What I've learned here, I wouldn't have learned anywhere else, Valérie—Chemical Technician

How did you end up here?

I earned a general science baccalaureate, then a BTS in Biochemical Analysis in Lyon. Initially, I was interested in biochemistry, pharmaceutical and medical laboratories, and the agri-food industry. I took on temporary assignments in those sectors.

Then I took on a long-term assignment—two and a half years—at a nuclear power plant’s wastewater treatment facility. That’s where I discovered industrial chemistry, and water chemistry in particular. I worked there with specialized analyzers—ion chromatography, spectrophotometry—that I hadn’t encountered before. That really served as my springboard.

In 1999, a position opened up here as a six-month maternity leave replacement. My background was a perfect fit… And twenty-five years later, I’m still here

The Trédi facility incinerates hazardous waste. What exactly is the role of the Rejets laboratory?

When we incinerate waste, we generate a lot of process water—water that flows through and is involved in every stage of the treatment process. This water is collected, treated in our wastewater treatment plant, and then discharged into the Rhône River. But before it reaches that point, it must be continuously analyzed. That’s our mission.

The Rejets laboratory has three main roles. First, a regulatory role: we produce analyses for government agencies to demonstrate that our discharges comply with current environmental standards. Second, an operational support role: we help site operators manage their facilities in real time using our results. And finally, a technical role: we maintain and calibrate our entire fleet of analyzers, which run continuously, 24 hours a day.

Is your day-to-day work limited to the lab?

Not just the lab—far from it! Starting at 7:30 a.m., before I even set foot in the lab, I do a full tour of the site to check all the online analyzers at the facilities. These are devices installed directly in the field that take continuous measurements and send their data to the control room every fifteen minutes. I have to make sure nothing went wrong overnight.

Only then do I head into the lab to pick up the day’s samples and perform the analyses. And in the afternoon, a significant part of the job involves reporting: entering the results and communicating them to the plant operators at the end of the morning and at the end of the day. So no, we don’t just sit at a lab bench. It’s a true field job.

How are you organized?

There are five of us chemical technicians, and every morning we rotate through the shifts. There are three main positions:

• the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) shift, which monitors the treatment plant and performs regulatory analyses of effluent;
• the boiler station, which monitors the quality of the steam we produce and sell to industrial customers;
• the bottom ash shift, which monitors the solid residues from incineration—here, too, we have to submit daily reports to the authorities.

We rotate through these three stations. This requires a lot of communication: passing on instructions, reporting anomalies, and coordinating with each other. It’s a major team effort. We teach this to the new hires.

And what if an analyzer breaks down?

It happens, and in that case, we have to take immediate action. We have backup systems to ensure continuity of the analyses, but we have to resolve the problem as quickly as possible so that the plant operators can continue their monitoring under optimal conditions. It’s one of the most demanding aspects of the job, but also one of the most rewarding.

What kind of equipment do you work with?

Standards are constantly evolving: we’re asked to measure increasingly minute traces, which requires us to regularly update our analytical equipment. Most of our analyzers are less than five years old. We use spectrophotometry, liquid and solid TOC meters, and we have a metal analyzer that uses a plasma torch—it’s impressive. From a technical standpoint, there’s never a dull moment here!

What do you like most about this job?

The versatility, without a doubt. No two days are alike. Every day is different depending on the maintenance that needs to be done, the day’s analyses, and any breakdowns that need to be handled urgently. Plus, it’s a job that grows with you: you start as a lab chemist, and over time you learn to perform maintenance on the analyzers—and even troubleshooting. You end up mastering several roles at once.

“Hazardous waste”—that can sound a little scary. How do you explain what you do to the people around you?

I explain that my job is precisely to ensure that the treatment of hazardous waste has no impact on the environment. I know we’re not polluting, because I’m the one doing the testing. It’s not just talk—it’s what I do every day, test after test.

Trédi treats the hazardous waste that industry inevitably produces. And the Rejets laboratory serves as the watchful eye that ensures this treatment isn’t carried out at the expense of the Rhône River or the surrounding ecosystems. It really gives meaning to what we do.

Any advice for people considering a career in this field?

If you’re curious, methodical, and analytical—if you love science, teamwork, and variety in your assignments—don’t hesitate! There’s so much to learn here. You’ll leave with a truly well-rounded skill set and solid experience in industrial chemistry. What I’ve learned here, I couldn’t have learned anywhere else.