La digestion anaérobie est utilisée depuis près d’un siècle comme un traitement efficace des déchets organiques. L’intérêt de ce traitement en anaérobie est en essor, car il présente des avantages significatifs sur les traitements alternatifs biologiques et d’autres options d’élimination des déchets. Cette étude se focalise sur l’optimisation du processus de digestion anaérobie en utilisant deux stratégies différentes. La première vise à augmenter la biodégradabilité du substrat par un prétraitement thermique. La seconde technique repose sur l’utilisation d’un système de biofilms pour augmenter le taux de production de biogaz et minimiser la taille du réacteur.Les déchets alimentaires sont principalement utilisés comme substrat modèle de par leur composition, leur abondance et leur renouvellement. Dans ces travaux de thèse, l’influence de la température des prétraitements thermiques sur la solubilisation de la matière organique, ainsi que la production de méthane des déchets alimentaires sous différentes conditions ont été étudié. Une amélioration significative de la solubilisation et de la biodégradabilité des déchets alimentaires ont été observés pour tous les prétraitements thermiques sur les déchets alimentaires comparativement aux déchets non traités. La plus importante amélioration (28%) de la biodégradabilité a été observée pour les déchets alimentaires traités à la plus basse température de prétraitements (80°C). Les résultats montrent une corrélation forte entre le type de substrats (carbohydrate, protéines et teneur en lipides), la température de prétraitement thermique et son efficacité dans l’amélioration de la biodégradabilité.Dans une seconde partie, une opération prolongée d’un système intégré à deux étages, incluant une cuve agitée en continu et un réacteur à biofilm anaérobie a été réalisé pour produire du biohytane (biohydrogène et méthane) à partir de déchets alimentaires. Le réacteur à biofilm anaérobie a été utilisé pour remédier au lessivage de la biomasse du réacteur. La formation d’une biomasse mature et équilibrée a amélioré de façon importante la stabilité du processus, ce dernier n’ayant pas été affecté par un raccourcissement du temps de rétention hydraulique (HRT) de 6 à 3,7 jours dans le premier réacteur, et de 20 à 1,5 jours dans le second réacteur. De plus, le système à deux étages, constitué d’un pilote à l’échelle d’un batch pour la fermentation sombre et d’un réacteur à biofilm anaérobie, coproduisant de l’hydrogène et du méthane à partir de la fraction organique des déchets solide ménagers (OFMSW), a été utilisé afin de déterminer la capacité d’un réacteur à biofilm anaérobie à supporter un choc de charge organique. Les résultats montrent une récupération plus rapide du réacteur à biofilm anaérobie après un évènement de charge organique / Anaerobic digestion (AD) has been used over a century for an effective treatment of organic wastes. Interest in anaerobic treatment is continually increasing since it presents significant advantages when compared to alternative biological treatments and waste disposal options. This research study was mainly focused on optimization of the AD process, that was achieved through two different strategies. The first aimed at increasing the substrate biodegradability by a means of thermal pretreatment. The second was focused on the application of a biofilm based system to improve the biogas production rates and minimize the reactor size.Food waste (FW) was mainly used as a model substrate due to its suitable composition, abundance and renewability. In this thesis the influence of thermal pretreatment temperature on organic matter solubilization and methane yield of FW under different operational conditions was investigated. Significant improvement of the FW solubilization and biodegradability were observed for all thermally pretreated FW compared to the untreated FW. The highest biodegradability enhancement, i.e. + 28 %, was observed for FW treated at the lowest thermal pretreatment temperature, i.e. 80 ⁰C. The results showed a strong correlation between the substrate type (e.g. carbohydrate, protein and lipid content), the thermal pretreatment temperature and its effectiveness in promoting the biodegradability.In the second part of the work, a prolonged operation of an integrated two-stage system, including a continuously stirred tank and an anaerobic biofilm reactor, was carried out to produce biohythane (biohydrogen and methane) from the FW. The anaerobic biofilm reactor was employed to overcome the biomass wash-out from the reactor. The formation of a well-matured and balanced AD biomass greatly improved the process stability, which was not affected by shortening the hydraulic retention time (HRT) from 6 to 3.7 days in the first reactor and from 20 to 1.5 days in the second reactor. Moreover a two-stage system, comprised of a pilot scale batch dark fermenter and an anaerobic biofilm reactor co-producing hydrogen and methane from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), was used to assess the capability of the anaerobic biofilm reactor to face an organic shock loads. The results showed a faster recovery of anaerobic biofilm reactor performance after the shock load events

