The BCOS (Basalt CO₂ Solution) team, made up of three 5th-year Geoscience students and accompanied by Renaud Toullec, Associate Professor of Sedimentology, will represent UniLaSalle Beauvais in the final of the prestigious international Laurie Dake Challenge competition, organized by the EAGE.
A scientific adventure with climate issues at stake
Of the 19 university teams that started out, only 6 are still in the running. Among them is BCOS (Basalt CO₂ Solution), the UniLaSalle Beauvais team made up of Gaelle MATHIEU, Vincent DEMEESTERE and Maxime QUEDRUE, all in the 5th year of the Geosciences course.
The Laurie Dake Challenge, organized by the EAGE (European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers), is an international applied geoscience competition The theme of this 2025 edition? Designing a strategy for the storage of CO₂ in basalt formations. The objective: to permanently trap industrial CO₂ emissions by transforming them into carbonate in the geological subsoil. After a worldwide study, the BCOS team focused its proposal on a target area: the northwestern United States.
A close-knit and well-supported team
This ambitious project, carried out over more than six months, mobilized cross-disciplinary skills in science, modeling, and economic and environmental assessment. The students were able to rely on the support of their Associate Professor, Renaud Toullec, with the additional help of the geosciences department.
The resources of the APEX, the digital laboratory of UniLaSalle, were very useful for the completion of the first phases of the competition. All in impeccable English, as required by the competition.
Next and final stage: the final in Toulouse
The final will take place on Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Toulouse, as part of the annual EAGE conference. Each team will have 15 minutes for their presentation, followed by 15 minutes of questions in front of a jury of industry professionals.
The results will be announced on Monday, June 2, during the opening session of the conference. The entire UniLaSalle community is behind Gaëlle, Vincent and Maxime for this final stage!
