Leo Cesar Melo, 3P-F

The increased occupancy of the Brazilian coast, which includes population and logistic infrastructure, resulted in the inevitable interaction between waterways and sewage disposal, of home and industrial origin. At the same time, environmental guidelines and legislation are very strict in Brazil, encouraging port owners to increase existing operational units instead of investing in greenfield developments. This has resulted in an ever-increasing occurrence of contaminated sediment and waterway… Mostrar más

The increased occupancy of the Brazilian coast, which includes population and logistic infrastructure, resulted in the inevitable interaction between waterways and sewage disposal, of home and industrial origin. At the same time, environmental guidelines and legislation are very strict in Brazil, encouraging port owners to increase existing operational units instead of investing in greenfield developments. This has resulted in an ever-increasing occurrence of contaminated sediment and waterway obstructions within dredging prisms, such as fishing apparatus, anchors and shipwrecks. One specific waterway extension project faced these difficulties. Access channel deepening of the Niteroi harbor access channel and maneuvering basin, located in Rio de Janeiro, was a complex task; which involved dredging of contaminated and non-contaminated sediment, partial removal of a late 1800`s shipwreck, compacted soil and sedimentary rock. Over 53,136 m3 of contaminated sediment was removed with a 12-inch cutter suction dredger and pumped to a sealed barge, without overflowing. The material was removed from the barge with a pump and, after mixed with polymer, confined in geotextile tubes. Residual wastewater was treated with a custom-made filtering system and disposed. The contaminated sediment was disposed on a classified landfill. The non-contaminated portion (193,525 m3) was removed with a large clamshell dredge and disposed in oceanic area ed by split hopper barges. Compacted soil and sedimentary rock were disaggregated with hydraulic breakers, collected with boarded long-reach excavators and carried to oceanic disposal. The shipwreck was partially removed by hoisting parts previously cut by divers and disposed in a deep section of the channel. In addition to the multidisciplinary operation, the waterway contour was very close to the coastline and rigid structures, such as piles, quays and riprap. Mostrar menos

A large container and bulk cargo terminal is being constructed in the Port of Santos, Brazil. When completed the terminal will be the largest private owned port facility in Brazil with over 600,000 m2 dedicated to container storage. To development the site, large quantities of imported fill would be required in addition to dredging and disposal off site of large volumes of contaminated sediments. In total this was a significant cost to develop the site. Allonda and TenCate engineers developed… Mostrar más

A large container and bulk cargo terminal is being constructed in the Port of Santos, Brazil. When completed the terminal will be the largest private owned port facility in Brazil with over 600,000 m2 dedicated to container storage. To development the site, large quantities of imported fill would be required in addition to dredging and disposal off site of large volumes of contaminated sediments. In total this was a significant cost to develop the site. Allonda and TenCate engineers developed an alternative solution based on using the dredged contaminated sediments to be dewatered and contained on site in large geotextile tubes. This material would be environmentally secured permanently within the geotextile tubes over which the container storage yard would be constructed. Additionally, this solution would eliminate 600,000 m3 of imported fill and disposal offsite of the same volume of contaminated sediments. The alternative design greatly reduced the construction cost. Mostrar menos

Hazardous waste generator companies have a constant concern on its management, once one of the most critical challenges is to dewater and to discharge the sludge resulting from treatment of these materials. The dewatering of sludges and contaminated sediments using geotextile tubes is an innovative solution that separates the solid from liquid part of high moisture content materials, resulting in an effective dehydration and volume reduction, besides an optimized logistic regarding discharge… Mostrar más

Hazardous waste generator companies have a constant concern on its management, once one of the most critical challenges is to dewater and to discharge the sludge resulting from treatment of these materials. The dewatering of sludges and contaminated sediments using geotextile tubes is an innovative solution that separates the solid from liquid part of high moisture content materials, resulting in an effective dehydration and volume reduction, besides an optimized logistic regarding discharge, mainly when compared to other technologies in the market. This work presents a case study of application of high tenacity polypropylene woven geotextile tubes to dewater the sludge generated in a Equalization Basin (BEQ), part of the industrial effluents treatment process in CETREL, located in the Northeastern Petrochemical Complex in Camaçari - BA - Brazil. This paper will describe how the BEQ was cleaned continuously with safe and low cost using an environmental solution. Mostrar menos

The Port of Rio de Janeiro is located on the West coast of Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro – RJ, Brazil and is managed by Companhia Docas do Rio de Janeiro. It gives not only to Rio, but also to many neighbor states, such as São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Southwest of Goiás and South of Bahia. Considering its importance on Brazilian business and in order to facilitate access for larger ships and heavier cargo, the port is being modernized and expanded. This necessity required… Mostrar más