La digestion anaérobie est un processus biologique de transformation de la matière organique permettant la production d’énergie sous forme de biogaz et de fertilisant sous forme de digestat. C’est une filière émergente en France, dont les objectifs de développement sont ambitieux. Le développement d’une filière industrielle sur l’ensemble du territoire Français nécessite la mise en oeuvre d’outils d’aide à la décision.Dans le cadre de cette Thèse nous proposons d’évaluer le potentiel de développement de la méthanisation collective, territoriale et agricole par injection du biogaz dans les réseaux de gaz naturel. Les travaux de recherchent portent sur trois axes : (1)l’évaluation du potentiel de mobilisation de biomasse d’origine agricole ; (2) la conception et l’étude de la viabilité économique de « modèle type » d’usine de méthanisation ; (3) l’évaluation de la performance technico-économique d’une exploitation agricole ayant recours à la méthanisation dans but d’accroitre son autonomie face aux énergies fossiles et aux engrais chimiques.Sur le premier volet, nous avons réalisé une étude cartographique des gisements agricoles mobilisables. Nous avons localisé et quantifié les quantités de coproduits de cultures et d’effluents d’élevage présent sur le territoire Français. Nous avons mis en évidence que le potentiel de mobilisation de biomasse agricole est de l’ordre de 57millions de tonnes de matière sèche. Ceci correspond à une production énergétique maximale de l’ordre de 158 TWh/an.Sur le deuxième volet, nous avons conçu des « modèles types » d’usines de méthanisation de différentes tailles, dont le biogaz est valorisé en biométhane par injection dans le réseau. Pour chacun des « modèles types » nous avons comparé la viabilité technico-économiques des modèles selon différentes « recettes » de biomasse. L’évaluation met en avant que pour chaque « modèle type », il existe un nombre limité de « recettes » permettant à chacun d’entre eux de trouver un équilibre technico-économique.Sur le troisième volet, nous nous sommes intéressés à l’autonomie azote et carburant que pourrait atteindre une exploitation agricole en méthanisant des cultures énergétiques dédiées de légumineuse. L’évaluation a été menée sur des fermes présentant des configurations différentes d’assolement et de rendement. Nous avons mis en évidence les conditions nécessaires pour que chaque configuration de ferme puisse atteindre l’autonomie. Il en ressort que dans certaines conditions, une exploitation « autonome » présente des marges brutes supérieures à celle d’une exploitation conventionnelle. / Anaerobic digestion is a biological process of transformation of organicmatter allowing the production of energy in the form of biogas and fertilizer in the formof digestate. It is an emerging sector in France, whose development objectives are ambitious. The development of an industrial sector throughout the French territory requires the implementation of decision support tools.As part of this thesis, we propose to evaluate the development potential of collective,territorial and agricultural methanation by injecting biogas into natural gas networks.Research work focuses on three axes: (1) the evaluation of the biomass mobilization potential of agricultural origin; (2) the design and study of the economic viability of a"typical model" of methanation plant; (3) the evaluation of the technical and economic performance of a farm using methanation in order to increase its autonomy in the face of fossil fuels and chemical fertilizers.We first carried out a cartographic study of mobilizable agricultural deposits. The quantities of co-products of crops and livestock effluents present on the French territor ywere located and quantified. Thus, we have shown that the potential for mobilization of agricultural biomass is of the order of 57 million tons of dry matter. This corresponds to a maximum energy production of about 158 TWh / year.And second, we have designed "model models" of biogas plants of different sizes,whose biogas is valorized in biomethane by injection into the network. For each of the"standard models" we compared the techno-economic viability of the models according to different "recipes" of biomass. The evaluation points out that for each "standard model" there is a limited number of "recipes" allowing each of them to find a technoeconomic balance.Finally, we focused on the nitrogen and fuel autonomy that an agricultural operationcould achieve by methanising dedicated energy crops of legumes. The assessment was conducted on farms with different rotational and yield configurations. We have highlighted the conditions necessary for each farm configuration to achieve autonomy.It shows that under certain conditions, an "autonomous" farm has gross margins higher than that of a conventional farm.

