being shredded, produces a large volume of plant material that is utilized as a substrate for seedling cultivation and soil improvement in squares, central medians, and green areas in general. Urban pruning biomass has energetic, physical, and chemical characteristics with potential for thermal energy generation, noting that biomass's contribution to the Brazilian energy matrix has been growing in recent years, following a global trend of resource material reuse. The promotion of renewable energy to ensure the sustainable growth of economies worldwide has redefined the importance of solid waste and by-products. From this perspective, there is an interest in waste management models that involve sharing, transferring, reusing, repairing, renewing, and recycling materials for as long as possible. Within this philosophy, the life cycles are extended while premature disposal is reduced. In other words, strategies are sought where materials never become conventional waste, and nature is regenerated. Brazil is still relatively inactive in this scenario, and the objective of this Undergraduate Thesis is precisely to provide an overview of the advances and trends on how urban pruning waste management can help stimulate the still nascent circular economy in the country. Brazil is recognized for utilizing biomass to generate energy and for being one of the world's largest biofuel producers, with sugarcane and wood being the primary sources. Other utilization pathways can be implemented using urban pruning waste as a starting material. The current trend is the evolution of public policies and the increase of initiatives for adopting circularity elements in productive and service sectors. Unlike what happens elsewhere in the world, Brazil still lacks public policies or specific legislation to encourage the valorization of urban pruning waste. For now, what is concrete, aside from specific efforts, is the growing involvement of universities and research institutions in projects, particularly in areas such as energy recovery, basic sanitation, and recycling.