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 des communautés microbiennes de la baie de raisin dans des conditions de production à l’échelle de la parcelle montre une dynamique temporelle des populations cultivables, qui se traduit par une augmentation des niveaux de population à partir des stades de début véraison et début maturité. Concernant la communauté bactérienne cultivable, 44 espèces appartenant à 21 genres ont été identifiées. Parmi les huit genres identifiés pour la population fongique, les espèces appartenant au genre Aureobasidium sont les plus abondantes, contrairement aux espèces fermentaires qui restent minoritaires. L’incidence des facteurs biotiques et abiotiques sur différents paramètres de population microbienne tels que la structure, la densité et l’activité métabolique a été analysée. Nous avons observé que les zones climatiques plus fraîches et humides, favorisent le développement des microorganismes. Ces travaux mettent en évidence l’impact écotoxique du cuivre sur la communauté microbienne, en particulier dans sa fraction bactérienne. Le développement de Botrytis cinerea sur la grappe modifie la communauté microbienne des baies de raisin sain : le nombre d’espèces bactériennes augmente ainsi que leur diversité. La communauté bactérienne de la baie de raisin est proche de celle des feuilles d’un point de vue de sa structure, et mais éloignée de celles des écorces et du sol, avec des indices de diversité et de richesse plus faibles. / The study of microbial communities associated with wine grapes under field conditions revealed changes in the size and structure during the berry ripening process, with levels rising gradually and reaching their highest value when the berries were over ripe. During this work several bacteria and fungi species, including fermentative yeast, have been isolated and identified. From cultured bacteria, over 44 species were identified from 21 genera. Concerning fungi population, among eight genera identified, the genus Aureobasidium was the most abundant. Our study reveals the impact of different abiotic and biotic factors over microbial community structure, density and metabolic activity. Comparing different vineyards in the same region, we observed that areas presenting more humid and colder climate favor the growth of microorganisms. Our results also show that the farming system has a clear impact on the microbial community, especially in the bacterial fraction. One of the reasons is the inhibiting effect of copper-based fungicides, frequently used in both organic and conventional farming systems. The presence of Botrytis cinerea in grape berries without visual symptoms of infection can change the microbial community of the grapes, increasing bacterial population density and diversity.

[Truncated abstract] Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is a technique that can be used to capture and store water in aquifers for later reuse. This method recycles water that would normally be lost or discarded to the environment. MAR has been observed to have the potential for improving the quality of recharged water through a combination of physical, chemical and biological processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in groundwater microbial population structure during MAR and the major influences that drive these population changes. Biogeochemical MAR studies have the potential to assist in the improved prediction of the removal of contaminants such as nutrients, pathogens and trace organics from the recharged water. Biological clogging during recharge also has the potential to overwhelm an aquifers ability to process wastewater thus reducing the hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer. Therefore further research into the spatial and temporal biogeochemical processes that occur during MAR is required. The geochemical and microbial population dynamics of two contrasting MAR techniques were investigated at two different geographical locations (Perth, Western Australia and Adelaide, South Australia). These MAR sites contained aquifers of dissimilar properties that were recharged with wastewater that contrasted in water quality. The Perth MAR site received secondary treated effluent which continuously infiltrated the unsaturated zone into an unconfined aquifer aided by infiltration galleries. Reclaimed water was extracted from a well at distance from the infiltration gallery. ... Notably the background and recovered water was most dissimilar in microbial and chemical population structure to that described for the infiltration gallery and injection well. Microbial and chemical evidence suggested that the background and extraction well groundwater were unaffected by plume migration. These results suggested that extraction well groundwater was similar in quality to that of ambient groundwater. Significant geochemical and microbial changes of secondary treated effluent during infiltration and lateral movement through aquifer were implicated in addition to the forced hydraulic gradient created from extracting fives time the volume of infiltrating wastewater. This study demonstrated that microbial populations and the geochemical processes associated with MAR can be studied and compared. Multivariate statistical methodology greatly simplified a vast array of dynamic biogeochemical information that could be dissected for meaningful interpretation over distance and time. The study evaluated the major biogeochemical influences which resulted in microbial and geochemical changes where it was noted that microbial populations were more dynamic than geochemical variation over time. Additionally biogeochemical comparative analysis indicated that microbial populations could change in population structure before a shift in aquifer geochemistry was detected. It is anticipated that the results from this study will benefit further research into the biogeochemical processes involved in water quality changes (e.g. nutrient removal, pathogen decay and biodegradation of trace organics) as well as controlling biological clogging of MAR schemes.