A Associação Brasileira da Indústria da Panificação e Confeitaria-ABIP (2013) apontou o Brasil como quinto maior consumidor de pão de trigo da América Latina, sendo 83% o consumo de pão artesanal (46% - pão francês) e 17% de pão industrial. O consumo médio brasileiro foi de 34,09 kg/habitante/ano em 2012. Considerando o consumo de pão francês, vislumbrou-se o desenvolvimento deste tipo de pão com adição de fibras, visando o aumento da ingestão diária deste prebiótico pelos brasileiros. A fibra alimentar absorve quantidades consideráveis de água, interagindo com ingredientes da formulação influenciando as características reológicas da massa e sensoriais do pão. Sua ingestão diária auxilia na prevenção de doenças como câncer de cólon e de doenças cardiovasculares, reduzindo o nível de colesterol no sangue; diminui o tempo de trânsito intestinal e a quantidade de glicose sanguínea pós-prandial e o nível de insulina, e também promove uma ação tamponante no excesso de acidez no estômago (ANIL, 2007; VITOLO et al., 2007; SIVAM et al. 2010). Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar as propriedades reológicas da massa de pão francês adicionada de fibra alimentar e as características sensoriais dos pães obtidos das melhores formulações. Foram estudadas substituições de farinha de trigo em 3 e 5% de fibra insolúvel (bambu) e em 3 e 5% de fibra solúvel (goma tara), empregando-se análises de farinografia, extensografia, alveografia e textura para avaliação da massa, e atividade de água, cor, volume, textura e análise sensorial para avaliação dos pães. No ensaio de farinografia, verificou-se o aumento da absorção de água, do tempo de desenvolvimento em todas as substituições; o emprego da fibra de bambu aumentou o tempo estabilidade à mistura, enquanto a goma tara na concentração de 3% reduziu este tempo sem que a mistura perdesse qualidades de aplicação. A substituição da farinha em 5% por fibra solúvel afetou negativamente as características da massa formada, devido ao alto teor de absorção de água (83%), 9 formando uma massa muito mole, pouco consistente e de difícil manipulação. A introdução destas fibras afetou as características reológicas da massa (elasticidade e extensibilidade), deixando-a mais elástica, causando um efeito melhorador. Na análise de Back Extrusion se constatou que as massas atendiam ao Modelo de Herschel-Bulkley. O emprego das fibras não afetou a formação de uma crosta craquelada e abertura de pestana nos pães. A fibra insolúvel gerou pães com volume menor, devido a maior consistência da massa e aumento mais significativo na resistência à extensão. O pão francês com 3 % de fibra solúvel apresentou um miolo mais claro que o padrão, com maiores valores médios de L* (luminosidade) e mais macio (nos 3 dias de avaliação da firmeza). O pão com 5% de fibra de bambu não diferiu significativamente na Análise de Perfil de Textura do padrão, todavia, apresentou as menores médias na análise sensorial de aceitação, sendo o pão francês com 3% de goma tara melhor aceito que o pão com 5% de fibra de bambu. / Brazilian Association of Bakery Industry (ABIP) pointed Brazil as the fifth largest wheat bread consumer in Latin America, 83% artisanal bread consumption (46% - French bread type) and 17% of industrial bread. Brazilian average consumption was 34.09 kg / capita / year on 2012.Considering the consumption of French bread, aimed to the development of this type of bread with fibers addition, in order to increase the daily intake of this prebiotic by Brazilian people. The dietary fiber absorbs considerable quantities of water, interacting with the ingredients of the formulation affecting the rheological characteristics of dough and sensory bread quality. The fibers daily intake prevents diseases such as colon cancer and cardiovascular disease by reducing cholesterol levels in the blood; decrease intestinal transit time and the amount of postprandial blood glucose and insulin levels, and promotes a buffering action in excess stomach acidity. The aims of this study were to evaluate the rheological properties of French bread dough with added dietary fibers, and the sensory characteristics of those breads obtained from the best recipes. Wheat flour substitutions in 3 and 5% insoluble fiber (bamboo) and 3 and 5% of soluble fiber (tara gum) were studied. For this propose were applyed farinograph, extensograph, alveograph and texture analysis for assessment of dough, and water activity, color, volume, texture and sensory analysis for evaluation of the loaves. In farinograph assay were observed an increase of the water absorption and of the development time for all substitutions. The use of insoluble fiber increased the mixture stability, while soluble fiber reduced this time at a concentration of 3%, without mixing lost application qualities. The substitution of wheat flour by 5% of soluble fiber affected negatively the dough characteristics, due to the high water absorption (83%), forming a very soft dough, little consistent and of the difficulty handling. The introduction of these fibers affects the dough rheological characteristics (elasticity and extensibility), making it more elastic, causing an 11 enhancing effect. In Back Extrusion analysis, the doughs were adapted to the Herschel-Bulkley model. The use of the fibers does not affect the formation of a crunchy crust and opening eyelash in breads.The breads with insoluble fibers presented less volume due to doughs that were more consistent, with more significant increase in resistance to extension. French bread with 3% of soluble fiber showed a lighter crumb than standard, with higher average values of L * (lightness) and softer (in the 3-day trial of firmness). Bread with 5% of insoluble fiber did not differ significantly from the standard, in the texture profile analysis, however, it had the lowest average in the sensory analysis, and French bread with 3% soluble fiber was better accepted than bread with 5 % of insoluble fiber.

A Associação Brasileira da Indústria da Panificação e Confeitaria-ABIP (2013) apontou o Brasil como quinto maior consumidor de pão de trigo da América Latina, sendo 83% o consumo de pão artesanal (46% - pão francês) e 17% de pão industrial. O consumo médio brasileiro foi de 34,09 kg/habitante/ano em 2012. Considerando o consumo de pão francês, vislumbrou-se o desenvolvimento deste tipo de pão com adição de fibras, visando o aumento da ingestão diária deste prebiótico pelos brasileiros. A fibra alimentar absorve quantidades consideráveis de água, interagindo com ingredientes da formulação influenciando as características reológicas da massa e sensoriais do pão. Sua ingestão diária auxilia na prevenção de doenças como câncer de cólon e de doenças cardiovasculares, reduzindo o nível de colesterol no sangue; diminui o tempo de trânsito intestinal e a quantidade de glicose sanguínea pós-prandial e o nível de insulina, e também promove uma ação tamponante no excesso de acidez no estômago (ANIL, 2007; VITOLO et al., 2007; SIVAM et al. 2010). Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar as propriedades reológicas da massa de pão francês adicionada de fibra alimentar e as características sensoriais dos pães obtidos das melhores formulações. Foram estudadas substituições de farinha de trigo em 3 e 5% de fibra insolúvel (bambu) e em 3 e 5% de fibra solúvel (goma tara), empregando-se análises de farinografia, extensografia, alveografia e textura para avaliação da massa, e atividade de água, cor, volume, textura e análise sensorial para avaliação dos pães. No ensaio de farinografia, verificou-se o aumento da absorção de água, do tempo de desenvolvimento em todas as substituições; o emprego da fibra de bambu aumentou o tempo estabilidade à mistura, enquanto a goma tara na concentração de 3% reduziu este tempo sem que a mistura perdesse qualidades de aplicação. A substituição da farinha em 5% por fibra solúvel afetou negativamente as características da massa formada, devido ao alto teor de absorção de água (83%), 9 formando uma massa muito mole, pouco consistente e de difícil manipulação. A introdução destas fibras afetou as características reológicas da massa (elasticidade e extensibilidade), deixando-a mais elástica, causando um efeito melhorador. Na análise de Back Extrusion se constatou que as massas atendiam ao Modelo de Herschel-Bulkley. O emprego das fibras não afetou a formação de uma crosta craquelada e abertura de pestana nos pães. A fibra insolúvel gerou pães com volume menor, devido a maior consistência da massa e aumento mais significativo na resistência à extensão. O pão francês com 3 % de fibra solúvel apresentou um miolo mais claro que o padrão, com maiores valores médios de L* (luminosidade) e mais macio (nos 3 dias de avaliação da firmeza). O pão com 5% de fibra de bambu não diferiu significativamente na Análise de Perfil de Textura do padrão, todavia, apresentou as menores médias na análise sensorial de aceitação, sendo o pão francês com 3% de goma tara melhor aceito que o pão com 5% de fibra de bambu. / Brazilian Association of Bakery Industry (ABIP) pointed Brazil as the fifth largest wheat bread consumer in Latin America, 83% artisanal bread consumption (46% - French bread type) and 17% of industrial bread. Brazilian average consumption was 34.09 kg / capita / year on 2012.Considering the consumption of French bread, aimed to the development of this type of bread with fibers addition, in order to increase the daily intake of this prebiotic by Brazilian people. The dietary fiber absorbs considerable quantities of water, interacting with the ingredients of the formulation affecting the rheological characteristics of dough and sensory bread quality. The fibers daily intake prevents diseases such as colon cancer and cardiovascular disease by reducing cholesterol levels in