The Port of Rio de Janeiro is located on the West coast of Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro – RJ, Brazil and is managed by Companhia Docas do Rio de Janeiro. It gives not only to Rio, but also to many neighbor states, such as São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Southwest of Goiás and South of Bahia. Considering its importance on Brazilian business and in order to facilitate access for larger ships and heavier cargo, the port is being modernized and expanded. This necessity required dredging works of a great amount of sediments. The environmental quality of Guanabara Bay reflects the vulnerability to pollution due to the basin drainage which primarily comes from the Mangrove channel. This paper addresses the design, testing, and operation of geotextile tube dewatering, permanent encapsulation and containment on Pombeba Island. Mostrar menos

Canal do Fundão is an artificial estuary created in 1951 when the Brazilian federal oil company (Petrobrás) conducted a land formation project adjacent to the eastern shore of Guanabara Bay in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In the years since its formation, several “favelas” (ghettos) evolved near the shoreline of Canal do Fundão and raw sewage began to collect in the canal rather than disperse into
Guanabara Bay. The estuary was identified as a major environmental concern impacting… Mostrar más

Canal do Fundão is an artificial estuary created in 1951 when the Brazilian federal oil company (Petrobrás) conducted a land formation project adjacent to the eastern shore of Guanabara Bay in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In the years since its formation, several “favelas” (ghettos) evolved near the shoreline of Canal do Fundão and raw sewage began to collect in the canal rather than disperse into
Guanabara Bay. The estuary was identified as a major environmental concern impacting health and life. In 2004, the federal government of Brazil funded an engineering investigation to define the restoration of Canal do Fundão. In 2007 and 2008, soil borings and samples were taken from the contaminated areas for analysis. Polymer bench tests via the TenCate Rapid Dewatering Test (RDT) were conducted along with the TenCate Cone Test to qualify polymer type and optimum dosage for acceptable performance. Following these tests, a number of TenCate Geotube Dewatering Tests (GDT’s) were conducted to validate the polymer selection and dosage, and to predict the full scale project results and final dewatered solids inside the Geotube® containers. The purpose of this paper will be to detail all of the sample testing, types of analysis and how accurately the TenCate GDT tests predicted the actual project results. Mostrar menos

O gerenciamento de resíduos perigosos, o que engloba a questão de desidratação do lodo resultante de seu tratamento e seu descarte, é uma preocupação constante por parte de empresas geradoras deste material e um desafio enfrentado todos os dias. A desidratação de lodos e sedimentos contaminados através de tubos de geotêxtil é uma tecnologia inovadora que utiliza a trama porosa do geotêxtil tecido de polipropileno de alta resistência para separar a parte sólida da parte líquida destes materiais… Mostrar más

O gerenciamento de resíduos perigosos, o que engloba a questão de desidratação do lodo resultante de seu tratamento e seu descarte, é uma preocupação constante por parte de empresas geradoras deste material e um desafio enfrentado todos os dias. A desidratação de lodos e sedimentos contaminados através de tubos de geotêxtil é uma tecnologia inovadora que utiliza a trama porosa do geotêxtil tecido de polipropileno de alta resistência para separar a parte sólida da parte líquida destes materiais resultando numa efetiva desidratação e redução de volume. Este processo também tem se mostrado eficiente na contenção de materiais contaminados resultando num processo de descarte com logística otimizada em relação a outras tecnologias existentes neste mercado. Este trabalho apresenta um estudo de caso de aplicação desta tecnologia para desidratar o lodo gerado na Bacia de Equalização (BEQ) do processo de tratamento de efluentes industriais da CETREL, localizada no pólo petroquímico de Camaçari, em Camaçari – BA – Brasil. Esta BEQ recebeu por 15 anos efluentes químicos diversos, utilizando tratamento biológico com lodo ativado para gerenciamento destes resíduos, através de redução de carga orgânica e contaminantes, a fim de controlar os parâmetros de lançamento oceânico. Isto gerou um grande volume de lodo a ser removido para manutenção do perfeito funcionamento do sistema. Neste artigo é mostrado como foi feita a limpeza da BEQ sem que houvesse interrupção do processo de tratamento dos efluentes, ou seja, de maneira contínua, através da implantação da tecnologia de desidratação e geocontenção de lodo com tubos de geotêxtil, contando com uma alternativa ambiental, segura e eficiente na redução de volume. Esta operação apresentou em seu resultado final baixo custo, eliminação de odores, baixa manutenção e simplicidade. Mostrar menos

A tecnologia de desidratação de lodo e sedimentos contaminados através de tubos de geotêxtil vem sendo utilizada no destino final de lodos tanto no Brasil como no mundo. O uso desta tecnologia vem apresentando papel importante na manutenção dos processos de tratamento, uma vez que podem substituir as técnicas mecanizadas ou atuar em paralelo. Uma vez que o material permanece contido, é possível aguardar de forma segura que o teor de sólidos ideal para transporte seja alcançado, proporcionando… Mostrar más

