François Maréchal

Expertise Computer aided Process and energy system engineeringIndustry decarbonisation, Process system engineering, Energy systems, Renewable energy integration, Process integration, Process design, Energy conversion and process modelling Mission My team is exploring the use of digital twin concepts to explore the transition pathways towards a net zero future. We are developing methods to systematically generate process and energy systems options using a comprehensive superstructure based multi-objective optimisation method to design integrated processes and systems considering life cycle sustainability assessment metrics.Our pioneering work in sustainable energy conversion has demonstrated the importance of process integration to design efficient processes co-producing heat and fuels from lignocellulosic materials while demonstrating CO2 capture and the renewable energy storage by integrating electrolysis. The process design methods have also been applied to design patented technologies like a rSOC system which reaches more then 80% electrical efficiency with CO2 capture, a system to capture CO2 on trucks exhausts or an innovative design for hydro-thermal gasification for the recovery of pure water, salts and natural gas from wet waste biomass. At the system level, our work aims at leveraging the value of system integration of industrial processes, energy management and urban systems. In urban systems, we are exploring on the one hand the concept of renewable energy hubs at buildings and district levels to promote the integration of the use of renewable energy in smart cities and the use of the based district heating and cooling networks that distributes low grade waste heat to the end users’s heat pumps.François Marechal has contributed to the creation of six start-up companies : Bluewatt Engineering now part of PSE Siemens : energy efficient waste water treatment, Trea-tech : hydrothermal gasification for water treatment and biomass conversion, Exergo.ch : multi-energy systems design by CO2 based district heating and cooling systems, Urbio : decision suppport in urban energy system planing. Qaptis : CO2 capture in transportation systems. Emissium : CO2 tracking and certification. François Marechal holds a process engineering degree (1986) and a Ph D from University of Liège in Belgium (1995), where he realised a Ph D. in the field of process integration of industrial sites. In 2001, he moved to Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland where is professor in EPFL in the EPFL Valais-Wallis Campus, heading the Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering group. He is conducting research in the field of computer aided decision support for process and energy systems engineering. His activities are focussing on integrating rational use of energy, renewable energy resources and circular economy concepts in industrial processes and energy systems design. In 2022, François Marechal  was ranked by research.com in the top 10 of the Swiss researchers in the field of engineering and technology. François Marechal is the founding member and the co-chair of the energy section of the European Federation of Chemical Engineering and is representative of Switzerland in the Working Party on the Use of Computers in Chemical Engineering of the European Federation of Chemical Engineering. François Marechal is the editor in chief of the process and energy systems engineering specialty of the open access journal Frontiers in Energy Research. He is also the president of the scientific committee of the industry decarbonization research initiative of the French Government. He serves in the scientific committee of MinesParisTech, Institut Mines Télécom, and CEA energy division in France. Education Chemical Engineer (ingénieur Civil Chimiste) | 1986 – 1986 Université de Liège (Belgium) Ph D. in Applied Sciences | Energy analysis and synthesis of industrial sites 1995 – 1995 University of Liège (Belgium) Directed by Prof Boris KalitventzeffLaboratoire d'analyse et de synthèse des systèmes chimiques Professionals experiences Adjunct Professor 2012–2012 Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneMER (maitre d'enseignement et de recherche) 2005–2012 Ecole Polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne1er assitant 2001–2005 Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneQualified Researcher 1995–2001 Université de Liège1er ingénieur de recherche 1992–1996 Université de LiègeIngiénieur de recherche 1986–1992 Université de Liège ResearchCurrent Research Fields Computer aided process and energy system engineering. The research is focussing on systemic integration of process and energy systems, focussing on the mass and energy integration in systems engineering. The applications are in the field of advanced urban systems, industry decarbonisation and industrial symbiosis, waste management and  energy system modelling using sustainability (economic, environmental and social)  life cycle metrics. Teaching & PhD PhD Students Julie Rose Dutoit, Pullah Bhatnagar, Naveen Bhati, Sai Sudharshan Ravi, Dareen Dardor, Soline Corre, Marie Jones, Sanjay Venkatachalam, Vibhu Baibhav, Mael Camil Mouhoub, Louis Merceron, Cédric Terrier, Arthur Waeber, Arthur Chuat, Alberto Follo, Ziqian Wang Past EPFL PhD Students Damien Muller, François Vince, Zoé Périn-Levasseur, Raffaele Bolliger, Martin Gassner, Luc Girardin, Matthias Dubuis, Helen Carla Becker, Léda Gerber, Laurence Tock, Juan David Villegas Gomez, Jairo Alexander Lozano Moreno, Samira Fazlollahi, Levent Sinan Teske, Jakob Rager, Nasibeh Pouransari, Emanuela Peduzzi, Matthias Bendig, Zlatina Kirilova Dimitrova, Samuel Henchoz, Stéphane Laurent Bungener, Alberto Mian, Ramanunni Parakkal Menon, Alexandre Suzanne Jean-Marie Bertrand, Stefano Moret, Sébastien Cajot, Elfie Marie Méchaussie, Maziar Kermani, Victor Codina Gironès, Nils Christian Schüler, Anna Sophia Wallerand, Paul Michael Stadler, Lorenzo Nespoli, Ayse Dilan Celebi, Raluca-Ancuta Suciu, Hür Ebuzer Bütün, Frédéric Louis-Pierre Raphaël Marie Amblard, Shanshan Hsieh, Francesca Belfiore, Xun Liao, Alessio Santecchia, Luise Middelhauve, Xiang Li, Rafael Amorim Leandro De Castro Amoedo, Julia Granacher, Emanuele Piccoli, Jonas Schnidrig, Dorsan Lepour, Xinyi Wei, Yi Zhao Past EPFL PhD Students as codirector Yves Jon Césare Loerincik, Hongtao Li, Céline Weber, Emanuele Facchinetti, Amirreza Heidari Courses Advanced energetics ME-451 Methods for the rational use and conversion of energy in industrial processes : how to analyse the energy usage, calculate the heat recovery by pinch analysis, define heat exchanger network, integrate heat pumps and cogeneration units and realise exergy analysis of energy conversion systems. Biomass conversion ENG-618 The learning outcomes are to get to know the biomass ressources and its characteristics; study of biomass conversion pathways and study of process flow-sheets; establish the flow diagram of an industrial process with biomass as feedstock and calculate the corresponding mass and energy balances; etc Energy conversion and renewable energy ME-409 This course presents an overview of (i) the current energy system and uses (ii) the main principles of conventional and renewable energy technologies and (iii) the most important parameters that define their efficiency, costs and environmental impacts. Modelling and optimization of energy systems ME-454 The goal of the lecture is to present and apply techniques for the modelling and the thermo-economic optimisation of industrial process and energy systems. The lecture covers the problem statement, the solving methods for the simulation and the single and multi-objective optimisation problems. Modelling, optimisation, design and analysis of integrated energy systems ME-602 The student will learn advanced concepts in the field of process integration, process modeling and optimization for the design of integrated energy systems: Life cycle energy analysis. Process development ChE-459 Through a project, this course will introduce the critical steps in developing a chemical process in the context of industry decarbonisation, from the lab to industrial scale.