microorganisms

When microorganisms attack or repair materials

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Some microorganisms can seriously damage structures made of concrete or stone, leading to billions of euros in damage. Others, on the contrary, have a positive effect as they are able to heal micro-cracks.

 

They are microscopic, but can cause billions of euros in damage. Microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi and algae, are ubiquitous in the environment and can develop under some conditions on the surface of buildings and structures. Their impacts should not be neglected. Facades, water treatment plants and sewer pipes must all be monitored, repaired and better designed to withstand these attacks.

Costly deterioration

“Microorganisms form biofilms that adhere to the surface of materials and interact with them. In certain cases, they deteriorate the materials,” explains Christine Lors, professor at the Center for Educating, Research and Innovation (CERI) in Materials and Processes at IMT Lille Douai. “This causes several billions of euros of damage, particularly for sewage systems.” Indeed, most of the large-diameter pipes that carry our wastewater to treatment plants are made of concrete, and their premature deterioration is very costly. Microorganisms develop on the surface of concrete as well as on the stones of buildings, such as churches. This does not always endanger the monuments but can generate significant costs in cleaning the biological fouling, as in the case of facings. They can also affect health in the indoor environments of buildings, through the proliferation of fungi, which can lead to pathologies for occupants.

In general, microorganisms do not directly deteriorate the structures. They produce molecules through their metabolism that alter the materials. For example, sulfur-oxidizing bacteria derive their energy from sulfur compounds such as hydrogen sulfide with its rotten-egg odor present in wastewater. They transform it into sulfuric acid, which is very aggressive for concrete. Nitrifying bacteria found in wastewater treatment plants, on the other hand, produce nitric acid from nitrogen pollution. Finally, in the biomethanation plants, which operate in the absence of oxygen, the acidogenic bacteria produce organic acids, such as acetic, propionic and butyric acids.

Solutions exist

How to prevent or at least limit biodeterioration? First of all, by working on the surface of the materials to reduce the adhesion of the biofilm. The rougher the surface, the easier it is for microorganisms to adhere to it, finding in each roughness an anchor point. The material’s surface tension also plays a role in the adhesion of the biofilm.

The other means of fighting biodeterioration is changing the material itself. Some cements resist better because they neutralize the acid produced without rapidly decreasing their own pH, thus preventing, as in the case of sewage systems, the development of the most acidophilic species. Another important factor to consider is that unaltered concrete is highly basic and very few microorganisms can develop on it. A concrete designed so that its surface pH decreases weakly limits the colonization of its surface.

Finally, for existing structures that tend to deteriorate, it is possible to add a layer of high-strength fiber-reinforced concrete that protects the underlying initial concrete. This addition is costly, but not as expensive as replacing the entire material for large-diameter pipes and sewage collectors.

Useful microorganisms

So far, this depiction of microorganisms has painted them as a scourge to be systematically eradicated from all structures. However, in certain cases, they are actually beneficial. “Some bacteria have a positive effect, by depositing calcium carbonate (limestone) on the material’s surface, they protect them and fill in micro-cracks,” Christine Lors explains. “This is the case for bacteria of the Bacillus genus, which, when breathing, produces carbon dioxide, which combines with calcium to form calcium carbonate.” This phenomenon is of great interest to EDF, which collaborates with the Materials and Processes CERI on the issue of repairing micro-cracks in nuclear enclosures. The goal: to develop a bioprecipitation process to repair these micro-cracks, especially in inaccessible areas.

Microorganisms can heal cracks in a wall. The bioprecipitated white calcium carbonate that seals the crack appearing as a white line (left side). A scanning electron microscopy image (right side) shows the filling phenomenon.

 

“We began by developing laboratory tests to understand the bioprecipitation mechanisms”, the researcher explains. “This required understanding under which conditions the calcium carbonate producing bacteria adhere to the micro-cracked material and then fills in the micro-crack. Then, we have developed a process to control the growth of these bacteria by optimizing their potential to produce calcium carbonate according to many parameters (temperature, nutrients, oxygenation, etc.). Finally, we conducted tests on a model from EDF that reproduces at 1/3 scale a nuclear reactor enclosure. The initial tests are promising: the micro-cracks are clogged and resist the application of a pressure of 5 bars corresponding to the decennial pressurization tests.”

Bioprecipitation process to repair nuclear enclosures

The current bacterial strain capable of healing micro-cracks comes from a laboratory collection. In the future, the objective is to use indigenous strains taken from the nuclear site, previously identified, and whose potential for production of calcium carbonate is verified. These indigenous strains are indeed better adapted to the environmental conditions of the site. When will this technique be applicable under real conditions in nuclear enclosures? “We are currently checking the feasibility, through a PhD thesis underway on this topic that is co-funded with EDF,” Christine Lors explains. “This method could be operational by the end of the PhD thesis.” The Materials and Processes CERI is also planning to create a start-up to develop this process.

Regardless of whether their effects are negative or positive, interactions between microorganisms and civil engineering materials must be taken into account more effectively. This is a standardization issue. “The current standards for structures incorporate both mechanical and chemical aspects, but the impact of microorganisms is by no means taken into account,” Christine Lors explains. “This should be done at the European level, with standardized tests. This is one of the conditions required in order for manufacturers to test their products and conduct research to improve them by taking into account biological alteration.” Thus, there is a big wait for standardization organizations.

Article written (in French) by Cécile Michaut, for I’MTech

Also read on I’MTech

Interactions Materials-Microorganisms

good in tech

Good in Tech: a chair to put responsibility and ethics into innovation

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On September 12, the Good in Tech chair was launched with the aim of making digital innovations more responsible and ethical. The chair is supported by the Institut Mines-Télécom Business School, the School of Management and Innovation at Sciences Po, and the Fondation du Risque, in partnership with Télécom Paris and Télécom SudParis. This means that the Good in Tech chair combines human and social sciences, computer sciences and engineering. It aims to shed light on corporate governance decisions regarding digital innovation, and help businesses embrace new values for innovation. Christine Balagué, a researcher at Institut Mines-Télécom Business School and co-holder of the Good in Tech chair, tells us the importance of this initiative, as well as the research challenges and problems that companies face.

