Plants reduce inorganic carbon to synthesize biomass that is comprised of mostly polysaccharides and lignin. Growth is intricately regulated by external cues such as light, temperature, and water availability and internal cues including those generated by the circadian clock. While many aspects of polymer biosynthesis are known, their regulation and distribution within the stem are poorly understood. Plant biomass is perhaps the most abundant organic substance on Earth and can be used as feedstock for energy production. Various grass species are under development as energy crops yet several of their attributes make them challenging research subjects. Brachypodium distachyon has emerged as a grass model for food and energy crop research. I studied rhythmic growth, a phenomenon important to understanding how plant biomass accumulates through time, and vascular system development, which has biofuel feedstock conversion efficiency and yield. Growth rate changes within the course of a day in a sinusoidal fashion with a period of approximately 24 hours, a phenomenon known as rhythmic growth. Light and temperature cycles, and the circadian clock determine growth rate and the timing of rate changes. I examined the influences of these factors on growth patterns in B. distachyon using time-lapse photography. Temperature and, to a lesser extent, light influenced growth rate while the circadian clock had no noticeable effect. The vascular system transports important materials throughout the plant and consists of phloem, which conducts photosynthates, and xylem, which conducts water and nutrients. The cell walls of xylem elements and ground tissue sclerenchyma fibers are comprised of cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin. These components are important to alternative energy research since cellulose and hemicellulose can be converted to liquid fuel, but lignin is a significant inhibitor of this process. I investigated vascular development of B. distachyon by applying various histological stains to stems from three key developmental. My results described in detail internal stem anatomy and demonstrated that lignification continues after crystalline cellulose deposition ceases. A better understanding of growth cues and various anatomical and cell wall construction features of B. distachyon will further our understanding of plant biomass accumulation processes.

The "POWER - PLANT" deals with the rehabilitation of the former Central Power Conversion and Dale Schoeller (Nejedly I and III) in the village Libušín Mine. Will be newly designed for building the power plant technology with progressive fluidized bed boiler to biomass steam turbine with an output of 7 MW and absorption (trigeneration) unit producing heat, cooling and electricity, which also will function as a cooler primary circuits. The source of water for the power plant will not only former mining pit Nejedlý I which is currently flooded drinking water at about 12 ° C. This system uses high efficiency embedded fuel (biomass), which is ultimately required less. A greater proportion of electricity generated and part of the heat will be distributed to the public network. In most areas will be proposed publicly accessible greenhouses of steel-aluminum construction filled ETFE foil forming the heat insulating membrane filled with air. The reason is to create conditions for the cultivation of tropical and subtropical plants. Greenhouses will be connected to the absorption unit power (underground meanders through which water will circulate), the ventilation shaft mine and mine water - therefore it will be possible to manage the conditions of the internal environment of the building without the influence of the season and especially without mounting other technological devices. It will provide for cooperation with the absorption unit for cooling the primary circuit - therefore eliminating the need for cooling towers or fans. The project will build a detached departments of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Prague - Institute of progressive technologies and systems for energy and the Faculty of Agronomy and Natural Resources CULS. The reason is to allow students and scientists actively and in practice mainly participate in the operation and especially the development of the issue. The public in the area besides themselves open to the greenhouses indoor and outdoor thermal swimming. Part of the entrance hall is a bistro and foremost lecture hall. The aim is decentralized botanical-energy complex of buildings that produce electricity, heat, cooling, and biomass, and creating recreational, educational and research conditions.

