Biotechnologies and open-air labs - innovative technologies to preserve water resources at the PERL
Experts at our Platform for Experimental Research at Lacq (PERL) work every day to develop innovative, effective and economic technologies to reduce the impact of activities (mainly Oil & Gas) of the multi-energies Company on water.
Freshwater is a renewable but limited resource and under the effects of demography, urbanization and drought, water shortages are becoming increasingly commonplace. Inherently, TotalEnergies’ activities mean they are likely to not only impact on water supplies but also be dependent on them, in particular when the activity in question is located in a region where water is not naturally abundant. Well aware of these challenges, the Company has set itself several objectives, including that of reducing its freshwater withdrawals in water stress areas by 20% by 2030. In 2021, they accounted for 54% of the Company’s total freshwater withdrawals.
Bioluminescence and environmental DNA: new generations of tests
Experts in ecotoxicology and hydrobiology at the PERL are developing new methods to assess the ecological quality of waterways and the effects of aqueous effluents on their ecosystems. The new generations of tests and bioindicators they are working on, draw on innovative biotechnologies, such as the bioluminescence of organisms, biological changes in micro-crustaceans, fish genome sequencing, and environmental DNA.
These new field biotechnology tools, combining bioassays and biological indicators, are designed to be deployed on TotalEnergies sites to support the Company in reducing its environmental footprint and ensure its actions are effectively monitored to preserve biodiversity. Laboratory bioassays highlight the ecotoxicological effect of chemical substances produced by industrial activities, which find their way into the environment. Thanks to biotechnology, their impact on the natural environment is evaluated at different levels, from the intra-cellular, through tissue, to entire living organisms. The domino effect throughout the entire ecosystem is also measured.
Pilot Rivers, open-air laboratories for full-scale tests
The Pilot Rivers are the only facilities of their kind in France, and comprise 16 artificial water courses supplied by the Gave de Pau (a river in South West France). The Pilot Rivers are designed to reproduce aquatic ecosystems to perform experiments on biodiversity in rivers. The open-air laboratories enable experts at the PERL to study the potential impacts of industrial discharge on freshwater courses, appraise them using biological indicators, and evaluate the risks related to specific substances.
Find out more about the activities at TotalEnergies’ PERL site and the preservation of water resources: