Fifty shades of clean water

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Growing awareness of the impacts of pollutant discharge on aquatic ecosystems has highlighted the urgent need for a more rigorous wastewater treatment system. At IMT Mines Alès, two researchers are developing characterization methods for thousands of existing micropollutants. This daunting task is the first step in developing environmental remediation systems.

Torrential rain: polluting a long, calm river

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Intense rainfall events linked to climate change generate dynamic runoff which, through erosion, removes materials from the soil, including contaminants. At IMT Nord Europe, research teams are carrying out complementary measurement and modeling work to understand how this displaced matter enters the water cycle, and how to better manage territories.

Éric Guibal: an insatiable appetite for research

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Éric Guibal, a chemical engineering researcher at IMT Mines Alès, works on the use of biomass and biopolymers for metal recovery. He has received national and international recognition for his scientific contributions, which include numerous publications. He also dedicated part of his career to developing an international scientific collaboration network in Latin America and Egypt.

Dwelling with water in the Cévennes: the confluence of research and sketching

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Fabienne Errero is a doctoral student at IMT Mines Alès, whose research focuses on the interactions between the environment and society in the Gardons river basin in Cévennes. For this trained architect, it was an opportunity to redefine the contours of her profession by factoring in the link between architecture and water. As part of her thesis, Fabienne Errero produced a series of “thought drawings”, enabling her to put forward ideas and build on her thinking. The text and illustrations in this article are taken from this work, created by the researcher.

What is concentrated solar power ?

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Concentrated solar power concentrates the sun’s rays to generate heat and electricity. It differs from photovoltaic solar production and therefore offers a new mode of energy production. Ugo Pelay, research professor at IMT Nord Europe, explains the principles behind this system.

Good RESOH-lutions for nuclear power

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The RESOH Chair’s mission is to address safety and performance issues from a socio-organizational perspective. For its third term, the Chair will have a special focus on the issue of skills and facilitating the use of research results by its partners. This research and teaching project led by IMT Atlantique closely analyzes work activities and the dynamics surrounding “safe performance” in high-risk industries, particularly the nuclear sector.

What is methanization?

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Methanization reduces the volume of organic waste and prevents biogas produced by fermentation, including methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from being dispersed into the atmosphere. Biogas is also used to produce heat, electricity and even biomethane for injection into the natural gas grid. Yves Andrès and Khaled Loubar, researchers at IMT Atlantique, tell us more about this technology which is emerging as a key driver of energy transition.

Bio-waste recovery: methanization steps on the gas!

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Bio-waste is everywhere: in wastewater treatment plants, landfills, farms and local communities. Many stakeholders believe methanization offers a timely solution for treating such organic waste, while also producing energy. At IMT Atlantique, a research team is conducting studies on the viability of these facilities and the biogas they produce. As part of their applied research, they use complex tools involving several disciplines.

When hydropower goes digital

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The Di-Hydro project involves digitizing hydropower plants, to operate them as sustainably as possible and better plan maintenance. IMT, in particular Télécom SudParis, is contributing to the development of a federated platform designed to facilitate secure data-exchange and decision-making, both at the level of each individual plant and collectively.

COCPIT leads the way in microalgae-based biofuels

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The COCPIT project’s goal is to develop an advanced and sustainable biofuel solution for the aviation and maritime sectors using microalgae. Sary Awad, Professor in the Energy Systems and Environment Department of IMT Atlantique, coordinates the project. He works on biofuel production processes and characterization. He gives us an inside look at the project along with Julien Prud’homme, head of European projects for the Research and Innovation Department at IMT Atlantique.