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Avec la constante augmentation des prix du pétrole et la diminution des ressources fossiles, des alternatives « vertes » doivent être trouvées. Ainsi, des premières recherches ont été menées sur la possibilité de mettre au point des colles pour panneaux à base de bois dans lesquelles une partie du phénol a été substituée par des protéines de blé. De même, les tanins sont des molécules polyphénoliques naturelles et peuvent être une alternative aux produits chimiques de synthèse issus du pétrole. Les tanins de châtaignier, tanins hydrolysables, ont été utilisés afin de substituer une partie du phénol lors de la synthèse de résines phénoliques. Ces résines ont été étudiées et utilisées pour la fabrication de mousses phénoliques rigides. Cette démarche constitue un pas de plus vers la mise au point et la future commercialisation de matériaux plus respectueux de l’environnement. En outre, les tanins ont également été utilisés lors du développement de mousses rigides biosourcées tanins-furaniques, cette fois-ci il s’agit de tanins condensés : tanins de quebracho, couplés à de l’alcool furfurylique (d’origine agricole). Ces mousses « vertes » présentent une bonne résistance mécanique, de bonnes performances thermiques et elles ne brûlent pas, ainsi, elles sont totalement adaptées à une utilisation pour l’isolation des bâtiments. Enfin, de nouveaux types de matériaux issus de produits naturels (tanins et alcool furfurylique) ont été mis au point lors de cette thèse : des matériaux abrasifs et de friction biosourcés. Des roues abrasives et des disques abrasifs ont été développés et testés. Et des plaquettes de frein automobile ont été fabriquées et testées en conditions réelles. Tous ces nouveaux matériaux présentent d'excellentes propriétés par rapport aux matériaux commerciaux / With the constant increase of oil prices and with the dwindling of fossil resources, "green" alternatives must be found. Thus, first research was conducted on the possibility to develop synthetic phenolic adhesives for wood-based panels where a part of phenol was substituted by wheat proteins. Similarly, tannins which are natural polyphenolic molecules can be used as an alternative to synthetic chemical products. Chestnut tannin, a hydrolysable tannin was used to substitute part of phenol during the synthesis of phenolic resins. The characteristics of these resins were studied and the resins used for the manufacture of rigid phenolic foams. This is a new step towards the development and future commercialization of more environmentally friendly materials. Furthermore, condensed flavonoid tannins were also used in the development of tannins-furanic biobased rigid foams. Quebracho wood tannin extract was coupled with furfuryl alcohol another material of natural, agricultural origin. These "green" foams show good mechanical strength, good thermal performance and do not burn, thus they are entirely suitable for use in building insulation. Finally, new types of materials made from the same natural products (tannins and furfuryl alcohol) were developed during the research described in this thesis: biobased abrasive and friction materials. Abrasive wheels and abrasive discs for steel molding and steel cutting using a biobased matrix were thus developed and tested. Moreover, automotive brake pads were prepared and were tested under real vehicle application conditions. All these new materials showed excellent properties compared to commercial materials and yielded excellent results comparable and sometime superior to their synthetic commercial equivalents

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Bitumen emulsion mixtures, or cold mix, offers certain advantages over hot bituminous road mixtures in terms of potential cost savings, environmental factors, energy savings and easing of logistical difficulties inherent with hot mix. For these reasons, they are currently used in a number of regions including the United States of America, Continental Europe, Scandinavia, Southern Africa and Australia. However, cold mix has not been seriously evaluated or utilized in the UK until comparatively recently. This is due to the slow rate at which it builds strength or cures and its susceptibility to rainfall, particularly during this curing period. The overall aim of this research was, therefore, to study the behaviour of cold mix in terms of mechanical properties and the mechanisms involved in emulsion breaking and mixture curing to gain an insight into how performance may be improved. Mechanical properties were shown to be affected by a number of parameters, including binder grade, void content, curing time and additives such as cement. Fatigue tests showed that without cement, the performance in-situ of cold mix would be very poor. Pavement design calculations revealed that, with cement, emulsion mixtures could be expected to perform similarly to equivalent hot mix. Field trials have indicated that cold mix can be manufactured using conventional hot mix plant and laid using similar techniques. However, problems are still to be overcome in terms of the control of mixture composition and laying in adverse weather conditions. Fundamental tests have shown that emulsion droplet coalescence (which is an essential part of the curing process) was affected by pressure, bitumen type, emulsifier level, cement and temperature and that cement can cause emulsion charges to become more positive (or less negative) but other parameters had no effect on charge. It was also proved that cement can cause bitumen emulsion to set completely and that the residual binder has an increased viscosity compared with unmodified binder. This was shown to be due to the formation of a composite bitumen cement binder.