the blood; decrease intestinal transit time and the amount of postprandial blood glucose and insulin levels, and promotes a buffering action in excess stomach acidity. The aims of this study were to evaluate the rheological properties of French bread dough with added dietary fibers, and the sensory characteristics of those breads obtained from the best recipes. Wheat flour substitutions in 3 and 5% insoluble fiber (bamboo) and 3 and 5% of soluble fiber (tara gum) were studied. For this propose were applyed farinograph, extensograph, alveograph and texture analysis for assessment of dough, and water activity, color, volume, texture and sensory analysis for evaluation of the loaves. In farinograph assay were observed an increase of the water absorption and of the development time for all substitutions. The use of insoluble fiber increased the mixture stability, while soluble fiber reduced this time at a concentration of 3%, without mixing lost application qualities. The substitution of wheat flour by 5% of soluble fiber affected negatively the dough characteristics, due to the high water absorption (83%), forming a very soft dough, little consistent and of the difficulty handling. The introduction of these fibers affects the dough rheological characteristics (elasticity and extensibility), making it more elastic, causing an 11 enhancing effect. In Back Extrusion analysis, the doughs were adapted to the Herschel-Bulkley model. The use of the fibers does not affect the formation of a crunchy crust and opening eyelash in breads.The breads with insoluble fibers presented less volume due to doughs that were more consistent, with more significant increase in resistance to extension. French bread with 3% of soluble fiber showed a lighter crumb than standard, with higher average values of L * (lightness) and softer (in the 3-day trial of firmness). Bread with 5% of insoluble fiber did not differ significantly from the standard, in the texture profile analysis, however, it had the lowest average in the sensory analysis, and French bread with 3% soluble fiber was better accepted than bread with 5 % of insoluble fiber.

Dans le contexte actuel d'une prise de conscience environnementale générale, concernant plus particulièrement la gestion des polymères en fin vie, la thèse se propose d'étudier la substitution d'une matrice non biodégradable (Polyéthylène) par une matrice biodégradable (Polybutylene Succinate) dans le cadre de la propriété singulière de thermorétraction mise à profit dans le secteur de l'emballage.Ce travail de thèse, cofinancé par un industriel du secteur de l'emballe et par l'Agence de l'Environnement et de la Maitrise de l'Energie (ADEME) a donc consisté à :- Mettre en évidence l'influence des branchements longs contenus dans certains polymères, ainsi que leurs mélanges avec des polymères linéaires sur le comportement rhéologique en cisaillement et en élongation,- Proposer une modélisation de la contrainte interne stockée lors de l'étape de mise en forme par extrusion de film à plat (extrusion dite « cast ») en vue de prédire la contrainte de thermorétraction,- Etablir le lien entre la structure des matériaux, ses conditions de mise en œuvre et la morphologie du film final afin d'établir une corrélation avec le taux de rétraction.Dans un premier temps, cette étude a été réalisée sur des matrices modèles de polyéthylènes et ensuite transposée à une matrice biodégradable de Polybutylène Succinate. / Due to environmental concerns growth including the management of the end of life of polymer wastes, the present work proposes to study the feasibility of a substitution of conventional non-biodegradable polyethylene by a biodegradable matrix of Polybutylene Succinate in order to produce heat shrinkable films with equivalent properties. This property is mostly used in the packaging industry to wrap product such as six packs bottles, cans or other food products together.This work half-financed by a packaging company based in France and by the French environment and energy management agency consisted on:- Highlight the impact of the macromolecular architectures of the polymers and their blends on the rheological behavior under shear and elongational flow,- Developing a modeling approach of the stress stored in the molten polymer during the cast film extrusion process in order to predict the shrinkage stress,- Correlate the structure of the materials with their processing conditions and the morphology(ies) of the final film in order to correlate them with the shrinkage rate.The first part of this work was dedicated to the understanding of the shrinkage mechanism and to develop an approach on polyethylenes matrices used as models and then to transpose this approach to a biodegradable matrices of Polybutylene Succinate and therefore conclude on the feasibility of the use of such a matrices for heat shrinkable films for packaging application.

