Research
Research
Although considered essential by our modern society, plastics present environmental burdens from their conception to their End-of-Life, including their use. My postdoctoral project aims to develop viable and sustainable mechanochemical processes to recycle two fossil fuel-based polymers: Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and Polyamide-6 (PA-6, nylon-6).
PVC recycling rate is drastically low due to its high chloride content (67 wt.%), which contributes to generating corrosive/toxic degradation compounds during thermal processes. The mechanochemical dechlorination route of PVC is promising to lower the formation of low-value hazard compounds, while producing a more valuable feedstock.
Regarding PA-6 recycling, the close-ring depolymerization is a promising method to recover a pure monomer. However, the current processes require high temperatures and/or expensive catalysts to promote this reaction. Could the mechano-catalytic route be more viable?
CV
CV
Sept. 2025 -now
Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Utrecht University – Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Topic: Mechanochemical plastic recycling – Polyamide and Polyvinylchloride
Nov. 2024 – Aug. 2025
Postdoc Research and Teaching Fellow (ATER in French) – ENSCM/ICGM – Montpellier, France
- Research topic: Polymer-assisted scCO2 extraction of strategic metals, polymer synthesis, scCO2 polymer impregnation
- Teaching topic: Chain polymerization, Polymers and controlled architectures
Nov. 2021 – Nov. 2024
PhD student in materials chemistry – CNRS/ICGM – Montpellier, France
Topic: Recycling of strategic metals from Li-ion batteries using polymer-assisted supercritical CO2 and mechanochemical processes (Supervisors: Patrick Lacroix-Desmazes and Laure Monconduit)
Sept. 2017 – Oct. 2021
Engineer Diploma in Chemistry – ENSCM – Montpellier, France
- Specialty: Materials
- Double degree: Master of Chemistry and Materials Science for Energy and Sustainable Development
Feb. 2021 – Aug. 2021
Master 2 internship – CEA – Grenoble, France
- Topic: Hydrometallurgical recycling of heterojunction photovoltaic cells
Sept. 2019 -Sept. 2020
Assistant engineer (gap year) – Arkema – King-of-Prussia, USA (PA)
- Topic: Development of Elium® products
Sept. 2015 – Sept. 2017
University Technological Diploma – IUT Le Mans – Le Mans, France
- Specialty: Analytical and organic synthesis chemistry