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Pulverised fuel ash (PFA) is a reactive silica source used in the manufacture of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC). Experiments studied the hydrothermal reactions of PFA samples from two UK power stations with calcium hydroxide at 457 K, for periods up to 21 h. These conditions are comparable to those used in the manufacture of AAC. The process is characterised by the rapid consumption of ash particles. Associated with this is the solubilisation of large amounts of silica, alumina and alkalis. The formation of a semi-crystalline calcium silicate hydrate and a hydrogarnet phase occurs during the early stages of autoclaving. The hydrogarnet phase persists under the conditions studied, but conversion of the calcium silicate hydrate into tobermorite occurs with prolonged autoclaving. Differences in the hydrothermal performance of the two PFA samples are evident, which cannot be explained by the bulk elemental composition. Ash fractions obtained from a centrifugal air classifier have different reactivities during autoclaving and can result in specimens with different compressive strengths. Quantitative x-ray diffractometry showed that high levels of aluminosilicate glass are associated with the fine ash fractions, whereas most quartz, haematite and magnetite is associated with the coarse fractions. Significant differences exist in the mineralogical analyses of the two sets of ash fractions obtained from the bulk ash samples. The coarse ash fractions have the most varied morphology and composition.

Dans cette étude, les matériaux composites poly 3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate (P34HB) / fibres de bambou et polybutylène succinate (PBS) / fibres de bambou ont été préparés en utilisant le mélangeur interne et le moulage par compression. Les propriétés thermo-mécaniques de P34HB et de PBS ont été caractérisées. Les fibres de bambou ont été modifiées par des traitements chimiques. Les propriétés mécaniques telles que la résistance à la traction, la résistance à la flexion, le module d’élasticité et les propriétés thermiques ont été étudiées. Pour les deux types de composites (P34HB et PBS), le module est significativement amélioré, cependant, la résistance du composite est légèrement diminuée. L'allongement à la rupture est plus faible que celui des polymères purs, ce qui indiquerait une bonne adhérence entre la matrice et les fibres. L'étude révèle que l'adhésion est améliorée avec les fibres modifiées avec le silane et l'acide acétique, ce qui entraîne une augmentation des propriétés mécaniques du matériau, par rapport à celles des composites renforcés avec des fibres non traitées. En outre, le taux de 20% de fibres est considéré comme la bonne composition de fibres pour garantir de bonnes propriétés thermo-mécaniques et une absorption d'eau faible.En étudiant ces matériaux composites, nous visons à produire des matériaux respectueux de l'environnement. De plus, l’abondance des fibres de bambou permettra de réduire le coût de la matière première. Ce travail porte principalement sur la modification des fibres de bambou afin d'améliorer les propriétés globales des composites et sur la comparaison de ces propriétés par rapport à celles des fibres non traitées. Pour atteindre une meilleure adhérence matrice-fibre, un agent de couplage et/ou compatibilisant peuvent être étudiés et utilisés dans une future étude. / In this study, poly 3,4 hydroxy butyrate (P34HB)/bamboo fibers and polybutylene succinate (PBS)/bamboo fibers composites were prepared by internal mixer and compression molding. P34HB and PBS were characterized with mechanical and thermal methods while bamboo fibers were modified with chemical treatments. Mechanical properties such as tensile strength, flexural strength, modulus and thermal properties were investigated. For both 2 kinds of composites (from P34HB and PBS), it was found that the modulus was significantly improved, however, the strength of the composite was slightly decreased and the elongation at break was a lower than the neat polymer suggesting that the adhesion between matrix and reinforcement should be improved more. The study reveals that modifying the fibers with both silane and acetic acid would improve the adhesion, resulting to the better mechanical properties of the material, compared with composites reinforced with untreated fiber or fiber treated with other methods. Also, 20 % of fiber content is regarded as the good composition of fiber to guarantee the good mechanical, water absorption and thermal properties.By taking advantage of P34HB, PBS and bamboo fibers, we aim to produce the material which is environmental friendly. Moreover, the abundant bamboo fibers can be used and these bamboo fibers will reduce the cost of the material. Within this work, we focus on the modification of bamboo fibers to reach our goal of improving the overall properties of the composites, compared with composites reinforced with untreated fibers. To achieve the better adhesion between fibers and matrix, coupling agent and compatibilizer may be used and studied in our future study.