Bio-based processes and recycling Domain

In light of the imperative to achieve carbon neutrality, bio-based processes and plastic recycling represent the future of the chemical and petrochemical industries. By transforming renewable resources or waste into valuable raw materials, these technologies help reduce the carbon footprint and offer a credible alternative to fossil resources. They pave the way for a more sustainable and resilient industry, at the heart of the energy transition and the circular economy.

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Macroeconomic challenges

Toward a Decarbonized and Self-Sufficient Economy

These processes play a strategic role in:

  • reducing dependence on fossil fuels,
  • optimizing the use of raw materials,
  • strengthening industrial sovereignty,
  • creating skilled jobs.

They meet societal expectations regarding sustainability and environmental responsibility, but their deployment requires:

  • significant investment,
  • structuring of supply chains,
  • harmonization of regulations.

Their growth therefore depends on public policies, tax incentives, and the involvement of industry players.

Industrial facility illustrating the development of bio-based and recycling industries
Teams monitoring the environment in an industrial development context

Technological Challenges

Innovating for industrialization

There are numerous technological challenges to making these processes competitive:

  • Optimizing key steps in bio-based processes: biomass selection, fermentation, catalysis, and molecule purification,
  • Replacing petrochemical intermediates: some pathways are mature, while others remain to be invented.

In a context where recycling processes rely on depolymerization, pyrolysis, or solvolysis technologies to recover materials of equivalent quality to the original ones, material traceability, standardization of material flows, and eco-design of products are key drivers for reducing costs, improving environmental performance, and meeting regulatory requirements.