Chimie Bio-Inspirée et Innovations Ecologiques (ChimEco)

Episode 3: It is definitely good to stop polluting more. But even better is cleaning up our planet! Researchers have developed technologies to create synthetic products that not only do not generate more pollution, but also remove existing pollution! Through phyto-restoration using plants, researchers are able to 'naturally' depollute waste water and soil, producing reusable compost with very little impact on the environment.

Bio Inspir' studies the depolluting qualities of certain land and aquatic plants. This start-up is especially interested in water mint, a small plant native to the southern French Occitanie region that has exceptional capacities for purifying water containing metallic and organic elements. Used in the form of a powder or alive, this plant can purify contaminated water directly at industrial sites. #BioInspir' finds industrial applications for the research conducted by the laboratoire de Chimie…

In Saint-Laurent-Le-Minier and in many abandoned industrial and mining sites, the soil is full of contaminants (cadmium, lead, zinc, etc.). Thankfully, in this case like in many other instances, Mother Nature comes to the rescue by providing us with depolluting plants, such as the legume Anthyllis vulneraria which absorbs zinc. Chemist Claude Grison explains this depollution by phytoextraction. The cherry on the cake is that this biomass can be recycled using ecocatalysis, which…

Several innovation medallists present their research in areas such as innovative green chemistry, basic research, medicine and mathematics. They discuss the importance of partnerships between research and industry to further scientific knowledge and innovation.

Aged 53, Claude Grison directs the bioinspired chemistry laboratory for environmental innovation (laboratoire Chimie bio-inspirée et innovations écologiques - CNRS/UM2/Stratoz) and is a professor at the University of Montpellier-II. She successfully filed twelve CNRS patent applications which make it possible not only to use plants to progressively clean up mining sites, but also to exploit the metals that these plants absorb. There are many applications available, from an anti cancer agent…