 

Why did you want to create a research chair on the ethics and responsibility of digital technologies?

Christine Balagué: The chair brings together complementary research skills. We are also establishing a multidisciplinary approach, by including both hard sciences and human and social sciences. Unlike existing research initiatives, which include a lot of hard sciences and little in the way of human sciences, the Good in Tech chair has the advantage of having a strong human science perspective. This means that the chair can address issues surrounding corporate responsibility, user behavior towards responsible technologies, modes of governance or possible futures.

Responsible digital innovation is one of our areas of study.  What are you currently working on in this area of study?

CB: Today, most companies have a corporate social responsibility or CSR policy. In most of these cases, CSR does not include many indicators on digital innovation, which is ironic since artificial intelligence, connected objects or big data are being developed in all sectors. Our work on this issue will therefore focus on developing CSR indicators for responsible digital innovation and proposing a measurement method for them.

Read on I’MTech: Innovation: to be or not to be responsible?

You’ve talked about measuring responsible innovation afterward, but can research also help to reflect on the responsibility of technologies beforehand, from the design stage?

CB: Of course, and this is the aim of a second area of study for the chair regarding responsible technologies “by-design”. We know that digital technologies, especially modern artificial intelligence, raise ethical issues: the algorithms are often non-transparent, difficult to explain, potentially discriminatory, and biased. For example, we know that in the USA, social media treats users differently depending on their political views or the color of their skin. Another example would be facial recognition technologies and recruiting algorithms, which are not transparent. Companies that develop artificial intelligence or data handling tools don’t always consider these issues. They end up with products that they market or use that have a major impact on consumers. We are therefore doing research into how we can make technology more transparent, explicable and less discriminatory from the beginning of the design process.

It’s also important for a research chair to involve companies in the discussion. Who are your industrial partners and what do they bring to your work?

CB: At the moment we’re working with five partners: Afnor, CGI, Danone, FaberNovel and Sycomore. These companies are all interested in digital responsibility issues. They help our work by opening their data, providing us with use cases, etc. They also allow us to understand the economic problems that companies face.

Do you plan on making recommendations to companies or public authorities?

CB: The main aim of the chair is to get articles published in the best scientific journals and to encourage research on the chair’s four areas of study. We are also considering publishing policy papers, which are scientific articles that aim to inform political and industrial choices. As well as these articles, one of the chair’s areas of study is dedicated to planning for the future.  We are going to organize conferences with students from Sciences Po and the IMT schools involved, which will aim to get students thinking about future prospects for responsible digital technologies. Similarly, conferences will be held for the general public in order to start the debate on possible futures. For example, we will propose scenarios such as: “In the future, these will be every-day technologies. How will they impact healthcare or how consumers buy things online?” The idea is to imagine the future in partnership with users of technology whilst involving people from all walks of life.

By helping people to make an informed decision, do you want to help define a framework for digital innovation governance?

CB: We are studying every possible mode of governance – which is the fourth and final area of study of the chair. This is so we can understand which level is most appropriate, whether it’s at company, national or European level.  In particular, we would like to study the importance of governance that is directly integrated into the company. For example, we want to see whether developing responsible technologies “by-design” would be more effective than international regulation. The aim is to integrate mechanisms of governance directly into responsible companies’ behavior, knowing that responsible digital innovation means that consumers would be more likely to buy from that company.

Are certain businesses reluctant to comply with this emerging trend for “tech-for-good”? And does this mean they are reluctant to comply with the notions of responsibility and ethics?

CB: The chair is working to defend a European vision of digital innovation. China is less interested in these issues, and major American institutions are working on these problems. However, the GDPR has shown that Europe can make regulations change; our regulations surrounding personal data have made an impact on people working in Silicon Valley. Businesses who are reluctant to comply with these regulations must understand that the more responsible technology is, the more they are accepted by consumers. For example, the market for health-related connected objects is developing slower than expected in Europe, due to consumers reluctance to use collected data. However, to ensure that it is accepted by companies, we have to make sure responsibility does not slow down innovation. Coupling companies’ digital innovation with consumers’ needs will undoubtedly be one of the biggest challenges of the chair.

competition, access to data

The new competition issues raised by access to data in the digital economy

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Patrick Waelbroeck, Télécom Paris – Institut Mines-Télécom and Antoine Dubus, Télécom Paris – Institut Mines-Télécom

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[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the digital economy, data is king. While recent problems with data theft and loss have made headlines following the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May 2018 , the link between access to data and market competition is still in the observation phase. We will consider some recent cases.

In 2014, the European Commission investigated the consequences of Facebook’s purchase of WhatsApp. By merging, the two companies could combine their databases and therefore increase the amount of information they have about their users. In 2017, when it was found that Facebook had deliberately lied about the possibility of associating WhatsApp users’ phone numbers with their Facebook profiles, the Commission imposed a €110 million fine. This mishandling of personal data led one of WhatsApp’s co-founders to resign. However, the American giant was charged only for lying to investigators, and not for combining the two companies’ databases.

Business assets for digital giants

In the US, when Google and DoubleClick merged in 2007, the Federal Trade Commission, an independent government agency, examined the possibility that the companies could combine their databases, without focusing on the impact of the data on competition.

These initial analyses therefore suggest that access to data can be considered to have a minimal impact on competition. The European Commission nevertheless wished to carry out a more detailed analysis, publishing a report on competition in the digital era. The report shows that data represents a barrier to entry for new companies. The authors therefore recommend that major digital players open up their databases, the argument being that by giving all companies access to data, its value is not concentrated in the hands of a few players who use it to dominate the market. This proposal seems rather unrealistic since data represents a business asset for digital companies.

In any event, this second analysis considers data as an external constraint imposed on digital companies. But it is becoming increasingly clear that access to data can stem from strategic decisions for at least two reasons.

First, access to data is often monopolized by platforms that act as an intermediary between different groups of users in what is referred to as a multi-sided market. The player that controls the platform also controls who has access to its data. It can therefore distort market competition by excluding certain companies.

