NEWS


JUST RELEASED, INFORMATIVE VIDEO ZUYD UAS!

March, 4 2024

In this video, Brazilian students tell about their experiences.


COURSES IN ENGLISH OFFERED BY UFV

Courses offered in English at the Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV, Brazil) for the year 2024, available for your students, either for in-person or online mobility.

From 2020 to 2023, the primary mode of instruction for UFV's English-taught courses was online. However, in 2024, a greater number of courses in English will be delivered in a traditional, in-person format. Comprehensive details about the offerings for 2024 can be found on our website: https://dri.ufv.br/en/information-for-foreign-students-3/ This page provides links to the course schedules for the first semester (classes from March 4 to July 5) and the second semester (classes from August 5 to December 13) of 2024.

For students interested in participating in an exchange program at UFV (in-person experience), please check this website (see tab 'student').

If you seek solely for courses ONLINE taught in English, they should fill out the application form designated for "mobility students". The deadline for applications for the first semester of 2024 is January 12. Applications for ONLINE courses in English in the second semester of 2024 are not yet open.

 


BIOBASED BATTLE 2023

 

Last week more than 40 students of the Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP), Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei (UFSJ) and Avans University of Applied Sciences enjoyed another biobased battle.

 

This year, the students travelled to the future. More specific to the year 2073. In this year, the Energy and Material Transition has been a resounding success. All energy now comes from wind, sun, and renewable sources. All carbon-based materials are now made from renewable sources. The former Oil and Gas multinationals have almost disappeared.

 

In groups of 4-5, the students had to look back in time and describe how the thought this huge transformation took place. Which major idea was embraced that brought a change from fossil fuel use to renewable sources? 

What were the costs needed to implement the idea and what were the environmental benefits?

 

On Thursday the groups pitched their ideas for an international jury. Some very interesting solutions were presented. There is still hope ....

 


INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE AT UFMG.

By Marit Verbeet - Topic internship: the production chain of indigenous species.

 

During my internship at the University of Belo Horizonte, I went on a field excursion to Bonito de Minas. Bonito de Minas. is located over 600 km north of Belo Horizonte, in the northern region of the state of Minas Gerais. My goal there was to interview the people who still lived off the land in traditional ways. In this community, they pick fruits that grow wild. Together with my colleagues, we had many questions to understand how this process happened, especially since these fruits are packed with vitamins and are popular with cosmetic companies. Read more.


Download
INFORMATION TALK FOR BRAZILIAN STUDENTS - 4 October 2023
Living Lab Brazil now organizes an information meeting for Brazilian students who are interested in doing an internship in the Netherlands on the following topics: biobased/circular economy, sustainable chemistry, circular materials and smart energy. The meeting is on the 4th of October 2023 at 12.00 (BRT). The enclosed flyer can be distributed to interested students.
Poster LLB information talk.pdf
Adobe Acrobat Document 449.0 KB

INTERNSHIP POSITIONS - DEADLINE APPLICATION                                                                                                          10 February 2023

 

Living Lab Biobased Brazil offers a number of internships and biobased graduation internship projects. New is the addition of topics on Smart Energy and Biobased Construction.These projects take place at partner institutions, such as universities and companies. Deadline for application for the period September  2023 – January 2024 is April 1. Click here for more information.


Download
Doing a MINOR/SEMESTER PROGRAM IN BRAZIL
10 February 2023
Besides doing an internship in Minas Gerais, for Dutch students, it is also possible to do an English minor/ semester program at UFMG, UFOP, and UFV. For more information about English-taught semester programs please contact mgp.verwei@avans.nl
UFMG Minor in International Studies - Fu
Adobe Acrobat Document 757.9 KB

 

VISIT BRAZIL                                                      2 February 2023                                                    

A Dutch delegation from HZ, Zuyd and Avans University of Applied Sciences visited Minas Gerais in November 2022. They visited representatives of International Offices, more than 25 professors/researchers and their labs. And of course, the 7 Dutch students who were doing their internship in Brazil at that time. During the meetings the following topics were discussed: joint research, exchange of professors, subsidy options and promotion of the Living Lab in general.  The research topics have been broadened since the research group Smart Energy and Biobased Construction were also represented. If you want more information about this trip please contact Jappe de Best.


 

MARIA CARRUPT DE ALMEIDA ABOUT HER EXPERIENCES AT ZUYD UAS.  2 February 2023

 

My name is Maria, I'm a Pharmacy student from the Federal University of Ouro Preto, in Minas Gerais - Brazil. Right now, I'm doing an internship in the Netherlands, through Zuyd University of Applied Sciences.

 

I chose an internship in the Netherlands because the opportunities offered here are amazing. The laboratory facilities, extremely good professors, and great technology to accomplish good results called my attention. On top of that, the Netherlands seemed very charming with all the bikes, canals, and windmills. 

 

My project here focuses its research on finding ways to reduce the use of fossil fuels and substitute them for sunlight, which is extremely interesting and relevant to the problems with climate change we face nowadays. My work is mostly in the lab, doing experiments. I have been here for 4 months, and the knowledge I got from this internship is incredible!

Read more.


 

BIOBASED BATTLE ON RESIDUAL STREAMS FROM THE COFFEE INDUSTRY.                                                                                                                                      2 February 2023

 

On 7-10 November 2022, the 10th Biobased Battle was organized by Living Lab Biobased Brazil. Our virtual learning experience took place with students from Avans University of Applied Sciences, who participated in the location in Breda, and students from the Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto and the Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, who were working online from Brazil.

 

Prof. Saulo Ferreira (UFLA) asked them to find a solution for using residual streams from the coffee industry, such as parts of the husk and wastewater. The biobased battle works according to a pressure cook concept. On the first day, each group of 4 students had to research as many solutions as possible. On the second day, a choice was made based on multi-criteria analysis (MCA) for the best solution based on financial, technical, and environmental aspects. On the last day, the groups pitched their idea to a jury that consisted of Bruno Bastos (Avans), Boutros Sarrouh (UFSJ), Julia Mendes (UFOP), Liliane Catone Soares (UFOP), and myself (Avans). The jury assessed the pitches on several criteria, such as feasibility, innovation, social and environmental impacts, and market potential.

 

In the 3rd place, the group presented an idea to recycle the husk to produce eco bags as a replacer for regular supermarket bags (of paper or plastic). In the 2nd place, the group presented an idea to recover compounds in the husk to form a biofilm for protecting fruits and vegetables.

Read more.


LUNCH/BREAKFAST & LEARN                                                                                                                                                   2 February 2023

 

Every two weeks we update anyone who is interested on specific themes from the materials and energy transition. During the Lunch & Learn lectures, every Thursday afternoon from 12:15 to 1:00 pm (CET), you follow presentations by experts or join a broad discussion on a topic. All Lunch & Learn lectures will be English spoken. Find here more information! If you also would like to share an interesting topic, please contact: info@coebbe.nl


 

MESSAGE FROM RUBEN IN BRAZIL.    2 February 2023

 

Olá! My name is Ruben Oliemans, and I am currently studying Environmental Science (ESSET) at Avans University of Applied Sciences in Breda. Here I will tell something about my abroad experience in Brazil, where I did an internship via the Living Labs exchange program.

 

REASON FOR AN INTERNSHIP AT THE LIVING LABS BRAZIL

Basically, I started looking for internships abroad and wanted to go to a completely different country to experience another culture and live abroad. I’ve been to South America on holidays before and enjoyed my time there. This triggered me to look for an internship position in the region of South America. Along the way, I got to know more about Brazil, and after a while, I was pretty interested in Brazil and the Brazilian lifestyle. As well as wanting to experience the life of Samba and Caipirinha’s, which worked out very well. I decided to go to Belo Horizonte based on what I read about the city on the internet and other students’ experiences. In the end, I am very glad about my choice. I was able to experience life in a big city, as well as the warmth of Minas Gerais and its people. Read more.

 


 

BREAKFAST (BR) / LUNCHMEETING (NL)  28th OF SEPTEMBER ON ETHANOL/BIOGAS PRODUCTION.                                                               21 September 2022

On September 28, we would like to invite you to a Breakfast (BR: 08.00) / Lunch (NL: 13.00) session from the Living Lab Bioabsed Brazil. Professor Leandro will be presenting his work on ethanol/biogas production.

This is a moment for us to meet up in an informal way. We want to invite researchers to present their work at the end of every month so that we can meet with other people doing similar research startin with professor Leandro on the 28th of September.

Please contact Margot Verwei for more information.


INTERNSHIPS APPLICATION - DEADLINE APPLICATION NOVEMBER 1.                                                                                    20 September 2022

Living Lab Biobased Brazil offers a number of biobased internships and biobased graduation internship projects. These projects take place at partner institutions, such as universities and companies. Deadline for application for the period February  2023 – June 2023 is November 1. For more information, see here.

 


PYROCHEM THROUGH THE EYES OF A STUDENT

 

Smiling broadly and telling enthusiastically, she sits in front of us. “Yes, the beginning was difficult. The corona measures, difficulty finding housing, finding your way in an unknown country and a different culture.” Just take it as a 22-year-old bachelor student from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Fortunately, the dust settled quickly and she quickly found her niche among students and colleagues from CoE BBE. Now the countdown to the return journey has already started. “I will take an unforgettable experience back to Brazil. Luggage that I hope I can use to take steps at home in the sustainable development of chemical processes.”

 

Read more


SENIOR RESEARCHER QIAN ZHOU TELLS WHY SHE IS SATISFIED WITH BRAZILIAN INTERNS? 

 

I graduated in Chemical Engineering (Master, 2000) and Material Science (Ph.D., 2003) at Sichuan University in China. As a senior researcher at Avans University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, my passion falls in the process of valorization of solid residual streams (biomass, waste plastics) via pyrolysis technology. That is, convert a variety of solid residual streams (biomass, waste plastics) into fuels, chemicals, and materials through pyrolysis technology; Conceptual process design and optimize pyrolysis technologies for different input streams and products (liquid, gas, carbon); Upgrade and apply of pyrolysis products.

Read more

 


CALL: IDEAS FOR WEBINARS.

 

One of the focus points of the Living Lab for 2022 is to organize 3 webinars with specialized subjects for professors and students to stimulate knowledge exchange and matching of Brazilian and Dutch professors with a similar research focus. If you have an idea for a topic for one of the webinars or if you would like to help us organize a webinar, please send an e-mail to the living lab team via mgp.verwei@avans.nl.

Read more


GREETING FROM BRAZIL.

 

My name is Yannick, a Dutch student doing my BSc in Chemistry at HZ University of Applied Sciences, with a specialization in Life Sciences. Currently, I am doing my graduation internship in Brazil, where I will stay for six months in total. I have been in Ouro Preto for three weeks now and enjoying life to the fullest!

 

Why did you choose an internship in Brazil?

The reason why I choose an internship in Brazil is that I have always loved to travel. Doing an internship abroad is one of the few opportunities in life where traveling abroad for a long period is possible. I have never been to South America, so when the Living Lab offered this internship, I grabbed it with both hands. 

 

What is the subject of your internship? Can you already tell us something more about it?

I work in the lab of pathophysiology and anatomy at the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP). This lab mainly focuses on research regarding the effects of specific anesthetics used in clinical practice (Ketamine, Isoflurane, Fentanyl) on organs. On top of that, this lab focuses on the evaluation of Mechanical Ventilation (a tool used in clinical practice during acute or chronic respiratory failure) on the lungs and brains.

