Communications

Florent Allais was invited to present our latest results on biobased and safe UV filters during the event organized by IMCD dedicated to the future of UV filters in the cosmetic industries.

It was a great opportunity to catch-up with colleagues and friends, but also to make new connections with future partners.

Thanks again to Laurent Blasco and Maud Chapis for their invitation!

On Monday, September 30th, Etienne Diemer, graduate student in chemical engineering, successfully defended his thesis at UTC (Compiègne, France). .

Etienne worked on the valorization of forced chicory roots under the co-supervision of Prof. Nabil Grimi (JRU TIMR, UTC-ESCOM) and Dr. Morad Chadin (URD ABI), in collaboration with APEF (Arras, France).

Congrats to our new Doctor!!!

On September 26, 2024, Kévin Magnien took part at the the Techday « Bioeconomy and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients » organized by Bioeconomy for Change cluster, University of Reims Champagne Ardennes, University of Lorraine, Samabriva and URD ABI.

He had the opportunity to present our research works and our start-up hosting activity, Biotech’InnLab, as well as build new collaborations.

On August 31^st 2024, URD ABI took part to the Séquence Recherche et Innovation organized by Le Village de la Bioéconomie at the Foire de Châlons

Several talks, with an emphasis on scientific popularization, were given by Dr. Pauline Gerardin (Post-doctoral researcher), Bilal Loumi (Ph.D candidate) and Matthieu Mention (Engineer) to depict the many projects taking course at the URD ABI. Those communications were an opportunity to talk about the use of natural molecules as a sustainable alternative for the future through the collaborative project we have with the V.Biotech start-up, ant the ANR-funded Lagoon project.

Our director, Florent Allais, was invited to not one, but two Gordon Research Conferences this July! The first, devoted to Lignins, was held at Stonehill College, MA (USA) from July, 14 to 19. The second took place in Barcelona, Spain (July, 28 - August, 2) and was devoted to Green Chemistry. These two invited talks were an opportunity to present our numerous projects and innovations in the field of lignin and cellulose valorization.

Congratulations to Robin Fournier, the 3^rd student in the URD ABI - AgroParisTech/University of Florida co-tutored PhD program, who brilliantly defended his thesis on July 10^th!

On July 9, 2024, URD ABI was delighted to welcome a delegation from the Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech faculty (University of Liège, Belgium) and colleagues from various AgroParisTech sites.

This event at URD ABI marks a new stage in a fruitful cooperation, consolidating the academic and scientific links between AgroParisTech and Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, and opening up new prospects for students and research in all our establishments' major fields: agronomy, biotechnologies, animal and plant sciences, forestry, etc.

This year, no fewer than 3 ABI representatives took part in the summer school dedicated to green chemistry, which has been held in Venice for several years now.

Beatriz Chicharo and Bilal Loumi, both graduate students in green chemistry, presented a poster on their respective research projects (e.g., biobased polymers and cellulose-derived UV-filters), while Florent Allais gave a lecture on how the combination of green chemistry, biotechnologies and downstream process, fosters innovation in biorefinery.

Many thanks to BioChem Europe, EFCG - European Fine Chemicals Group and EFG (Cefic sector groups), SICOS (chimie fine & biotech) and EuropaBio - the European Association for Bioindustries for having invitated our director to be part of this discussion panel at Achema.

A great opportunity to showcase our activities within the CEBB, as well as that of the Bazancourt-Pomacle biorefinery activities (research, innovation, transfer, demonstration plants, production...) carried out by both industrial (ARD, Givaudan Active Beauty, ADM, CRISTANOL, Cristal Union, Européenne de Biomasse).

On 13^th and 14^th June 2024, URD ABI was represented at NordBio II on biocatalysis and enzymes at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (Sweden). This event was organised to celebrate the 80^th birthday of Prof. Karl Hult.

A talk was given by Horiya Ham about the "Development of an enzymatic cascade for alkyl hydroxycinnamates synthesis". A first poster was presented by Boris Tran (ANR MilliStyrene) about "In vitro synthesis of bio-based 4-Vinylphenol by an enzymatic approach". A second one was presented by Vivien Herrscher (ANR SMALA) about a "New biocatalytic lactamization: Caprolactam production scale-up and exploration of industrial purification methodologies

ABI has celebrated the 25th anniversary of its partner URCOM laboratory by participating to the URCOM25 international conference, held on Le Havre (France) from 29th to 31st of May. A first talk was given by Robin Fournier about green synthesis of innovative levoglucosenone and p-hydroxycinnamate based molecules. A second one dealing with selective synthesis of stilbene derivatives (ANR project GlycoStil) was given by Dr. Amandine Flourat. This event also included a "Cosmetic Research Tour" event, as well as a tour of URCOM facilities.