Data provides market power

Certain Facebook practices were disclosed during a hearing before the British parliament and reported by the New York Times in late 2018. Facebook allegedly favored data exchange with partner apps such as Airbnb, Lyft and Netflix and allegedly cut off access to its data for apps seen as competitors such as Twitter’s Vine application.

The more data, the more market power.

 

Second, a distinctive feature of databases is that they can create synergies when they are merged. Two companies who pool their data, for example in the event of a WhatsApp/Facebook type of merger, can therefore benefit from an exponential increase in information, which, as it becomes increasingly precise, increases the economic value of the consolidated data. Data-driven mergers also change the merged entity’s strategies related to data collection. A firm with access to the highest quality of information will increase its market power, which will in turn give it access to even more information. The link between market power and data collection is therefore strengthened, leading  to the emergence of dominant players.

In conclusion, access to data ensures a basis for healthy competition in digital markets. The accumulation of data leads to the emergence of dominant players who can then influence competition between third parties, by granting or refusing access their data. It is therefore important to verify that data collection is in compliance with applicable regulations (GDPR). It is no longer only a matter of personal data protection; it has become a competition law issue.

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Patrick Waelbroeck, Professor of Economics, Télécom Paris – Institut Mines-Télécom and Antoine Dubus, PhD student, Télécom Paris – Institut Mines-Télécom

The original version of this article (in French) was published in The Conversation. Read the original article.

plants

When plants help us fight pollution

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To help reduce or stabilize soil and water pollution, plants provide a rather effective yet inexpensive solution. They must be implemented on a case-by-case basis and could be used in a wide variety of sites.

 

According to the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe), 300,000 to 400,000 industrial or mining sites in France are potentially polluted, which represents a total of approximately 100,000 hectares or the equivalent of 140,000 soccer fields. Many of these sites are considered “orphans” since they have no known owner.

How can they be cleaned up? The most radical solution is to remove the polluted soil and store it in a suitable landfill site. But this is also one of the worst choices, since it is extremely costly and more importantly, not environmentally-friendly: it takes thousands of years for soil to form! This solution is therefore reserved for instances in which there is a dire need for land and in which the polluted soil poses a significant health risk. For example, if there is a plan to build a school. In all other cases, a more gradual approach is preferable. Researchers at Mines Saint-Etienne are developing methods for removing heavy metals (primarily lead, cadmium, cobalt, nickel, zinc, copper, chromium and arsenic) using plants — which is referred to as phytoremediation.

There are two major techniques for treating polluted soil using phytoremediation. Phytoextraction consists of growing plant species that can accumulate large amounts of heavy metals and tolerate them well. These plants must then simply be cut back from time to time and the clippings must be burnt in specialized incinerators, to gradually extract these metals. However, this decontamination method is slow as it takes between 10 and 100 years to completely decontaminate a site.

The other technique is phytostabilization, an approach adopted by researchers at Saint-Étienne: instead of removing the metals, they are made less dangerous. To do so, the pollutants are stabilized in situ. “Pollutants are dangerous when they are mobile,” explains Olivier Faure, a researcher at Mines Saint-Étienne. “This is the case when they leach into the water table, when animals graze on grass that contains the pollutant or in the event of mechanical erosion. But pollutants that are “trapped” have no impact on living organisms.” Since every polluted site is unique, methods must be chosen on a case-by-case basis, after analyzing the risks, which depend on the type of pollutant, how mobile it is, and the nature of the land: clay or sandy, acidic or basic, level of organic materials etc.  Phytostabilization is mainly used on large uninhabited sites.

Trapping the pollution involves growing plants that accumulate the pollutants as little as possible, but which are able to resist them. It is thus the opposite of phytoextraction. These plants prevent wind and precipitation erosion and absorb a portion of the water, meaning that it will not find its way into the water table. In addition, their root systems change soil properties by stimulating microorganisms and by changing the chemical form of pollutants, which makes them less mobile. “These plants bring soil back to life, even if we do not yet understand all the mechanisms,” observes Olivier Faure. The researchers combine grasses, which quickly cover the soil, with legumes such as alfalfa, which fix the nitrogen in the air and enrich the soil. They sometimes add other species to enhance biodiversity, for example, plants in the Asteraceae family like dandelions, which attract pollinating  insects.

These phytostabilization techniques have been tested to rehabilitate slag heaps, accumulations of waste from the metal industry which are rich in metal. “These slag heaps are largely inhospitable for plants since they contain very little organic matter or nitrogen and drain the water,” explains the researcher. “In partnership with Arcelor Mittal, we’ve developed a revegetation process which can be applied to this type of slag heap as part of the ANR program called Physafimm. To help establish the species, we restimulate soil development by providing ‘materials of agricultural value resulting from water treatment,’ which consist of sludge from water treatment plants composted with organic waste. We reach a vegetation recovery rate of 100 %.”

Cleaning up polluted water with floating wetlands

Using plants to clean up pollution is not limited to soil. Water can also be contaminated with hydrocarbons, suspended solids or metals. This is the case for example, for rainwater retention basins near highways. Researchers at IMT Atlantique are working on a simple solution: installing floating  mats which incorporate plants (commonly known as “floating wetlands”). The roots develop in the fibrous mat and reach the water, where they form an extensive network. They serve a number of purposes: they act as a physical filter for specific pollutants and provide surface area to support the development of bacteria that break down or trap undesirables.

Karine Borne, who is now a researcher at IMT Atlantique, tested this solution at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, with a plant called Carex virgata. “Compared to a control basin without plants, we observed an additional reduction of 40% for suspended solids and good results for copper and zinc,” she says. “These results are completely transposable to France, especially in Brittany, where there’s a similar climate.” Such a reduction, even if it is only partial, often  makes it possible to remain below the European limit values for good water quality.

Placed in the middle of a stream, the floating wetland traps heavy metals, in particular copper and zinc.

 

This system is easy to maintain. The above-ground parts of plants can be cut once a year to make them stronger. The roots die, break off and settle in the basin, along with the contaminants, to such an extent that it must be dredged more frequently. The sediments are analyzed, and depending on their toxicity level, are either recovered or sent to the landfill in accordance with the legislation.

