The processes used must comply with green chemistry principles, which aim at ensuring sustainable chemistry: curbing pollution, reducing energy costs, renewable raw materials, etc.

The biorefinery became operational in 2006, while the laboratory inaugurated in 2007 enabled it to carry out its first projects (V2ARUN, sugarcane waxes), including a room devoted to extraction chromatography, another for liquid/liquid extraction and organic chemistry.

In 2012, the laboratory acquired a pilot biorefinery based on green chemistry principles, including:

• Ceramic membrane microfiltration (1.2 m2),
• Nanofiltration/reverse osmosis with up to four membranes
• Chromatography separation column system (3 x 10 L)
• ATEX jacketed reactor (50 L).

This biorefinery facilitated the first upscaling of processes designed in the laboratory and the production molecules of interest in sufficient quantity to assess their application potential.