Read more


WEBINAR STUDENT EXCHANGE, MARCH, 15

 

The info webinar on student exchange on March the 15th was attended by 20, mainly Brazilian, students. There were talks about general information about the Living Lab, and examples of previous internships. Also, a former exchange student: Mithyzi Leal, came to talk about her experience as a research intern at Avans UAS. She is now working for the Centre of Expertise Biobased Economy. The given information inspired many questions from the audience. Students were especially interested in the language requirements for Dutch internships. If you are interested in an internship in Brazil or the Netherlands, look for more information on the website, or contact mgp.verwei@avans.nl

Deadline for application for internships in February ’23 is the 1st of November. 

Read more


APPLICATION OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS TO MINIMIZE THE WATER CONSUMPTION OF A PULP MILL LOCATED IN THE RIO DOCE BASIN.

 

Luewton, Agostinho, Ronaldo Novaes Ferreira Water technology group NHL Stenden.

The WatMin project combined a technical approach with a social science background to assess the implementation of new technologies in the pulp and paper industry. This industry is a major consumer of fresh water and energy resources, resulting in a large environmental footprint. Studies show that reducing environmental impacts by increasing water and energy efficiency in the pulp production process is essential for companies in the sector to remain competitive and sustainable. 

Read more


SCIENCE IN TROUBLE IN BRAZIL'.

 

“Brazilian scientists are trying to combat deforestation and illegal mining, but the government is not on their side.

Under Bolsonaro, the trend of cutting budgets has continued and the anti-science sentiment is spreading.

How are Judith Verstegen’s fellow researchers in Brazil holding up?”

 

Read more. Article from Stijn Schreven, February 26, 2022, Resource WUR from within, Wageningen University


UFMG STUDENT RAYSSA SARAH ABOUT HER EXPERIENCES IN THE NETHERLANDS.

 

My name is Rayssa and I am a chemical engineering student from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. I am currently in my 5th year and I'll be graduating by the middle of 2022. Doing an exchange program abroad had always been my dream. When I first knew about the Living Lab program, I decided to apply immediately!

 

The idea of doing an internship in the Netherlands sounded like a great opportunity for my personal development. It happens that my experience here is even better than I imagined. Since September of 2021, I've been working at the Centre of expertise in Biobased Economy (CoE BBE), at Avans University of Applied Sciences,

on a research project regarding the valorization of sewage by producing bioplastics out of it. 

Read more


 

Internship positions: Deadline application extend to april 15 2022.

April 2022

Living Lab Biobased Brazil offers a number of biobased internships and biobased graduation internship projects. These projects take place at partner institutions, such as universities and companies. Deadline for application for the period September  2022 – January 2023 is now April 15 . For more information, see here.

 


Biobased Batlle: october 18th to 21st. 

October, 14 2021

The 2021 edition of the Biobased Battle: a competition in the field of circular economy held together with students from UFOP and Avans University of Applied Sciences!

 

The competition takes place over 4 mornings (October 18th to 21st, from 8h30am to 12h30pm, Brazilian time), with mixed teams of undergraduate and master's students, Brazilian and Dutch, thinking about strategies to reuse waste, applying biobased and circular economy concepts.

 

It is an excellent event for practicing English, networking, working in multidisciplinary teams and developing creativity. All this, with a certificate of participation in an international event and 20 hours of free ATV.

 

This year, we chose to work with effluents from domestic sewage from the pulp, paper, and brewing industries. There will be an initial lecture explaining the bases of these residues given by prof. André Santos, from UFC, is a world reference on the subject.

 

More information: Take a look at last year's participants' testimonials.

 


Final presentation wat min project (Application of waste water treatment systems to minimize the water consumption of a pulp mill located in the Rio Doce basin).

October, 7 2021

Luewton Agostinho and Ronaldo Novaes Ferreira (Stenden/VHL) would like to invite you for a final presentation and official closing ceremony of the WatMin project. This will be on the 29th of October, Friday, from 13h until 15h in the NL time, or from 8h until 10h in Brasília time: link to the invitation.

 

The WatMin project was UNIQUE in many different aspects. Here some few aspects:

 

o   It combined Dutch and Brazilian companies and universities using a hbo format for the first time.

o   It covered a very important topic linked to the big River Doce basin disaster.

o   It presented quite some financial challenges combining contributions from two different countries,

o   And (last but not least) it was conducted, in its good part, within COVID19 crisis.

 

Even  with all these challenges, it is possible to say that all the objectives were accomplished. And that this first experience was very positive.

 

We hope that WatMin was just the first step of many others which will follow and will provide good cooperation between Brazil and The Netherlands involving hbo institutes. Partners: HZ university of Applied Sciences, Cenibra, Berghof, NHL Stenden, SENAI and UFV, made possible by SIA and FAPEMIG.

 

 


Download
The Netherlands and Brazil: 20 showcases of collaboration in science, technology and innovation.
In this interesting edition, published by the Netherlands Innovation Attaché Network Brazil, you will also find the article from Cláudio Mudadu Silva (UFV) and Luewton Agostinho (Stenden) on the WatMIn project on page 19.
The Netherlands and Brazil 20 showcases
Adobe Acrobat Document 6.4 MB

Webinars 20-21 - Meet and Greets 21-22

October 7, 2021

Last year we organized four successful webinars on different themes (biopolymers, waste water, biofuels and competitive business advantage and sustainability). The average number of participants: 35. Especially the possibility for interaction and the expertise of the guest speakers were appreciated, according to the survey we held afterwards.

 

For 21-22 the Living Lab wants to organize meet and greets with professors from different disciplines.  More information will follow soon.


Webinar on Competitive (business) advantage

and sustainability during the pandemic.
June, 17, 2021 from 14.00 – 15.30 CEST Time (09.00 – 10.30 BRT)
Living Lab Biobased Brazil is happy to invite you to the fourth webinar for everyone who is interested in transitions from public and private sectors to a resilient and low- carbon economy.
 
The program: 
  • Welcome” by Kaj Thomsson.
    “Head of Emerging Markets Programme, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University.” 
  • Introduction Way Carbon. ”Henrique Pereira: “Director - Consulting and Advisory Services at WayCarbon”
  • Competitive (business) advantage and sustainability during the pandemic – Experiences from WayCarbon in Brazil”. 
    Sandro Esposito and Judith Friess, Maastricht University.
  • “Q&A session”

A certificate of (active) participation is available on request.
 
