Serge Guiot explores how to use bacteria to produce alternative energy.

I lead the environmental bioengineering research group at the NRC Biotechnology Research Institute in Montreal. My main role is to coach other people on my team, who include a molecular biologist, microbiologists, engineers, and sometimes post-doctoral research fellows, Ph.D. and Master's students.

Current Projects

Our group is focused on harnessing bacteria to produce energy sources such as methane and hydrogen. We're working on anaerobic digestion, a natural process that involves the microbial degradation of organic material in the absence of air. In a sense, I've come full circle: when I arrived at NRC in the 1980s, I studied the use of anaerobic digestion to produce "bio-energy" or energy from biomass. But NRC priorities changed in the late 1980s. Now, there is a revival of interest in developing renewable energy sources such as bio-energy because of concerns about dwindling petroleum reserves and global warming. The production of bio-energy is a way to diminish our greenhouse gas emissions.

Our long-term goal is to develop bioprocesses such as an electrochemically-assisted microbial fuel cell, a hydrolytic-hydrogen fermenter, or a process for converting the carbon monoxide from synthetic gas into hydrogen, which, combined, would produce hydrogen at a high yield and efficiency, from any kind of biomass, whether it's municipal waste, wastewater or crop residues.  

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"You can't 'invent the light bulb' by trying to 'improve the candle.' To plan scientific research, you need to anticipate where the need for new technologies will be in future, rather than follow the current market. You have to trust your instinct or intuition, which is something you acquire through experience and reading."

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Getting There: Road to NRC

I was born in Belgium. I earned my first degree in biology at the University of Louvain. Afterwards, I was interested in applied science so I earned my PhD on the biological treatment of wastewater at the Centre Interuniversitaire des Sciences de l'Environnement.

After obtaining my Ph.D. in 1980 and working as a research assistant, I realized that to continue my scientific career, I should try to get some post-doctoral experience outside Belgium. At that time it was common for Europeans to do a post-doc in North America, particularly the U.S., but I was a little shy about going there so I thought Canada might be a good compromise.

After the first oil price shocks at the end of the 1970s, many scientists got interested in bio-energy, and I wanted to work in this area. My Ph.D. supervisor in Belgium had some connections with an NRC scientist named Bert van den Berg, who was well known in the field of anaerobic digestion, so I applied for a post-doc grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council to work in his lab at the Division of Biological Sciences in Ottawa. I joined NRC in February 1983 and during my second year there, I landed a research associate position. In 1987, I left Ottawa to join the new NRC Biotechnology Research Institute in Montréal, where I've worked ever since.

Life in a Research Lab

I arrive at NRC by 9:30 and spend the morning doing administrative tasks, responding to e-mails, things like that. In the afternoon, I often have meetings to discuss people's work and the progress of projects. Generally, a third of my time is set aside for reading or interpreting scientific results and writing. I leave NRC at around 7:00 pm. And I will often read or review papers for a few hours in the evening. I probably work about 50 hours per week.

I'm not very fond of traveling, so I only do what I need to do. I attend an average of two conferences a year: one in a foreign country and one in Canada or the U.S. I also travel for business purposes: for example, our group participates in the Canadian Biomass Innovation Network, a large project that links Natural Resources Canada, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, the Alberta Research Council, and other government organizations.

Outside of NRC, I'm an adjunct professor at the University of Montréal where I teach an undergraduate course for third year biology students in environmental and applied microbiology. I also occasionally give lectures on anaerobic bioprocess engineering at McGill University and at l'École Polytechnique.

Serge After Hours

After work, I may watch television or read for a few hours. On Saturdays, I spend time on domestic tasks, and on Sunday, I read or go walking. Although I don't have a big garden, I like to grow things and have contact with the earth.

Vacations: When I attend a conference in a country that I've never visited before, I often take a week afterwards to explore its culture and geography. I also like spending time in parks, camping or at a cottage, canoeing and hiking.

Books: I have a huge interest in political, social and philosophical issues. I've recently read: The Long Emergency by J.H. Kunstler, Traité d'athéologie by M. Onfray, and Comment les riches détruisent la planète by H. Kemp.  

Music: I like French singers such as Brel, Brassens, Lama, Léveillée and Bénabar, who sing songs with interesting lyrics and a message.

For more information about Serge Guiot's research, visit:

Harnessing Bacteria to Battle Pollution

Finding Gold in Garbage

Got Questions?

• Feel free to drop Serge a line at education@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca .
• Be sure to address your question to Serge and he'll try to answer it as best he can.