AQUAVIVA : A revolutionary water treatment plant for Cannes

Lyonnaise des Eaux Côte d’Azur subsidiary unveils Aquaviva, one of the world’s first water treatment plants to use ultrafiltration. The plant, which is sited in the Cannes area, is one of the world’s first water treatment plants that uses ultrafiltration modules as well as a membrane bio-reactor (MBR) and prevents the emission of greenhouse gases.

This new generation factory will also be an important carbon-neutral plant and include the largest solar farm in the département (4,000m²). Its treatment process also enables effluent to be re-used for watering green spaces and for street cleaning.The new station which will serve 8 different communes, represents a budget of 77 M€ and should be finalised by 2011.

High performance treatment allows wastewater to be reused

The use of ultra filtration membranes and a biological reactor (Bioreactor with membranes) to purify wastewater is the most modern technology for treating wastewater in the world. Its purification efficiency exceeds regulatory standards and will meet future standards for "water quality suitable for swimming.” Marine flora and fauna will thus be preserved and a monitoring of biodiversity (fish on the shoreline, posidonia meadows) will help track progress. Treated water will also be reused to water landscaped areas or to clean roadways.

A plant integrated into a coastal tourist environment

Aquaviva is to be built on the shoreline at the site of the current treatment plant and will be perfectly integrated into its coastal tourist environment. It will not emit any unpleasant odors or noise nor will it be unsightly. Each year, the Cannes region attracts 2.5 million tourists, so an unobtrusive work site will be put up during construction. The plant’s operation will be audited by a certification organization in order to attain the ISO 14001 environmental management standard.

Greenhouse gas emissions completely neutralized

Aquaviva will be completely Carbon Neutral®. Greenhouse gases will make up only 269 equivalent tons of carbon annually, i.e., 90% less than the current plant. These emissions will by completely offset and Aquaviva will use different procedures and technologies to achieve this. The treatment plant will have 4,000 sq. m of solar panels making it the largest solar farm project in the Maritime Alps.

Drying the sludge resulting from wastewater treatment will also contribute to the offsetting effects. Dry sludge will then be treated and recycled as natural fertilizer for agriculture in the region. Work done by Degrémont and GTM will start in 2009 as soon as a construction permit is obtained and will be completed in 2011.

And in nearby Golfe Juan-Vallauris, another Lyonnaise des Eaux treatment plant, which meets HQE (High Environmental Quality) standards, was inaugurated on May 25. Known as “Nobilis” after a rare Mediterranean shellfish, the plant complies with the latest European standards and has been awarded the highest 4-star classification.

Source : Lyonnaise des eaux

ROBIN SUN launches solar glazing, a glass wall producing hot water

Robin Sun is a french company which has developed a system of hot water from solar collectors integrated into a semi transparent glass.The installation of 5 to 7 square meters of the glazing in a wall or glass, preferably exposé (e) to the south to cover 60 to 70% of hot water needs of a family of four, says he says. The annual productivity of the glass is slightly lower than solar thermal because of its installation on the vertical, which is not optimal for capturing the sun's rays. 

The cost, about 1 000 square meter is equivalent to a solar panel.

 

Developed in partnership with the INSA Strasbourg (National Institute of science and technology applied in Strasbourg), this glass solar qualities may be of interest to construction professionals. In addition to the hot water, it provides insulation equivalent to that of a wall of low-energy house, thanks to the sensor and a specific treatment against the glass infrared. 

Robin Sun won a first big contract in Paris to install solar glazing of twenty social housing construction in the district of Barbès in Paris.

Source : Robin Sun

European Elections 2009 : Greens shakes French politics

Yesterday, European citizens were invited to vote for the european elections. The green coalition, Europe Ecologie, have created the surprise yesterday in France, ranking in third position.The movement led by leaders, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, José Bové and Eva Joly received an amazing 16,2%.

Why did european ecologists make the breakthrough ?

• Firstly, the movement created specifically for this election was born of a new alliance between the Greens and personalities of the environmentalist movement and association, as the former spokesman Yannick Jadot of Greenpeace or Jean-Paul Besset, close to the TV moderator Nicolas Hulot.

