Development of anti-evaporation mixture for the conservation of fresh water

• Grant number: 03/07630-8
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: February 01, 2004
• End date: March 31, 2007
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Marcos Eduardo Sedra Gugliotti
• Grantee: Marcos Eduardo Sedra Gugliotti
• Company: Lotus Química Ambiental Ltda. - ME
• City: São Paulo

Abstract

Faced with the supply crisis in some regions of Brazil and in the world, the company realized that the conservation of fresh water has become a business opportunity. This project describes the final stage of development of a chemical product which uses the technology of the formation of monomolecular films of biodegradable surfactants to reduce water evaporation. The product should be used in minimal quantities, will not harm the environment and can be applied in electricity generation reservoirs, the public supply and irrigation. The target public ranges from governmental agencies to private electric energy businesses, in addition to rural producers. In the second phase of the project tests will be carried out on the process of batch manufacturing, with batteries of toxicological and physicochemical tests to characterize the mixture, and experiments in evaporation reduction in the laboratory and in the field. Experiments in lakes or reservoirs should reveal the efficiency of the product in real conditions. The reduction in evaporation will be determined by existing well-established methods using, principally, class A evapometers. It is believed that this product should have a high socio-economic impact, especially in regions where there is a shortage of water, such as the North-East of Brazil. (AU)