In November, a group of eight researchers from Feevale University and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) will participate in the Technical Mission Portugal-Spain. The objectives of the mission, that takes place from November 15 to 25, are to expand relations with international researchers to develop new projects and disseminate the studies that have been carried out by the institutions. Feevale will take the researchers Marco Antonio Siqueira Rodrigues, Fabricio Celso, Vanusca Dalosto Jahno, Giacobbo Alexandre and Michel Vinicius Flach; UFRGS researchers are Andréa Moura Bernardes, Jane Zoppas Ferreira and Carlos Arthur Ferreira.

 

The mission Portugal-Spain is part of the project Development of ion-selective membranes and flow separators for electrodialysis system and its application in water treatment of public supply and industrial effluents, of Feevale University, of which the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) is a partner in an agreement signed with the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) together with the partnership of Hidrodex, São Paulo. The aim is to improve the materials and equipment developed in the project, through observation of operations on large water treatment plants in both countries. Moreover, aiming at strengthening partnerships in research projects, two universities, a research center and two water treatment plants will be visited , the latter using membrane technology, wastewater treatment method being developed in Rio Grande do Sul, pioneered by Feevale.

 

The multidisciplinary group can create a privileged environment for discussion, where different views can contribute to the improvement of products and processes, on either side of the Atlantic. "The visit will also provide the exchange of technical information regarding the characteristics and performance of equipment used, as well as the presentation of the membranes, separators and reverse electrodialysis equipment (EDR), developed in the BNDES project, to those responsible for the places that were visited, allowing to make relations between the assembly of the equipment in Brazil and those of large scale that are in operation in developed countries, "said Professor Marco Antonio Siqueira Rodrigues.

 

 

1. Visit to the Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon, Portugal, for technical meeting with the researcher Maria Norberta de Pinho on joint projects between Feevale / UFRGS and the Portuguese University, about the electrodialysis technology.

2. Visit to the Universitat Politècnica de València to technical meeting with Professor Valentin Perez Herranz on electrodialysis technology for treating water and wastewater.

3. Visit Valencia Water Group, Spain, to meet Javier Sanchis Carbonell, Director of Desalination Plants. Água de Valência is a business group dedicated to water management, which operates three plants of reverse electrodialysis (EDR) with a combined capacity of 32,000 m³ / day and nine plants of reverse osmosis (RO) with a capacity of 20,000 m³ / day . This group is a pioneer in building EDR plants to eliminate nitrates in Spain.

4. Visit to the Instituto Catalán de Investigación del Agua (ICRA), Spain. Damià Barceló, director of ICRA, is a world reference in research related to water, especially those related to its use and the effects of human activity on water resources in a rational way.

5. Visit to Barcelona Water Treatment Plant, Spain. This is one of the largest plants of water desalination in Europe, with capacity of 200,000 m³ / day, being inaugurated in 2009 and which provides drinking water to more than 20% of Barcelona’s residents.