On Thursday May 23, Amandine Flourat took part in the “Europe Day” organized by AgroParisTech's European and International Relations Office. The aim of the event was to inform the scientific community about funding opportunities for research and training.

Amandine took part in the round table to share her recent experience of setting up a European project as coordinator. The rest of the event was devoted to various workshops.

From April, 21st to 26th, Florent Allais was part of the inaugural edition of the GreenChemAfrica held at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) (Ben Guerir, Marocco). The objective of this training school is to enlighten, empower and engage young scientists and industry professionals in the fundamental principles of sustainability. The event was sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).

It was an opportunity for our Director to present the Bazancourt-Pomacle biorefinery and more particularly URD ABI’s research activities.

Looking forward to the 2025 edition!

From March, 19^th to 21^st, researchers from URD ABI participated at BIOKET 2024 organized by B4C Cluster in Reims.

Florent Allais took part in the round table at Keynote «Innovation in Renewable Carbon-based Building Blocks: Biomass and CO₂ Conversion» and presented our some of the major research projects conducted by our biotechnology, process engineering and green chemistry teams to develop sustainable processes and high value-added products from biomass.

Morad Chadni, Nabila Imatoukene and Etienne Diemer presented their promising results on «Production of p-hydroxycinnamic acids, antioxidant molecules of high industrial interest, by biomass extraction and fermentation» and «Beyond traditional extraction methods: innovation for caffeoylquinic acids extraction from forced chicory roots» respectively.

BIOKET 2024 was also a great opportunity for Kevin Magnien to meet current and potential future partners.

On Wednesday, March 6th, Dr. Sami Fadlallah successfully defended his « Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches » (HDR), granting him the authority to direct PhD students.

This new accreditation, awarded by Université Paris-Saclay, is a clear recognition of his dedication and contributions to the field of green polymer chemistry. His manuscript, titled « Des molécules plateformes aux matériaux durables : mon parcours dans la chimie verte des polymères », reflects years of research and expertise.

Congratulations Sami on this well-deserved achievement!

URD ABI's very proud to see its activities in bioeconomy recognized at the international level through the nomination of our director, Florent Allais, in the "The Bioeconomy 500 for 2024 - outstanding leaders of bioeconomy's development and deployment" list published in Jim Lane's The Daily Digest (biofueldigest.com), along with that of Philippe Aubry, CEO of ARD, another key player of the Bazancourt-Pomacle biorefinery.

On Tuesday, February 27th, URD ABI was at the « Paris International Agricultural Show » on the AgroParisTech booth to showcase its activities. Several examples of agricultural coproducts valorization were presented through a game to show the audience green alternatives to petroleum-based products.

Other workshops were organized by our colleagues from the Cosmetology Chair and Sayfood JRU.

A day full of encounters and exchanges! See you next year SIA!

Every year since 2016, apart from during the COVID crisis, Florent Allais has spent two weeks as Adjunct Professor in the BIOPRIA research unit (Director: Prof. Gil Garnier) at Monash University (Australia).

During these stays, Florent Allais exchanges with all PhD students (especially those he co-supervises), post-docs, scientists and professors on their research topics. It's also an opportunity for him to present the URD ABI's latest results and build new research projects.

This year, he has the opportunity not only to meet a new PhD student he is co-supervising, but also to take part in the submission of a new research project to the ARC.

We'd like to extend our thanks to Prof. Youssef Habibi, SUSMAT team's founder and leader, for inviting Prof. Florent Allais to visit UM6P campus and present our research activities.

Our director also had the opportunity to meet with UM6P's President and Vice-President to discuss a future partnership.

Stay tuned!

As we step into a new year, URD ABI - AgroParisTech's crew want to extend its deepest appreciation for the incredible collaboration and support we've shared. Your dedication and partnership have been instrumental in our shared success. May the coming year bring us new opportunities, shared achievements, and continued growth. Together, we can overcome challenges and reach new heights.

Thank you for your commitment and belief in our shared goals. Wishing you a Happy New Year filled with prosperity, fulfillment, and the joy of making a positive impact.

Looking forward to another year of fruitful collaboration!