La biomasse représente l'une des principales alternatives à l'utilisation du pétrole dans la plasturgie. Grâce à leurs propriétés fonctionnelles, les caséinates sont une matière première prometteuse pour la fabrication de films plastiques pour des applications dans l'emballage biodégradable et hydrosoluble. La transformation du caséinate de sodium par les techniques habituellement utilisées dans la plasturgie a été démontrée. Des extrudats de caséinate plastifié au glycérol ont été obtenus au moyen d'une extrudeuse bi-vis corotative. La caractérisation physico-chimique du matériau obtenu a confirmé la thermostabilité de cette protéine et a montré la dépendance du comportement du matériau vis-à-vis de l'humidité ambiante. Pour une variation du taux d'Humidité Relative, de 40 à 90% et une augmentation de la concentration du glycérol, plastifiant hygroscopique, le matériau passe d'un état vitreux (rigide) à un état caoutchouteux (mou). Des films fins ont été ensuite réalisés, à partir des extrudats thermoplastiques, par extrusion gonflage. La perméabilité à la vapeur d'eau des films de caséinate de sodium a été étudiée et a montré que ces matériaux sont de mauvaises barrières à l'humidité. La deuxième partie a été consacré à l'étude de mélanges caséinate de sodium/caséinate de calcium d'un côté et caséinate de sodium/PBAT de l'autre. Le mélange des deux caséinates a permis d'augmenter la tenue mécanique du mélange, à partir de 50% de caséinate de calcium, et de retarder le transfert hydrique à travers le film. Dans le même sens, l'ajout du PBAT, a augmenté jusqu'à deux fois plus, le module d'Young des mélanges mais a baissé la résistance au transfert d'humidité du film à cause de l'incompatibilité des deux polymères.

Wood Plastic Composites (WPC) have advantages over natural wood such as improved stiffness, recyclability, and waste minimization. However, issues such as the difficulty of processing WPC with conventional methods, volatile emission from the wood and the composites’ lack of strength must be addressed. A system for continuous extrusion of rectangular profiles of WPC was developed and some critical processing strategies were identified. The use of a lubricant and a calibrator also improved the profile extrusion of WPC. In this work, glass was also added to improve WPC’s mechanical strength. Generally, a glass content of 2.5% appears to improve the properties but further addition does not have a significant effect. Foaming of WPC, which can enhance their properties, was investigated through studying the effect of heating time and temperature on void fraction and cell density. / UOIT

Med ett växande energibehov i världen, sinande energikällor i form av fossila bränslen och en miljö som vi under en längre tid har förorenat behövs det nya energiformer som är mer långsiktiga och framförallt miljövänliga. En sådan energiform är biogas. Biogasprocessen är dock inte helt optimerad. Flera av de substrat som används idag tar lång tid att röta och bryts bara ner till viss del i processen eller innehåller onödigt mycket vatten, vilket ger höga transportkostnader. Med syfte att göra biogasprocessen mer ekonomisk lönsam utvärderas i denna rapport på uppdrag från E.ON några olika förbehandlingstekniker: Ångexplosion, extrusion, avvattning och kalkbehandling. Förhoppningen är att dessa ska kunna öka lönsamheten för storskalig biogasproduktion och kanske möjliggöra biogasproduktion från tidigare obrukbara substrat som fjädrar och halm.  För att jämföra och utvärdera förbehandlingsteknikerna utfördes batchrötningsförsök i 330 ml flaskor med obehandlade och förbehandlade substrat. De flesta förbehandle substraten gav snabbare nedbrytning och några gav även högre metanutbyte än de obehandlade. Fjädrar och halm, som från början hade ett lågt utbyte, påverkades mest av förbehandlingen. Ångexploderade fjädrar gav efter 44 dagars rötning 141% högre metanutbyte och extruderad halm gav 22% högre metanutbyte än obehandlad.  För ekonomiska beräkningarna användes en referensanläggning med en förutbestämd substratmix: 12500 ton majs och 11500 ton hästgödsel. Att tillgå för referensanläggningen finns dessutom fjädrar. Cambis THP-anläggning för ångexplosion visade sig vara alldeles för dyr för referensanläggningen. En THP-anläggning kräver en större biogasanläggning där en större mängd svårnedbrytbara substrat rötas för att bli lönsam. En extruder skulle kunna vara lönsam för för refernsanläggningen om hästgödseln som de har tillgång till innehåller halm som strömaterial. En investering i en extruder bara för att förbehandla majsensilage visade sig inte lönsam.  