Hydro, in partnership with the Federal University of Pará (UFPA, in Portuguese), will carry out in the coming months a bibliographic survey on technical/scientific studies that have already been carried out that portray the environmental conditions of the municipalities of Barcarena and Abaetetuba (PA). With an investment of approximately BRL 150 thousand and duration of five months, the research will have three stages: survey of academic publications, survey of technical publications and preparation of a database and final report. The objective of the research is to gather more detailed information about the environment in the region and thus support the technical analysis of the environmental studies carried out at Alunorte.

Hydro's teachers, students and employees will gather all the materials already published in universities, public agencies and companies on the environment in the two municipalities. Undegraduate’s, Master's and doctoral dissertations, researches and technical publications will serve as a database for comparison. Information such as geology, groundwater parameters, surface water, soil quality, aquatic and biotic environments (fauna and flora) and biodiversity will be analyzed, cataloged and made available for consultation by Hydro Alunorte.

About the Hydro and UFPA research agreement

Hydro has already announced five research projects with UFPA, in the areas of residue and tailings use, meteorology and solar energy production. Investment in research is part of Hydro's sustainability strategy. In 2020, the company announced two research projects that are already underway, namely the production of cement and synthetic aggregate, both with residue from the refining of bauxite, which is generated at Alunorte. In 2021, another research was announced, which will study the feasibility of using the ore tailings from Hydro's bauxite mine, in Paragominas (PA), for the production of tiles, bricks, refractory materials, low carbon cement and even a biodegradable plastic. A research was also announced on the use of solar panels at its bauxite mine in Paragominas (PA). The university will carry out tests with a floating photovoltaic system in the water reservoir of Mineração Paragominas. Hydro and UFPA are also carrying out meteorological studies at the bauxite mine, which will improve the management of the unit's water resources. There are also three other innovation projects in the fight against Covid-19 that are underway: production of low-cost respirators, studies of psychological effects during the pandemic and use of data science to create epidemiological models. As part of the agreement, the company also donated 890 tablets to support remote teaching during the pandemic.

All projects are part of the technical and scientific cooperation agreement between Hydro and the University, started in 2019, to carry out several lines of research, which make it possible to consolidate the development of the State of Pará.