Water is the natural resource that presents the greatest concern regarding its scarcity in the near future. It’s also the main resource to control and minimize the potential impacts of the movement of solid bulk in port terminals. Porto Sudeste was designed with the concept of sustainability and reuse of water resources included in its operation.
To further reduce the amount of freshwater for industrial use, Porto Sudeste developed and implemented two drainage systems, to isolate clean rainwater from the one that flows through the storage yards and can be treated for reuse. The increased consumption of reused water led to a decrease in the use of freshwater, making more water available for the surroundings, for the ecosystem and for the community.
In 2022, out of the total water used in the operation and environmental controls, 80%, around 162,000m³ – an amount that supplies 7,364 homes with four people –, came from the Rainwater Treatment and Reuse Stations (ETRAP’s), reducing the consumption of water from the wells by 37%. The results were enhanced with the implementation of the Sanitary Effluent Treatment Station (ETE) and its collection and distribution system. All sanitary effluent generated within the Porto Sudeste facilities is captured, treated, and directed to the industrial water system. This further reduced the need to use water from wells and maximized water/effluent reuse.
The sludge resulting from the biological treatment is transformed into fertilizer, generating input for the company’s landscape projects, adhering to the circular economy strategy. This way, Porto Sudeste has been ensuring the closure of the effluent cycle within the terminal, avoiding disposal in the environment. Since the beginning of operations, in 2017, until the present day, the company has reached the reuse mark of 521.127 m³ of water, enough to fill 208 Olympic swimming pools.