Oportunidades não enterradas: inovações em um programa de destinação agrícola de lodo de esgoto sob as lentes da ecoinovação

Abstract

This research aims to understand how eco-innovative processes are developed in an agricultural sewage sludge disposal program in the sanitation sector of the state of Paraná. The interest in the research arose from the relevance of the need to develop effective basic sanitation, for the benefit of society and the environment, considering that its absence brings negative impacts in several ways, such as water contamination and the spread of diseases, although water is a basic element for life. It is worth mentioning that Brazil envisions the universalization of sanitation in the coming years, with the advent of the New Legal Framework for Sanitation, stipulated in Law 14.026/2020. Thus, instigations arise, considering that the more efficient and comprehensive the collection and treatment of sanitary sewage, the more sewage sludge is generated from this process, as well as the increase in the demand for the sustainable disposal of a material that can be used in agriculture, as an organic fertilizer. In this sense, efficient management of sewage sludge is necessary, which constitutes an imperative challenge and opportunity for Brazilian sanitation companies. Thus, the theoretical argument that supports this study considers that eco-innovative processes in the sanitation sector, such as the agricultural use of sludge, bring positive impacts to sanitation companies and to society, given their economic, social and environmental importance. To this end, a qualitative, descriptive approach was used, being a single case study, in the State of Paraná, Brazil. As data collection instruments, documentary analysis, non-participant observation and the application of semistructured interviews with the main actors involved in the program studied were used. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and treated, using content analysis as a technique. This work highlighted the attributions and connections of the main actors involved in the program, as well as the motivations that led to the implementation of the program. The advances and opportunities related to the eco-innovative typologies developed in the program were identified. The eco-innovative impacts of the program were identified, according to the social, environmental and economic dimensions of sustainability, according to the main actors involved in the program studied. By using sludge in agriculture, which consists of a noble material, distributed free of charge to rural producers, users of the program, it provides savings in the acquisition of other inputs, in addition to improving the appearance of the soil, maximizing the harvest. Corroborating both socioeconomic and environmental aspects, avoiding the disposal of sludge in landfills by the sanitation company responsible for the program, aligning with regulations and the Environmental Agency.