Avvattning av gödsel gav signifikant lägre utbyte av biogas per torrvikt men signifikant högre utbyte per våtvikt. Avvattningsutrustningen från Splitvision, som testades, var för dyr för att bli lönsam. Först när gården låg 4 mil från biogasanläggningen blev det billigare att avvattna gödsel och transportera den jämfört med att transportera den obehandlad. Andra avvattningsutrustningar i studien var billigare i drift så det finns möjligheter att tekniken kan bli lönsam med någon av dessa. / The world needs new energy sources that are durable for long time and which not affect the environment negatively. Biogas fulfills those demands. The biogas process is however not completely optimized. Several of the substrates used today for biogas production are slowly degraded and only partly digested in the process. Other substrates consist of unnecessarily much water which makes transportation costly. To optimize the process and make the biogas process more profitable, several pretreatment techniques are evaluated by direction of E.ON in this report: steam explosion, extrusion, lime treatment and dewatering. The hope is that one of those could increase the profitability and hopefully also enable substrates that not are working today like feathers and straw. To compare and evaluate the different pretreatment batch digester, experiments were carried out during 31-44 days for untreated and pretreated substrates. Most pretreated substrates were faster degraded than untreated and some also gave a higher methane yield. Chicken waste feathers and wheat straw, which had low methane yields untreated, were affected most by pretreatment. Steam exploded feathers gave after 44 days of digestion 141% higher methane yield and extruded straw gave 22% higher methane yield than untreated samples of the same substrate. A reference plant with a substrate mixture of 12500 tonnes of maize silage and 11500 tons of horsemanure annually was used to make economical calculations. Additionally, chicken waste feathers waste could be included. Obtainable for the reference plant were also chicken waste feathers. Steam explosion appeared to be too expensive for a plant in the size of the reference plant. Its large capacity could probably make it profitable for a much larger biogas plant running on a lot of hard digestible substrates. An extruder could be a profitable investment for the reference plant if the plant gets horse manure with straw as bedding material. To just use the extruder to pretreat maize silage could not make the investment profitable. Dewatering of manure gave significantly lower methane yield per dry weight but significantly higher methane yield per wet weight. The increase in methane yield per wet weight makes the substrate better for transportation. The dewatering equipment from Splitvision tried in this study had too high operational costs and was too expensive to make dewatering particularly profitable. Only when the farm was situated farther away than 40km from the biogas plant it was cheaper to dewater the manure before transport than to transport the manure without any pretreatment. Other dewatering equipments evaluated in this study had much lower operational costs and among those an equipment that makes dewatering profitable might therefore be found. The world needs new energy sources that are durable for long time and which not affect the environment negatively. Biogas fulfills those demands. The biogas process is however not completely optimized. Several of the substrates used today for biogas production are slowly degraded and only partly digested in the process. Other substrates consist of unnecessarily much water which makes transportation costly. To optimize the process and make the biogas process more profitable, several pretreatment techniques are evaluated by direction of E.ON in this report: steam explosion, extrusion, lime treatment and dewatering. The hope is that one of those could increase the profitability and hopefully also enable substrates that not are working today like feathers and straw. To compare and evaluate the different pretreatment batch digester, experiments were carried out during 