Contact information: Margot Verwei mgp.verwei@avans.nl
Website: www.biobasedbrazil.org 
 
Apply here
 

energy efficient dwellings by circular facade renovation;  researcher internship student Ana Luíza Bitar.

April, 27 2021

Ana Luíza Bitar, a civil engineering bachelor student from Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil, is already since January 2020 in the Netherlands. She spent half a year in Groningen for the minor Urban Regeneration at Hanze UAS. Currently, she is doing her graduation internship at Zuyd UAS on the topic: Energy efficient dwellings by urban mined biomimicry-based facade renovation, as part of the Drive 0 project.

The Drive 0 project consists of the renovation of a common typology dwelling in the Netherlands in order to assemble a more energy-efficient building using waste materials from demolition. Her role in the project involves designing a new circular facade for the house, energy simulations and mock-up development. Ana focuses on reusing wood: firstly, as wood fiber insulation; secondly, as a cladding material for the ventilated façade, in which her bio-inspired design is based on the second skin of the cricket.

Regarding the insulation, it was necessary to determine if the fibers of the wood could be used as insulation material. What are the demands? Does this material, for example, meet the requirements of fire resistance?

Furthermore, to make the dwelling more energy-efficient, the façade was designed in a way that the air can circulate throughout the facade. Therefore, the dwelling is not only energy efficient, but it also coolers the building during the summertime. Interesting here is that she also researches the aging process of the wooden cladding material: is it possible to expand the lifespan of the façade by thermal treatment? How to improve the fire resistance of the wood in a circular and bio-based way?

As a final result of her internship, Ana will design an energy-neutral facade solution and a mock-up to be tested for one year in a real situation to validate the results. Moreover, she is developing an article to be published in an international journal.

Last March, Ana presented her first results at the ‘Crossing Boundaries conference. Throughout this conference, many professors, masters and PhD students from all around the world shared their projects and perspectives about the circularity in the built environment.

 

Despite the Covid-circumstances and the cold weather, Ana enjoys her stay in the Netherlands: “the well-organized public transport and the safety on the streets are impressive”. Finally, since she had the opportunity to study in the far North and far South of our country, she experiences the different dialects and cultures of our country, which she thinks is quite remarkable. 

 

Facade elements existing and Drive-0 project.
Facade elements existing and Drive-0 project.
Webinar on biopolymers

Living Lab Biobased Brazil 
April, 22, 2021 from 14.00 – 15.30 CEST Time  (09.00 – 10.30 BRT)
Living Lab Biobased Brazil is happy to invite you to the third webinar for everyone who is interested in processing, behaviour, possible applications and biodegradability of biopolymers.
 
The program:
  • “Engineering interfaces in systems based on natural polymers.” Professor Rodrigo Oréfice, UFMG
  • “Plastics in the Circular Economy.”  Professor Rudy Folkersma, NHL Stenden UAS
  • “Mechanical and Biodegradation Properties of PHA-related Compounds. ”Lecturer-Researcher Corinne van Noordenne, NHL Stenden UAS
  • “ChitiPro – Towards a microbial production platform for PHA based on shrimp-waste valorization.” Lecturer-Researcher Olivier Segers, Zuyd UAS
After each presentation, there will be an opportunity for a Q & A session among the participants.
Apply here
 
Next webinar is scheduled on:
 
June, 17, 2021             14.00 – 15.30 (CEST time) (09.00 – 10.30 BRT)
 
The topics for these webinars will be tuned with the partners of the Living Lab Biobased Brazil.
A certificate of participation is available on request.
 
Contact information: Margot Verwei mgp.verwei@avans.nl
Website: www.biobasedbrazil.org
 
 
 
 

Webinar on resource recovery

from waste water treatment 
February, 11, 2021, from 14.00 - 15.30 CET time (10.00 - 11.30 BRT)
After a successful first webinar on biofuels, the Living Lab Biobased Brazil is happy to invite you to this 2nd  online event for everyone who is interested in resource recovery from waste water and cooperation between The Netherlands and Minas Gerais in Brazil.

The program:
  • Wider business Opportunities for raw materials from Wastewater: bioplastics, biochar and biodiesel” (WOW Project); Professor Jappe de Best (Avans UAS)
  • “Water and Plastics: Reflexion about risks, recovery and challenges”; Professor Luewton Agostinho; (NHL Stenden, Van Hall Larenstein UAS)
  • NEREUS Interreg 2 Seas project “New energy and resources from urban sanitation”; Iarima Silva Mendonca (HZ UAS)
  • “Recell, enabling green production”; Edwin Loman (Recell)
  • “Energy potential and alternative usages of biogas and sludge from UASB reactors”: Professor André Pereira Rosa (UFV)

After the presentations, there will be an opportunity for a Q &A session on biobased research topics among the participants.
Apply here
 
Next webinar is scheduled on:
 
April 22, 2021             14.00 – 15.30 CET time (09.00 – 10.30 BRT)
 
The topics for these webinars will be tuned with the partners of the Living Lab Biobased Brazil

Contact information: Margot Verwei mgp.verwei@avans.nl
Website: www.biobasedbrazil.org 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Biobased Battle 

 

In the week of December 14, 2020, the 8th Biobased Battle took place, organized by Living Lab Biobased Brazil. This time, fully online. More than 45 students from Avans Hogeschool and Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP, Brazil) were asked to find a solution for the residual flows of rice processing (rice husks) or sugar, beer and olive oil production ( bagasse). The biobased battle works according to a pressure cook concept. On the first day, each group of 4-5 students had to come up with as many solutions as possible for one or more residual flows. On the second day, a choice was made on the basis of a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) for the best solution in their opinion. This solution was then further developed. On the last day, the groups pitched their idea to a Brazilian / Dutch Jury that consisted of Erik Lammers (province of North Brabant), Willemien van Asselt (Top Sector Agri & Food), Sergio Aquino (UFOP), Julia Mendes (UFOP) and Jappe de Best (Center of Expertise Biobased Economy). The pitches were assessed by the jury on a number of criteria such as technical feasibility, originality and market potential. In third and second place came groups who had devised a solution for the skins of rice grains. These can be used in biobased concrete or insulation mats. The group of Tim, Joanna, Samuel, Paula & Mateus was declared the unanimous winner. They opted for regional processing of bagasse from sugar and beer production into a protein bar. In addition to a nice certificate, the winning group received an offer from the province of Noord-Brabant to see whether it is possible to further develop their idea through the Brabant-wide start-up support program Braventure. A nice final to a successful week.