Coal-fired power plants’ typically large capacity and relatively low electricity generation costs in the Chinese power market can be compared with their typically low specific thermal efficiency and older age on average. At the same time, the environment pollution caused by local coal-fired power plants has started to receive due attention. Sustainable renewable energy sources and the application of effective conversion technologies for those has become a top priority of China's current energy strategy. Biomass in general and anaerobic biogas in particular can be regarded as clean, locally available renewable energy resources. Replacing coal with biomass-derived energy is especially relevant for certain locations in China. For the case of Henan province, work has already been undertaken by the local authorities for the proper estimation of the biomass potential and the selection of most applicable energy conversion technologies with the lowest environmental footprint to replace aging coal-fired plants with various biomass-based power generation facilities. / Kolkraftverkens typiska stora kapacitet och relativt låga elproduktionskostnader på den kinesiska elmarknaden kan jämföras med deras typiskt låga specifika verkningsgrader och äldre ålder i genomsnitt. Samtidigt har miljöföroreningarna som orsakas av lokala kolkraftverk börjat uppmärksammas på riktigt i Kina. Hållbara förnybara energikällor och tillämpningen av effektiv konverteringsteknik för dessa har blivit en topprioritet för Kinas nuvarande energistrategi. Biomassa i allmänhet och anaerobisk biogas (rötgas) i synnerhet kan betraktas som rena och lokalt tillgängliga förnybara energiresurser. Byte av kol mot biobränslen blir särskilt relevant för vissa platser i Kina. När det gäller Henanprovinsen har en del arbete redan gjorts av de lokala myndigheterna för en korrekt uppskattning av biomasspotentialen och en analys av de mest tillämpliga teknologier för omvandling av bioenergi med lägsta miljöpåverkan som ersätter åldrande koleldade anläggningar med olika biobränslen.

En région méditerranéen, les incendies de forêt sont un problème majeur vis-à-vis de la désertification du milieu. L'utilisation de composts est considérée comme une solution pour la régénération du sol et de la végétation.Tout d'abord, en laboratoire, les effets de trois types de compost et de leur mode d'application ont été testés : un compost de déchets verts (DV), un compost de boues de station d'épuration (B) et un compost d'ordures ménagères résiduelles (OMR). Les différents paramètres du sol ont été améliorés de façon plus importante par le compost OMR (le moins mature) alors que le compost DV (le plus mature) n'a que peu d'effet par rapport au contrôle. De plus, lorsque le compost est enfoui dans le sol, la réduction du ruissellement est faible alors qu'appliqué en surface, elle est importante et favorise la percolation et la rétention principalement avec le compost OMR. Lors d'une expérimentation in situ, l'évolution du sol et de la végétation a été étudiée après un apport de compost de boues de station d'épuration. Lors des premiers mois, une hausse de la biomasse des espèces herbacées a été observée. Bien qu'aucun effet n'ait été observé pour les autres espèces, la phytomasse était plus hétérogène sur les parcelles amendées alors que la biodiversité y était plus homogène. Un transfert rapide et durable d'éléments nutritifs du compost vers le sol a été observé ainsi qu'une hausse de la teneur en eau du sol des parcelles amendées. Les teneurs en nutriments des plantes augmentent aussi mais varient selon l'espèce et l'élément considérés. De plus, aucun effet négatif n'a été observé quant aux teneurs en éléments traces métalliques du sol et des végétaux. / In Mediterranean region, forest fires are a major problem leading to the desertification of the environment. Use of composts is considered as a solution for soil and vegetation rehabilitation.First, we observed the effects of three urban composts and their mode of application (laid on the soil surface or mixed into the soil) on soil restoration after fire: a municipal waste compost (MWC), a compost of sewage sludge (SSC) and a green waste compost (GWC) under laboratory conditions. Input of composts increased organic matter and soil nutrient content, and enhanced carbon and nitrogen mineralisation and total microbial biomass throughout the incubations. MWC induced the highest improvement while GWC input had no significant effect compared to the control. Composts mixed with soil weakly limited runoff whereas composts laid at the soil surface significantly reduced runoff and increased percolation and retention, particularly with the MWC.Then, we studied in situ the effects of a SSC on soil and vegetation regeneration after fire. The first months after amendment, this input increased grass species biomass. Although no significant effect was observed on other studied plants, plant biomass was more heterogeneous on amended plots while plant biodiversity was more homogeneous. The use of compost increased rapidly soil nutrient content and soil water content but plant nutrition was improved more or less durably depending species. Compost effects on microbial activities were low and only sporadic. Moreover, no negative effect was observed during the two years of experimentation.

