Boat wants to prove that the Amazon is the longest river in the world – 08/04/2023 – Environment

A group made up of professors and students from Fatecs (São Paulo College of Technology) from Tatuapé, in the east zone of the city of São Paulo, and from Jaú, in the interior of the state, are participating in the construction of three vessels that will form part of a program that intends to confirm that the Amazon, with about 7,000 km, is the longest river in the world.

A 2008 study by Inpe (National Institute for Space Research) points out that the Amazon reaches 6,992 km, surpassing the size of the Nile River. The river that crosses Egypt and Sudan is 6,852 km long.

The boats will be used in the Rio Amazonas — do Gelo ao Mar program. In addition to seeking scientific confirmation that the river is the longest on the planet, the expedition will catalog the local biodiversity, defending the use of clean energy.

The expedition coordinated by navigator Yuri Sanada will depart from the Mantaro River, a newly discovered source in Peru, going to the Atlantic Ocean, in April 2024.

“I always wanted to do a different project, more scientific, in the Amazon, and show the reality. [O rio Amazonas] there are many unexplored areas, so the intention of the project is to go all the way and document the biodiversity along the way”, says Sanada.

The main challenge for those involved in the initiative is to assemble resistant boats with accessible and sustainable materials.

“Participating in a project of this size helps students, especially in visualizing the practical application of the knowledge acquired in class”, says Alex Almeida Prado, 44, professor of shipbuilding at Fatec Jahu.

In addition to the professors, the program has the participation of two students from the higher technological shipbuilding course and another five students from Fatec Jahu’s naval courses.

“We contacted the students to work with PBL (Problem-Based Learning), learning through a problem. We present the problem to the students, they do a more in-depth research, go to the field and propose solutions. real problem, they apply the theory learned in the classroom”, explains Flávio Ventura, 43, professor of product design.

The work of building the boats will be divided between the two Fatecs. Prado will coordinate the assembly of the hull and engine, while two other professors will be in charge of developing the seats and pedals for the vessels.

“One of the main issues is trying to manufacture as cleanly as possible. We already have solar energy and the production of energy through pedaling, in addition to the materials that will be used in the development of the hull. The idea is to use as much alternative material as possible”, says Rosângela Monteiro dos Santos, 39, professor of ergonomics in the industrial production management course at Fatec Jahu.

The vessels will be of the trimaran type, made up of three hulls — a larger one in the middle and two smaller ones on the side — made with natural fibers, such as hemp and jute, and vegetable resin based on castor oil. They will be powered by solar energy and also by means of pedals.

“We are seeing to what extent we can use these types of ecological materials while maintaining safety. It is a long journey, of almost 7,000 km, with support every 30 days in inhospitable regions. We are concerned about using materials that already exist a certain knowledge of their behavior. The ones we don’t have yet, we are doing resistance tests”, says Prado.

Due to the length of the expedition, the teachers are working on prototypes to find a way to adapt the seat to the needs of the journey.

“It’s not just a seat for pedaling or resting. You have to think about its use during all the stages, which will take months. we imagine it will happen”, says Rosângela Monteiro.

The engine for the craft is also being designed from scratch. The parts are being created using a 3D printer, will undergo tests to be manufactured in metal and mounted on the equipment structure.

“Together with Fatec we thought of creating our own motor, which does not connect to the internet, does not have bluetooth, but which takes you from point A to point B. This motor will cost a tenth of what an imported one would cost”, which would be in the house of US$ 5,000 (R$ 25.6 thousand), says Sanada.

After being used in the expedition, the vessels will be donated to the riverside populations of the region and indigenous tribes. The idea is also to donate the technology developed.

“In the Xingu, for example, they communicate a lot through boats. If you manage to give them an electric solar motor or a pedal motor, so that they can go from one village to another, it’s a total change in life”, says Sanada.

The design of the boats is in the testing phase with prototypes, but the goal is to make a material below market value. An imported model, according to Sanada, costs around R$ 30,000. The organizers are also looking for partnerships to cover the costs.

According to the navigator, the expedition will be transformed into some productions, such as a webseries, an Imax feature film (filmed with special cameras for screens larger than ordinary cinema screens) and an educational documentary, which should be distributed in museums in 40 countries.

“We have approved BRL 6 million in audiovisual law to make the feature film and derivative productions. But the Imax film, which has international co-production, [o custo] it is much taller. So we are looking for this part of the budget in the United States.”

At the end of the expedition, the program should be extended to a project with scientists called “21 Projects for the Amazon in the 21st Century”.