Internship - Assessment of environmental impacts in the vegetable oil and protein sector using the multi-criteria LCA method

Job presentation

The missions of the Seed Processing and Enhancement Department are :

Contribute to improving the quality of oils and cakes by optimizing current oilseed transformation processes and testing new technologies,
Optimize uses in traditional markets (human food, animal feed), explore new outlets,
meet consumer requirements (health safety, environmental footprint of products).

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a tool for evaluating the environmental impact of a system, including all activities linked to a product or service, from the extraction of raw materials to the disposal and treatment of waste. Its principle is to be a multi-criteria assessment: taking into account the consumption of natural resources (raw materials, water, energy), discharges into water, air and soil (contribution to global warming, air acidification, water eutrophication, etc.).

The missions

The trainee's mission will be to contribute to Terres Inovia's ongoing work on the LCA of processed products from oilseed and legume crops. This will involve contributing to 2 partnership projects:

• DECOPROZE: concerning a new low-emission, higher-protein rapeseed chain. The environmental assessment will focus on the cultivation of this new rapeseed using more agroecological practices (in comparison with LCA references already available on standard rapeseed management), and on the protein-rich rapeseed meal derived from it and its potential for less impacting animal nutrition. The data required for the LCA calculations will be provided by the project partners (agricultural cooperatives, manufacturers).
• INSERT THEM: research and innovation work on the 6 species of pulses, covering the entire chain from upstream to downstream production, with the aim of unlocking the bottlenecks that are holding back the development of these crops. The creation of value for farmers in short circuits is studied through a case study of shelled faba beans. An environmental assessment will be carried out on the agri-food processing stages of faba bean (LCA references already available on faba bean cultivation): hulling, fermentation, flour production and then integration into an agri-food product (such as a dessert cream). The valorization of faba bean hulls is also taken into account in the environmental assessment (innovation in the form of a cocoa substitute). The data required for the LCA will be supplied by Terres Inovia's partner startups in this Insérez Les project.

The LCAs will be carried out using Means InOut software and SimaPro, the leading LCA software, which will be familiarized with during the internship at Terres Inovia, under the supervision of an expert.

The profile you're looking for

• Student at an engineering school in agronomy (plant or animal production), agri-food, or Master's level, Bac +4/5.
• You are interested in environmental issues related to agricultural and agri-food production.
• You are comfortable with data processing and analysis.

Conditions and benefits

Compensation

legal internship allowance + meal vouchers + transportation assistance

The advantages of this offer

Highly rewarding work environment, teamwork, exchanges with other Terres Inovia teams at other sites, exchanges with the ITERG environment team, and with the industrial partners of the two projects.

Location

Our Pessac-Canéjan site is close to the Bordeaux university campus, and is served by public transport (tramway, bus).