Var startup Prodea Depolluting is banking on VivaTech

Six-Fournaise Prodea Depolluting is part of the startup delegation led by the South Region to the VivaTech trade fair in Paris.

With a considerable challenge: finding investors to accelerate the finalization of its solution for treating polluted air, particularly in industry.

The principle: a reactor in which a patented ceramic receives targeted electric discharges in order to deconstruct the chains of molecules present in polluted air, and often also responsible for bad odors, to recover, at the end, only water and CO2, or even simple sulfur.

"This cold plasma technique was already used in the 1970s, but the resulting products were toxic! With the ceramic I developed, it allows the reactor to be divided into several zones corresponding to several families of pollutants. Experiments with my latest ceramic show a reduction rate of 70% of the target molecule compared to 7% with a conventional cold plasma," explains Béatrice Drazenovic, a doctor in materials and founder of the company, which has been labeled deeptech by Bpifrance for almost five years.

Lab experimentation

After numerous experiments in her lab in Six-Fournais to obtain the ideal ceramic – which she has manufactured by French subcontractors – the business leader has established ties with a major manufacturer on the Côte d'Azur, ready to host a demonstrator on one of its sites in order to treat the polluted and smelly air produced by its activity.

"The solutions that Prodea will offer will always be tailor-made based on the targeted molecules and preceded by a study," explains the manager, who currently generates revenue by producing studies on the treatment of air pollution for industrial clients in the food, plastics and steel industries.

"These are all preludes to the commercialization of my solution. I work in collaboration with consultants or academics who could then join Prodea," adds the entrepreneur who, at VivaTech, is particularly targeting Saudi investors.