Partnership between Canadians and Brazilians studies soil and water recovery

Researchers use chemical oxidation and bioremediation techniques and are excited by the possibility of discovering what will come out of using the tests on diverse types of soils.

The Brazilian State of São Paulo and the Canadian Province of Ontario, like many other areas in the world that have experienced a high volume of industrial activity over time, and are inhabited by large contingents of populations, are facing serious problems of soil contamination. These problems may destroy water sources or directly threaten the health of those who live or work in buildings erected over these areas.

That is why the collaborative project between the University of São Paulo and the University of Toronto for research into soil and water recovery, through an agreement signed between FAPESP and the University of Toronto and presented by some of those heading up the project at FAPESP WEEK 2012, is of great social importance.

Cláudio Augusto Oller do Nascimento from the Politechnical School at USP and Brent Sleep of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Toronto, presented several possible projects the two schools have in common, specifically between the Center for Environmental Training and Research (CEPEMA) and the Center for Applied Bioscience and Bioengineering (BIOZONE) where they work.

One of them is the possibility for the Brazilians to improve their recovery techniques, an area in which the Canadians have specialized. This technology is known as Nanoscale Zero Valent Iron (nZVI), which has been used successfully in the treatment of land and water contaminated by pesticides and solvents.

The two centers use chemical oxidation and bioremediation techniques. But because the soil features of the two countries are very different, the two sides are excited by the possibility of discovering what will come out of using the tests on such diverse types of soils. The joint development of computer processing models for the environment is another reason for the enthusiasm that infects researchers from the two entities.

Initially, they intend to conduct short-term exchanges for Canadian and Brazilian students as well as a symposium on the technology involved in soil and water recovery. At the same time, researchers from the two countries will develop projects together that involve using these types of technologies in the coming years.