Le processus de digestion anaérobie conduit à la production de biométhane, un vecteur flexible d’énergie renouvelable. L’amélioration du rendement de ce processus est souvent évoquée comme dépendante de la compréhension approfondie de la structure et de la dynamique des communautés microbiennes qui y sont impliquées. L’objectif de la thèse a été de caractériser les communautés microbiennes impliquées dans le processus de digestion anaérobie et de déterminer l’influence de facteurs opérationnels sur leurs dynamiques. Nous nous sommes en particulier intéressés à l’augmentation du taux de charge organique, le type de digesteurs anaérobies (réacteur continu perpétuellement mélangé vs réacteur anaérobie à chicane), mais aussi à la phase de démarrage d’un digesteur de ferme avec une montée en température. En absence de conditions contraignantes, nous avons observé l’installation de populations méthanogènes les mieux adaptées à la production de biogaz dans les réacteurs étudiés et la mise en place de communautés microbiennes similaires entre réacteurs réplicats. Cependant, des changements au niveau opérationnel ont conduit au développement de communautés divergentes en termes de structure. En effet, en présence d’un environnement déterministe, la plupart des bactéries et archées impliquées en digestion anaérobie ont montré une redondance fonctionnelle à la perturbation. Toutefois, certaines populations bactériennes dominantes ont également pu montrer des phénomènes de résistance, en termes de présence et d’abondance, à l’évolution des conditions environnementales. Au cours de nos études, les différentes communautés s’installant dans les digesteurs étudiés ont également montré des aptitudes variables pour la production de biogaz. De plus, des corrélations entre les communautés bactériennes, archées et eucaryotes ont aussi été démontrées, soulignant le rôle non négligeable des eucaryotes dans le processus de digestion anaérobie et l’installation de communautés microbiennes dominantes et spécifiques à la production de biogaz. Ainsi, les changements au sein de la communauté microbienne résultant de la modification progressive de facteurs opérationnels, et ce bien avant l’apparition des premiers symptômes d’inhibition de la production de biogaz, pourraient permettre le développement d’indicateurs microbiens de l’état du processus de digestion anaérobie et donc la mise en place d’une gestion microbiologique raisonnée des digesteurs anaérobies / The anaerobic digestion process leads to the production of biomethane, a versatile renewable energy vector. The dynamics and interactions between specific microbial groups are currently considered as key research subjects towards the improvement of the anaerobic digestion (AD) process. Indeed, deeper knowledge of the ecology of AD, the dynamics of the microbial populations and their structure could provide valuable information regarding unexplained and unpredictable failures or malfunctioning of the anaerobic digestion process. The aim of this work was to characterize the microbial communities involved in the AD process, and to study their responses due to the change of operational parameters such as an increase of the organic loading rate, the reactor type (completely stirred tank reactor vs anaerobic baffled reactor), or the start-up phase of a farm reactor with a shift from psychrophilic to mesophilic temperature range. While we observed the installation of similar microbial populations between replicated reactors under stable conditions, best adapted to biogas production, the microbial communities started to diverge once the operational parameters changed. Indeed, due to deterministic environment, most of bacteria and archaea showed redundant functional adaptation to the changing environmental conditions. However, some dominant bacterial populations were also resistant in terms of presence and abundance to the environmental change. The specific microbial communities established in our studied reactors showed also discrepancies in terms of biogas yields. Furthermore, correlations between the bacterial, archaeal and eukaryotic communities were pointed out, indicating the putative influence of eukaryotes on the anaerobic digestion process and the establishment of the other microbes having crucial functions during the anaerobic biomass digestion. Interestingly, shifts inside the anaerobic microbial community due to the gradual change of operational parameters, were detected prior to any biogas production inhibition, giving the opportunity for the development of potential early microbial indicators for assessing the AD process status and improving the microbial management of anaerobic reactors