Les activités des anciennes industries métallurgiques spécialisées dans la production et la transformation de plomb, de zinc ou d’autres métaux ont engendré une pollution métallique importante des sols selon la localisation de ces derniers. Des études actuelles proposent ainsi des solutions de requalification de ces sols via des processus de phytoremédiation afin de valoriser au maximum les plantes cultivées sur ces sols contaminés. Ce projet de thèse a ainsi été réalisé dans le but de valoriser des écocatalyseurs hétérogènes régénérables. Ces derniers sont obtenus à partir des plantes cultivées sur des sols contaminés dans la synthèse organique pour la production de composés à haute valeur ajoutée. Les sols contaminés utilisés dans ce projet proviennent de la région Hauts-de-France (Auby et Noyelles-Godault). Dans cette optique, quatre types de réactions ont été testés pour valider l’efficacité et la recyclabilité des écocatalyseurs : La réaction d’aminolyse, La réaction de Friedel-Crafts, La transformation d’aza-Michael, et enfin La réaction de transestérificationDes écocatalyseurs riches en zinc (EcoZn), obtenus à partir de la biomasse végétale de ray-grass (Lolium perenne L.), ont été caractérisés par des méthodes physico-chimiques puis validités leurs critères d’efficacité et de recyclabilité. Ceux-ci ont ainsi permis de synthétiser plusieurs séries de composés à activité anti-inflammatoires connus (piroxicam, méloxicam, idrocilamide) et de nouveaux, des inhibiteurs de la farnésyltransférase (à visée anticancéreuse ou pour combattre des maladies orphelines telles que la progéria) ou encore de découvrir un nouvel accepteur d’aza-Michael. / The activities of the former metallurgy industries specialized in the production and processing of lead, zinc or other metals have resulted in significant metallic pollution of soils depending on their location. Current studies propose solutions for the requalification of these soils through the phytoremediation processes in order to maximize the value of plants grown on these contaminated soils. This PhD thesis project was thus realized with the aim of valorizing regenerative heterogeneous ecocatalysts. The latter were obtained from the plants cultivated on contaminated soils in organic synthesis for the production of high value added molecules. The contaminated soils used in this project came from the Hauts-de-France region (Auby and Noyelles-Godault). In this light, four types of reactions have been tested to validate the efficiency and recyclability of ecocatalysts: The aminolysis reaction The Friedel-Crafts reaction The aza-Michael transformation The transesterification reactionThe zinc-rich ecocatalysts (EcoZn), obtained from the plant biomass of ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), were characterized by physicochemical methods and validated their efficiency and recyclability criteria. The latter were successfully used to reach various series of compounds with anti-inflammatory activity known (piroxicam, meloxicam, idrocilamide) and new, inhibitors of farnesyltransferase (for anticancer purpose or to fight orphan diseases such as progeria) or to discover a new aza-Michael acceptor.

South Africa depends largely on afforestation programs for its timber supplies due to the great demands for fiber and wood products. This has brought discomfort to other water users who have advocated that the effects of afforestation on water resources are detrimental to the country as a whole since South Africa is known as a water scarce country. This study has undertaken to integrate a process-based model and remote sensing data to estimate water use and productivity of Eucalyptus grandis in the Zululand areas of South Africa. The remote sensing techniques and recently developed "process based model" that is 3PG-S were used to estimate water use and productivity of Eucalyptus grandis, an economically important plantation species grown in the summer rainfall areas of South Africa. The study utilized monthly Landsat Thematic Mapper datasets and climatic data as inputs into the 3PG-S model, determined the Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Specific Leaf Area (SLA) through direct (destructive sampling) and indirect measurements (LiCor- 2000) and assessed the relationships between various vegetation indices (VI's) using correlation and regression analyses. The results suggest that all the indices, except the ratio VI, correlated significantly with LiCor-determined and destructively measured LAI values with both normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and Ratio Vegetation Index (RVI) (r=0.86, p / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritburg, 2007.

