Following Nancy in 2001, Saint Nazaire in 2003 and Toulouse in 2005, the bi-annual Congress of the French Chemical Engineering Society (SFGP - Societe Française de Génie des Procédés) was held in Saint-Etienne from 9th to 11th October 2007. The organization of SFGP 2007 was entrusted to the GEM (Groupe des Ecoles des Mines) network which brings together seven prestigious French engineering schools, offering programs that cover the entire range of sciences and technologies that are necessary for the development of industry. Chemical engineering is one of the major fields of activity of the GEM network, representing about 20% of the French research effort in this area. The main objectives of the SFGP congresses are: * To stimulate collaborative efforts among industry, universities and government. * To promote the most recent advances in chemical engineering research and education. * To enhance career development of young doctors in chemical engineering through contacts with research groups from universities or industry. * To encourage engineering and scientific professionals toparticipate in SFGP activities.