Engenharia social: implementação de um sistema de tratamento da manipueira em Pacajus

Abstract

Flour, a typical economic and cultural activity in the Northeast, consists of transforming cassava into flour, fresh or roasted gum. In this context, the flour house Curimatã is inserted in the rural area of the city of Pacajus, Ceará, with about 15 employees, who are subject to risky work activities, among which the peeling of cassava without the proper use of protective equipment, as well as remuneration below the minimum wage. In the process of pressing cassava, cassava waste water is produced, a toxic liquid due to the high concentration of CN- (cyanide), which poses a risk to water bodies, soil and human health in regions producing cassava flour. Despite the innumerable risks of cassava waste water, this is an excellent chemical base for the production of by-products, including biofertilizer, soap, liquor, vinegar and pepper sauce. Therefore, in order to improve the quality of life of the beneficiaries, the Time Enactus of the Federal University of Ceará (UFC), an initiative based on social entrepreneurship and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is implementing the Maní Project in the Curimatã community. In this way, the Maní Project is developing a Manipueira Treatment System (MTS), in order to treat and reuse this waste, enabling correct disposal in nature and the production of by-products, which will complement the income of the flour mill beneficiaries in about 12.5% per month. The STM consists of 4 stages: decantation tank, homogenization tank, sand filter and coconut filter. In view of this, this work aims to describe the physical-chemical processes involved in the cassava waste water processing until treatment by STM, together with the analysis of possibilities for mitigating the environmental impact of this residue and business model alternatives in the context of the Maní Project.