La produzione di biogas è un tematica di forte impatto globale per due ragioni principali: il prossimo esaurimento dei combustibili fossili e l’inquinamento ambientale dovuto allo smaltimento di scarti organici. La Digestione Anaerobica (DA) è un processo biologico che permette la risoluzione di entrambi i problemi, producendo energia (in forma di biogas) e convertendo gli scarti organici in metano e anidride carbonica. Tale processo è basato su una complessa catena sintrofica tra consorzi microbici che produco il substrato per la fase finale di metanogenesi. Il siero di latte è uno scarto altamente inquinante derivante dal processo di lavorazione del formaggio e per questo è stato ampiamente investigato come substrato per la DA. Tuttavia esiste uno scarto meno noto prodotto dalle fasi di porzionatura e grattugia del formaggio a lunga stagionatura. Il presente studio analizza il microbioma di digestori anaerobici processanti scarti dell’industria lattiero-casearia, quali letame bovino, siero di latte e scarto del formaggio a pasta dura. In particolare, viene analizzato l’effetto dei parametri di processo, delle diverse configurazioni dei reattori e del tipo di scarto, su tale microbioma. L’obiettivo è raggiunto tramite tecniche biomolecolari che permettono di quantificare e identificare le principali specie presenti nei reattori, insieme alla differente espressione genica in seguito all’iniezione di idrogeno a scopo di upgrading del biogas. / Biogas production is a hot topic, which has globally gained interest from many researchers over the past years. This fact is mainly due to the depletion of fossil fuels and environmental concerns regarding wastes disposal. Anaerobic Digestion (AD) represents a biological way to obtain both energy (in form of biogas) and waste discard, by converting the polluting organic matter. The overall process relies on a syntrophic chain where different microbial consortia produce the feed necessary for the final methanogenic step. Cheese whey has been largely investigated for AD treatment, since is a high polluting waste derived from the cheese-making process. However, there is a less-known waste originating from the portioning and shaving phases of long-ripened hard-cheese. This study aimed to investigate the microbiome of anaerobic digesters processing dairy industry wastes, such as cattle manure, cheese whey and hard-cheese powder wastes. In particular, the effects of process parameters, reactor configurations and type of dairy wastes, on the microbial populations, have been analyzed. The goal was achieved by means of culture-independent methods and high throughput sequencing, which allowed quantifying and identifying the main species present, as well as their differential gene expression in relation to hydrogen injection for biogas upgrading purposes.

Les stations d’épuration constituent une voie majeure de dissémination des micropolluants minéraux et organiques dans l’environnement. De nombreux composés émergents ne sont pas totalement éliminés des eaux usées et sont transférés aux boues par sorption du fait de leurs propriétés physico-chimiques. Parmi ces composés, les résidus de médicaments doivent être suivis car ils peuvent avoir des effets indésirables sur les organismes une fois rejetés dans l’environnement. L’épandage des boues stabilisées sur les sols étant le procédé de valorisation le plus employé en France, le choix du traitement des boues en amont, permettant de réduire au maximum la dissémination des micropolluants constitue une question scientifique et technique fondamentale. Dans ce travail, le devenir de micropolluants métalliques (cadmium et cuivre) et de plusieurs médicaments (carbamazépine, ciprofloxacine, sulfaméthoxazole, acide salicylique, ibuprofène, paracétamol, diclofénac, kétoprofène, éconazole, aténolol et propranolol) a été étudié pour différents lots de boues urbaines (avec ou sans traitement par ozonation) et aussi de manière originale sur des boues provenant exclusivement du traitement d’effluents hospitaliers (station de SIPIBEL), au cours de leur traitement (épaississement puis stabilisation par compostage, chaulage ou digestion anaérobie). La méthodologie proposée a reposé sur la mise en relation : d’une part des coefficients de répartition de ces micropolluants entre les fractions soluble et particulaire (Kdsorption) dans la boue après chaque traitement de stabilisation ainsi que de leur potentiel de désorption (Kdésorption) avec d’autre part les propriétés des micropolluants et les caractéristiques des boues (composition biochimique et groupements fonctionnels). Cette mise en relation a abouti, grâce à une analyse statistique de type PLS à la proposition de modèles permettant de prédire les valeurs de Kdsorption et Kdésorption. Il a ainsi pu être démontré que le pH des boues ainsi que les groupements fonctionnels de type phosphorique dans la phase soluble