31-44 days for untreated and pretreated substrates. Most pretreated substrates were faster degraded than untreated and some also gave a higher methane yield. Chicken waste feathers and wheat straw, which had low methane yields untreated, were affected most by pretreatment. Steam exploded feathers gave after 44 days of digestion 141% higher methane yield and extruded straw gave 22% higher methane yield than untreated samples of the same substrate. A reference plant with a substrate mixture of 12500 tonnes of maize silage and 11500 tons of horsemanure annually was used to make economical calculations. Additionally, chicken waste feathers waste could be included. Obtainable for the reference plant were also chicken waste feathers. Steam explosion appeared to be too expensive for a plant in the size of the reference plant. Its large capacity could probably make it profitable for a much larger biogas plant running on a lot of hard digestible substrates. An extruder could be a profitable investment for the reference plant if the plant gets horse manure with straw as bedding material. To just use the extruder to pretreat maize silage could not make the investment profitable. Dewatering of manure gave significantly lower methane yield per dry weight but significantly higher methane yield per wet weight. The increase in methane yield per wet weight makes the substrate better for transportation. The dewatering equipment from Splitvision tried in this study had too high operational costs and was too expensive to make dewatering particularly profitable. Only when the farm was situated farther away than 40km from the biogas plant it was cheaper to dewater the manure before transport than to transport the manure without any pretreatment. Other dewatering equipments evaluated in this study had much lower operational costs and among those an equipment that makes dewatering profitable might therefore be found.

M. Tech. Polymer Technology / Determines the mechanical and thermal properties of polypropylene-based (PP) composites containing locally produced Sisal and Kenaf fibres.

Les procédés de transformation de biomasse lignocellulosique en bioéthanol de seconde génération sont actuellement des sujets de recherche très répandus mais ne sont toujours pas compétitifs avec ceux de la première génération. Les facteurs clés limitants sont : l’efficacité et les coûts du prétraitement, les rendements de l’hydrolyse enzymatique, et la co-fermentation C5-C6. Un procédé continu de déconstruction de la matière végétale, compactant un prétraitement thermo-mécano-chimique utilisant un agent alcalin avec une introduction d’enzymes en extrusion bi-vis, appelé bioextrusion, est développé dans cette étude. Il permet de préparer la matière cellulosique à un haut taux de matière sèche (>20%), à une saccharification et une fermentation pouvant être simultanées (SSF). Le traitement continu peut extraire une grande part des hémicelluloses (jusqu’à 97%) et des lignines (>50%) et améliorer l’accessibilité de la cellulose tout en initiant sa dépolymérisation par des cocktails enzymatiques pendant la bioextrusion. Plusieurs matières premières (Résidu de maïs doux, Bagasse d’agave bleue, Résidu d’huilerie de palme, Paille d’orge, Résidu d’Eucalyptus, Sarments de vigne et Bagasse de canne à sucre) ont été caractérisées et leurs comportements vis-à-vis du procédé ont été comparés. L’évolution de la composition de ces matières à travers le procédé et leur hydrolysabilité ont été étudiées. Suite au traitement, une augmentation du rendement de saccharification dans un réacteur (24h de temps de réaction à 20% de consistance) a été obtenue pour ces matières (jusqu’à 85% des C6 théoriques et 70% des C5-C6 théoriques). Les rendements de fermentation non optimisés atteignent un maximum de 85% théorique des sucres C6 convertis, 65% théorique des C5-C6 convertis, et une concentration d’éthanol de 15g/100g extrudat sec. Le procédé de production d’éthanol dans son ensemble (avec addition de l’énergie de la valorisation des coproduits) atteint un ratio « énergie consommée/produite » de 0.5-0.6. Le nouveau procédé présente ainsi les avantages de minimiser la consommation d’énergie par l’application de faibles températures, de minimiser la consommation d’eau par l’utilisation de faibles ratios liquide/solide, de ne pas produire d’inhibiteurs de fermentation et d’être