Translator: Eder Pinheiro Reviewer: Theresa Ranft
I'm going to show you guys
that what you're looking at is more than just a banana.
As a chemist, I can't help but mention the periodic table.
So, as you know,
there are over 100 chemical elements.
But, due to human beings needs or consumer pressure,
we have this enormous number of created compounds.
From this number of created compounds,
approximately 25 million are marketed normally.
Unfortunately, less than 1% of this number is controlled.
And what does this have to do with the banana?
It has to do with emerging pollutants.
It's the one in the middle.
It has to do with emerging pollutants, which is a class of pollutants,
and the reason for such a name is that their existence was only discovered
due to the developments in equipment that perform analyses in the water.
So, what are emerging pollutants?
They're medicines, hormones;
they promote growth in pork and poultry farming.
And they affect several spheres:
they affect water, public health, and the environment.
As I told you, emerging pollutants affect the quality of water.
I don't know if you are familiar with these data,
but according to the UN,
the desirable amount of water per person per year ...
as shown on the slide above, it refers to 2,500m³ per year.
When this amount is down to 1,500, the UN says,
"Wow, we have a critical situation."
And in the metropolitan area of São Paulo, this is the amount of water we have.
So, I was asked, "What does Brazil have to do with all of this?"
"How can Brazil contribute?" - a lot has been said about this today.
We have the know-how, we have excellent professionals,
but we have a tool that beats all of that,
and I think that's creativity.
As an example of Brazilian creativity,
I'm going to show you "What's with bananas?"
(Laughter)
So, I conducted a research for a few years,
studying the banana peel,
and I found out that, in its surface, there are negative charged molecules.
And in the water that's been contaminated by the industry, there are heavy metals,
which are positively charged.
So, that thing that grandmas usually tell us
about how opposites attract each other works very well here.
And I can remove 65% to 90% of the uranium
from water.
So, another question that people ask is,
"Oh, that's cool. But why bananas?"
"Why not jackfruit or pineapples? Is it because they're harder to peel?"
It's actually because of some data I got from a newspaper.
And the fact is that we lose about 30% of our annual banana production.
But more interesting than that is the fact that fast-food chains--
Is it on the screen?
On the outskirts of São Paulo alone, four tons of banana peel are discarded,
which end up in the garbage.
And the banana peels
are the raw material for me to make a powder
with which I can make a filter to decontaminate water.
So, from that project,
we had an idea to develop what we call "sustainable development."
So, what has happened since I began my master's?
I have always had in mind these three pillars
as my guideline:
having an idea, researching on it,
and trying to apply it.
And this has to be seamlessly integrated.
What does this picture have to do with bananas and the emerging pollutants?
I don't know if you can recognize this image,
but it portrays a city from "Gulliver's Travels"
called "Laputa,"
and it hovers above the real world.
And in that city, the scientists have two eyes.
Not a big deal, right?
But one of their eyes is turned inward and the other upward.
So, what I want to show with this picture
is that we researchers and people involved in the development of ideas
must ignore the stereotype
of the inhabitants in "Gulliver's Travels."
Because the people there were starving,
they were in need,
and those scientists were floating above the real world
with no concern for the society that surrounded them.
So, a lot has been said today,
and I'll leave you with a quote from Professor Aziz Ab'Saber.
He says that it isn't chemistry that will save us,
but it's the applied sciences
that can lead us to better problem solutions.
Guys, thanks for having me. I'm sorry for being so nervous.
I had a good time being here.
(Applause)