In addition to stormwater remediation, this technique can be used as a tertiary treatment in industrial or domestic water treatment plants, following traditional treatment. This is especially important in summer, when rivers have low flows and are therefore vulnerable to the slightest pollution. Industrial facilities must therefore wait for autumn to discharge this water, which means they have to build huge storage lagoons.  The plant-based solution is much easier to implement and it requires very little civil engineering.

Whether they are used for soil or water, plants are important allies in the fight against pollution. The solution must now be scaled up to an industrial level. “For soil, we’re at a pivotal stage between R&D and the first commercialized applications,”  says Olivier Faure. “The Ademe encourages these approaches, with numerous calls for projects, but there are still some administrative and regulatory obstacles to overcome. The Regional Directorates for the Environment, Land Planning and Housing (DREAL) must approve the applications. They are reluctant for the moment, but should quickly change their position.”

Meanwhile, in January Karine Borne started research with her colleagues from the Energy Systems and Environment Department in collaboration with SVITEC, as part of the ANR FloWAT project. The aim is to test the water remediation technique as a tertiary treatment for the agrifood industry (slaughterhouses and poultry). There is still a long way to go before these techniques can be used on an industrial scale that is fully able to meet the challenges ahead.

Article written (in French) by Cécile Michaut, for I’MTech.

 

Polybioskin

Polybioskin, natural skin through more ethical products

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Projets européens H2020Skin contact products, whether for medical, sanitary or cosmetic purposes, have two major drawbacks: they are neither recyclable nor biodegradable. The Polybioskin H2020 project aims to correct these aspects which are out of step with consumers’ growing environmental awareness and concerns. Launched two years ago, the Polybioskin project brings together 12 European partners, including IMT Mines Alès, and will come to a close in May 2020. José-Marie Lopez-Cuesta, a materials researcher at IMT Mines Alès, presents the challenges involved in this project.

 

Could you describe the context of the Polybioskin project?

José-Marie Lopez-Cuesta: Skin is the human body’s most important organ and our first line of defense against external agents. Cosmetics, along with skin care and biomedical products, are developed to allow for direct contact with the skin or to protect it. These products represent a significant market which includes both low-cost and high-performance products. Today, most of these products are obtained from polymers based on fossil-fuel resources which are neither recyclable nor biodegradable.

So what is the aim of this project?

JMLC: Polybioskin must enable the industrial development of bio-based, renewable solutions for antimicrobial, antioxidant and absorbent applications for skin contact products. The three target markets are sanitary, cosmetic and biomedical products.

What scientific problems must you respond to?

JMLC: The products developed must be economically competitive and have a renewable content of 90%. We also strive to reduce the environmental footprint, through different end-of-life scenarios for the products developed. Life-cycle analyses must demonstrate their sustainable character and their compliance with safety regulations.

Who are your partners for this project and how is their collaboration important to your work?  

JMLC: The Polybioskin consortium combines the expertise of 12 partners from 7 European countries. We already have relationships with several of the academic partners through the ENMAT research network (European Network on Materials). And there are also non-academic partners who play an important role. The industry partners included in the BBI association are stakeholders in the definition of calls for projects aiming to promote bioplastics. This project can also help launch new collaborations as part of PhD theses and prepare responses to new calls for H2020 projects.

Polybioskin draws on expertise in biology, chemistry, material sciences, nanotechnologies and other fields. How have researchers from IMT Mines Alès contributed to the project?

JMLC: IMT Mines Alès develops superabsorbent structures for diapers and polymer films based on alloys formulated for beauty mask applications. The goal is to develop these structures using only bio-based components through chemical modifications and plastics processes. Different sources of cellulose have been used to synthesize absorbent structures. IMT Mines Alès also contributes to analyzing the life-cycle of all the components developed over the course of the project. To do so, we use specific tools including databases on the energy consumption and impact of the different components.

What are the current and future steps for Polybioskin ?

JMLC: The project is two-thirds complete. We’re currently in the pilot phases in order to develop prototypes. These prototypes are developed by assembling the materials developed in the earlier stages of the project. Publications and scientific papers have already been produced. In addition, a consortium agreement has been signed with the industry partners involved in the project. This will help us manage the technology transfer of the results at the end of the project, so that our scientific results can directly contribute to bringing innovative products to the market.

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Polybioskin project partners

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Digital technology has given rise to new informal learning methods

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Article written in partnership with The Conversation France.
By Myriam Benabid and Emmanuel Baudoin, Institut Mines-Télécom Business School; and Serge Perrot, University Paris Dauphine – PSL

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[dropcap]C[/dropcap]onsulting a YouTube tutorial or an online dictionary, improving English skills using a dedicated application while taking public transportation, etc. To develop their skills, professionals are increasingly turning to these informal digital learning methods. This is illustrated by two studies conducted by the [HRM Digital Lab] at Institut Mines-Télécom Business School, on a representative sample of 1,000 French employees.

According to the study carried out by Kantar TNS in 2016, just over one in two employees had used informal digital learning to develop their professional skills. A second study carried out by  OpinionWay in 2018 showed that this figure now applies to 60% of the workforce.

Fundamental needs

There is nothing new about employees learning independently on a daily basis, whether through observing their colleagues or manager, reading trade publications, talking to their peers, etc. This set of learning behaviors was first studied and formalized starting in the 1950s, building on work by Knowles, who is considered to be the father of andragogy.

Composed of the ancient Greek words andros (ἀνδρὀς), meaning “man” (in the sense of a mature man, and by extension an adult human being, not a gendered term), and agogos (ἀγωγός), meaning  “guide,” this term refers to knowledge acquisition in adulthood.

In the 1960s, Bandura explored the phenomena of imitation, whereby individuals learn by observing or listening to others, considered to be “models” or “occasional teachers.” Then, in 1996, three researchers, Morgan McCall, Robert W. Eichinger and Michael M. Lombardo, from the Center for Creative Leadership (in North Carolina, US) demonstrated, based on a study of 200 executives, that individuals learn in a variety of ways throughout their lives.

In this study, traditional (off-the-job learning) and formal (meaning official/certification training programs) learning situations represent only 10% of learning time, compared to 90% for informal learning time, which is more instantaneous and disorganized.

