Eco-GPUR: How can bio-based gas production be made profitable in small-scale agricultural operations?
Faced with the rapid growth of biomethane in Europe and the limitations of current biogas purification technologies, particularly for small agricultural units, the Eco-GPUR project opens up new perspectives. Led by Julien Lemaire, a researcher at LGPM and at the Biotechnology Chair of CentraleSupélec, this innovative project, officially launched on Monday, January 26, 2026, aims to offer a biogas upgrading solution that is more compact, resource-efficient, and economically viable.
For several years, biomethane production (methane produced from the recovery of organic waste) through anaerobic digestion has been growing rapidly in Europe, with more than 1 plants in operation in 500. France accounts for over 2024% of these installations and stands out for its historically agriculture-based development of anaerobic digestion.
However, in order to be injected into the gas network, biogas must be purified to separate the methane (CH4).4), which constitutes the useful energy, from CO₂. This essential step is currently expensive and often poorly suited to small agricultural installations.
Is it possible to envision simpler, more compact purification solutions better adapted to small units?
It is within this context that the Eco-GPUR project takes place. The project is led by Julien LEMAIRE, lecturer-researcher at the LGPM and the CentraleSupélec Biotechnology Chair (Pomacle Campus). Its official kick-off meeting will be held on January 26, 2026, at the premises of its industrial partner, PR BIO, in Ennevelin (France). PR BIO in Ennevelin (59).
An innovative and economically viable approach for small-scale agricultural units
The Eco-GPUR project proposes an innovative solution in which the gas to be treated is brought into contact with a liquid designed to capture CO₂, in a more efficient and compact manner than conventional technologies.
Specifically, the technology relies on membrane contactors (equipment already used in the agri-food industry) which enable highly efficient mass transfer between the gas and liquid phases, in this case a brine (saline solution). CO₂ is absorbed by the brine, whose absorption properties are adjusted through a pH control system operating before and after absorption. This precise control enhances CO₂ separation while limiting methane losses.
This combination of membrane contactors and pH-controlled brine enables the development of a technology that is:
• more compact and easier to install, • modular and therefore adaptable to different plant sizes, • energy-efficient, • free from solvents or problematic chemicals, • and, above all, more cost-effective, both in terms of capital investment and operating costs.
Eco-GPUR is primarily aimed at farmers and developers of small- and medium-scale anaerobic digestion projects, whether for new installations or for existing units seeking to transition to biomethane injection.
Pre-commercial-scale demonstration
Methanization sites carried out by PR Bio, including the one in BIOMARNE on which the demonstrator will be installed.
The technology is built on solid foundations: two patents have already been filed, and it is currently being tested on a functional prototype under conditions close to real-world use (TRL 5).
The Eco-GPUR project, funded by SATT Paris-Saclay with €510,8, aims to demonstrate this innovative biogas purification technology at a pre-commercial scale (TRL 7).
A maturation engineer has been recruited to lead the project between January 2026 and December 2028. If successful, the technology will be commercialized through a licensing agreement managed by SATT.
This project represents the culmination of more than 10 years of research and development carried out by the Biotechnology Chair teams, from the first self-funded PhD project (2014–2017) to several collaborative projects with industrial partners and start-ups, including Vitrhydrogène (2018–2022), Algues4Biométhane (2019–2022), and EMMA (2020–2023).
As a true circular economy project, it marks a key milestone in accelerating biomethane production and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, in line with the energy and sustainable development objectives of CentraleSupélec’s strategic plan.
