Pollutec 2021

BRGM, the French national geological survey, produces, collects and disseminates strategic geoscientific data to support project owners, contractors and entrepreneurs in the construction, infrastructure and industrial sectors. The objective of this round table is to show how these actors and BRGM can interact through projects and real-life accomplishments in areas such as water, risks and energy. It will take place in 3 stages:

• the first focuses on the methodologies, tools and services provided by BRGM to facilitate the use of its data,
• the second stage looks at how businesses currently use BRGM data,
• the third stage takes a more forward-looking perspective and examines BRGM’s current projects to improve the applications and uses of its data in the production chains of these various players.

“Sustainable cities and regions” forum – Tuesday 12 October, 12.15 p.m.–1 p.m.

The geological carbon sink is a reservoir for “returning” carbon to the subsurface from which it was extracted to reduce incompressible residual CO₂ emissions. It supplements land-based carbon sinks, such as soils and forests, and the ocean carbon sink, and is expected to play a key role in achieving carbon neutrality. Nineteen carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) operations have already been set up worldwide. Significant research and innovation efforts are underway to implement this concept wherever needed. The European STRATEGY CCUS project is studying possible deployment scenarios in 8 regions of Southern and Eastern Europe, including the Rhone Valley and the Paris Basin in France.

“Energy” forum – Tuesday 12 October, 4.50 p.m.–5.35 p.m.

A promising option is to use geothermal processes to increase the effectiveness and accelerate the development of seasonal heat and cold storage, for example by smoothing out production variability in a solar steam plant by reusing in winter the heat produced in the summer. The subsurface space can be particularly suitable for storing large amounts of heat over long periods. EUROVIA has designed and developed the Power-Road^© technology, which uses heat exchangers installed within the pavement to recover the solar heat absorbed by road and car park surfaces and reuse it to heat installations, such as swimming pools, urban and shopping centres, and district heating systems.

EUROVIA has partnered with BRGM to assess the technical and economic feasibility of coupling Power-Road^© with an underground heat storage solution, drawing up favourability maps based on subsurface (geological, hydrogeology, etc.) characteristics and the main characteristics of surface projects.

“Sustainable cities and regions” forum – Wednesday 13 October, 10.25 a.m.–11.10 a.m.

Local and regional authorities are increasingly interested in this topic, which is particularly relevant in the context of climate change and the need to secure water resources. The deployment of alternative rainwater management approaches is impeded by a number of technical barriers, such as the influence of soil quality (contamination level) on the quality of water entering groundwater bodies, soil infiltration capacity, the need to stop building traditional drainage networks and storage basins, interactions between rainwater management and wastewater treatment, and the management of groundwater flooding.

“Water” forum – Wednesday 13 October, 10.30 a.m.–11.15 a.m.

• First assessments of the 2016–2021 Micropollutant Plan to preserve water quality and biodiversity.
• Achievements of national ECOPHYTO plans
• Objectives and methodologies of upcoming plans.

“Pollutec” forum: Wednesday 13 October, 2.00 p.m.–3.15 p.m. 

The large quantities of sargassum (Sargassum natans and S. fluitans) washing up on the Caribbean shores since 2011 have had serious consequences on the environment (asphyxiation of marine fauna and flora), the economy (oxidation of electronic devices, businesses near the coastline furloughing employees) and health (toxic hydrogen sulfide and ammonia gases produced by decomposing sargassum, potential exposure to arsenic and chlordecone). Various research projects in Guadeloupe, Martinique and Orléans have been carried out to better understand sargassum influx patterns, environmental contamination due to bioaccumulation by this type of seaweed, and potential degradation methods.

“Sea and coastline” forum: Wednesday 13 October, 2.05 p.m.–2.50 p.m.

Large-scale energy storage allows the integration of intermittently produced renewable energy into the electricity mix and is one of the pillars of energy transition. It relies on the availability of large volumes of storage space. The objective of the HYGEO project is to develop the storage of so-called “green” hydrogen produced by the electrolysis of water – a process which does not release any greenhouse gas emissions – in underground cavities such as depleted oil and gas fields. The feasibility study focuses on a site in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, examining aspects such as the hydrogen storage capacity of this particular cavity, economic suitability, environmental and societal aspects, and the type of exploitation appropriate for new hydrogen uses.

“Energy” forum – Wednesday 13 October, 3.55 p.m.–4.40 p.m.

Climate forecasts estimate that recharge levels will fall by 10% to 30% by 2070. Because of the impacts of climate change, recharge and the sustainable management of groundwater resources have become a particularly topical issue. Taking a systemic perspective whenever possible, our experts will address several aspects, such as legislation, infrastructure, costs, stakeholder collaboration, technical expertise and water quality.

“Pollutec” forum – Thursday 14 October, 10.00 a.m.–11.30 a.m.

The world is facing a sharp increase in demand for mineral resources induced by changing lifestyles, the energy and digital transitions and population growth. In this context, we must support the establishment of a more circular economy and ensure that long-term, responsible and sustainable supply chains are in place for metals and materials, while the potential offered by recycling probably remains under-exploited, particularly for several critical metals. The limitations and challenges of recycling, however, are numerous. The dispersion of “metals of interest” in end-of-life products creates a thermodynamic barrier, which makes them very difficult to recycle. Appropriate recycling strategies circumvent this issue by not necessarily reverting to completely purified metals.

“Energy” forum – Thursday 14 October, 12.15 a.m.–1 p.m.

The objective of this round table is to discuss current and near future performance developments in the coastal flood warning systems available to coastal communities.

“Sea and coastline” forum – Thursday 14 October, 2.55 p.m.–4.40 p.m.

The monitoring network for storms and storm impacts in the Occitanie region was established in 2010 to capitalise on and share information collected on storms by various coastal stakeholders. The network engages with stakeholders before events, uses standardised smartphone and online feedback tools and capitalises on observation data provided by various sensors (satellite, video and drones) as part of the VigilittoP project.

“Sea and coastline” forum – Thursday 14 October, 4.50 p.m.–5.45 p.m.

Soils are a major link in ecosystems. As well as supporting vegetation, soils also contribute to the carbon, nitrogen and water cycles, and as such have a key role to play in reducing the impacts of climate change. Restoring degraded and even very damaged soils is therefore of the utmost importance for regenerating artificially compacted ground and sealed surfaces, by restoring fertile soil functions, which include intense biological activity and are able to sequester carbon on a long-term basis. For nearly 15 years, the concept of using derelict areas in cities to rebuild fertile soils has been gaining ground. This round table will examine the range of opportunities available and present the latest technical and regulatory advances in the field.

“Agriculture and climate” forum – Thursday 14 October, 4.50 p.m.–5.45 p.m.