Environmental impact studies, expertise in the water field (industries, local authorities, etc.), project management, drinking water and wastewater treatment, Master Plan for drinking water supply and sanitation, technical audits, assessments (hydrology, process engineering, ecology), bibliographic studies, regulatory monitoring, environmental law, etc.
NBC is currently carrying out a major study about Sargassum on behalf of the Water Office of French Guyana, in partnership with ADEME, CNRS and NBC who is the contract holder. This original project on Sarassum aims to better understand and identify :
The risks of pollution for the territory in the event of massive grounding,
The degradation processes for possible economic development.
Engineering and project management
NBC offers turnkey solutions, from the definition of a project to its realization. A recent example of construction of a waste water treatment plant, carried out internationally for a Dominican pharmaceutical company : Laboratorio Rowe.
Our team of engineers ensures professional and personalized monitoring of your projetcs and has the latest generation of equipment to carry out their missions: tubes radiodetection , tubes inspection cameras, topographic drone, etc.
Consultancy and training
Technical counseling for companies, assistance for putting together the subsidy and the Research Tax Credit application files, technical assistance to Guyanese local authorities.
NBC propose a large offer of services. For example water pipe inspection.
Applied research
Our engineers and doctors set up Research & Development programs for and with companies and coordinate scientific programs in the field of water, air and the environment in partnership agreements with numerous universities. A CIFRE agreement was firmed in october 2018 between NBC and ANRT. Thus, we have a doctoral thesis in progress on capacitive deionization, completing our work of several years on activated carbon.
NBC has research agremment with :
University of Antillas (Guadeloup),
University of French Guyana,
INTEC (Dominican Republic),
INSTEC (Cuba),
Caribbean Maritime University (Jamaica),
Universidad del Quindio (Colombia),
Etc.
We also carry out innovations in the fields of water and air.
One of our emblematic research program corresponds to biomonitoring by the bee . This project has been developed by NBC in the tropics since 2014. Today, we are marketing it to renowned companies and are constantly pursuing process development by continuously innovating.
Implementation of R&D programs for companies, coordination of scientific programs in the water and environment field, publications, editions, scientific coordinator, etc.
We also carry out innovations in the water treatment and fishkeeping field (optimization of the slow retro-filtration (RFL) process – see the project presented in the image below: RFL mechanical iron removal in a rural environment
We also carry out others innovations programs such as :
Activated carbon,
Microbiological study of activated sludge in tropical environments
biomonitoring of air quality with bees
fishkeeping equipment such as “Gymno’com, Gymnopearl”
Etc.
We have a strong patent filing policy. We conduct research projects leading to realizations (patent, technology transfer, prototypes, etc.). For this, we work with companies and universities. For that matter, we currently have numerosous agreement with internationals University (Quindio Columbia, INTEC Republica Dominicana, UA Guadeloupe, etc.).
We are working on a new prototype in the context of the biomonitoring of air quality with bees, in close partnership with APILAB: a pollution warning sensor based upon the Guyanese Melipona bees. The process is called “MELIALERTE”.
On this subject, we compared our data with those of the classical monitoring station of the French Guyana Regional Observatory of Air (ORA). This second program is conducted in partnership with the ORA and the Ciments Guyanais company (ARGOS group) who was interested in this new technology as part of its self-monitoring of particulate emissions. A 2015-2016 monitoring program is currently underway. Our results show, on the one hand, that the Guyanese Melipona are very good candidates for biomonitoring air quality (“comb” effect excellent for collecting particles, and besides they do not sting!). On the other hand we were able to highlight very fine particles of anthropogenic and natural origin. Regarding this last point, and as surprising as it may seem, our stingless bees collected Sahara sand in large quantities. Watch this next film that explains this incredible phenomenon of the impact of the Sahara on the Amazon, which we can follow with our Guyanese bees. Click on this link to watch: NASA FILM
We also participated in a European LIFE program (Project LIFE08ENV/F/000488-IMCM) along with local councils of France and the DOM, the INRA and Universities. NBC’s involvement is summarized in the following document, downloadable by clicking on this link: LIFE. We will also participate in the symposium (October 2013) in Montpellier: details downloadable on the following link: LIFE SYMPOSIUM 2013
One of these R&D projects, the most publicized, is patent n°FR0608544, the GYMNO'COM. This is a fun equipment for the fishkeeping and the internet world, consisting in making electric fish talk and remotely monitor the evolution of its aquarium by wifi (physico-chemistry of the water, view of the aquarium by webcam, alerts given by the electric fish, etc.). The system is thus connected to a wifi module to multiply the features and captivate the user. A web 2.0 platform was developed by the Gymnokidi company.
NBC made a very successful prototype, whose design is signed by Elizabeth GAROUSTE. The GYMNO’COM (commercial name) is currently industrialized. This NBC project was sponsored by OSEO ANVAR through a repayable advance of 43 000 € (fully repaid in 2009) and was the subject of a spin-off to the Gymnokidi company. The following two videos show the NBC project and the industrial development in progress.
Inovacion is not a simple word for NBC: it is ACTION !
Click on this link to have more information on this program