In partnership with the Klorane Foundation, ChimEco laboratory is developing a plant-based filter capable of depolluting water contaminated by metallic elements at source, thanks to an ecological and bio-inspired technology. The goal is to conserve and restore the quality of aquatic systems exposed to climatic vagaries using natural and effective solutions.

The project of the ChimEco laboratory convinced the jury with its highly innovative dimension, the adoption of an approach based on the circular economy and the use of nature to treat pollution related to  human activities, such as mining and quarrying.

The laboratory of bio-inspired chemistry and Ecological innovations, or ChimEco, is a joint research unit set up by the CNRS and the University of Montpellier. Its activities focus on the unusual combination of phytotechnologies applied to depollution, the ecological remediation of degraded sites (soil and water) and the application of these processes through ecocatalysis, a sustainable, innovative and bio-inspired branch of chemistry. The result will contribute to the development of the current scientific, economic and environmental priorities of ecological innovations.