Traitement des eaux et déchets

Procédés biologiques

Procédés thermiques

Outils et Approches transverses

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Water and Waste Treatment
Présentation

Integrated approach to water and waste treatment and recovery


The research of the Water and Waste Treatment team (TED) is organized around an integrated global vision of the treatment and valorization of wastewater, biomass and waste.

This systemic approach is based on a joint experimentation-modeling-simulation approach of processes, to treat, reuse and valorize urban or industrial effluents and biomasses (production of H2, CH4, heat; production of biofuels and platform molecules for chemistry; recovery of nutrients, metals, etc.). It aims to contribute to the major challenges of the 21st century and more particularly to the ecological and energy transitions.

To this end, the team develops multi-scale approaches to the treatment and valorization of effluents and biomasses. At the molecular and cellular scales, the team possesses and develops skills for specific characterizations such as rheology and (bio)-calorimetry. The latter is applied both to the determination of heat related to cellular metabolism and also to high-pressure calorimetry (max 300°C, 60 MPa), the originality of the team concerns the design of specific calorimetric cells. At the reactor scale, studies focus on the development, dimensioning and optimization of biological, thermochemical and physicochemical processes. The characterization of kinetic and transfer quantities leads to the development of dedicated models. These models are used within specific integrative methodologies as soon as two or more processes are coupled. These methods are developed to determine the optimal operation of the coupling and/or the industrial site hosting these processes.

 

The themes developed in the TED team are articulated around the following three axes:

 

Pollution control axis

dedicated to the dimensioning of water and waste treatment processes as well as to the understanding of the transfer mechanisms and reaction processes involved.

Sub-axes: bioreactors, reactive filters, wet oxidation, rheology, calorimetry, etc.

 

Valorization axis

in which studies are devoted to the optimization of processes and procedures for the material and/or energy recovery of effluents and waste

Sub-axes: bioH2 and energy carriers from biomass, gasification, hydrothermal liquefaction processes, nutrient recovery, etc.

 

Integration axis

focused on the study of the coupling of processes developed in the team associated with a flow optimization approach by ad hoc methods.

Sub-axes: process coupling, energy optimization, simulation of processes, etc.


Responsable

  • Maître de Conférences AMU - HDR
    équipe Traitement des Eaux et Déchets
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Annuaire personnel permanent

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Doctorants, Post-Doctorants et CDD

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Equipements

-    Rhéomètre
-    Calorimètre SETARAM C80
-    Spectromètre UV et IR équipé avec une cellule gaz pour mesure on-line continu et ATR
-    Micro-chromatographe gaz
-    Pilote de Gazéification semi Batch (10 gr) (études de faisabilité)
-    Banc de caractérisation de la pollution des eaux (DCO, DBO5, MES, MVS, PO43+, NH4+, NO3- …)
-    Calorimètre de réaction (1 L)
-    Réacteurs hydrothermaux hautes pression et température, batch (200 mL 350°C, 40MPa) et continus (6 L/h, 500°C, 30MPa)
-    Pompes haute pression
-    Bioréacteurs

Partenaires académiques et industriels

Collaborations Internationales avec

Kumamoto University (Japon) / EAN Bogotá (Colombie) / La Sapienza Rome (Italie) / Politecnico di Torino (Italie) / LBGEL-ENIS Sfax (Tunisie)

 

Collaborations Nationales 

Industrielles :

ENGIE / A3i INOVERTIS / Société du Canal de Provence / Athéna Recherche & Innovation / Earthwake / CMA-CGM

Académiques - Institutionnelles :

Région PACA / Institut de Mécanique et Ingénierie (IMI) / FR Fabri de Peiresc / FR ECCOREV / BIP Marseille / BBF Marseille / CEREGE Aix-en-Provence / INERIS Aix-en-Provence / DEEP-INSA Lyon / LRGP Nancy / LGC Toulouse / Hôpitaux de Marseille

 

