Diffuse pollution urban wear out of the automotive brakes: a case study in Sub-Basin 1 Belém river in Curitiba - PR

Abstract

Diffuse pollution is the least known type among all kinds of pollution and its origin care come from natural or human sources. Because it is formed by particles, they have a higher rate of scattering through water ways, making this type of pollution more difficult to quantity and characterize as a polluting source. Through superficial runoff caused by rains these residues reach rivers, causing significant impacts in the water quality of rivers. The Belem river runs through important areas such as parks and highly populated areas. Traffic in the urban areas is very intense, causing a high use of the vehicles breaking system, and therefore degrading the breaks’ disk. The objective was to research the effect the polluting from the vehicles’ breaks has upon the Bay Division-1 form the Belem River, caused by the particles’ runoff done by the rain. There were made bibliographic research, visits to car-repair-shops, researching from Curitiba’s Urbaning date, identifying eight evolution points, four in the bay’s waters and 4 in the streets evaluating the vehicles’ flow. It was analyzed the degration/usage of two break’s plagues of a car’s wheel from one car, for sixty days, estimating the possible usage according with the vehicles’ traffic flow. The traffic flows per hour in the four identified evolution points were: Point 1:1290, Point 2: 565, Point 3: 144, Point 4: 745. The degration of the two break’s plagues that were analyzed in one day was 0,0035g, therefore, in a year it world be 1,265g. In comparison the break’s degration with the traffic flow in points 1, 2, 3 and 4, the area that has the potential to be the greatest polluting potential due to the higher traffic flow is point 1. In one hour the estimated break’s plagues degration was 0, 140g. It is inevitable that the break’s degration occurs, if not, there world be no need to repair or replace the break’s plagues in a vehicle revision. In the analyses of the evaluating points it was not possible to identify the pollution particles concentration. It is suggested that since these materials are not soluble in water. With the constant river flow, the particles tend to settle at the bottom of the rivers. Therefore, the methods used for quantifying in the water should not be the only ones to evaluate the potential polluting source, making the need for future research necessary with the use of more specific analysis for the settling materials.