 

Download
poster winning team biobased-battle.pdf
Adobe Acrobat Document 2.3 MB

webinar & Matchmaking events:

Next webinars are scheduled on:
 
February 11, 2021     14.00 – 15.30 CET time (10.00 – 11.30 BRT)
April 22, 2021            14.00 – 15.30 CET time (09.00 – 10.30 BRT)
 
The topics for these webinars will be tuned with the partners of the Living Lab Biobased Brazil

Contact information: Margot Verwei mgp.verwei@avans.nl


Webinar & Matchmaking event Biofuels
December 10, 2020
14.00 – 15.30 CET time (10.00 – 11.30 BRT)
The Living Lab Biobased Brazil is happy to invite you to this first online event for everyone who is interested in biofuel research and cooperation between The Netherlands and Minas Gerais in Brazil.

In the past 5 years, many Brazilian and Dutch students have done innovative research on biofuels as part of the Living Lab Biobased Brazil. This also lead to some successful cooperations between research groups of Dutch and Brazilian professors. It is a good time to share these successes and to look forward to more and new cooperations in the future.

The program of the webinar consists of four presentations about innovations and solutions on biofuels.After the presentations, there will be an opportunity for matchmaking on biobased research topics among the participants.
Apply here
 
Program
14.00 – 14.10h   
Welcome by Ralph Simons, chairman Living Lab Biobased Brazil.

14.10 – 14.20h    
Pyrolysis of cashew nut shell waste: professor Qian Zhou & student/researcher Nathan Barros de Souza, Avans UAS.

14.20 – 14.30h 
UFMG's Fuel Testing Laboratory (LEC): professor Vânya Marcia Duarte Pasa.

14.30 – 14.40h    
Biodiesel produced from residual oil from the FIAT company: professor Marcela Menezes, Chemical Engineering Department PUC Minas.

14.40 – 14.50h    
Pyrolysis simulation in Aspen plus: professor Fábio de Ávila Rodrigues & student/researcher Gabriel Abreu, UFV.

14.50 – 15.20h
Q&A – matchmaking - ideas for cooperation.

15.20 – 15.30h    
Living Lab in the future: Jappe de Best, coordinator Living Lab Biobased Brazil.
Next webinars are scheduled on:
 
February 11, 2021     14.00 – 15.30 CET time (10.00 – 11.30 BRT)
April 22, 2021            14.00 – 15.30 CET time (09.00 – 10.30 BRT)
 
The topics for these webinars will be tuned with the partners of the Living Lab Biobased Brazil

Contact information: Margot Verwei mgp.verwei@avans.nl
Website: www.biobasedbrazil.org 
 


Internship on quantum dots solar cells at UFSJ

I’m Francesca Figaroli an Italian international student from ESSET, Environmental Sciences and Sustainable Technologies and I’m currently in my first internship period. Since the beginning of my course, I knew I wanted to do my internship abroad because I always saw it as a useful and interesting opportunity and the perfect time to travel. I chose Brazil for different reasons. First of all, I wanted to experience life outside of Europe. Then two of my professors, Thais Lima de Castro and Bruno Bastos Sales are Brazilian and I had such a good impression of Brazilian people. Thanks to them that I decided to move to the other side of the world. Then of course also the will to visit such a big country with a magnificent variety of flora and fauna and cities.

 

Lab work

Right now I’m in the state of Minas Gerais in the city of Sao Joao del Rei a small city, in Brazilian terms, at about two hours from Belo Horizonte, working with a research group in the Federal University UFSJ. In the laboratory, the environment is really friendly and welcoming and I found it very useful working with people with different levels of experience and studies background. Indeed, there are master’s students from physics, chemistry, engineering doctorates, and undergraduates all working together to help each other. Therefore, together with them, I managed to carry out my project which is about synthesising quantum dots of different materials and applying them to solar cells that we build on a laboratory scale 

I didn't expect to enjoy lab work so much, but working with your hands and applying your study background to something you actually build and work on is something I really enjoy. Step by step, from cleaning the glasses to synthesizing the materials to applying all the different layers of materials needed, I managed to close my first cells without much effort because here you learn by doing.

 

The campus

The University environment is really vivid and present in any case of need. One of the most useful things in my opinion for students is the canteen which prepares proper meals for lunch and dinner at a really cheap price and it is present on all the campus of the university which is three in different areas of the city. I spend most of my time at Campus Don Bosco where my laboratories are. The Campus Tancredo Neves is the biggest one and the one where I live since the University has some apartments available for students here. I think making friends here is easy and going out in the city is really nice. The historical center is always full of life. At the same time due to the high presence of university students’ pubs, parties, and many organised activities are present. This area of Brazil is famous for the high presence of waterfalls and students love to organize walking trips to reach them.

 

Preparation

Before leaving I contacted my supervisor and the international office in order to have some basic important information as regarding addresses, contacts, how was it possible to have a Brazilian number, where to go to change euro into reais, which type of plug is present here, if the apartment already had wi-fi and so on. Their answers were really helpful and the response was quick. 