• Secondly, Europe Ecologie and greens party in particular, can be recognized as one of the few parties that has built its identity on the historic European values: solidarity, peace, no violence, social justice, preservation of the environment ... all this reflected in their slogan "think globally, act locally.

• And, comparing to other political parties, Europe Ecologie clearly made the difference by explaining that economic crisis, climate crisis and democracy crisis must be resolved, not separately but ....TOGETHER !!!!

Cairpol : City air pollution monitoring

Cairpol is a french company, located in Alès, which has developed a hand-held air pollution known as "the cairpatch. 

Cairpol started from: the idea that air pollution has two main areas: 

- air pollution mainly caused by the automobile (O3 and NO2) that affects the general public, especially vulnerable people such as asthmatics

- the accidental pollution on the safety (toxic gas in installations, sewage ...) that can affect the general public (carbon monoxide due to improper combustion by ex.). 

With this anaylysis, the french company decided to develop devices for monitoring air pollution. 

The goals: to be advised of the peaks of pollution and adapt their work to breathe less pollutants and to avoid crises It stresses that its technology is applicable to the detection of most gas and soon to particulate matter (PM 2.5-10, pollen, bacteria ...). . How much ?  72 euros.

Cairpol is positioned on the consumer market of low cost and ultra wearable devices for air pollution control in gases area (ozone, toxic gases), particulate area (PM2.5, pollens) or biological area (bacteria). Beyond the technological raised key (a new adaptive filter protected by patent) concerning the reliability of the sensors subjected to the abrupt changes of environmental conditions (inherent when they are worn on the wrist of a person), the strategy of Cairpol bases on the limitation on the duration of device functioning (to increase still the reliability by it) and thus on the annual renewal of devices. The first product, the Cairpatch, dedicated to the asthmatics to warn them of peaks of ozone pollution was validated on field for one year and is in the course of average series manufacturing ( 1000 / month ). 

Source : Cairpol 

GEOGREEN : Expert in CO2 transport and geological storage

CO2 capture and storage (CCS) has the potential to account for 20% of global greenhouse gas reduction. A number of initiatives are underway to encourage widespread deployment. Pilot plants are being run around the world and several countries and federations are already establishing directives and regulations to guide the development of these emerging technologies. First scale one coal power stations equipped with CCS should be in operation no later than 2015 but other industries such as steel making are also studying CCS as a solution to reduce their CO2 emissions. 

GEOGREEN : A unique expertise in CO2 transport and geological storage 

Geogreen is an international services company specialized in CO2 transport and storage offering its clients strategic studies in the areas of CO2 capture, transport and storage in addition to engineering studies and technical assistance relating to CO2 transport and geological storage. Geogreen is a subsidiary of the IFP (French Petroleum Institute), Geostock (an underground hydrocarbon storage company) and BRGM (Bureau de Recherche Géologique et Minière).

The company has a perfect technical complementarity with its experts enables Geogreen to provide the industries concerned and a comprehensive range of services, covering the whole chain from the transport of CO₂ to its geological storage, from upstream expertise to engineering and project development. 

In the longer term, Geogreen will offer injection site operation assistance, inspection and maintenance services, and monitoring services related to post-injection control of storage sites.

Geogreen’s capital is held by IFP, Géostock and BRGM.

Storage approach

Once captured and transported, CO₂ is then injected and stored underground at depths of at least 800 meters.

Three potential storage methods are envisaged:

Storage in depleted oil and gas fields. 

Theoretically, this is the easiest option to implement since these structures have held oil and gas for millions of years and this geological environment is well known. The injection of CO₂ also helps to improve recovery of the oil and gas present. However, the storage capacity of these reservoirs is insufficient and they are very unequally distributed around the world, often far from industrial facilities.
Experimental storage operations are already under way in these types of reservoirs.

Storage in unused coal seams. 

The capacity of coal to “adsorb” – or preferentially trap – CO₂ in place of the methane naturally present in coal, represents an interesting capture mechanism. But this option is limited by the porosity and permeability of coal, which remain low.

Storage in deep saline aquifers. 

These are reservoirs of non-potable salt water, located at great depths, which offer the greatest potential in terms of storage capacity. They are better distributed over the world’s surface than oil and gas reservoirs. A significant amount of research is currently under way aimed at characterizing these and assessing their potential in terms of geological storage.

