Ecocatalysis: Turning Plants into Pollution-Removing Filters

The “Eaux végétales” project proposes a new system for treating effluents contaminated with metals. It consists of a filter made of eco-materials rich in phenolic acids. The eco-materials are derived from the rhizomes of endemic aquatic plants grown in Occitanie, or from invasive plants harvested on a large scale in the wild to control their spread. The project involves applying the research findings to a pilot demonstration process being tested at the large Malines mining site (Gard – 30).

An early management strategy for polluted water is proposed by pumping water from the mine tunnels directly through a vegetated filter before it enters the existing basin. The “Eaux végétales” project is an R&D initiative aimed at establishing a long-term partnership between public research and industry. It brings together various partners with complementary activities: the Laboratory of Bio-inspired Chemistry and Ecological Innovations (ChimEco, UMR 5021 CNRS – University of Montpellier), which developed the technology; the Klorane Botanical Foundation (81), which will commercialize the developed process; the company CNR – Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (30); and the Suez Foundation.

Two joint associations for watershed development and management (the Etablissement Public Territorial de Bassin des Gardons and the Syndicat Mixte Ganges – Le Vigan) are also involved in harvesting invasive aquatic plants and studying their potential for use in the process.
Ecocatalysis, an innovative ecological solution

The laboratory’s activities are based on an unusual combination of environmental science, ecology, and chemistry. This original approach has given rise to a new field of interdisciplinary research: ecocatalysis. The plant material generated by phytoextraction and rhizofiltration is valorized through an innovative ecological recycling concept. Capitalizing on the remarkable adaptive capacity of certain plants used to hyperaccumulate primary or strategic metals, the concept relies on the direct use of plant-derived metal species as reagents and catalysts for fine organic chemical reactions. Ecocatalysis offers the first prospect for valorizing this unique biomass and pioneers a new branch of green chemistry.

Beneficiary: CNRS

Description of the organization:
The Laboratory of Bio-inspired Chemistry and Ecological Innovations, known as ChimEco, is a joint unit bringing together researchers and engineers from the CNRS and a faculty researcher from the University of Montpellier. As its activities are highly valued by industry, half of the researchers are funded through industrial contracts. It is located in the Cap Delta business center in the Montpellier metropolitan area, right in the heart of the Euromédecine Park biotech cluster.
Its activities are based on an unusual combination of phytotechnologies adapted for pollution remediation, the ecological restoration of degraded sites (soil and water), and the optimization of these processes through innovative, bio-inspired sustainable chemistry—ecocatalysis. The results obtained are intended to contribute to the development of current scientific, economic, and environmental priorities for ecological innovations.

Theme: Research – Ecology

Project summary and objective: The project involves testing an innovative water remediation process as part of an interdisciplinary and ecological approach.

European funding: European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

TVDICI Platform
July 1, 2021