rapide, compact, continu et adaptable sur différentes biomasses. / Lignocellulosic biomass transformation processes in order to produce second generation bioethanol are actually widely studied all around the world but still not yet competitive compare to the first generation. The limiting key factors of the different processes are: the pre-treatment efficiency and costs, the enzymatic hydrolysis yields, and the co-fermentation C5-C6. A continuous plant matter deconstruction process, compacting a thermo-mechanico-chemical pre-treatment using alkali solution with an enzymes injection in twin-screw extruder, called bioextrusion, is developed in this study. It allows preparing the cellulosic material at a high dry matter content (>20%), to a possible simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). This continuous treatment may extract a big part of hemicelluloses (until 97%) and lignin (>50%) and configures cellulose to a better accessibility and a start of its depolymerisation by enzymes cocktail during the bioextrusion. Several raw matters (Sweet Corn Cob and Spathe, Blue Agave Bagass, Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch, Barley Straw, Eucalyptus Residue, Grape Pruning Residue and Sugarcane Bagass) have been characterized and theirs behaviours toward to the process were compared. Evolutions of these matters compositions throughout the process and their hydrolysability have been studied. Further to the treatment, an improvement of the saccharification yields in reactor (24h reaction time at 20% consistency) has been obtained on these matters (until 85% of theoretical C6 and 70% of theoretical C5-C6). The not optimized fermentation yields reach a maximum of 85% of theoretical converted C6 sugars, 65% of theoretical converted C5-C6 sugars, and an ethanol concentration of 15g/100g dry matter extrudate. The whole ethanol production process (with addition of energy from the recovery of the by-products) is achieved with a “consumed/produced energy” ratio of 0.5-0.6. The new process presents the advantages to minimize the energy consumption by operating low temperatures, to minimize water consumption by working at low liquid/solid ratio, to not produce fermentation ‘s inhibitors and to be quick, compact, continuous and adaptable to different biomasses.

L’incorporation de fibres végétales, différentes par leur origine, leur nature chimique et leur forme, a été effectuée dans deux matrices thermoplastiques : le poly(acide lactique) et la farine de blé thermoplastifiée. Ces deux matrices biodégradables et biosourcées ont elles aussi des natures chimiques et des propriétés thermo-mécaniques différentes. Des incorporations de fibres jusqu’à 40 % en poids ont permis de modifier considérablement les propriétés de base des matrices et d’améliorer certaines de leurs faiblesses (stabilité thermique, manque de rigidité…). Les fibres de miscanthus ont été sélectionnées comme étant les plus performantes pour l’amélioration des propriétés des deux matrices. Les propriétés des matériaux composites ont été ajustées par un travail sur la formulation du mélange (ajout de plastifiants) et l’optimisation du procédé complet, jusqu’au moulage par injection. L’incorporation des fibres dans un mélange compatibilisé des deux matrices a également été testée et réalisée en une seule étape d’extrusion, comprenant la plastification de la farine, le mélange des polymères et la dispersion des fibres. / Incorporation of vegetal fibres, differing by their source, their chemical composition and their shape, have been performed by twin screw extrusion in two thermoplastic matrices: the poly(lactic acid) and the thermoplastified wheat flour. These two biobased and biodegradable matrices have also different chemical character and thermo-mechanical properties. Fibre incorporation up to 40 % in weight considerably modified both matrix properties and improved several weaknesses (thermal stability, lack of stiffness…). Miscanthus fibres have been selected as best improvers for properties of both matrices. Materials properties were adjusted with a formulating work (addition of plasticizers) and whole process optimization, until injection-molding. Fibre incorporation in a compatibilized blend of the two matrices was also tested and performed in a one step extrusion process, including flour thermoplasticization, polymer blending and fibre dispersion.

