photographist

“I am an Engineer in process engineering, I did a PhD in physical chemistry after which I applied for a research position at the French Petroleum Institute - IFP (now IFPEN - New energies). I quickly comprised a team of researchers who worked on the treatment of oil spills. We developed techniques and methods, but also less toxic and biodegradable chemicals. Then I turned to the treatment of drilling oil wells. Drilling an oil well is a complex operation that requires skills in physical chemistry. I worked to improve the drilling fluids and develop biodegradable products. To strengthen my expertise in physical chemistry of complex fluids, I spent some time in research and I supervised PhD students in my area of expertise. In 2013, I was appointed Expert at IFPEN and I joined a network of international experts.

The oil production peak is difficult to estimate, but we are certainly very close. Oil will be increasingly difficult to produce and a barrel will be more expensive. Right now I am working on oil recovery by chemical means. A product is injected into the oil reservoir so as to improve the extraction efficiency. The goal is to find environmentally safe products that will be injected in a perfectly controlled manner and recovered at the surface. We mainly work in the laboratory on representative samples of the oil field in question. At IFPEN, we also have an activity centred on biomass. We try to make biofuels from plant waste. We are seeking products with very similar properties to those of petroleum products, the objective being to keep oil products for uses where there is no alternative.”

next