Source : Geogreen 

SINOVIA : City lighting solution

SINOVIA is a French company mainly involved on two levels: contributing towards the dynamism of municipalities and developing the eco-responsibility of communities.Intelligent management of City lighting involves remote control of light intensity and gives automatic access to an instrument panel for operational and financial monitoring. 

City lighting management solution 

The City lighting solution allows real savings on energy costs, of over 40% of the energy bill of a city.

SINOVIA provides an intelligent City lighting management solution which permits the development of a modular and progressive application:

• Classic light management: on/off, lamps lit/switched off
• Remote management: remote control system for lamps (point-to-point), graduation of the intensity of lighting, based on a light sensor or according to automatic planning.
• Remote services: management and communication with linked or nearby lamp-post infrastructures. For example: automatic sprinkler system, variable message sign management, signals, air quality sensors, video surveillance...

This solution permits a reduction in costs and control over energy bills, a reduction in maintenance costs for parks, while guaranteeing a return on investment by allowing the money saved to be injected into remote services, and permitting the development of new applications, while making the network infrastructures of the municipality profitable in a shorter period of time.

Sinovia Expertise 

Sinovia designs from 10 years of innovative technologies Monitoring equipment Urban and technical alarms. It offerings are organized around a single solution and efficient, which brings together multi technology, multi-service, multi-manufacturer. 

This approach meets the expectations and companies or communities terms of security, sustainable development, optimization of costs and sharing systems. Solutions SINOVIA manage potential threats (malicious acts, disasters natural and technological ...) but also make possible a centralized and intelligent cities, sites or buildings. The expertise of Sinovia is around the video surveillance, intelligent management of public lighting, monitoring equipment (fire safety, intrusion detection, energy management ...), steer warning networks and the convergence of systems in heterogeneous infrastructures. 

Sinovia was nominated for the Grand Prix de l'Innovation SIEMENS 2007, won the Trophy for Security 2007, "Best Innovation of the Year and received the Gold 91 issued by the ICC and Medef of Essonne. Sinovia is also the first company in France signing a "Gateways" Small Grand Account. SINOVIA is involved in research programs French, European and International and also participates in conferences that are fueling the momentum of development of its 

solutions.

Source : Sinovia 

Hydrelis : Water leak detection

Founded in 2004, Hydrelis develops technologies, products and systems to monitor, and manage and reduce water consumption. 

Hydrelis developed electronics innovation including Ultra Low Power. The CLIP-FLOW is a 100% french. The production lines are located in the sum Woincourt and Gunderschoffenen Alsace. The CLIP-FLOW is an internationally patented and the company received the Special Jury Prize at the National Ministry of Research. 

Hydrelis is a new player in the field of monitoring and protecting networks of drinking water. Launches CLIP-FLOW, which enables individuals, communities and businesses to reduce their water bills through active surveillance: CLIP-flow control, analysis and cutting the water supply in case of anomaly, just like a circuit breaker cut power to incidents. 

An independent and innovative concept 

CLIP-FLOW is autonomous. It works without electrical connection. Installed network head near the counter, CLIP-FLOW acts as a switch and closes the water supply in case of anomalies. 

Innovative, CLIP-Flow Analysis permanently the flow of water in search of a stable flow abnormally long sign of a leak. CLIP-FLOW intelligently adapts to each installation. His reaction time will depend on the magnitude of the leak: the higher the speed is more important trigger quickly. For multiple users, it expects the rate to stabilize thus avoiding tripping. CLIP-FLOW can also identify the speed increases abnormal sign of a ruptured pipeline. He then cut the water in seconds. 

Time for action: 

- For a small leak (flush or tap file) corresponding to a stable flow of 80 l / h, it starts in about 1 hour. 

Important for trouble (leaking underground or open valve forgotten) for a steady flow of 1500L / h, it starts in 12 minutes. 

- In the event of pipeline rupture, it reacts in less than 8 seconds. 

- In case of prolonged inactivity, it can cut water itself as a precaution. 

For special applications, its settings can be changed very easily with a personal computer (PC). 

