UEG and USP joint research receives R$ 233 thousand from Research Support Foundations

The research project "Environmental Destination of Emerging Pollutants in Surface Waters and Sustainable Mitigation Alternatives: Experimental-Computational Hybrid Approach" was awarded with the support of approximately 233 thousand BRL from the State Research Foundations of the States of Goiás and São Paulo (Fapeg and Fapesp). The project is a partnership between the Theoretical and Structural Chemistry group at the State University of Goiás (UEG) Câmpus Central - CET and the Research Group in Advanced Oxidation Processes at the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo (AdOx-CESQ/PQI-EPUSP).

The amount, which will be used for the development of the project activities, came from the public call 04/2019 of Fapeg - Aid to Collaborative Research Fapeg-Fapesp. The research should be developed in up to two years and also has a partnership with the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS).

According to the project coordinator, Professor Valter Carvalho-Silva, the financing will allow the improvement of the infrastructure of the research groups involved, the creation of a collaborative research environment with other Brazilian centers, as well as the availability of a scholarship for a Master's degree in UEG in Molecular Sciences.

According to the professor, the objective of the research is the optimization of processes that allow the mitigation of emerging pollutants using a hybrid experimental-computational approach. He explains that micro-pollutants, such as pesticides, drugs and other substances, have become an important technological challenge in engineering, given that they are found with increasing frequency in aquatic ecosystems and even in supply waters.

"These pollutants are related to adverse effects on biota and human health. To overcome this challenge requires understanding the behavior of pollutants in the environment and the development of technologies capable of minimizing their emission and action in aquatic environments", points out the researcher.

Carvalho-Silva explains that preliminary results of the research have already allowed a series of advances, such as the development of computational platforms based on artificial intelligence to predict the efficiency of oxidation processes in the mitigation of micro-pollutants, in addition to the identification of degradation products and estimation of ecotoxicity of these compounds in different aquatic environments.

The following people are involved in the project:

Molecular Modeling: Theoretical and Structural Chemistry Group at UEG (Leaders: Valter Carvalho-Silva, Luciano Ribeiro and Renato Rosseto)

Experimental Techniques for Degradation of Micropollutants: Research Group in Advanced Oxidation Processes at the Polytechnic School of USP (Leaders: Antônio Carlos Teixeira and Bruno Ramos)

Multicomponent Crystal Engineering Procedures: Physics Institute of UFMS (Leader: Paulo de Sousa Carvalho Jr)

The project also has the support of the Subsecretariat of Information Technology of the Secretariat of Development and Innovation of the State of Goiás, which has provided researchers with a computational environment for high performance calculations. (Translated from the original Portuguese: http://www.ueg.br/noticia/54220_pesquisa_da_ueg_e_da_usp_recebe_r_233_mil_de_fomento_de_fapes)