In an era of increasingly rapid skill obsolescence, informal learning has become crucial for employees and professionals to continue to perform their jobs effectively.  The study conducted by Kelley shows that there has been a steady decrease in workers’ estimates of the portion of knowledge stored in their memory which is necessary for their professional activity: from 75% in 1986, to 20% in 1997, and 10% in 2006.

A lifelong learning culture is slowly starting to rival the traditional training culture.

In an interconnected world, possibilities for informal learning have proliferated. Tools have given rise to a major transformation, from the person in the next office to a community of 4 billion internet users,  from borrowing a book to having access to 30 million articles created in over 280 languages on Wikipedia, to the 2 million registered users on the French MOOC plateform FUN.

New methods

We have analyzed this reality through two case studies with consultants, auditors and independent professionals, and have identified the factors in the use of these practices and highlighted four informal learning methods based on digital technology:

  • Distributing content to a community using tools such as social media. This is the case, for example, for Laura, a 31-year-old speech therapist who creates, distributes and shares content she finds interesting with groups of fellow speech therapists on social media. On a Facebook group “Les Orthos et la Neuro,” a community of more than 11,000 colleagues discuss, share and debate current topics and issues related to their profession.
  • Keeping up with and responding to trends in a profession or industry through regular updates. This is the case for Vincent, a 32-year-old manager at an auditing and consultancy firm, who checks his LinkedIn news feed before going to bed. Such monitoring is opportunistic and this method is used when circumstances allow for it, for example, during time spent waiting and in public transportation.
  • Leveraging all the available digital resources required to achieve an objective. This is the case for Caroline, a 29-year old senior consultant, who has been offered an ambitious mission, which does not align with her current skills. She takes on this challenge, and learns independently using online resources she considers useful. Her intense method is connected to a specific objective, in this case, her new mission. Such a method can also be for personal reasons, such as in order to obtain a promotion or start a new career.
  • Reacting to difficulties that arise while performing a professional activity, and using learning power for the right need at the right time. This is the case for Sarah, a 36-year-old pharmacist who must respond to patients’ questions and requests for advice. To do so, she draws on appropriate contacts and a list of trustworthy reference websites collected in advance to answer questions quickly and effectively.

The four informal digital learning methods identified in this article are in keeping with the discontinuation of the training plan as of 1 January 2019, in favor of a skills development plan aimed at a more personalized approach focused on training objectives that target specific skills. This law provides for flexibility in implementing learning pathways that go beyond the traditional model with a set time and space.

Companies, and all forms of organizations, have the opportunity to become more flexible and cater to the real practices and needs of today’s employees and professionals. This opens the door, for example, to a debate about the (co)-production, structuring, availability, use and sharing of digital resources.

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Myriam Benabid, Directrice de programme, Institut Mines-Télécom Business School ; Emmanuel Baudoin, Professeur associé en RH, Institut Mines-Télécom Business School et Serge Perrot, Professeur de Management, Université Paris Dauphine – PSL

The original version of this article (in French) was published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

SERTIT

SERTIT: satellite imagery for the environment and crisis management

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I’MTech is dedicating a series of stories to success stories from research partnerships supported by the Carnot Télécom & Société Numérique Institute (TSN), to which Télécom Physique Strasbourg and IMT belong.

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Belles histoires, Bouton, CarnotThe regional image processing and remote sensing service (SERTIT) has specialized in producing geographic information production for over 30 years. It is linked with the ICube[1] laboratory, a key partner for Télécom Physique Strasbourg, and is part of the Carnot Télécom & Société Numérique Institute’s technology platform offer. Its role is to transform raw satellite images into a useful source of information to provide insights into regional land planning, environmental and biodiversity management, or rescue and relief operations in response to natural disasters. Mathilde Caspard, a remote sensing engineer at SERTIT, explains the platform’s various activities.

 

The SERTIT platform makes it possible to produce geographical information: what does this involve?

Mathilde Caspard: We mainly use satellite images, which we analyze and use to obtain information to help different actors make decisions. Our service makes it possible, for example, to map the forest cover or bodies of water. We can therefore inform land planning choices by providing information about the environment. We also have applications linked to crisis management following natural disasters such as floods, fires, hurricanes etc.

What role does the platform play in crisis management?

MC: We take part in rapid mapping operations. These actions make it possible to quickly deploy satellites to produce post-event maps in a short time frame. The satellite images are used to extract geographical information about the events. This information is then provided to the agencies which manage relief operations. We contribute to such efforts in particular through the COPERNICUS Emergency Management Service (EMS) European program. If there were to be major flooding in France for example, the authorized French user, the General Directorate for Civil Security and Crisis Management (DGSCGC), would request that the European Union activate the emergency rapid mapping service. If the request is accepted, the European program calls on our services. We must then provide information about the extension of the flooding, road and bridge conditions, submerged buildings etc. in less than ten hours’ time. The SERTIT rapid mapping service, which is certified ISO 9001, is available 365 days a year, and 24 hours a day for this type of mission.

In concrete terms, how do you ensure that SERTIT can respond to the request so quickly?

MC: As soon as we receive satellite data, we begin the image processing steps. We’ve been in existence since 1986, so we’ve developed numerous tools to speed up production. For example, we have algorithms that allow us to quickly extract bodies of water in images. In the event of forest fires, other algorithms help us identify burnt areas and untouched areas. Then, we cross-check this information with other sources of data, such maps made before the disaster. This helps us identify destroyed buildings, or unusable roads. Once all this information has been extracted, we deliver information in the form of a map and files that decision-makers can use directly in their systems to organize relief efforts.

This example of a map produced by SERTIT illustrates the type of geographical information it can provide.  The map shows the region surrounding Chimanimani in Zimbabwe, on 21 March 2019, following a tropical cyclone. SERTIT identifies blocked or unusable roads,  damaged bridges, affected industrial zones, flooded areas etc.

This example of a map produced by SERTIT illustrates the type of geographical information it can provide. The map shows the region surrounding Chimanimani in Zimbabwe, on 21 March 2019, following a tropical cyclone. SERTIT identifies blocked or unusable roads, damaged bridges, affected industrial zones, flooded areas etc.

