Educação Agrícola como instrumento de difusão participativa do Tanque de Evapotranspiração: um modelo sustentável de tratamento de esgoto domiciliar para áreas rurais da Chapada do Araripe, Ceará

Abstract

The treatment of human waste is important for the reduction of environmental impacts and for the control and prevention of infectious diseases, especially in rural areas. Faced with the precarious situation in rural sanitation, this research was developed at the Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnogia (IFCE), Campus Crato, Ceará. The objective of this study was to promote, through agricultural education, the participatory diffusion of the Evapotranspiration Tank (TEvap) as a sustainable model of sewage treatment in rural areas and to evaluate its contribution in the perception of students of the Technical Course in Agriculture Integrated to High School on the topics covered in the discipline of Rural Construction and Installation. As a methodology, he used action research. The contribution to students' learning was evaluated with their answers given in a questionnaire. The results demonstrated the awakening of critical and reflexive thoughts of the students about the importance of TEvap technology for rural sanitation and the aid of learning the discipline in question. To evaluate the benefits of TEvap, morphometric, physicochemical and microbiological analyzes of Pacovan Ken bananas grown on its surface were carried out, and physical-chemical and microbiological analysis of its effluent at the inlet and outlet of the tank. The intention was to verify the viability of using this species for the production of quality food by small rural farmers, and the quality of effluent for reinsertion to the hydrological cycle. Regarding the fruit, the morphometric parameters were equivalent to commercial crops. The physicochemical analysis showed values of pH, soluble solids and water content according to those mentioned in the literature. The microbiological characterization showed values of coliforms and Salmonella sp. within the required by Brazilian legislation. Regarding the effluent, the physico-chemical analysis demonstrated the no heavy metals such as aluminum and manganese, in addition to the reduction of the levels of total dissolved solids and DQO, which are consistent with those found in the literature. The microbiological analysis confirmed the significant reduction of the pathogens, staying within the standards required by the Ministry of Health