The project develops a low-cost aquatic rover: an autonomous vehicle for water to measure physical-chemical parameters in freshwater ecosystems, such as turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and temperature, to identify environmental impacts. With two models available, the sensors collect water quality data and send it to a server, which is analyzed on a computer or cell phone. The main objective is to facilitate water monitoring, reduce the need for technicians, reduce exposure to contaminated areas, and increase efficiency in detecting contamination. After testing, the equipment proved to be effective in measuring data.

The project goal was the development of a sustainable alternative to textile effluent treatment, through biomembranes produced with wine by-products. The biomembranes were produced in a static fermentation for 14 days. The biomembranes were tested as adsorbent material to remove the indigo carmine dye in three different concentrations (5 mg/L, 15 mg/L, and 50 mg/L). Removal of 50%, 80%, and 80%, respectively, was observed in the three concentrations. Two industrial textile effluents were tested: green and red. The alternative treatment removed 50% of green effluent and 30% of red effluent. This project has social, environmental, and scientific relevance in developing a sustainable alternative for textile effluent treatment, addressing 8 of the 17 SDSs.

Basic sanitation is a human right. It’s what the 6th of the 17 SDGs created by the UN foresees. However, plenty of women face Period Poverty, which consists of the inaccessibility to sanitary pads, bringing irreversible social consequences and a lack of dignity in their lives. Moreover, synthetic pads negatively impact the environment since most of their materials come from non-renewable sources and require tons of liters of water to be manufactured. So, by-products from the South Coast of Brazil were used as raw materials to develop an eco-friendly sanitary pad. The final prototype was able to absorb 645%, while the disposable pads were 582% and it has a cost 2 cents.

Microplastic contamination is growing in the environment, given the ubiquity of plastic materials in our society’s daily lives. Studies have found these microparticles in water treatment plants that do not have a specific mechanism for removing this pollutant, which results in their presence in the Water Distribution System, therefore, distributing to consumers. The purpose of this project is a solution to this demand, as developed of microplastics filtration mechanism, easy to use and accessible because of the low-priced materials, to apply in the WTPs. The system was built and tested to simulate the conditions of this environment. The simulations demonstrated the effectiveness of the designed filter, the filter achieved 80% of efficiency, and it retrains particles even smaller than 300µm.

The main flocculant agent used in the water and wastewater treatment process is the polyacrylamide, of which monomers are highly toxic. The purpose of this project is to solve this problem by evaluating the behavior of the bioflocculant pectin extracted from the orange peel. The pectin extraction was made by the citric acid and characterized the obtained material with the degree of esterification (DE) and galacturonic acid content (GAC) with neutralization volumetric method. Flocculation tests were made in synthetic residual water considering 3 values of initial pH: 3.3; 7.8 and 10.6. In pH 10.6, all the samples presented flocculation activities better than 90%, that is, is the most favorable to the pectin flocculation process.

The environmental instability caused by increasing presence of metallic ions and dyes in the water has been increasing in the last decades, as the number of researches looking for methods of liquid effluents depollution. One of these methods is the adsorption.
The group synthesized the magnetite (Fe3O4) as a form of low cost and high efficiency adsorber material, together with active carbon and polyurethane. It was aimed at the removal of dyes, cobalt ions (Co2+) and cadmium ions (Cd2+) from effluents. To prove its efficiency, an experimental methodology was used to simulate the aquatic environment where the synthesized materials would act.
Additionally, it was tried to recover the material used in order to reduce the environmental impacts of the research.

During 2014-2015, the city of São Paulo, the biggest metropolis in Brazil, struggled with a very serious water crisis. In this context, SIMECHR – Residential Water Monitoring and Control System was developed. It is an equipment able to monitor in real time the incoming water flow to any house and residential buildings. Access can be made remotely through a mobile application. The tool allows the users to monitor the water level in their tanks and enables them to check undesired air flow in water pipes, as well as leaks, leading towards a more efficient consumption. It also helps the users validate the amount charged in the supplier bill. Therefore, SIMECHR contributes to engage the society in more conscious water habits.

The northeast of Brazil is characterized by a semi-arid climate and chronic drought.