Do you only intervene in disasters that affect France?  

MC : The European COPERNICUS EMS program is a consortium made up of several production sites spread out over France, Italy, Germany and Spain. Depending on the number and magnitude of the events, the services of several production sites can be called on at the same time. Our services may just as likely be called upon for disasters in France and in Europe as they may be for events elsewhere in the world. The European Commission may provide assistance to countries outside the European Union which are affected by natural disaster.  In such cases, it calls on its rapid mapping service, since it must be able to determine how much assistance is required. Recently, for example we’ve worked on a cyclone in Mozambique, another in Australia, flooding in Iran, and fires in Kenya.

When SERTIT is not working on crisis management, what do the platform’s activities involve?

MC: We have a wide range of environmental applications. For example, we are frequently asked to carry out forest cover mapping. We quantify the clearings and deforestation at a given moment and compare it to previous data to track it over time . In Alsace we’re in frequent contact with foresters since they then integrate this data in their decision support tools to guide their cutting and forest maintenance as a result. In the same way, we measure urban areas to help local authorities with land planning. These are SERTIT’s long-standing activities. And we also receive occasional requests, for example, for specific biodiversity monitoring.

How do satellite images help monitor biodiversity?

MC: A good example is our work to help protect the European hamster. It’s an endangered species in our region since its habitat is threatened. An official program has been put in place to help reintroduce the hamster. Associations have worked to identify burrows and mark them with GPS coordinates. For our part, we have created survival indicators based on the geographic information associated with these GPS coordinates. For example, the hamster feeds exclusively on wheat and alfalfa and does not travel more than 300 meters from its burrow. We therefore assessed the areas in which hamsters emerging from hibernation were most likely to survive, based on the burrows’ surroundings. In addition to this activity, we’ve also worked on fine-scale vegetation for the mapping the Eurométropole de Strasbourg. These maps were used to create  ecological corridors allowing for the movement of species in urban areas.

Where does the satellite data that you use for SERIT’s various applications come from? 

MC: The European COPERNICUS program has a fleet of Earth observation satellites with various characteristics — not just for rapid mapping for disasters.  This is somewhat unique in the world because the images are free as well. However, they aren’t always very high-resolution images. So, at the same time, we also use commercial images provided by companies such as Airbus or DigitalGlobe, whose images are much higher-resolution. It all depends on the desired objective: rapid image capture, wide field, accuracy etc. And in certain rapid mapping cases, in addition to all this, we also have at our disposal images acquired through the “International Space and Major Disasters Charter” which brings together 16 space agencies. It allows for international collaboration to provide free satellite images to best contribute to relief efforts.

[1] ICube is a joint research unit between University of Strasbourg/CNRS/ENGEES/INSA Strasbourg.

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A guarantee of excellence
in partnership-based research since 2006

 

Having first received the Carnot label in 2006, the Télécom & Société numérique Carnot institute is the first national “Information and Communication Science and Technology” Carnot institute. Home to over 2,000 researchers, it is focused on the technical, economic and social implications of the digital transition. In 2016, the Carnot label was renewed for the second consecutive time, demonstrating the quality of the innovations produced through the collaborations between researchers and companies.

The institute encompasses Télécom ParisTech, IMT Atlantique, Télécom SudParis, Institut Mines-Télécom Business School, Eurecom, Télécom Physique Strasbourg and Télécom Saint-Étienne, École Polytechnique (Lix and CMAP laboratories), Strate École de Design and Femto Engineering. Learn more [/box]

Romain Quey

Romain Quey, all about polycrystals

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A recent winner of a CNRS Bronze medal, Romain Quey is a materials science researcher at the Georges Friedel[1] laboratory at Mines Saint-Étienne. He focuses especially on the deformation of metallic polycrystalline materials. In the following interview for I’MTech, he presents his research, between synchrotron radiation and digital simulation.  

 

Could you define what a polycrystalline material is?

Romain Quey: A lot of the materials around us are generally polycrystalline:  metals, which are my primary focus, as well as rocks, ice, certain polymers, etc. If you observe the structure of such a material, for example with an optical or electronic microscope, you’ll see that it is composed of a large number of grains which vary in size between approximately 10 and 100 micrometers in diameter. The grains have a crystalline structure, meaning that their atoms are arranged in a regular pattern. This arrangement can be cubic, hexagonal etc. In the simplest polycrystalline materials, all the grains have the same crystalline structure, but the orientation of these crystalline structures varies from one grain to another. Since a crystalline grain does not deform in the same way in different directions of space, this creates a certain disorder. That’s the basic principle!

Why is this microscopic structure important in the behavior of polycrystalline materials?  

RQ: Take aluminum alloys or steels, for example, which are everyday materials. At your level, you may have the impression that a material like this deforms in a uniform manner. However, on the microscopic level, it’s a different story: different grains tend to deform in different ways, and the resulting internal stresses are incredibly heterogeneous. It’s these microscopic aspects that govern the macroscopic mechanical properties of the materials, like how the material breaks, or how its polycrystalline structure evolves during deformation.

Your research mainly involves studying the evolution of these microstructures when the material is deformed. How do you go about this?

RQ: There are two main parts to this research: experiments to observe them, and digital simulation, to try to reproduce them. For the experimental part, I increasingly use synchrotron X-ray radiation.   We use a synchrotron to obtain intense radiation, with a high flux of X-rays, which can easily pass through several millimeters of a material. Using synchrotron radiation, we can observe what happens within a sample during its deformation in a 3D, non-destructive manner. We can obtain 3D images of the initial or deformed material with close to a 1-micrometer resolution. These methods have mainly been developed and implemented at ESRF, in Grenoble, but we have contributed as well.

Is this where simulation comes into play in your work?

RQ: Yes, since once we have observed the material and its evolution during deformation, we want to try to reproduce it by simulation, using the information we’ve put into the models. These models all integrate the same basic mechanisms of deformation, but there are different types of models and all of them involve parameters which are not always well known. We try to obtain a simulation result that’s as close to the experimental observation as possible. This is the aim of the ANR 3DPLASTICITY project currently being carried out. In addition to validating models, this helps us develop a greater understanding about how materials behave and evolve.