A tecnologia de desidratação de lodo e sedimentos contaminados através de tubos de geotêxtil vem sendo utilizada no destino final de lodos tanto no Brasil como no mundo. O uso desta tecnologia vem apresentando papel importante na manutenção dos processos de tratamento, uma vez que podem substituir as técnicas mecanizadas ou atuar em paralelo. Uma vez que o material permanece contido, é possível aguardar de forma segura que o teor de sólidos ideal para transporte seja alcançado, proporcionando uma logística controlada, além de economia. O lodo é floculado e bombeado para as unidades constituídas por geotêxtil tecido de alta resistência a altas pressões, além de ataques químicos e biológicos. Após o bombeamento, as partículas sólidas ficam retidas, enquanto que a parte líquida é drenada pelos poros. Este trabalho apresenta o estudo de caso em que a Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo – SABESP – utilizou a tecnologia de desidratação de lodo através de tubos de geotêxtil na estação de tratamento Limoeiro, que atende a cidade de Presidente Prudente - SP. O desafio como sempre, é aplicar soluções ambientalmente corretas, que possuam
baixo custo e eficiência na redução dos grandes volumes normalmente gerados. Mostrar menos

Currently, the containment of tailings mining has been one of the greatest challenges of modern geotechnical. The volumes involved, the environmental constraints and the reduction of areas available have shown the necessity for the development of alternative methodologies for the disposal of these materials, replacing the traditional model of dams. This paper presents the concept of the geotextile tubes for the dewatering a typical phosphate fine tailings and explains the process used in the… Mostrar más

Currently, the containment of tailings mining has been one of the greatest challenges of modern geotechnical. The volumes involved, the environmental constraints and the reduction of areas available have shown the necessity for the development of alternative methodologies for the disposal of these materials, replacing the traditional model of dams. This paper presents the concept of the geotextile tubes for the dewatering a typical phosphate fine tailings and explains the process used in the phosphate mining company from Brazil, including the preliminary tests, small scale geotextile tube and final implementation of the conceptual design is the dewatering system. Mostrar menos

Since the 60’s, geotextile tubes and bags are used as a geocontainment technology in marine structure applications. More recently, geotextile tubes technology also has been used all over the world to dewater many kinds of sludge and dredged sediments with success regarding safety, volume reduction, efficiency and economy. This process starts with pumping the polymeric coagulates and or flocculated slurry straight to the bags, where the solid part is retained inside and the liquid part flows… Mostrar más

Since the 60’s, geotextile tubes and bags are used as a geocontainment technology in marine structure applications. More recently, geotextile tubes technology also has been used all over the world to dewater many kinds of sludge and dredged sediments with success regarding safety, volume reduction, efficiency and economy. This process starts with pumping the polymeric coagulates and or flocculated slurry straight to the bags, where the solid part is retained inside and the liquid part flows through the pores of the woven engineered filtration textile. In some cases, depending on
chemical and biological analysis, the effluent can return to the original process, be used for agricultural irrigation or even to be discharged in nearby waterways. For a long time it was usual, as a preliminary analysis, to perform a HBT (HBT) to predict the behavior of the engineered filtration textile regarding retention and filtration in a given amount of time. Using time as an important parameter to evaluate the dewatering efficiency, the HBT through the effluent quality and dry mass of the material within the bag provides good and conservative results in comparison to the full scale unit. However, the HBT presents some downside points, such as the manual filling process, the broken flock during filling, and the different position of the hanging bag in comparison to the dewatering tube. These factors imply that the test can be improved and modified to better evaluate the dewatering and filtration performance. This paper presents a comparison between the Hanging Bag Test (HBT) and a Simulated Dewatering Test (SDT) tubes test results using actual samples of contaminated sediments. These results are used to determine the design for full scale dewatering tube designs. Mostrar menos

The technology of sludge dewatering using geotextile tubes which is already a recognized solution all over the world now is also a reality in Brazil as well since 2004. This innovative technology can provide volume reduction, low water content in the dry mass associated to low cost, rapidity and simplicity of set up and operation. Most of the cities located in the littoral of Brazil swell its normal size during holiday season, overloading the city’s water treatment facilities. The use of septic… Mostrar más

The technology of sludge dewatering using geotextile tubes which is already a recognized solution all over the world now is also a reality in Brazil as well since 2004. This innovative technology can provide volume reduction, low water content in the dry mass associated to low cost, rapidity and simplicity of set up and operation. Most of the cities located in the littoral of Brazil swell its normal size during holiday season, overloading the city’s water treatment facilities. The use of septic tanks is a very popular sewage treatment system in many cities in Brazil. This process creates the necessity of cleaning and disposal periodically. This paper describes a case history that shows how the geotextile tube dewatering technology has helped the city of Rio das Ostras, RJ - Brazil as an integrated solution for the destination of two kinds of material, one the sludge collected by vacuum trucks from the septic tanks and the other one landfill leachate. This work also presents installation facilities, system operation and several benefits of adopting this solution, such as, the reuse of the effluent drained from de geotextile tubes. Part of it has been used to landfill compaction, part for gardening and part of this drained water returns to a local waterway without addition treatment. Mostrar menos