When considering environmental issues, a wide spectrum is usually covered, grouping them into the typical categories: water, air, soil, residues, naturally occuring interactions with people, animals and vegetation.

The Environment Department provides technical assistance and executes R&D+i projects in close interaction with companies from different industries, the public sector and funding agencies. Our work is focused on management of raw materials (chemicals and consumables) used in production processes, and on their waste streams and emissions.

The department is composed of 17 professionals from different branches of science and engineering (Chemistry, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Environmental, Forest, Statistics and Commercial). In the past two years, we executed 32 projects, most of which have been contracted directly by companies and a smaller proportion with state funding (CORFO, CODELCO, ENAP, MINSAL and Ministry of the Environment).

Two noteworthly projects, related to implementation of the “National Chemical Safety Policy”, are the elaboration of a “Methodological Guide for the Evaluation of Environmental Risks”, commissioned by the Ministry of the Environment, and the “Implementation of the Globally Harmonized System of Labeling Chemical Substances, GHS”, commissioned by the Ministry of Health. Their execution has allowed us to maintain close relationship with the authorities responsible for management of chemical substances and thus have access to the most current legal and technical information; this is important if we are to maintain our reputation and expertise on these issues at the national level.

In the case of applied research services offered to the private sector, we have experience in recovery of solid waste as well as a working methodology on how to advise companies regarding technical alternatives for waste commercialization and/or transformation into valuable products. Of special importance was our recent activity in processing ashes, sludge and other inorganic solid waste from the forest industry to obtain agricultural soil improvement products. We have also developed a thermal conversion process, currently in pilot plant scale-up, for residual plastics to obtain hydrophobicizing and energy-related products that have a wide commercial demand.

RESEARCH LINES

CONTACT

Head of Environment and Services Department

c.perez(at)udt.cl / +56 41 266 1816