Water: the new blue gold 

Drinking water is a precious commodity: 

- The individual today is seeking to consume the most useful and possible to prevent leakage invisible. They need ways to monitor and reduce its consumption and alert in case of leakage invisible. 

- In the communities, because of the separation between users and payers, automated monitoring is required. The leaks, accidents, vandalism and any anomalies should be identified and repaired quickly before having a significant impact on water bills. 

- In industry and leisure operators seeking to optimize their water budgets. Quickly identify overuse or leaks that may damage the infrastructure is essential.

Source : Hydrelis 

Brochier technologies : photocatalytic pollution control solution

Brochier Technologies is a french company specialised in optical fibre weaving solutions for light applications in lighting, communications, safety, pollution control, and medical fields. 

Lightex technology 

The company is well kown for its Lightex® technology which consists in the weaving of optical fibres with lateral lighting, connected to electroluminescent diodes that makes possible to create flexible or rigid illuminated surfaces, very thin, requirering low power consumption and providing long life span.The Lightex® lighting solutions are protected by several international patents.

UVtex technology : Environment application

Brochier technologies has also developed UVtex technology which is a photovoltaic pollution control solution using optical fibre plastics and UV light ( patented technology).By combining the ultraviolet radiation distributed by the optical fibre fabric with some quantity of TiO2, the UVtex® technology acts upon pollution control of the air, the water, and the destruction of odours, therefore being an answer to many current environmental problems of today.

Photocatalysis

Air purification, odor control, cleaning the surface ... The industrial applications of photocatalysis are numerous today. And to think the French Federation of photocatalysis (FFP), established in 2006 to promote the use of this process, the technological potential of the photocatalyst is still under exploited. Limitation of bacterial growth in hospitals and medical, water purification, water purification, detoxification of water rinsing equipment or industrial agriculture, elimination of odors could be part of the field of development of this technology is discovered more than 

fifty years.

 

© AZoM ™ - The A to Z of Materials and AZojomo 

Powdered TiO2 observed in scanning electron microscope

The principle? Decomposition and degradation of the material under the action of light beams on the surface of a catalyst. A catalyst, usually titanium dioxide (TiO2), is activated by the presence of a light source, natural or artificial. Free radicals released by the titanium allow oxyréduction: organic molecules on the surface are adsorbed and decomposed by the catalyst. Titanium dioxide, inert compound used as a pigment in paints and cosmetics, is the raw material chosen by most manufacturers because, according to the FFP, as it is in contact with light, and pollutants, the material remains stable and efficient.

Source : Brochier technologies 

Institut Lavoisier develops a high capacity CO2 trap

A porous material created by a team led by Gérard Férey at Institut Lavoisier in Versailles has an unparalleled ability to capture carbon dioxide, a major challenge in the ongoing fight against global warming. 

This recent study co-authored by several laboratories associated with CNRS has shown that MIL101, a mesoporous Metal-Organic Framework (MOF), could store close to 400 m of CO₂ at 25°C per m³ of solid, almost double the capacity of the best materials commercially available today.

Yet when Férey initially set out to create porous frameworks, he had no specific application in mind. His goal was to move beyond trial and error and devise a logical approach to create tailored porous solids. Using a personal computer simulation program, he found extraordinary virtual results. They eventually led to the creation of MIL101, the largest crystalline porous solid to date, with pores of 3.4 nm and a huge cubic cell volume. 

The next issue was to figure out what to trap in such large cages and, given the increased focus on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, CO₂ was a prime candidate. Férey also gives credit to his colleagues who demonstrated MIL101’s record CO₂adsorption properties. “We now know why and where the CO₂molecules attach,” he points out. “This is essential information if we want to find even better products.” 

The study also shows that the method chosen to activate MIL101 is crucial in optimizing its CO₂ adsorption capability, the most effective method being a combination of hot ethanol and ammonium fluoride treatments. 

CO₂ storage is only one of many potential applications for a large-pore MOF and the possibilities are practically endless. “You can fill it with pretty much anything,” concludes Férey, “hydrogen, drugs, or even use the cages as a nanoreactor to produce materials directly inside them.

Source : CNRS - Fabien Buliard