et de type amine/hydroxyle dans la fraction particulaire des boues avaient une influence majeure sur le comportement de sorption des micropolluants organiques, de même que la masse molaire et la solubilité de ces derniers. D’autre part, ce travail a permis de montrer que l’ozonation des boues en amont des traitements de stabilisation s’est avérée efficace car elle a permis d’éliminer huit composés pharmaceutiques sur les onze étudiés. Pour tous les lots de boues, le sulfaméthoxazole a été biodégradé au cours de la digestion anaérobie. Les tests de désorption en batch effectués sur les boues après chaulage et digestion ont montré que les micropolluants dans les boues chaulées ont tendance à être plus facilement relargués qu’après digestion anaérobie. Enfin, l’étude de la disponibilité des micropolluants lors de l’épandage des différents lots de boues urbaines et hospitalières stabilisées sur des colonnes de sol à l’échelle du laboratoire a montré que l’ibuprofène, l’acide salicylique, le diclofénac et le paracétamol étaient les seuls composés détectés dans les phases lixiviées des sols amendés, ce qui traduit une faible mobilité des autres composés dans le sol. / Wastewater treatment plants represent the main transfer pathways for micropollutants to enter the environment. Emerging contaminants are not totally eliminated and are transferred to the sludge by sorption process due to their physico-chemical properties. Among them, pharmaceutical compounds are of a great concern because of their potential adverse effects to ecosystems. As sludge landspreading is the main process of valorization employed in France, the choice of the kind of sludge stabilization treatment able to reduce the amount of micropollutants is crucial. In this work, the fate of trace metallic elements (cadmium and copper) and pharmaceutical compounds (carbamazepine, ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, salicylic acid, ibuprofen, paracetamol, diclofenac, ketoprofen, econazole, atenolol and propranolol) has been investigated in sludge from different origins: urban (with and without ozone oxidation treatment) and hospital, during their treatment (thickening and stabilization by composting, liming or anaerobic digestion). The methodology developed in this work consisted in connecting the partition coefficients of micropollutants (between the soluble and particulate fractions of sludge, Kdsorption) and their desorption potential (Kdesorption) with micropollutants physico-chemical properties and sludge characteristics (biochemical composition and functional groups). Statistical analysis leads to the determination of models able to predict Kdsorption and Kdesorption. Molecular weight and solubility of pharmaceutical compounds, sludge’s pH, phosphoric functional groups in the soluble phase and amine/hydroxyl groups in the particulate fraction of sludge had the main impact on the sorption behavior. Moreover the oxidation of sludge with ozone before stabilization was efficient to eliminate eight from eleven organic compounds. For all sludge samples, sulfamethoxazole was biodegraded during anaerobic digestion. Batch desorption tests showed that micropollutants were more easily desorbed in limed sludge compared to digested sludge. Finally, the study of micropollutants availability during stabilized urban and hospital sludge landspreading on laboratory soil columns revealed that ibuprofen, salicylic acid, diclofenac and paracetamol were the only compounds present in leachates. This means that the other pharmaceutical compounds exhibited a lower mobility in soil.

Anaerobic digestion technologies have been utilized in Vietnam for more than 30 years with thousands of domestic small scale plants, mostly for agricultural and livestock wastes. For municipal solid waste (MSW) the development of biogas plants is far below the current high waste generation rates. The aim of this paper is to present the results of a feasibility assessment of implementing AD to treat the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) in Vietnam. For this purpose, an environmental analysis was performed comparing three treatment scenarios: two hypothetical AD technologies (a wet and a dry fermentation system) and the existing industrial composting facility at Nam Binh Duong Waste Treatment Complex in South Vietnam. This study sought for the technology to recover the most possible resources and energy from the OFMSW, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The results were then combined with a policy review to support a holistic approach on the feasibility of these technologies in Vietnam. The outcome indicates that by implementing the dry AD system, up to 16.7 GWh of power and 14.4 GWh of heat energy can be generated annually and it can potentially save up to 