THE GRADUATE PROGRAM
The Graduate Program in Environmental Engineering (PPGEA) at UTFPR initiated its activities in 2012 across its Apucarana and Londrina campuses. Since January 2020, the PPGEA has functioned fully as a Multicampus Graduate Program, allowing students to complete all required credits and thesis development at either location.
The Program aims to:
- Train qualified professionals capable of engaging in research, teaching, outreach, and the production of technological knowledge regarding environmental problems;
- Prepare professionals capable to conduct research activities and respond to the demands of societal development, particularly in the Program’s research area;
- Develop teaching, research, and outreach activities aimed at contributing to the understanding and resolution of local, regional, and global environmental problems.
The program is intended for graduates in Environmental Engineering and related fields such as Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Meteorology, Architecture and Urban Planning, Computer Science, Agronomy, Geology, Geophysics, Chemistry, Pharmacy-Biochemistry, Chemical Process Technology, Ecology, and Biological Sciences.
The Program offers scholarships from Coordination of Superior Level Staff Improvement (CAPES), the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Fundação Araucária, UTFPR, and faculty-affiliated research projects.
Air Pollution and Atmospheric Processes
This research area aims to investigate atmospheric processes and the impacts of human activities on the atmosphere; study the theoretical foundations of atmospheric chemistry and physics; perform and analyze in situ and remote sensing measurements of the physical and chemical parameters of the Earth system (lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere); and apply tools such as numerical modeling, big data analysis, and machine learning to understand and describe atmospheric processes.
Environmental Sanitation
This research area aims to develop physical-chemical and biological processes for the treatment, product recovery, and reuse of wastewater; analyze processes related to the microbial biotransformation of pollutants; apply phytoremediation techniques; and promote the development of processes for the treatment and reuse of wastewater generated by domestic and industrial activities.
Environmental Monitoring
This research area aims to carry out qualitative and quantitative investigations related to the environmental quality of water, soil, and air, and to assess the level of environmental impact resulting from anthropogenic activities; evaluate the evolution and consequences of both natural and human-induced transformations; propose mechanisms for the recovery and conservation of ecosystems; identify the genetic diversity of environments affected by human activities; conduct studies on the removal, recovery, and transformation of xenobiotics; and monitor and isolate metabolites from the environment.
Environmental Technologies
This research area aims to develop, characterize, and evaluate materials for application in alternative/advanced technologies for water and effluent treatment, gas purification, and soil management; to develop, characterize, and enable the application of catalysts for biofuel and hydrogen production; to develop and optimize industrial processes based on the principles of Green Chemistry; to study the feasibility of using industrial waste in alternative technologies for the production of chemical inputs/additives and advanced materials; and to conduct studies on the application of environmental technologies in education.
