Due to the existing pressure for a more rational use of the water, many public managers and industries have to re-think/adapt their processes towards a more circular approach. Such pressure is even more critical in the Rio Doce region, Minas Gerais, due to the large environmental accident occurred in 2015. Cenibra (pulp mill) is an example of such industries due to the fact that it is situated in the river basin and that it has a water demanding process. The current proposal is meant as an academic and engineering study to propose possible solutions to decrease the total water consumption of the mill and, thus, decrease the total stress on the Rio Doce basin. The work will be divided in three working packages, namely: (i) evaluation (modelling) of the mill process and water balance (ii) application and operation of a pilot scale wastewater treatment plant (iii) analysis of the impacts caused by the improvement of the process. The second work package will also be conducted (in parallel) with a lab scale setup in The Netherlands to allow fast adjustments and broaden evaluation of the setup/process performance. The actions will focus on reducing the mill total water consumption in 20%.

Efficient local production of pork in Brazil is essential to meet the increasing internal demand for animal protein, and to make the Brazilian pork sector competitive and sustainable towards the future. Two important threats are: 1) Brazilian pork production relies on feed (corn and soy) that is becoming more expensive due to large demand for alternative uses and increasing transport distances, and 2) consolidation of pig breeding businesses has resulted in global breeding programs that do not necessarily select the best pigs for specific local circumstances (such as tropical climate or alternative feed). This multidisciplinary project will quantify these threats, develop and evaluate alternatives involving feeding by-products from more locally produced Macaúba and breeding strategies that allow global breeding plans to serve specific local breeding goals. This project potentially will decrease costs of Brazilian pork production, but also generates additional economic activities involved in harvesting and processing of Macaúba.