LGPM - Process Engineering and Materials Laboratory

Sustainable industrial production as a key challenge for the Twenty-First Century

The LGPM research department works on two fields of investigation in close interaction: chemical and biochemical engineering and materials. Modelling, simulation and experimentation are the common pillars of the different research themes addressed.

The laboratory is organized into three research teams:

Materials and Biomaterials

Liquid metals, wetting and reactivity at high temperature
Wood, bioproducts, bio-based materials, building materials
Coupled heat and mass transfer
Elaboration and transformation processes
Characterisation, upscaling, multiscale modelling

Chemistry and Separative Processes

Separation and purification by liquid-liquid extraction, membranes, electro-chemistry, preparative chromatography, crystallization
Multiphase flows (liquid films, drops, bubbles, particles), deposition
Process intensification
Trace analysis and sample preparation - Exobiology

Bio-processes

Biological processes (suspended and immobilised cultures)
Multi-scale modelling and bioreactors control
Cell/community characterization (biofilm structure, microalgae characterization on lab-on-chip systems, …)
Use of microorganisms to treat wastewater/produce biofuels (lipids from microalgae, methane generation, …)
Production and purification of high-value molecules

Biology Chair

LGPM expertise, firmly rooted in process engineering, is applied to sustainable production (material and energy savings, optimisation and intensification) and the use of renewable resources (industrial biotechnologies, bio-based materials). The deployment of the biotechnology chair has led to a significant increase in these areas.

More information
Visit the Chair's Website

Application domains

2G/3G biofuels, Astrobiology, Biogas purification, Bioprocessing design and evaluation, Biotechnologies, Developing innovative bio-sourced materials, Digital twins applied to sustainable development, Exobiology, Hydrogen production from biomass, Instrumental development for space application and search for trace of life in the universe, Iron coating, Liquid metal heat exchanger, Mould/yeast/bacteria/microalgae production, Tissue scaffold for bone regeneration.

Remarkable Equipments

2D and 3D imaging: Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope (CLSM), Environmental SEM + EDS, Interferometric microscope, Nano-tomography, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), Particle Image Velocimetry, Raman microscope, Image processing tools.
Analysis/characterisation: ATG/DSC coupled with GS-MS, BET, CHNSO, DMA, triple quadrupole ICP-MS Spectroscopy (UV, IR, MS, Raman, fluorescence X), UHPLC-Orbitrap (HRMS), UHPLC-IMS-QToF (TIMS-ToF), laser and morphological size analysers, flow cytometry, liquid and gas chromatographs, mass diffusion, mineralizer, Motorized MicroProfiling System for O2 and pH measurements permeability, rheometer, sorption isotherms, tensiometer, wetting measurements at high temperature, chromatic confocal measurement of film thickness.
Processes and pilot devices: Bioreactors, Drying, Dispensed metal drop device, Electrodialysis, twin-screw extruder, Liquid-liquid extraction, Photo-bioreactors, Preparative chromatography, Reverse osmosis, Powder flowability tests (rotating drum), Thermal treatment, Ultra- and nano-filtration, Versatile annealing device.
Modelling/simulation: CFD (OpenFOAM), Discrete modelling of particles (LIGGGHTS), Discrete and continuous modelling of Bioprocess, Machine learning, Chemometrics, Image-based representation, Meshless methods (LB, MPM…), Multiscale modelling of reactive and bio-active transfer in heterogeneous media, Up-scaling. Access to HPC computers (Ruche, Romeo).

VIDEOS

Industrial Partners

AIR LIQUIDE, ARCELORMITTAL, ARD, BIOREA, CEA, CHENE et Cie, CNES, CRISTAL UNION, DRY4GOOD, EDF R&D, ECOTECNILIN, EUROPEENNE DE BIOMASSE, GENOMINES, GIVAUDAN, GRT gaz, HAFFNER Energy, IFPEN, INALVE, INEVO, INTERNATIONAL ZINC ASSOCIATION, LESAFFRE, Metha’groupe, MIYOSHI, NUTROPY, OLYGOSE, PROCESSIUM, PRONOE, PROSNY NC, SANOFI, STH Biotech, SYNOVANCE, TIPEE, Thales Alenia Space, TMA Process, VEOLIA, V.E.R.A. SAS, VICAT, VITO, WIGWAM, YPSO-FACTO

Academic Partners

International: School of Mathematical Sciences QUT (Australia), University of São Paulo (Brazil), São Paulo State University (Brazil), EMBRAPA (Brazil), ITAL (Brazil), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Université du Québec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue (Canada), Danish Technological Institute (Denmark), Gottingen University (Germany), Institut Von Karman (Germany), Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (Germany), Technical University of Dresden (Germany), University of Hannover (Germany), University of Padova (Italy), TU Delft (Netherlands), Wageningen University (Netherlands), University of Almeria (Spain), Engineering school of Monastir (Tunisia), Engineering School of Sfax (Tunisia), Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Beja (Tunisia), University of Carthage (Tunisia), Imperial College London (UK), GSFC-NASA (Maryland, USA), JPL-NASA (Pasadena, USA), Ohio State University (USA).

France: AgroParisTech, ENS Paris Saclay, ESIEE (Noisy-le-Grand), GEPEA (Nantes), IFREMER, INRAE (Antony, Jouy en Josas, Narbonne), IMFT (Toulouse), INRIA, INSERM, IS2M (Mulhouse), Institut de Matériaux Microélectronique, LRGP (Nancy), Nanosciences de Provence, SMS (Université de Rouen), Sorbonne Université (UPMC), Unilasalle Beauvais, Université Picardie Jules Verne, Université Reims-Champagne Ardenne, Université de technologie de Compiègne, Université de Lorraine, Université la Rochelle, Université Savoie Mont Blanc.