5,400 Mg of CO2 equivalent per year, presenting the highest resource/energy benefits. The performance of the wet system and composting facility present some advantages particularly if there is a previous segregation of the organic material from the rest of the household wastes. Moreover, current reforms in Vietnam demonstrate the government’s interest in AD technologies, translated into the development of fiscal and financial revenues which incentivize participation from the public and private sector. Finally, these technologies are constantly under development and have the potential to be further improved, which gives hopes that waste treatment systems can be optimized to meet the waste and energy challenges of the future generations. / Phương pháp lên men kị khí đã được áp dụng tại Việt Nam từ hơn 30 năm nay với hàng nghìn các công trình nhỏ chủ yếu xử lý chất thải nông nghiệp và chăn nuôi. Sự phát triển hiện nay của các nhà máy sinh khí biogas còn quá ít cho xử lý lượng phát thải cao rác thải đô thị. Bài báo này trình bày các kết quả việc đánh giá tính khả thi khi áp dụng công nghệ lên men kị khí xử lý phần hữu cơ của chất thải rắn đô thị tại Việt Nam. Với mục đích này, phân tích môi trường được thực hiện để so sánh ba kịch bản xử lý: hai công nghệ lên men kị khí giả định (một cho công nghệ lên men ướt và một cho công nghệ lên men khô) và nhà máy hiện hữu lên men hiếu khí làm phân bón compost tại khu liên hợp xử lý chất thải Nam Bình Dương ở miền Nam Việt Nam. Nghiên cứu này tìm kiếm giải pháp công nghệ để thu hồi nhiều nhất có thể các tài nguyên và năng lượng từ rác thải đô thị và và giảm phát thải khí nhà kính. Các kết quả sau đó được kết hợp với đánh giá chính sách để hỗ trợ cách tiếp cận toàn diện về tính khả thi của các công nghệ này vào Việt Nam. Kết quả cho thấy áp dụng công nghệ lên men kị khí khô có thể tạo ra đến 16,7 GWh điện năng và 14,4 GWh nhiệt năng hàng năm và có khả năng làm giảm đến 8,000 Mg CO2 tương đương mỗi năm, thể hiện lợi ích cao nhất giữa tài nguyên và năng lượng. Hiệu suất của hệ thống lên men kị khí ướt và lên men hiếu khí thể hiện một số lợi thế đặc biệt khi nguyên liệu hữu cơ cho quá trình lên men được tiền phân loại ra khỏi hỗn hợp rác sinh hoạt. Hơn nữa, các đổi mới hiện nay ở Việt Nam thể hiện sự quan tâm của Chính phủ đến các công nghệ lên men kị khí, thể hiện qua sự tăng trưởng tài chính và doanh thu để khuyến khích sự tham gia của khu vực công và tư nhân. Chắc chắn rằng các công nghệ sẽ liên tục được phát triển và có khả năng được cải tiến tốt hơn, mang đến cho chúng ta những hy vọng rằng các hệ thống xử lý chất thải được tối ưu hóa để đáp ứng được các thách thức về chất thải và năng lượng của các thế hệ tương lai.

Compte tenu de la forte incitation réglementaire à la valorisation de déchets de cuisine, le développement de procédés de méthanisation à petite échelle (10 à 100 T de déchets par an) pourrait voir un essor potentiellement important. Cependant, la simplicité (préparation limitée des substrats, peu d'apport d'eau) et la robustesse (stabilité) du procédé représente des enjeux cruciaux pour valider cette échelle de fonctionnement. Dans le procédé de méthanisation, l'étape de l'hydrolyse reste la plus limitante due, d'une part, à une lente cinétique, qui provoque une dégradation non uniforme des carbohydrates structuraux (p.ex. la cellulose), et d'autre part, d'une transformation rapide des composants facilement biodégradables, ce qui peut générer une accumulation des acides gras volatiles, conduisant à une inhibition de l'activité méthanogène. Dans l'objectif de surmonter les problèmes liés à l'étape de l'hydrolyse, de nombreux travaux ont été menés sur les prétraitements mécaniques, thermiques, ou chimiques de la matière organique. En comparaison, l'utilisation d'une pré-étape aérobie a été relativement peu étudiée. Un prétraitement aérobie pourrait aider à éliminer les fractions les plus biodégradables pour limiter les risques d'acidose du milieu et à mieux dégrader certaines fractions de la matière organique plus résistante. Toutefois l'utilisation d'un prétraitement aérobie peut provoquer une oxydation excessive des déchets, limitant leur potentiel méthanogène. Par conséquent, il est indispensable de bien maîtriser les conditions d'aération. Ce travail de thèse avait donc l'objectif de valider l'impact du prétraitement aérobie dans la digestion anaérobie de déchets de cuisine et de suggérer quel mode de mise en œuvre du prétraitement aérobie faudrait préconiser. / Given the strong incentive to source separation of organic fractions of household waste, the development of anaerobic processes on a small scale (10 to 100 t of waste per year) could see significant growth. However, to validate this scale of operation, stability and efficiency of the treatment process will