Fundação Araucária / O objetivo dessa pesquisa foi caracterizar painéis de cimento reforçados com biomassa vegetal de bambu mossô (Phyllostachys pubescens) e biomassa do bagaço de cana-de-açúcar (Saccharum officinarum) com adição de escória de altoforno à carvão vegetal. Realizou-se a caracterização física e química dos materiais. Após, foi realizado ensaio de inibição para análise da compatibilidade da biomassa de bambu mossô e de cana-de-açúcar com o cimento Portland. Os tratamentos adotados para as biomassas foram: imersão em água fria, água quente, hidróxido de sódio, silicato de sódio, silano e aditivo acelerador de pega à base de cloreto de cálcio. Foi analisado a resistência à compressão dos compósitos com a adição de diferentes teores de escória de alto-forno à carvão vegetal. Finalmente foram determinadas as propriedades físicas e mecânicas dos painéis compostos de biomassa vegetal, cimento Portland e escória de alto-forno. Os resultados do ensaio de inibição feitos com a biomassa vegetal indicaram que a adição de cloreto de cálcio à mistura é o tratamento mais eficiente para reduzir o índice de inibição da biomassa de bambu mossô e de cana-de-açúcar. Para os compósitos com escória de alto-forno, o ensaio de inibição demonstrou que a adição de 50% de escória de alto-forno se mostrou eficaz no aumento da compatibilidade. O teor de 40% de escória apresentou resistência superior aos demais traços. Para os painéis cimentobiomassa vegetal verificou-se que a biomassa de bambo mossô apresenta total viabilidade para a confecção de painéis enquanto que a biomassa de cana-deaçúcar é inviável. A relevância desse estudo está no emprego de resíduos de atividades industriais, como biomassa vegetal e escória, para a produção de novos materiais de construção. / This study aims at characterizing cement panels reinforced with mosso bamboo biomass (Phyllostachys pubescens) and biomass of sugarcane bagasse (Saccharum officinarum) with addition of blast furnace charcoal slag to the mix. The physical and chemical characterization of the materials were carried out. Afterwards, an inhibition test was performed to analyze the compatibility of the powders with Portland cement. The treatments adopted were: immersion in cold water, immersion in hot water, sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate, silane and calcium chloride. The composites compressive strength was analyzed with the addition of different mixes of blast furnace charcoal slag. Finally, the physical and mechanical properties of the panels made of vegetal biomass, Portland cement and blast furnace slag were determined. The results of the inhibition test, made with plant biomass shows that the addition of calcium chloride to the blend is the most efficient treatment to reduce the inhibition rate of the biomass of mosso bamboo and biomass of sugarcane. For composites with blast furnace slag, the inhibition test showed that the addition of 50% blast furnace slag proved effective in increasing compatibility, thus improving compressive strength. In this case, the treatment with 40% slag content presented superior resistance to the other traces. For the cement-vegetal biomass panels the study found out that the mosso bamboo biomass presents total feasibility for the preparation of panels whereas the sugar cane biomass is not feasible. The relevance of this study is the use of industrial waste, such as vegetal biomass and slag, for the production of new construction materials.