 

Tips

Some advice that I would give to a student who is willing to travel to Brazil is start to look for information regarding the Visa months before as well as for the vaccinations needed; to be ready for high temperatures and humidity so bring light clothes; everything that you need regarding medical support is present also here but always good to bring some medication which you are used to in Europe. Try all the food you can because the Brazilian food is great. Be ready to encounter people that are really curious about you and keep in mind that Brazilian would do everything to make you part of the community and to make you spend time with them which is really amazing! 

 

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PhD on waste management

 

I am Bruna Virgínia, a Forest Engineer with a master's in Forest Science – Wood technology. I am currently a PhD student at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV). My research is about waste management, where we try to find a more sustainable solution for the “waste” generated by industries. The main focus during my master's and also in the first two chapters of my PhD is the production of renewable fuel using sludge from the effluent treatment plant of a pulp and paper mill in Brazil. We produced pellets, a densified solid fuel that can be burned in boilers to generate thermal energy. 

 

Why did you choose for an internship in the Netherlands?

The program of Environmental Science for Sustainable Energy and Technology is a top-rated program, proving to be a benchmark in economic development aligned with sustainability. In addition, important partnerships between Avans Hogeschool and UFV have already been successfully established through the Living Lab project. I believe that being at Avans with the MNEXT and working with excellent professionals from different fields would contribute a lot to the progress of my PhD work, and at the same time, I would be able to learn with the current projects that are being developed here. 

 

What is the subject? Can you tell us something more about it? 

In Brazil we have already tested the technical feasibility of producing pellets using pulp and paper mill sludge. Now here at Avans, with the MNEXT, we will test the environmental feasibility of this process through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA study). In addition, we are investigating new production routes to apply the sludge, transforming it into a more valuable product.

 

How did preparations go before your trip? 

There were a lot of bureaucratic issues to solve before the trip, the visa, finding a house in Netherlands, airplane tickets, and choosing the best day to arrive. The International Office from Avans was very helpful with this. I also had a lot of meetings with the researchers of MNEXT to find the best way to integrate my Ph.D. project in Brazil with the works that are being developed here.

 

What tips do you have for students who want to go to Netherlands?

The weather in the Netherlands is very different from what I was used to, so I would say be prepared for a little rain. Knowing how to ride a bike also helps a lot, because that's probably the best way to get around the city. In addition, don't be afraid to ask a Dutch person anything. You can talk to them in English and they will be happy to help you

 

Extra information:

The duration of the PhD in Brazil is usually 4 years. There is a Brazilian program, called Sandwich PhD, where the researcher does a part of their work in a foreign country in partnership with other universities, the duration can vary according to the work, usually between 6 months and 1 year. This program contributes to the exchange of knowledge between different countries and can aggregate in different ways in the work that is being developed. I am part of this program, and I chose Avans as the destination institution, and now I will be a guest researcher here for 1 year as part of my PhD. 

 

 

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Breakfast/Lunch and learn

MNEXT (Centre of Expertise Material and Energy Transition)* will be organizing monthly "Lunch (or Breakfast) & Learn" sessions in the field of materials and energy transition. They will keep you updated on the program for the upcoming months via this link. Our next "Lunch & Learn" is scheduled for December 14, and it will focus on Energy Holocracy. Intrigued? Be sure to reserve the date in your calendar, as more information will follow soon.

If you would also like to lecture in a related topic, please contact our colleague Wendy van Rijsbergen.

 

*A collaboration of Avans and HZ University of Applied Sciences and formely known by the name Centre of Expertise Biobased Economy.

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Biobased Battle 2027

 

 

More than 40 students of the Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP), Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei (UFSJ) and Avans University of Applied Sciences enjoyed another biobased battle.

 

This year, the students travelled to the future. More specific to the year 2073. In this year, the Energy and Material Transition has been a resounding success. All energy now comes from wind, sun, and renewable sources. All carbon-based materials are now made from renewable sources. The former Oil and Gas multinationals have almost disappeared.

In groups of 4-5, the students had to look back in time and describe how the thought this huge transformation took place.

 

Which major idea was embraced that brought a change from fossil fuel use to renewable sources? What were the costs needed to implement the idea and what were the environmental benefits?

 

On Thursday the groups pitched their ideas for an international jury. Some very interesting solutions were presented. There is still hope ....

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Internship experience at UFMG

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Internship Positions - Deadline application

Living Lab Biobased Brazil offers a number of internships and biobased graduation internship projects. New is the addition of topics on Smart Energy and Biobased Construction.These projects take place at partner institutions, such as universities and companies. Deadline for application for the period September  2023 – January 2024 is April 1. Click here for more information.

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Lunch/Breakfast & Learn

Every two weeks we update anyone who is interested on specific themes from the materials and energy transition. During the Lunch & Learn lectures, every Thursday afternoon from 12:15 to 1:00 pm (CET), you follow presentations by experts or join a broad discussion on a topic. All Lunch & Learn lectures will be English spoken. Find here more information! If you also would like to share an interesting topic, please contact: info@coebbe.nl

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Information talks for Brazilian students

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Living Lab Brazil now organizes an information meeting twice a year for Brazilian students who are interested in doing an internship in the Netherlands. The first meeting is on the 15th of March at 12.00 (BRT). The enclosed flyer can be distributed to interested students.
Poster LLB information talk.pdf
Adobe Acrobat Document 615.4 KB
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Travel report visit Brazil

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In this report, you can read about this successful visit. Two new research groups have joined, namely, Smart Energy and Biobased Building. In December our colleague from Avans, Thais Varella, also brought a visit to UFSJ.
Living Lab Biobased Brazil_Travel report
Adobe Acrobat Document 4.5 MB
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Biobased Battle on residual streams from the coffee industry.

On 7-10 November 2022, the 10th Biobased Battle was organized by Living Lab Biobased Brazil. Our virtual learning experience happened with students from Avans University of Applied Sciences, who participated in the location in Breda, and students from the Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto and the Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, who were working online from Brazil.