Dernières publications de l'équipe

  • Rosario Baldessarelli, Emmanuel Bertrand, Isabelle Seyssiecq, Cristian Barca. Fungal bioreactors for treatment of emerging organic pollutants: Pellet-based and immobilized configurations. Journal of Environmental Management, 2026, 414, pp.130446. ⟨10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.130446⟩. ⟨hal-05701597⟩ Plus de détails...
  • Paul Chambonniere, Evita Dollon, Alexandra Dimitriades-Lemaire, Jean-François Sassi, Florian Delrue. Scalable model development of carbon photosynthetic assimilation and partitioning in a green microalga during nitrogen starvation. Bioresource Technology, 2026, 441, pp.133585. ⟨10.1016/j.biortech.2025.133585⟩. ⟨cea-05424045⟩ Plus de détails...
  • Amani Briki, Milos Kacanski, Romain Irague, Audrey Soric. Coupling of biohydrogen and polyhydroxyalkanoates production processes for next-generation biorefineries: process design, optimization and perspectives. Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering, 2026, ⟨10.1007/s00449-026-03325-7⟩. ⟨hal-05584464⟩ Plus de détails...
  • Antonello Tangredi, Cristian Barca, Jean-Henry Ferrasse, Olivier Boutin. Combining process severity and response surface methodology: a comprehensive approach to phosphorus speciation in sewage sludge hydrothermal treatment. Journal of Environmental Management, 2025, 381, pp.125239. ⟨10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.125239⟩. ⟨hal-05039217⟩ Plus de détails...
  • Emilie Gout, Mathias Monnot, Olivier Boutin, Pierre Vanloot, Philippe Moulin. Prospects of industrial membrane concentrates: treatment of landfill leachates by coupling reverse osmosis and wet air oxidation. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2025, 32, pp.16570-16578. ⟨10.1007/s11356-024-32461-4⟩. ⟨hal-04593773⟩ Plus de détails...
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Rencontres scientifiques

Soutenances de thèses et HDR

7 octobre 2026 - Contribution to the development of an enzymatic biodegradation process for the treatment of antibiotics in water / PhD Defense Giulia Panzironi
Doctorante : Giulia PANZIRONI

Date et lieu : Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at 9:30 AM in the Amphithéâtre of Cerege, Technopôle de l'Arbois-Méditerranée, 13545, Aix-en-Provence

Abstract: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global threat, projected to cause up to two million attributable deaths in the year 2050. It is driven by the widespread use and environmental accumulation of antibiotics (ABs). A key mitigation strategy is the degradation of ABs from wastewater before their release into ecosystems. In this thesis, the potential of enzymes as biocatalysts for AB bioremediation is investigated. Initial screenings using free fungal laccases from diverse origins and purification grades failed to achieve meaningful inactivation of tetracyclines. To expand their oxidative potential, a systematic screening of four laccase–mediator systems (LMSs) was conducted across 360 experimental conditions using purified Pycnoporus cinnabarinus. The evaluated mediators included 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HBT), syringaldehyde (SAD), and syringic acid (SAC), varying enzyme dosages, mediator-to-substrate ratios, and reaction times. An original high-throughput approach was developed to monitor residual antimicrobial activity during the biotransformation of doxycycline (DC), selected as a model compound. A comprehensive analytical strategy combined antimicrobial assays, UV–Vis spectroscopic deconvolution, and liquid chromatography to successfully elucidate the underlying reaction mechanisms. Crucially, antimicrobial tests revealed that mediator chemistry drives bioremediation efficiency in the order ABTS > SAD > HBT > SAC. Moreover, transient radical intermediates temporarily increase antimicrobial activity, while specific mitigation zones appear in the SAD-mediated system at low enzyme concentrations (up to a 15,000-fold reduction compared to literature averages). These findings highlight the biotechnological potential of utilizing bio-based mediators to successfully minimize biocatalyst consumption in bioremediation processes. Covalent enzyme immobilisation onto silica microparticles extend enzyme operational stability under catalytic conditions from 3 to 11 days within broadened pH window (3.0–5.0). This heterogeneous biocatalyst maintained stable performance over 20 consecutive cycles of ABTS degradation, retaining up to 80% of its efficiency at an optimized pH of 5.5. Overall, this work establishes a framework for evaluating enzymatic treatments, demonstrating high-efficiency DC biotransformation while successfully overcoming technical bottlenecks related to enzyme reusability and operational stability. 

Keywords: antibiotics, oxidation processes, enzymes, water treatment, antimicrobial resistance.

Jury
Dominique PATUREAU               INRAE, LBE - Rapporteure
Philippe MICHAUD                      Université Clermont Auvergne - Rapporteur
Christophe DAGOT                     Université de Limoges - Président
Stephan BROSILLON                  Université de Montpellier II - Examinateur
Cristian BARCA                            Aix-Marseille Université - Directeur de thèse
Giuliano SCIARA                          INRAE, BBF - Co-directeur de thèse
Emmanuel BERTRAND               Aix-Marseille Université - Co-encadrant
Eric RECORD                                INRAE, BBF - Invité
11 February 2026