Dans le but de développer des matériaux à partir d’une ressource renouvelable de moindre coût que l’amidon, des matériaux à base de farine de maïs ont été élaborés par extrusion-injection. La caractérisation des propriétés physico-chimiques de ces matériaux a révélé que le taux de glycérol (ajouté à la farine de maïs en tant que plastifiant) et le profil des zones de cisaillement employé lors de l’extrusion influencent significativement le taux de déstructuration de l’amidon et des protéines de la farine de maïs. Ceci a pu être établi en croisant notamment les résultats de l’analyse par diffraction aux rayons X, par spectroscopie infra-rouge à transformée de Fourier, de l’analyse calorimétrique différentielle à balayage à des observations par microscopie confocale à balayage laser des matériaux. De plus, le suivi des cinétiques d’hydrolyse en sucres réducteurs de l’amidon par des enzymes amylolytiques en présence et en absence d’enzymes protéolytiques a pu être relié à la déstructuration des protéines. Les matériaux obtenus présentent cependant des inconvénients rédhibitoires pour certaines applications comme l’hygroscopie élevée et le vieillissement rapide dans le temps. L’ajout de polybutylène succinate (PBS) au mélange farine-glycérol a cependant permis de conduire à une amélioration des propriétés mécaniques et à une réduction de l’hygroscopie de ces matériaux. Les observations de la morphologie de ces matériaux par microscopie électronique à balayage ont montré que la farine de maïs et le PBS sont incompatibles et présentent une morphologie qui varie selon le taux de PBS dans le mélange (30, 50 ou 70%). L’étude de la cinétique d’hydrolyse de l’amidon de la farine de maïs par des enzymes amylolytiques a permis de mettre en évidence l’influence de plusieurs facteurs : (i) la cristallinité de l’amidon, (ii) l’aire spécifique, (iii) la porosité et (iv) la morphologie des matériaux. De plus, l’évaluation de la biodégradation par voie microbienne en milieu liquide et solide par voie aérobie ou anaérobie a montré les mêmes tendances globales que les résultats obtenus par voie enzymatique. Ainsi, les matériaux élaborés à partir des formulations présentant des proportions de PBS excédant 50 % ne sont pas biodégradables au sens de la norme ISO 14855/1999 et sont également faiblement hydrolysés par les enzymes amylolytiques. / In order to develop materials from a cheaper renewable resource than starch, materials based on corn flour were prepared by extrusion and injection. The physicochemical characterization of these materials revealed that the glycerol content (used as plasticizer) and the profiles of shear zones used during extrusion significantly influence the destructuration intensity of starch and proteins of that composed corn flour. This could be established by combining the results of X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and laser scanning confocal microscopy observations. In addition, the kinetics of the hydrolysis of starch into reducing sugars by amylolytic enzymes in the presence and absence of proteolytic enzymes significantly differed only when the initial structuration of proteins in corn flour was preserved. The materials obtained presented limitations for some applications namely due to their high hygroscopicity and rapid aging over time. The addition of polybutylene succinate (PBS) to flour-glycerol mixture improved mechanical properties and reduced hygroscopicity of the materials. The observation of these materials by scanning electron microscopy showed that corn flour and PBS are incompatible and have a morphology that varies according to the PBS content in the mixture (30, 50 or 70%). The study of the hydrolysis kinetics of starch corn flour by amylolytic enzymes contributed to highlight the influence of several parameters : (i) starch crystallinity, (ii) specific area, (iii) porosity, and (iv) material morphology. In addition, the evaluation of the microbial biodegradation in liquid and solid media aerobically or anaerobically showed the same overall trends as the results obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis. Thus, materials produced from formulations having PBS ratios exceeding 50% are not biodegradable according to the ISO 14855/1999 and are weakly hydrolyzed by amylolytic enzymes.