Ecological Transformation awards: Veolia rewards innovation and the work of young talents

Among the 2024 winners, Charles Brossier was recognized in the "Fighting climate change" category for his innovative project on reusing treated wastewater (REUT) on SNCF Réseau's railway regeneration sites in Occitanie. Facing recurring droughts and high water consumption on construction sites, this project aims to develop a mobile wastewater treatment device to replace the use of drinking water. Scheduled for experimentation in late 2025, the project aims for large-scale industrial application, promising better resilience of construction sites during drought periods and reduced impact on water resources. The award was presented by Romain Torres of Veolia, in the presence of Gildas Tregarot from SNCF Réseau and Claire-Sophie Haudin from AgroParisTech.

Hugo Alric, a graduate of Sigma Clermont-Ferrand and winner in the "Treating pollution" category, developed a decision-making tool for landfill biogas valorization. Facing the challenge of household waste management in France, where a third is buried, Hugo developed a system allowing landfill operators to optimize the valorization of produced biogas. This tool comprehensively compares different valorization options, considering each site's specificities and emphasizing carbon footprint. The award was presented by Anne Le Guennec, in the presence of Jérémy Oignet, his research tutor at Veolia, and Dr. Alain Marcati, representing Sigma Clermont-Ferrand.

Nicolas Lobstein, a Master's student in Professional Heritage Law at Paris Dauphine PSL University, was distinguished in the "Improving quality of life" category for his innovative thesis on philanthropic management trust. His work explores how combining philanthropy and management trust could encourage more responsible agricultural practices while facilitating young farmers' access to land, conditional on meeting environmental standards. This model, which shows great potential in the French philanthropic context, aims to promote social cohesion and biodiversity preservation. The award was virtually presented by Helman le Pas de Sécheval, in the presence of Sophie Schiller, in charge of the Master 223 Professional Heritage Law program, representing the university.

Anna Dabudyk, a student at ENGEES, was named winner in the "Optimizing resources" category for her remarkable work on modeling the recharge of the Doller watershed in Alsace. Her work, the first large-scale application of the NIHM-MLSM model, aims to estimate the recharge of underground reservoirs, a crucial step in assessing the impact of anthropogenic withdrawals on water resources. This project, particularly relevant for Veolia already established in the Grand Est region, addresses critical water issues in areas affected by climate change and human pressure. Anna will continue this work as part of a thesis, thus contributing to improving quantitative management of the territory's water resources. The award was presented by Séverine Dinghem, in the presence of Sabine Fussinger Bouchut, representing ENGEES.

Finally, Malak AL KOSTIT from INSA Rouen Normandie received a Jury's Special Mention for her AHEAD project, which optimized the management of the district heating network in Harbin, China, operated by Veolia. Her main contribution consists of integrating stochastic programming and simulation techniques to account for uncertainties related to the indoor temperature prediction model in the optimization process. This innovative approach allows for more resilient network management, improving user satisfaction and strengthening Veolia's expertise, while contributing to energy efficiency efforts and climate change mitigation. Malak was supervised by Gabriela Naves-Maschietto from the Scientific and Technological Expertise Department, and the award was presented by Anna Catafau, President of the Improving quality of life jury.