The project Management of Port Navigation Channels and Reuse of Dredged Material in the Port of Açu was certified in the ‘Supporter of Working with Nature’ category by the PIANC World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure, an association that brings together specialists in coastal and port works from various countries around the world. The certification proves the efficiency of the Port of Açu’s research, development and innovation project, which began around two years ago with the participation of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), the State University of Northern Rio de Janeiro (UENF), the startup Argonautica and the company Microars.
According to Juliane Carneiro, the Port of Açu’s Innovation coordinator, the research, development and innovation ecosystem Cais Açu Lab (Collective of Actions in Innovation and Sustainability), helps to make the connection network viable for the project and positions Açu as an enabler of international best practice initiatives to encourage and support environmentally ambitious operational navigation infrastructure projects.
“The aim was to study the characteristics of the material removed from the bottom in the dredging process, to understand the environment in which it is inserted and to better manage this material and this necessary work for ports. The project also aimed to research efficient and environmentally friendly possibilities for mud, a common sediment in bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, harbors and canals,” explains Juliane.
Studies have been carried out on everything from navigability in fluid mud, support for the development of dynamic draft tools and circular economy projects. With regard to the latter, the material removed went through a series of tests until it resulted in the manufacture of interlocking blocks, mortar and interlocking studies that can be used by the construction industry.
As the innovation coordinator explains, the project on navigability in fluid mud was also submitted and selected by the National Research and Development Council’s (CNPQ) call for proposals for Innovative Companies, the financial support for which exclusively pays for research grants. There are currently 12 active scholarships with selected researchers in the northern region of Rio de Janeiro.
“We have already tested the mortar, the prototype of the interlocking block is ready and we are testing the execution of the interlocking block. Now we will begin the next steps in advancing the research, development and innovation project,” concludes Juliane Carneiro.
