28/05/2015 - Atualizado 15h39min
Fabiano André Trein went to France and England after winning the award at the LesDoctoriales Seminar
Fabiano AndréTrein, a doctor in Environmental Quality from Feevale University, won a trip to Europe at the beginning of this year. Trein was the winner of the contest “Sua Tese em 180 segundos” (Your thesis in 180 seconds) at the LesDoctoriales Seminar. The event was promoted by the partnership between SCIT (Science, Innovation and Technological Development Secretary of Rio Grande do Sul) and the University of Nantes, Angers e Le Mans (Unam) located in the province of Pays de La Loire in France.
As the winner of the contest, Trein has got a round trip to Europe for 12 days, but his best rewarding was when he met, in France, Joseph Davidovits, the researcher and holder of universal patent of geopolymers and the most important researcher in Trein´s thesis field. The scholar also had the opportunity to present his thesis to the researcher.
About the thesis on waste reuse for construction
Under the guidance of professors Marco Antonio Siqueira Rodrigues and Alexander Vargas Silva, Trein defended his theory of footwear industry waste reuse for construction, presenting alternatives that can reduce environmental degradation. Since then, the doctoral thesis was to demonstrate and seek a solution to tackle the degradation that Rio dos Sinos basin has suffered, moreover, it suggests a remodeling in the waste management of the footwear industry.
The idea was to replace part of the sand, a raw material from non-renewable source, and that is extracted from the river to be used in concrete preparation, by waste from the footwear industry, particularly synthetic laminates coated with polyurethane and EVA soles. Thus, it stops the degradation of nature (sand extraction), and starts the reuse of resources resulting from the intense and frequent footwear activity, which would be thrown in landfills as the incorrect disposal can have strong impacts, such as the deterioration of water table or aquifers.
“The fantastic and complete structure of Feevale, plus the involvement of more than 50 people, resulted in a favorable environment to research from beginning to end. The trip to France was extremely commendable because there I got to know other universities and research institutes, including the Institute Geopolimére. However, the climax of the trip was meeting Joseph Davidovits. He explained more about the thesis of geopolymers and other more noble applications such as fire-resistant materials, and be able to present my thesis to him. It was a rewarding experience, priceless. "
Fabiano André Trein, doctor from the Graduate Program in Environmental Quality at University Feevale.