 

Prof. Saulo Ferreira (UFLA) asked them to find a solution for using residual streams from the coffee industry, such as parts of the husk and wastewater. The biobased battle works according to a pressure cook concept. On the first day, each group of 4 students had to research as many solutions as possible. On the second day, a choice was made based on multi-criteria analysis (MCA) for the best solution based on financial, technical, and environmental aspects. On the last day, the groups pitched their idea to a jury that consisted of Bruno Bastos (Avans), Boutros Sarrouh (UFSJ), Julia Mendes (UFOP), Liliane Catone Soares (UFOP), and myself (Avans). The jury assessed the pitches on several criteria, such as feasibility, innovation, social and environmental impacts, and market potential. 

 

In the 3rd place, the group presented an idea to recycle the husk to produce eco bags as a replacer for regular supermarket bags (of paper or plastic). In the 2nd place, the group presented an idea to recover compounds in the husk to form a biofilm for protecting fruits and vegetables. Apart from tackling husk waste, this could avoid food waste and decrease the use of plastic for packaging. And in 1st place, the group of Elisa, Letícia, Marina, and Oscar was declared the unanimous winner. They opted for a solution to repurpose the husk as a material for wooden boards (MDP). With this solution, the group presented the possibilities of using less wood for MDP production, apart from decreasing the costs of those panels and increasing the thermal and acoustic insulation.

 

Congratulations to all the students!

 

 

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Maria Carrupt de Almeida about her experiences at Zuyd UAS

My name is Maria, I'm a Pharmacy student from the Federal University of Ouro Preto, in Minas Gerais - Brazil. Right now, I'm doing an internship in the Netherlands, through Zuyd University of Applied Sciences.

 

I chose an internship in the Netherlands because the opportunities offered here are amazing. The laboratory facilities, extremely good professors, and great technology to accomplish good results called my attention. On top of that, the Netherlands seemed very charming with all the bikes, canals, and windmills. 

 

My project here focuses its research on finding ways to reduce the use of fossil fuels and substitute them for sunlight, which is extremely interesting and relevant to the problems with climate change we face nowadays. My work is mostly in the lab, doing experiments. I have been here for 4 months, and the knowledge I got from this internship is incredible! 

 

Since the Visa process is done through the University, I didn't have many problems. Zuyd has a good website providing all the necessary information, and whenever I had a question they would answer me very quickly. Besides the documentation, I bought thermal clothes and a good winter jacket. 

 

Life here is very amusing, I would tell to the upcoming students: be ready to fall in love! Also, renting a bike is good, because if you have any troubles with it, the company will fix it. The first weeks can be a little overwhelming with the new language, culture, and weather, but in one or two months everything settles down, so don't freak out!

 

 

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Message from Ruben in Brazil

 

Olá! My name is Ruben Oliemans, and I am currently studying Environmental Science (ESSET) at Avans University of Applied Sciences in Breda. Here I will tell something about my abroad experience in Brazil, where I did an internship via the Living Labs exchange program.

Reason for an internship at the Living Labs Brazil

Basically, I started looking for internships abroad and wanted to go to a completely different country to experience another culture and live abroad. I’ve been to South America on holidays before and enjoyed my time there. This triggered me to look for an internship position in the region of South America. Along the way, I got to know more about Brazil, and after a while, I was pretty interested in Brazil and the Brazilian lifestyle. As well as wanting to experience the life of Samba and Caipirinha’s, which worked out very well. I decided to go to Belo Horizonte based on what I read about the city on the internet and other students’ experiences. In the end, I am very glad about my choice. I was able to experience life in a big city, as well as the warmth of Minas Gerais and its people.

For the internship place itself, I started looking both at the Living Labs program and at other companies in Brazil. After looking at the subjects of the available professors, and assignments from previous students, I thought I could find a nice internship place via the Living Labs. I contacted one of the professors, and we started meeting online and discussing a possible assignment. My professor gave me a direction for an assignment, but also gave me a lot of freedom in defining my own assignment. I discussed with my professor the possibility of doing fieldwork, and we found an assignment where we could do some fieldwork trips, which made me very enthusiastic. In general, I became enthusiastic about the idea of going to Brazil for six months and doing this internship. That’s when I started arranging everything to go.

Internship subject

My internship is at the Centro de Sensoriamento Remoto (CSR), which is a cartography department of the UFMG. Here they work a lot with GIS and Environmental Modelling of the Brazilian landscape (cover & use). My professor wanted to be more involved in the growing biofuel industry and the possible Land Use Change that is correlated with it. When I came to Brazil we started narrowing the assignment down to biodiesel specifically, and how native (oil-containing) species can play a role in the growing biodiesel demand while still preserving native vegetation. After fieldwork trips, interviews, and a lot of literature reviews, we have been focussing on the potential of using the species macaúba (type of palm) as a feedstock for biodiesel (or other higher valued products) production. I noticed that especially for my type of assignment, a lot can change from how you initially thought how the internship would go. It’s hard to make an estimation in advance about what’s possible and not. And after starting the research and doing fieldwork trips you get new insights as well.

Many assignments given on the list of possible internship subjects are more lab-based, where you can assist a professor in their research in a lab assignment. But there are more than enough opportunities to do an internship outside of the lab. I do most of my internship at my office, with two fieldwork trips that lasted about a week each. These trips were amazing experiences as you’ll get to experience the country life in Minas Gerais and see beautiful nature.

Preparations before the trip

I started my preparations for the internship in May, and the plan was to go to Brazil at the beginning of August. I was very glad that I started a few months in advance, as there are some processes you have to go through which can take quite some time. The biggest challenge and time-consuming process were preparing the documents for the visa request. The consulate has a list of required documents which you’ll need to request at the corresponding organization and get legalized at court as well. In general, if you start on time and make sure to meet the requirements you should be able to get everything arranged on time. The UFMG has a buddies program, where incoming international students are connected to one or more Brazilian students whom they can contact for small useful tips and help. For me, this was very helpful, as I was able to stay at one of my buddy’s place for the first few days in Belo Horizonte. In general, if you plan on going to Brazil for an exchange, some preparation is needed, but if you stay on it you’ll get everything arranged. It shouldn’t be too much of a worry as you’ll be able to have an amazing time in Brazil after everything is ready!

