Adèle Peugeot, doctoral student in chemistry

Your thesis focuses on the production and storage of renewable energy. Have you always been interested in the link between chemistry and ecology ?

In my final year of high school, I liked both literary and scientific subjects. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do after high school. Then one day, I read the chapter on materials science in my physics book. I was struck by the impact this discipline could have on society. I remember that the author used photovoltaic panels as an example... So, after my preparatory course in physics and chemistry at the Lycée Saint-Louis and after entering the ENS, I specialized in materials chemistry. This involves modifying the structure of matter to give it new and useful properties. I enjoy the scientific activity, but it's important for me to feel its usefulness. I've never wanted to shut myself away in a laboratory. On the contrary, from my point of view, doing chemistry means taking concrete action in the world.

How do you organize your work ?

I draw up a ten-day schedule ... I never stick to it, but it helps me project myself ! It's important for managing my experiences. In the first year of my thesis, I was afraid of wasting every minute, but then I understood the importance of taking the time needed for research, of not working in a hurry, so I adapted my work rhythm. Every detail is important in scientific research. The slightest oversight in an experiment can spoil weeks of effort. So, in general, I spend seven hours a day in the laboratory. The rest of the time, I read articles... and, every month, I submit progress reports to my thesis supervisor, Marc Fontecave, Professor at the Collège de France and holder of the Chemistry of Biological Processes Chair.

You're also doing an MBA..

At the Collège des Ingénieurs ! The MBA is entitled " Science et Management ". The initial program lasts one year, but I was able to spread it out over the three years of my thesis. After that, I'll have to do a year's work in a company. I'm interested in companies such as Total, which sponsors a large part of our laboratory and whose experts in renewable energies are helping us to develop our project. This additional training is very important to me, because I don't want to work in academic research all my life, but I would like to continue working in the energy field... from the point of view of industrial realization. What's more, this double degree gives me an insight into the business world, enabling me to meet interesting people with diverse profiles, and to anchor my research work more firmly in a societal perspective.

You'll soon be defending your thesis. What will you take away from your work as a researcher ?

I'm convinced that doing this job means you always have to be very optimistic: you must never let yourself be put off by setbacks ! Having said that, a thesis teaches you to manage a long, complex project independently... as part of a team. On a day-to-day basis, my results depend mainly on my own efforts and experimentation. However, the project I'm working on involves other researchers from different backgrounds (Turkey, England, Mexico, Vietnam, Italy...) It's hard to put into words, but it seems to me that, depending on nationalities and personalities, there are different approaches to scientific work. Each person works on a small part of the problem, and the final result is the conjunction of what each person has found. It's very exciting and rewarding.

How does your work combine chemistry and ecology ?

_CO2, otherwise known as carbon dioxide, is the primary cause of global warming. Human beings emit 40 giga tonnes per year, and this figure is constantly rising! I'm working on a system capable of recycling_CO2 into fuel.
This system was inspired by plants. Our approach is biomimicry   : we imitate nature ! We use the photosynthesis process, which enables plants to grow using sunlight, water and air.
In our laboratory, we use electrical energy to replace the sun's energy. This energy powers our system, a small electrolysis box in which we mix water and_CO2. Oxygen (which we release) and fuel in the form of gas or liquid are produced at the end of the electrolysis process.

These energies produced from_{CO2 could} replace oil and rid us of the excess_{CO2 that} human activity releases into the atmosphere.

What difficulties are you encountering ?

For the moment, this system is not economically viable ! For two reasons .
Firstly, our process is not very efficient. Not all the energy that feeds the system is used. We want to recycle the maximum amount of_CO2 with the minimum amount of electricity ! But water and carbon dioxide are very stable molecules, and difficult to transform. That's why our system requires a lot of electrical energy. Eventually, we'd like to be able to use " clean ", wind or solar power.
Secondly, our system uses rare materials such as iridium and platinum. This obviously poses problems when it comes to implementing the process on a large scale. I'm looking to replace these rare metals with less expensive ones such as iron or nickel.
The two main problems I'm thinking about are : how can I use as little energy as possible to recycle ? How can this process be carried out at the lowest possible cost ?

The stakes involved in your research seem crucial for the future of our planet ?

The truth is, my field of research is very well studied around the world. It's a very competitive environment. So every advance is a tiny step. But the sum of all these small advances means that the field is progressing very fast.
In order to have a real impact on changes in our society, scientists need to communicate more with the general public, even when research - like mine, for example - may not have a real impact for several years... Indeed, some of the environmentalist rhetoric relayed by the media is often as alarmist as it is unfounded. Politicians are always assertive, whereas scientists are full of doubts and hypotheses. I believe that political decisions would be more relevant if they were based more on this type of reasoning.

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Adèle Peugeot works in the Chemistry of Biological Processesteam at the Collège de France, under the supervision of Prof. Marc Fontecave. Her thesis is entitled " Catalysis of water oxidation in the context of_CO2use  _".

Photos © Patrick Imbert
Interview by David Adjemian