Ricardo Hirata is a Certified Geologist (UNESP, Brazil), with MSc (USP, Brazil), DSc (USP, Brazil) and Post Doctorate (University of Waterloo, Canada) in hydrogeology. He is currently a Full Professor at University of São Paulo (USP), Director of CEPAS|USP (Groundwater Research Center), and IWA-Groundwater SG Steering Committee and former member of the Groundwater Management Advisory Team of World Bank (GW-MATE), an adviser for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), PAHO/WHO and UNESCO, Visiting Professor at the University of Calgary and also a 1B-Level Brazilian CNPq Research Fellow.Dr. Hirata has 40-year experience working intensively in many aspects of groundwater and water resources for private and government companies in more than 30 countries in areas that include, among others, groundwater contamination, groundwater resource development, water resource management and governance, and groundwater protection policy. He was also a Chief Hydrogeologist for São Paulo Geological Institute (Environmental Secretariat of Sao Paulo State) and Water and Energy Department (DAEE, Water Resource Secretariat) and a research associate at the Earth Science Department of the University of Waterloo (Canada), where he did his post-doctoral fellow. He also served as a hydrogeologist for World/Pan American Health Organization and a professor for University of Costa Rica (CARAS Program: a Canadian Graduate Program for Central and South America) and Visiting Professor at University of Calgary (Canada). Dr. Hirata has been a coordinator in a large number of research project involving many national and international institutions, which have resulted in a significant number of trained high-level students (MSc and DSc) and publications, including some technical manuals for WHO/PAHO, World Bank, and UNESCO. He also has registered a patent to remediate contaminated groundwater. Since 2011, he has been Associate Editor Bulletin of Water Resources and Development and Groundwater Resources and Management and Chief Editor of the EMS Environmental Sciences Journal. Hirata was nominated as Honorary Citizenship of Sucre (Bolívia) and Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) and also a Latin America Distinguish Hydrogeology by Latin America Hydrogeologist Association (ALSHUD). (Source: Lattes Curriculum)
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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 rem…
Between 2013 and 2017, periods of drought generated a water supply crisis that affected 48% of Brazilian municipalities, causing severe public health and economic problems at a national scale. Traditional solutions, based on centralized single-source water systems, have been ineffective in Brazil and developing countries. The main objective of this project is to create new hydro-economic …
Nitrate is one of the most common contaminants in aquifers. Its origin is usually related to agricultural practices and on situ sanitation. In São Paulo, several studies have pointed to this problem, which also has occurred in many cities, even if they have sewerage mains for decades. The remediation of aquifers contaminated by nitrate is a major challenge in management, because, although…
Due to an increasing demographic pressure, the Metropolitan Region of Recife (RMR, the fifth largest metropolitan area in Brazil), went through remarkable water and land use changes over the last decades. These evolutions gave rise to numerous environmental consequences, such as a dramatic decline of the piezometric levels, groundwater salinization and contamination, This degradation of n…
(Only some records are available in English at this moment)
Nitrate contamination is an insidious problem that affects practically all aquifers in São Paulo, which are responsible for the total or partial public water supply of 80% of its municipalities. Although this topic has been studied for more than two decades, there is still no clear understanding of which mechanisms (e.g., biological, chemical, natural or anthropogenic) control nitrogen sp…
The hydrological crisis is defined as the lack of sufficient quantity and quality of water to meet the needs of a specific region during a given time. It occurs when three phenomena coincide: (i) reduced water availability or physical scarcity; (ii) inadequate water supply infrastructure or economic scarcity; and (iii) poor water resource management or managerial scarcity. While physical …
This research project aims to strengthen the mediation between the scientific aspects linked to the water crisis studied by the Integrated Water Solutions for Resilient Cities Project (SACRE, Fapesp 2020/15434-0), with their nuances and interdisciplinary perspectives for society, with a focus on members of the Bauru community, and stakeholders responsible for or interested in organizing p…
(Only some records are available in English at this moment)
Oxisol is a typical tropical soil and the most common one in the state of São Paulo. It is widely used for agriculture; however, it is acidic and poor in nutrients, demanding significant fertilizing applications. One potentially sustainable alternative is to reuse biochar previously used for nitrate removal from groundwater as a slow-release fertilizer. This material is a potential source…
In urban environments, groundwater quality is threatened by nonpoint contamination sources, such as sewer leakages. Due to their great areal extent, in situ, remediation is a challenge, but some alternatives exist, such as permeable reactive barriers. The selection of a remediation alternative must consider several factors to ensure its sustainability and, in the context of climate change…
(Only some records are available in English at this moment)
The Guarani Aquifer System (GAS), formed by the Botucatu and Piramboia formations, is the main source of water supply for the city of Bauru (SP). The SAG is a confined fossil water unit (with ages of approximately 600 k.a), which makes it a non-renewable and finite resource. This makes necessary for its planned exploitation, the estimation of the amount of stored water, from the interpret…
Nitrate contamination in urban aquifers arising from dispersed and multipoint sources has proven to be a difficult problem to solve, as it requires a high cost in its characterization, associated with many monitoring wells, and low efficiency in the classic treatment alternatives. In the State of São Paulo, dispersed contamination is mainly associated with the public sewage system, which,…
Management of groundwater is at an incipient stage in Brazil. Limitations are still greater in urban areas, where the location of many wells is not known and the problems, when detected, are related to several activities and users. Legislation on existent water resources does not comprehend the characteristics of groundwater. Thus, as in other metropolitan areas, Recife is inserted in a c…
(Only some records are available in English at this moment)
| 2 / 2 | Ongoing grants |
| 13 / 5 | Completed research grants |
| 10 / 10 | Ongoing scholarships in Brazil |
| 33 / 13 | Completed scholarships in Brazil |
| 4 / 4 | Completed scholarships abroad |
| 62 / 34 | All research grants and scholarships |
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