This research focusing on simulating the behavior of polycrystalline materials led to your creating a software: Neper. What is its purpose?

RQ: When researchers or engineers want to make a simulation-based calculation for a polycrystalline material, they must first create a virtual polycrystal. Neper makes it possible to do this. It allows us to generate a polycrystalline microstructure and then to mesh it with finite elements. The microstructure can be generated from experimental data available to the user: an image, distribution of grain sizes, crystalline orientations, etc. It’s a powerful but easy-to-use software, which responds to real needs and can be applied to a number of fields.  Applications mainly involve metals but also include rocks, ice or polymers, and can be used for research in mechanics as well as in thermal engineering, magnetism and acoustics. The software is therefore regularly used by researchers and industry players in a wide variety of disciplines.

Beyond its academic contribution, what are the applications of your research for engineering?

RQ: In parallel with the previously-mentioned complex models, which can only be used for computing clusters, we also develop “simplified” models of the evolution of microstructures during deformation, which integrate only a few key mechanisms. These models are very rapid and can be integrated in simulation chains for shaping processes already in place in industry, which aim to predict the microstructures produced by thermomechanical treatments. For industry, it is crucial to control the microstructures of materials to optimize their properties.

What are your current research perspectives for the topic of polycrystalline materials?

RQ : We’re at the point where our 3D experiments allow us to study the deformation of polycrystalline microstructures accurately. But the digital models still have to be validated. The challenge is now to compare the experiments and simulations more closely, in order to draw conclusions about the validity of the models, and about what that means in terms of the materials’ behavior and potential ways to improve their use properties. We’re getting to a point where we’ll be able to respond to a lot of uncertainties. We’re also studying the behavior of materials with new and increasingly complex microstructures and strive to obtain even more accurate results. Experimenting, modeling microstructures and simulating their behavior are still essential aspects of this work.

[1]  Georges Friedel Laboratory: joint research unit between CNRS/Mines Saint-Étienne.

 

alcohol, tobacco, marketing

Alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceuticals: compromises between marketing and ethics

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In socially controversial sectors, marketing professionals who promote potentially harmful products are faced with a conflict of values. This is the case for the tobacco, alcohol and pharmaceutical industries. Between economic logic and established social norms, how do these individuals handle the negative view of their profession? Loréa Baïada-Hirèche is a researcher in business ethics at Institut Mines-Télécom Business School. Through stories of marketers’ “guilty consciences,” she attempts to shed light on the ways in which professionals come to terms with the ethical concerns of their practices, and the neutralization techniques at work.

 

In France, tobacco and alcohol are responsible for 78,000 and 41,000 deaths respectively every year. and the pharmaceutical industry is regularly shaken by health scandals like the one caused by the Mediator drug or Essure implants. Consequently, working in controversial sectors can pose ethical problems. “Ethics is the field of knowledge that aims to guide individuals’ action by distinguishing between right and wrong ways of behaving. It seeks to answer the question, ‘What should I do?'” explains Loréa Baïada-Hirèche, a researcher in business ethics at Institut Mines–Télécom Business School.

This question arises in particular for employees involved in marketing or promoting harmful or socially questionable products. This leads to a conflict of norms on two levels: on one hand, between the norms of society and those of the organization, and on the other, between the norms of the organization  and those of the individual. How do these professionals experience and handle the ethical issues they are faced at their level? What strategies do they use to ease their guilty consciences? Loréa Baïada-Hirèche and her colleagues have explored this difficult issue.

Small ethical compromises

Their research focused on the tobacco and alcohol industries on one hand, and on the healthcare  industry on the other. The researchers conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with professionals from these three sectors, 17 from the tobacco and alcohol industries and 13 from the healthcare industry. For the researcher, “The qualitative method allowed us to first collect narratives in order to thoroughly analyze individuals’ reasoning and they way they reconstruct and interpret their experiences.”  In short, the goal was to study the subjectivity of marketers’ narratives to focus precisely on the specific characteristics of their justifications within a context.

In their analysis, the researchers combined two complementary theories from the sociology of deviance. The first is the cognitive dissonance theory, which explains that a state linked to a conflict of values is a source of suffering for individuals who therefore seek to protect themselves by reducing this conflict in various ways. The second is the neutralization theory, which identifies several justification techniques through which individuals seek to protect themselves from moral condemnation when their behavior does not align with socially accepted norms– such as denying adverse effects, denying responsibility or denying victims. “Using neutralizations makes it possible to diminish or eliminate the ethical issues involved in decisions,” continues Loréa Baïada-Hirèche.

In order to protect themselves from moral condemnations, feel less guilty and maintain their self-esteem, marketers establish several categories of arguments which rely on neutralization techniques identified by sociologists who study deviance. “For tobacco and alcohol, our study reveals three argument strategies: emphasizing the ethical value of the business through a virtuous organization; lack of accountability due to a law that is too restrictive; and economic rationalization related to the generous compensation provided by the organization. For healthcare, certain individuals turn a blind eye and deny the harmful effects, highlighting the drive for profitability, while others mention the patient benefit to emphasize their general interest mission, and still others go so far as to leave the industry. The impact on employee well-being appears to be greater in these cases,” explains Loréa Baiada-Hireche.

Emphasizing the ethical value of the business and using economic logic

Downplaying the risks occurs primarily in the alcohol industry. Challenging the image of alcohol in people’s minds as a controversial product, marketers who engage in this justification process  emphasize the high quality of the products, such as high-end alcohol. “The respondents stress that it is not the product itself that poses a problem, but rather the consumption practices, in particular in certain groups including young people and pregnant women,” adds the researcher. Using legal restrictions as a way to avoid accountability seems to be a particularly strong justification technique within the tobacco industry. According to the marketers, French law is extremely restrictive and has left them with no real freedom and little leeway to do their job– the imposed neutral pack, tobacco advertising ban, required educational  messages for certain products etc.  “What we see is that accountability is transferred from the company that sells the harmful products to the individuals who consume them. In the case of tobacco, consumers’ freedom of choice is an ambivalent justification, either for denying tobacco producers’ liability in legal proceedings, or for defending civil rights in public relations activity,” explains the researchers.

