Contamination & remediation of aquifers in agricultural areas: looking for natural, management and engineering solutions

• Grant number: 22/00652-7
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2022
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geology
• Mobility Program: SPRINT - Projetos de pesquisa - Mobilidade
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo César Aoki Hirata
• Grantee: Ricardo César Aoki Hirata
• Principal researcher abroad: Shinichi Onodera
• Institution abroad: Hiroshima University, Japan
• Host Institution: Instituto de Geociências (IGC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Juliana Gardenalli de Freitas ; Mitsuyo Saito ; PRISCILA IKEMATSU ; Reginaldo Antonio Bertolo
• Associated research grant: 20/15434-0 - SACRE: integrated water solutions for resilient cities, AP.TEM

Abstract

The characterization and remediation of aquifers extensively contaminated by nitrate in rural areas is still an unsolved problem. Traditionally, monitoring wells are used to aquifer contamination plumes definition, but they are constrained to delimit the impact from dispersed sources, such as agriculture. Remediation is even narrower, and managers usually abandon contaminated wells or remove the nitrate from the water after the extraction; however, this is very costly when large water volumes spread over extensive areas are involved. Numerical computer simulations demonstrate that, when implementing "non-intervention" solutions, assuming that only the polluting source has been eliminated, 30 to 40 years will be required for groundwater to return to a potable condition in São Paulo's aquifers such as the Bauru Aquifer System. Thus, it is necessary to create new alternatives to treat widely contaminated aquifers with low cost and ease of implantation in large agricultural areas. Thus, the main objective of this proposal is to bring together international knowledge and expertise from three top institutions, University of São Paulo and Japanese universities of Hiroshima and Okayama. These two Japanese centers have a long history of working together in groundwater contamination in rural areas, and they are recognized track record of excellence in groundwater research and education, permitting with the Brazilian group to address and propose solutions for rural groundwater contamination. This Sprint Project is complementary to the Thematic "SACRE Project" and the "Health Urban-rural cycle" Project, as they will attempt to characterize aquifers contaminated by agriculture but will not come to propose new remediation technologies. Thus, this Sprint Project will promote an adequate discussion of technological and crop management options to reduce impacts on groundwater resources and, above all, identify where science will have to advance, going beyond the original Japanese and Brazilian projects. In fact, it is one of the objectives of this Sprint to propose a new research project. Finally, the desired results of this initiative will not be restricted to scientific advancement. The SACRE Project, which is now starting, involves the leading groundwater management institutions in the state of São Paulo. In this way, the discussion on the problem of rural contamination and its implication to urban supply will be discussed with the technicians responsible for the groundwater resource management and governance, giving greater scope to this Sprint Project. (AU)