represent crucial issues. Concerning anaerobic processes, the hydrolysis step is the limiting step for two reasons. First, due to relatively slow kinetics, non-uniform degradation of structural carbohydrates (e.g. cellulose) may be produced. On the other hand, the rapid transformation of easy biodegradable compounds produces a rapid production of volatile fatty acids, which may lead to their accumulation, inhibiting the methanogenic activity. To overcome the problems associated with the hydrolysis step, many studies have been conducted on the mechanical, thermal or chemical pre-treatment of the organic matter introduced into the digesters. In comparison, the use of an aerobic biological pre-stage has been relatively less studied. Aerobic degradation can indeed eliminate more biodegradable fractions to reduce the risk of acidosis in the digester and enhance the degradation of some recalcitrant organic fraction. However the duration of the aerobic treatment should be well managed not to oxidize excessively the methanogenic potential of the pre-treated organic waste. The aim of the thesis was be to validate the effectiveness of a pre-treatment to improve the anaerobic digestion of food waste and to suggest the best ways to implement this pre-treatment.

L’étude et la mise au point des procédés de traitement du biogaz représentent un défi majeur à relever pour accéder à une énergie propre produite à partir d’une unité de méthanisation. Le biogaz est un mélange de CH4 à 55% v/v et de CO2 à 40% v/v. La technique de l’absorption de CO2 par lavage à l’eau sous pression a été choisie dans cette thèse. L’optimisation, le contrôle et l’étude expérimentale de ce procédé, appelé EPUROGAS, ont été réalisés à l’échelle d’une ferme sur un prototype traitant un débit nominal de 40 Nm3/h. Deux axes de recherche ont été privilégié dans la mise au point de l’EPUROGAS : l’entraînement de méthane par l’eau et le recyclage de l’eau sans stripping pour permettre une valorisation simultanée du CH4 et du CO2 produits. Les principales innovations de ces travaux sont protégées par deux brevets : l’amélioration de la base de la colonne d’absorption et une méthode originale de désorption par mélangeur statique. Lors de ces travaux, une méthode statistique d’analyse des résultats expérimentaux a été proposée. Deux modèles prédictifs de génie des procédés ont été élaborés afin de prédire l’efficacité d’absorption du CO2 et le rendement de production de CH4. Un pilote complémentaire a été étudié : le SATUROMETRIX qui permet de caractériser des équilibres gaz/liquide entre plusieurs gaz et un liquide complexe sous pression, complétant les données bibliographiques des constantes de Henry associées aux mélanges complexes. Enfin, un système PSA qui conditionne le biogaz ou le méthane pré-épuré en Gaz Naturel Véhicule comprimé à 200 bar a été étudié. Les procédés EPUROGAS et PSA ont été couplés, évalués énergétiquement puis dans leur globalité par l’Analyse de Cycle de Vie. / Biogas upgrading is a key technology for the renewable energy mix of tomorrow. Biogas is a mix of Carbon Dioxide (40%) and Methane (55%). It is obtained thanks to the anaerobic digestion of organic matter. The adapted High Pressure Water Scrubbing process was studied in this thesis. The process was installed in farm and operated at a real scale for upgrading biogas flows up to 40 Nm3/h. It is called EPUROGAS. Two main research axes were obtained with a preliminary study on a prototype: biogas leaks were detected at the water outlet and stripping water with air allowed both CH4 and CO2 production. Works have led through innovation with two patents: an enlarged column bottom and a static mixer to enhance CO2 desorption from water. During this work, experimental results were collected during operation and statistically studied. Thanks to theoretical studies, two predictive models were built to predict CO2 absorption efficiency and CH4 rate recover. Moreover, two complementary processes were studied. SATUROMETRIX is a laboratory apparatus that aims to characterize gas/liquid equilibrium under pressure for mixed gases and a complex liquid phase. PSA system is an adsorption process for biogas upgrading operating with biogas or half upgraded biogas. It leads to Compressed Natural Gas at 200 bars. Finally, EPUROGAS and PSA were coupled in order to conduct their energetic study and their Life Cycle Analysis