Tips for students going to Brazil

So should you make the decision to go to Brazil (good choice;), then starting on time with preparations is my main advice. Also getting the internship place at your preferred professor or subject is a step you want to get done in advance. As time progresses, more professors start to make arrangements with students, so there will be fewer places and choices available. So the earlier you are, the bigger the chance your preferred professor/topic is still available. After you have chosen one or more topics you can meet your professor online and then you can really get an idea of what is expected of the assignment and can discuss more in-depth about the internship.

Regarding visas, I think the most time-consuming step was getting the acceptance letter from the UFMG. The consulate made new requirements for the letter, therefore the UFMG had to adapt their letter specifically for the student, which took time because of the required approval from directories. Hopefully, this step will go more smooth in the future. I can also recommend trying and get in contact with either the UFMG or the consulate whenever there is a delay or problem with a document and explaining what you need from them. The administration office has many applications and sometimes getting them to do a certain action needs some reminders.

Regarding all other visa documents, there is a list given out by the consulate, my advice is to look up for every document what the procedure is at the related organization. And be sure to read the consulate’s instructions carefully, when they indicate a certain document needs to be legalized (you can do this quite easily at a court), your visa request will not be approved if you do not have this legalization/stamp.

 

Around the university, you will be able to get around with English, as a lot of professors and students can speak English. For many other places, and to make life easier in Brazil, I think it’s useful to learn at least some Portuguese. So I would recommend taking a beginner course in Portuguese before you arrive, or following a Portuguese course in Brazil. Note that if you start learning beforehand, try to find a course/teacher that teaches Brazilian Portuguese instead of European Portuguese, so it’s more useful. There are plenty of platforms where people offer themselves as a language teacher, here you could find someone who focuses on Brazilian Portuguese. I find speaking at least some Portuguese very useful as you’ll be able to understand and speak at least something and are able to communicate at least to some degree.

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Application of wastewater treatment systems to minimize the water consumption of a pulp mill located in the Rio Doce basin (WatMin 2018-2021).

Luewton Agostinho, Ronaldo Novaes Ferreira, Water Technology group NHL Stenden.

 

The WatMin project combined a technical approach with a social science background to assess the implementation of new technologies in the pulp and paper industry. This industry is a major consumer of fresh water and energy resources, resulting in a large environmental footprint. Studies show that reducing environmental impacts by increasing water and energy efficiency in the pulp production process is essential for companies in the sector to remain competitive and sustainable.

 

Another aggravating aspect analyzed was a mining disaster that occurred in 2015, which resulted in an urgent need to reduce water use. This disaster severely affected the quality of the Rio Doce, the plant's main freshwater resource.

 

The WatMin project aimed to answer two main research questions:

The first concerns the technical, economic, and environmental benefits, risks, and impacts of implementing UF systems in three different scenarios.

The second research question concerns the favorability of governance conditions in the pulp and paper industry towards the implementation of new technology.

 

The project was unique as it was a collaboration between Dutch and Brazilian companies and universities using a HBO format and it covered a very important topic linked to the big River Doce basin disaster. However, it also brought some challenges, mainly because it was conducted, in its good part, during the COVID19 crisis.

 

 

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Senior researcher Qian Zhou tells why she is satisfied with Brazilian interns?

I graduated in Chemical Engineering (Master, 2000) and Material Science (Ph.D., 2003) at Sichuan University in China. As a senior researcher at Avans University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, my passion falls in the process of valorization of solid residual streams (biomass, waste plastics) via pyrolysis technology. That is, convert a variety of solid residual streams (biomass, waste plastics) into fuels, chemicals, and materials through pyrolysis technology; Conceptual process design and optimize pyrolysis technologies for different input streams and products (liquid, gas, carbon); Upgrade and apply of pyrolysis products. 

 

I am very satisfied with the Brazilian students involved in my projects because they are intelligent, ambitious, independent, and have solid theoretical knowledge.

 

I successfully completed my projects with nine students: We tested and obtained product yield data on a laboratory-scale auger reactor with a capacity of 300 g/h (Gustavo Menezes, João Pedro Góis Camilo ); we simulated the pyrolysis behavior of biomass (Nathan Barros de Souza); we also used an enzymatic method to upgrade the pyrolysis liquid and reduce the carboxylic acid content (Gustavo Menezes, Guilherme Alves Faria Chagas, Júlia Rodrigues, and Mithyzi Leal); Valuable compounds were extracted from biomass waste and the extraction process was simulated using Aspen Plus (Bárbara Santiago, Marina Alves Marinho). Gabriel Abreu is now working on a conceptual process design for the pyrolysis of waste plastics using Aspen Plus.

 

One of the strengths of our project is the close cooperation between applied universities, academic universities, and Dutch companies. The interns enjoy the academic freedom to solve the research questions in the project according to their own ideas. This is probably why many of them continue their studies after completing their internships. I am delighted that our "old" interns, Júlia and Gustavo, are now doing their master's degrees in Europe, and they will still be returning to our research group for a master's internship project. Mithyzi even became my colleague last year.

 

I had a fantastic experience with Living Lab Brazil. Both chemical technology and chemistry students are welcome to join my projects. My ambition is to extend the cooperation, beyond the exchange of the students, with universities and companies from Brazil.

 

 

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‘Science in trouble in Brazil’.

“Brazilian scientists are trying to combat deforestation and illegal mining, but the government is not on their side. Under Bolsonaro, the trend of cutting budgets has continued and the anti-science sentiment is spreading. How are Judith Verstegen’s fellow researchers in Brazil holding up?” Read more, Article from Stijn Schreven, February 26, 2022, Resource WUR from within, Wageningen University

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