This theme covers the production of renewable and alternative energies from turning waste into alternative fuels, to "smart" energy networks within the context of decentralized multi-energy production. This includes issues of thermodynamic and chemical storage or intelligent storage by managing the recharging for electric vehicles, as well as the reducing the energy footprint of industrial and urban systems, and of infrastructures and communication networks.
Tools and methods are therefore required to optimize multi-criteria decision support for identifying and modeling complex systems. In this way, it becomes possible to propose solutions for reducing consumption, managing local energy, and modeling supply and demand.
The MIMOSA project is a European HORIZON-Euratom project started in 2022 and selected on call for projects NRT-01-03 Multi-recycling of spent fuel from Light Water Reactors (LWR). It is coordinated by ORANO with partners such as the SUBATECH laboratory under the triple supervision of the Institut Mines-Télécom through its school, IMT Atlantique, Nantes University and the CNRS with the National Institute of Nuclear Physics and Particle Physics (IN2P3) as the main institute. The project will last 4 years and the EU funding is about 6.9 Millions of euros. The MIMOSA project will devise and demonstrate an integrated multi-recycling strategy of plutonium and uranium combining multi- recycling options in LWRs with recycling Pu and other transuranics today considered as waste in Chloride Molten Salt Reactors.
TRANSFEE concerns the acquisition of cutting-edge equipment positioned on the major challenges of tomorrow's industry in the fields of environmental, energy and food transitions. By reinforcing the GEPEA's platforms and technical platforms and by positioning this equipment on a common objective carried by the two different GEPEA supervisors (Nantes University, IMT-Atlantique, ONIRIS, CNRS), TRANSFEE aims to increase scientific excellence while providing concrete solutions on several key issues that are the sober and optimized management of (bio)resources, the preservation of environmental quality (air-water), the material-energy covalorization of residues or industrial waste, and the exploitation of marine resources and in particular microalgae. The TRANSFEE project also consolidates the relationship between research and training by sharing training at all levels (e.g.: BUT, Engineering School, International Master, continuing education).
Electrifying thermal processes as a solution for industry decarbonation.
The WAVEINCORE project aims to develop new desorption technologies applied to the thermal regeneration of amine-based solvents using microwave irradiation (MW) heating. Operating at temperatures below 100°C with the ability to use renewable electricity instead of superheated steam, a drastic reduction in energy penalty and solvent losses are expected, along with a gain regarding the quantities of water required for the process. Going beyond the established proof of concept, the innovative nature of the project lies in the optimized design of laboratory-scale demonstration prototypes, operating MW-assisted regeneration of amine solutions representative of advanced post- combustion CO2 capture processes. It also includes the development of phenomenological models describing the effect of MW radiation coupled with transfer mechanisms - reactions occurring during the regeneration of typical gas-solvent systems. The consortium brings together two research teams from the GEPEA laboratory, IMT Atlantique and ONIRIS, as well as the company SAIREM.
Gathering 31 partners from 10 different countries, DECARBOMILE aims to trigger an unprecedented improvement of the green last mile logistics in Europe. To reach that goal, DECARBOMILE relies on a strong experience of decarbonating urban logistics through European initiatives such as CIVITAS. Partners will build upon all previous results to develop improved delivery methods, tools and methodologies, and implement them across Europe.
Nuclear and radiochemistry (NRC) expertise is necessary to maintain European nuclear operations. It is also relevant in the process of decontamination and decommissioning, waste management and environmental monitoring. Moreover, there are several non-energy fields of NRC applications requiring such expertise, ranging from radiopharmaceuticals, radiological diagnostics and therapy to dating in geology and archaeology and more. The EU-funded A-CINCH project aims at mitigating the decreasing interest in the study of nuclear subjects. It will focus on students and teachers from secondary schools up to academia as well as end users in the field, using a 'learn through play' concept including a virtual radiochemistry laboratory, NRC MOOC, RoboLabs, high school teaching packages etc.
Within the SAMOSAFER project, the challenge is to develop new assessment and simulation tools for this Gen-IV reactor with respect to these innovative safety features.
Despite the introduction of limits on the sulfur content of marine fuels, the contribution of maritime transport to PM 2.5 emissions is estimated to have increased by 45% in the Mediterranean Sea over the period 2006 to 2020. To limit the environmental and health impact of maritime traffic, the International Maritime Organization has imposed regulations to limit polluting emissions, in particular by defining sulphur emission control zones (SECA zone), aiming to target this reduction in port areas, and in areas where maritime traffic is dense near the coastal edges. But particulate and gazeous emissions of ships remain a major health and environmental issue.
In France, the contribution of maritime transport to air pollution appears to be low if we consider conventional emission inventories approaches. On the other hand, this pollution is localized, especially in port areas where ships perform regular maneuvers. Among the pollutants produced by ships, SOx, NOx and fine particles are considered to be the three most problematic pollutants in terms of environmental and health impact. This CAPNAV project supported by ADEME as part of the CORTEA call for proposals aims to better quantify and characterize particulate emissions, particularly in the different phases of ship maneuvering.
Supported by the European Commission to the tune of €5m, COCPIT stands for "scalable solutions optimisation and decision tool creation for low impact SAF production chain from a lIpid-rich microalgae sTrain",
Innovative processes and bioprocesses
Since the 2010s, microalgae have offered an interesting alternative for producing biofuel for aviation, although the low yields obtained and the compatibility in the energy mix between biofuels and fossil fuels have prompted refiners to turn to other solutions. The aim of the project is therefore to find innovative approaches to reducing the production costs of growing microalgae in photobioreactors, improving processes throughout the chain
This project brings together 10 academic and industrial partners* from 6 different countries:
- IMT Atlantique - GEPEA
- Nantes Université - France
- Universitat Rovira i Virgili - Spain
- Aalborg University - Danemark
- Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt - German Aerospace Center - Germany
- Agricultural University of Athens - Greece
- AlgoSource technologies - France
- HELLENiQ ENERGY - Germany
- Wings ICT Solutions - Greece
- ETA - Florence Renewable Energies - Italia
