Chemistry

Master Biorefinery

Objectives :

The Biorefinery master’s degree (major) is an international multidisciplinary program (more than half of the master’s students are non-French speaking), and is therefore taught in English. This particular environment provides master’s students with a fairly unique opportunity to meet both a rich and varied education but also different cultures. Company visits, bibliographic reviews commissioned by industrial partners as well as courses offered by these same partners allow students to create a professional network which is essential for the rest of their career. The Biorefinery major is unique in France and finds very little competition in the world. It benefits from a network of both academic and industrial partners on a national and international scale which allows a very interesting student placement rate both during internships but also after graduation.
The Biorefinery major of the Chemistry master’s degree aims to train specialists capable of becoming involved in issues of biomass recovery, of innovating in its conversion processes and of contributing to the replacement of processes using fossil resources. They will provide solutions for the implementation of new reactions involving molecules resulting from the treatment of biomass. To do this, they will master:

• The composition of the various biomasses as well as their cultivation method, rotation at land level, etc.
• The principles of the bio-economy in order to establish the « right » biorefinery according to the local environment.
• Chemical, physical and biotechnological means to transform biomass (plants, wood, algae) into its unit components (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin).
• The upgrading of the components and functional groups of these molecules into biofuels and / or chemical synthons.
• At the end of this program, graduates can apply for a PhD or work in industry

International perspective :

The Bioref 2ndyear of Master stems from a reflection carried out following a European research contract (EUROBIOREF) on the subject of « the biorefinery of tomorrow ». Within the consortium formed by around thirty industrial and academic partners, it has been concluded that one of the solutions to get past the fossil era was to use biomass, but that no training was available for future researchers (Bac +8) and engineers (Bac +5) in the sector: this was the start of the Bioref major.

Given that the courses are taught in English, the number of different nationalities represented during the different recruitments (ie more than thirty since the creation of the master in 2016), the nationality of the speakers (eg, Italian, German, Colombian, English, Russian, etc.) and the international collaborations that the master program has are proof of its international orientation.

Socio-economic and industrial sectors concerned :

The Biorefmaster’s program is clearly oriented towards research and aims to train future experts who are passionate about this sector. This observation is all the more clear as there are currently very few « real »biorefineries as understood at the level of the EUROBIOREF consortium; that is to say, a complete integration of the process from all biomass categories to the final products. On the other hand, a multitude of “mini biorefineries” are currently developing, focusing on specific points in the process, while larger groups such as TOTAL, Arkema, Véolia, etc. are also turning to this sector. At a local level, a large site is developing around the sugar refinery and the ethanol plant initially present at Pomacle Bazancourt, with the arrival of the CEBB (European center for the bioeconomy and biorefinery). More globally, we should consider the production and treatment of seaweed on the coasts all over the world, the wood-based production specific to Scandinavian countries, the transformation of sugar cane in Brazil : it goes without saying, the future looks green!

Programme

Master 2

Professional opportunities

The Biorefinery master’s degree is a new program (first cohort released in June / September 2017). Among the students who graduated from the Biorefinery Master 2 in June 2017, half went on to do a thesis and a third found a first job following the end-of-year internships. At the end of the thesis, graduates will be able to apply for positions such as: R & D engineer in industry, Head of research laboratory, Project engineer, Lecturer / CNRS researcher …

The professional areas of bio-economy and biorefinery are new and thriving in today’s business environment and are of course not limited to the list above. The graduates will be able to apply for a doctorate in the theme of the valorisation of biomass in the broad sense. As the diploma is multidisciplinary, the potential subjects are vast, as are the sources of funding.

Research framework

A master member of the Graduate Study Program in Science for a changing planet :

• 22 laboratories
• 292 PhD students

An interdisciplinary training program going from a master’s to a PhD level, including an international environment, mobility and thematic summer schools.

Description and organisation of the major

Minimum requirements :

To apply for the Bioref master’s degree, you need a bac +4 level or equivalent in the fields of chemistry, chemical engineering, biochemistry or biology. As indicated above, the master is multidisciplinary.

Pedagogical contents :

The one-year training program is structured in courses, tutorials, projects and an internship. The first semester of the Biorefinery major provides courses covering a broad field ranging from the production of biomass itself to the pathways to obtaining molecules with high added value. Basics in catalysis and / or chemical engineering is a plus.

The training program is supported by the UCCS laboratory (Solid Catalysis and Chemistry Unit). Many international academic and industrial partners (Greece, Italy, Belgium, France, etc.) interact with the training course throughout teaching, site visits or in internship proposals.

Teaching team

The teaching team is mainly constitued of teachers from Centrale Lille, the University of Lille and CNRS researchers. When it comes to specific areas, experts from other institutions (Italy, Poitiers, UTT, etc.) may intervene.

Competencies

The gradual replacement of processes involving fossil molecules by green synthons involves the creation of biorefineries. The implementation of these new entities requires knowledge of the local environment, of the nature and potential of the different biomasses available, of crop rotation, etc. The aim of the Biorefinery master is therefore to provide students with the skills necessary to overcome the new challenges of the 21st century :

• project management which will be applied both during the master thesis but also during bibliographic projects and mini projects proposed in progress.
• fluency in English,which is the official language of the master program, both during the lessons but also during the various defenses and exams.
• teamwork, amplified by the fact that students are immersed throughout the year in an international and multicultural environment both by the diversity of colleagues, professors and industry involved in the program.

All these elements should allow students to blend easily into the world of the bioeconomy and into the biorefineries of tomorrow.

Prerequisites and admission conditions

Access to Master 2

Enrolment in the second year of this Master’s programme is conditional on validation of all the modules taught in M1 Biorefinery or another M1 programme deemed relevant by the Biorefinery steering committee. Engineering students may enrol in M2 Biorefinery in parallel with their final year of study, subject to the agreement of the Biorefinery Master’s teaching committee.

Application Centrale Lille or Etude en France