Renewability and the carbonaceous basis of biomass provide potential for both energy and chemical production in biorefineries in a fashion similar to crude oil refineries. Biorefineries are envisaged as having a key role in the transition to a more sustainable industry, especially as a means to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A biorefinery is a concept for the flexible, efficient, cost-effective and sustainable conversion of biomass through a combination of process technologies into multiple products. This implies that biorefineries must be integrated through designs that exploit the interactions between material and energy streams. The wide range of possibilities for biomass feedstock, processes and products poses a challenge to biorefinery design. Integrating biorefineries within evolving economic and environmental policy contexts requires careful analysis of the configurations to be deployed from early in the design stage. This research therefore focuses on the application and development of methodologies for biorefinery design encompassing process integration tools, economic and environmental sustainability analyses together. The research is presented in the form of papers published or submitted to relevant peer-reviewed journals, with a preamble for each paper and a final synthesis of the work as a whole. In a first stage, mass pinch analysis was adapted into a method for integration ofbiorefineries producing bioethanol as a final product and also utilising bioethanol asa working fluid within the biorefinery. The tool allows targeting minimum bioethanol utilisation and assessing network modifications to diminish revenue losses. This new application could stimulate the emergence of similar approaches for the design of integrated biorefineries. The thesis then moves to combine feedstock production models, process simulations in Aspen Plus® and process integration with LCA, to improve energy efficiency and reduce GHG emissions of biorefineries. This work, presented via two publications covering wheat to bioethanol and Jatropha to biodiesel or green diesel, provided evidence of the benefits of biorefinery integrationfor energy saving and climate change adaptation. The multilevel modelling approach is then further integrated into a methodologydeveloped for the combined evaluation of the economic potential and GHG emissions saving of a biorefinery from the marginal performances of biorefineryproducts. The tool allows assessing process integration pathways and targeting forpolicy compliance. The tool is presented via two further publications, the first drawing analogies between value analysis and environmental impact analysis inorder to create the combined Economic Value and Environmental Impact (EVEI)analysis methodology, the second extending this to demonstrate how the tool canguide judicious movement of environmental burdens to meet policy targets. The research embodied in this thesis forms a systematic basis for the analysis andgeneration of biorefinery process designs for enhanced sustainability. The toolspresented will facilitate both the implementation of integrated biorefinery designsand the cultivation of a community of biorefinery engineers for whom suchintegrated thinking is their distinctive and defining attribute.

The doctoral thesis is focused on the microbial production of lactic acid and ethanol using food processing waste as substrate. Coffee processing waste (spent coffee grounds), wine production waste (grape pomace) and orange processing waste (orange peel) were chosen as substrates for experiments. The theoretical part is dedicated to summarizing current knowledge about waste from food production and possibilities of its processing. It also deals with selected metabolites (lactic acid, ethanol) to which these wastes can be used. Part of the experiments was focused on the characterization and optimization of hydrolysis to maximize the amount of fermentable saccharides. Different combinations of chemical, physical and enzymatic hydrolysis of selected substrates have been tested. Subsequently, a suitable strain for lactic acid and ethanol production was searched for. In the case of lactic acid production, 7 bacterial strains were selected (Lactobacillus casei CCM 4798, Bacillus coagulans CCM 2013, Bacillus coagulans CCM 2658, Lactobacillus rhamnosus CCM 1825T, Lactobacillus delbruckii subsp. bulgaricus CCM 7190, Lactobacillus plantarum CCM 7039T, Streptococcus thermophilus CCM 4757). These strains were first cultivated on the synthetic media containing different kind of saccharides. Afterward, the cultivation on the waste biomass hydrolysates were tested. In the case of ethanol production, 2 yeast strains kmeny (S. cerevisiae CNCTC 6646 a S. cerevisiae CNCTC 6651) were cultivated on hydrolysates of individual waste substrates. Subsequently, the experiments focused on the production of lactic acid and ethanol on hydrolysates of waste biomass in bioreactor were done. The last part of this doctoral thesis deals with the microaerobic pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass to increase the production of organic acids during the acetogenic phase of anaerobic digestion.