For the healthcare industry, this strategy of denying harmful affects is, for some, akin to adding new cognitions, by upholding the economic dimension and insisting on the profitability of their industry, which, among other things, helps fund medical research.  Conversely, for a second group, economic logic is overshadowed by the health mission being pursued. These respondents do not mention the profits generated by their work. They insist on the benefits for patients, the seriousness of the professionals with whom they work, particularly in terms of approval from doctors, who are experts in their field. “Here we see the ambivalent nature of the patient benefit argument, which, instead of  preventing concerns, is used to justify them,” says Loréa Baïada-Hirèche and her colleagues.

The final strategy used by respondents in the tobacco and alcohol industries is economic rationalization, meaning economic necessity or an opportunity that compensates for the ethical cost, arriving at the conclusion that it is, ultimately, just a job. In these sectors as well as in the healthcare industry, certain marketers eventually leave their position, as they become aware of the predominance of the economic logic to the detriment of the health mission. Leaving, or radically changing one’s behavior appears to be the only way to reduce their sense of guilt.

Overall, although it is experienced more or less consciously, the researchers were able to observe  uneasiness in their respondents. This is evidenced by how difficult it was to obtain interviews with marketers in these sectors: the researchers had to rely on their personal networks to carry out this sensitive research. “Our aim is to help these employees become more conscious of the defense mechanisms individuals put in place to justify themselves, which are often easier to recognize in others. It’s important for companies to develop and maintain opportunities for discussion to tackle these ethical dilemmas,” concludes Loréa Baïada-Hirèche. Among other things, this will limit suffering in the workplace.

Article written (in French) by Anne-Sophie Boutaud, for I’MTech.

 

carbon fibre

Recycling carbon fibre composites: a difficult task

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Carbon fibre composite materials are increasingly widespread, and their use continues to rise every year. Recycling these materials remains difficult, but is nevertheless necessary at the European level for environmental, economic and legislative reasons. At IMT Mines Albi, researchers are working on a new method: vapo-thermolysis. While this process offers promising results, there are many steps to be taken before a recycling system can be developed. 

 

The new shining stars of aviation giants Airbus and Boeing, the A350 and the 787 Dreamliner, are also symbols of the growing prevalence of composite materials in our environment. Aircraft, along with wind turbines, cars and sports equipment, increasingly contain these materials. Carbon fibre composites still represent a minority of the composites on the market — far behind fiberglass — but are increasing by 10 to 15% per year. Manufacturers must now address the question of what will become of these materials when they reach the end of their lives? In today’s society, where considering the environmental impact of product is no longer optional, the recycling issue question cannot be ignored.

At IMT Mines Albi, scientific research being carried out by Yannick Soudais[1] and Gérard Bernhart[2] addresses this issue. The researchers in polymer and materials chemistry are developing a new process for recycling carbon fibre composites. This is no small task, since it requires separating the fibre present in the form of a textile or unidirectional filaments from the solid resin polymer that forms the matrix in which it is plunged.  Two main processes currently exist to try to separate the fiber from the resin: pyrolysis and solvolysis. The first consists of burning the matrix in an inert nitrogen atmosphere in order to avoid burning part of the fiber. The second is a chemical method based on solvents, which is very laborious, because it requires high temperature and pressure.

The process developed by the Albi-based researchers is called  “vapo-thermolysis” and combines these two processes. At present, it is one of the most promising solutions in the world to move toward the wide-scale reuse of carbon fibres. Besides Albi, only a handful of other research centers in the world are working on this topic (mainly in Japan, China and South Korea). “We use superheated water vapor which acts as a solvent and induces chemical degradation reactions,” explains Yannick Soudais.  Unlike with pyrolysis, there is no need for nitrogen. And compared to the traditional chemical method, the process takes place under atmospheric pressure. In short: vapo-thermolysis is easier to implement and master on an industrial scale.

After recovery, reuse

The simplest way to reuse carbon fibres is to spread out the bundle of interlinked fibres on a flat surface and reuse it in this form, as a carpet. They will therefore be used to make composites for decorative parts rather than structural parts. The size of the recovered fibres can also be further reduced to be used as reinforcements for polymer pellets. This approach makes it possible to produce automobile parts using injection, for example. Demonstrations illustrating this type of reuse have been carried out by the researchers in collaboration with the Toulouse-based company Alpha Recyclage Composites (ARC).

But the real challenge remains being able to reuse these fibers for higher-performance uses.  To do so, “we have to be able to make spun fibers from short fibres,” says Gérard Bernhart. “We’re carrying out extensive research on this topic in partnership with ARC because so far, no one in the world has been able to do that.” These prospects involve techniques specific to the textile industry, which is why the researchers have formed a partnership with the French Institute of Textiles and Clothing (IFTH). For now, the work is only in its exploratory stages and focuses on determining technologies which could be used to develop reshaping processes. One idea, for example, is to use ribbed rollers to form homogenous yarns, then a card to create a uniform voile, followed by a drawing and spinning stage.

For manufacturers of composite parts, these prospects open the door to more economically-competitive materials. Of course, recycling is an environmental issue and certain regulations establish standards of behavior for manufacturers. This is the case, for example, for automobile manufacturers, who must ensure, regardless of the parts used in their cars, that 85% of the vehicle mass can be recycled when it reaches the end of its life. But mature, efficient recycling processes also help lower the cost of manufacturing carbon fibre composite parts.

When the fibre is new it costs €25 per kilo, or even €80 per kilo for fibres produced for high-performance materials. “The price is mainly explained by the material and energy costs involved in fibre manufacturing,” says Gérard Bernhart. Recycled fibres would therefore lead to new industrial opportunities. Far from being unrelated to the environmental perspective, this economic aspect could, on the contrary, be a driving force for developing an effective system for recycling carbon fibres.

 

[1] Yannick Soudais is a researcher at the Rapsodee laboratory, a joint research unit between IMT Mines Albi/CNRS
[2] Gérard Bernhart is a researcher at the Clément Ader Institute, a joint research unit between IMT Mines Albi/ISAE/INSA Toulouse/University Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier/CNRS