The theoretical part of this doctoral thesis provides a comprehensive overview on the topic of preparation and subsequent utilization of magnetic derivatives of biological materials for xenobiotic separation from water. Main attention is paid to magnetic modification of waste materials and by-products originating from agricultural and food industry, which represent widely available and low-cost materials, and also to magnetic modification of microbial cells. In addition to the description of magnetic particle preparation and individual developed techniques of magnetic modification, a brief characterization of selected pollutants and a detailed table overview on utilization of magnetically responsive biomaterials for biosorption of organic dyes, heavy metals, pharmaceutical and personal care products together with ubiquitous industrial endocrine disruptors and also of crude oil derivatives is presented. Experimental part of this thesis is focused on the preparation and optimization of new types of magnetic materials. Emphasis is placed on the employment of simple, fast and simultaneously low-cost magnetic modification techniques (e.g., postmagnetization using microwave-synthesized magnetic iron oxides or one-step modification by magnetic fluids). Selected plant materials (barley and rye straw) were chemically modified to significantly (up to five-times) increase the maximum adsorption capacities for tested dyes. All prepared biomaterials exhibited a great magnetic response and simultaneously relatively high adsorption capacity for selected xenobiotics under experimental conditions used. Factors substantially affecting adsorption process, such as pH, initial concentration, incubation time or temperature were also studied. Adsorption equilibrium data were assessed using Langmuir, Freundlich or Sips isotherm models. Experimental data from time dependence study were analyzed by chosen kinetic models, namely the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order ones and by intraparticle diffusion model. Thermodynamic parameters (Gibbs free energy, enthalpy and entropy) describing the nature of adsorption were also included in study.

Cette thèse a été réalisée dans le cadre du projet Futurol, un projet national français qui vise à produire du bioéthanol à partir de biomasses végétales telles que le bois ou la paille de céréale. Pour cela, la biomasse doit être prétraitée puis digérée enzymatiquement pour libérer des sucres fermentescibles. Ma contribution dans ce projet a été de découvrir des enzymes originales pour l’hydrolyse de l’hémicellulose, un hétéropolysaccharide, constituant majeur de la paroi cellulaire des cellules végétales. Afin de rechercher de nouveaux biocatalyseurs, une approche de métagénomique a été adoptée afin de sonder les intestins de deux espèces de termites : N. corniger, un termite xylophage, et T. hispaniolae un termite humivore / xylophage. 30 000 clones métagénomiques ont été criblés sur 10 substrats cellulosiques et hémicellulosique, et 660 hits ont été obtenus. La comparaison phénotypique a montré une différence claire entre ces deux banques, probablement liée au régime alimentaire des deux espèces de termite. Le séquençage de 45 clones N. corniger a révélé 120 séquences codant pour des enzymes originales, de nombreuses étant multimodulaires et / ou organisées en cluster de gènes. Dans un second temps, une approche à haut-débit a été adoptée pour le clonage, l’expression et la caractérisation légère de 104 enzymes entières ou formes tronquées. 45 protéines recombinantes ont été produites de manière soluble, et les activités de 19 enzymes et de 12 modules enzymatiques ont été montrées, permettant la mise au point d’une boite à outil hemicellulolytique. Dans certains cas, l’activité de modules classés « Inconnus » a pu être déterminée. Cette approche a été particulièrement pertinente dans le cas de Pm69, une enzyme multimodulaire GH3-UNK-CBM48-CE1 montrant les 3 activités glucosidase, xylosidase and estérase. Cette étude a permis de poser les bases d’un brevet sur cette enzyme. D’un autre côté, les enzymes ayant montré une activité xylanase ou féruloyle-estérase se sont révélées complémentaires d’un cocktail cellulolytique durant la dégradation de paille de blé prétraitée. Enfin, dans une troisième partie, nous avons étudié un fragment d’ADN provenant la banque P. militaris, codant pour 19 ORFs et appartenant à une espèce du genre Bacteroides. La caractérisation biochimique d’Abn43A, Abn43B, Abf51A et Abf51B-trunc a montré que ces 4 enzymes portent des actions complémentaires sur l’hydrolyse de l’arabinane, et qu’elles peuvent agir de manière synergique pour la dégradation de ce polymère pectique. Enfin, l’étude détaillée des 19 ORFs codées sur ce fragment d’ADN nous a permis de proposer un schéma global de détection, d’hydrolyse et de métabolisation de l’arabinane par cette espèce du genre Bacteroides. / This thesis was performed in the context of the Futurol project, a French national project that aims at producing bioethanol from plant biomass such as wood and cereal straw. To reach that goal, the biomass must be pretreated, and enzymatically degraded to release fermentable simple sugar. My implication in that project was to discover original enzymes that can hydrolyze the hemicellulose, a major heteropolysaccharide found in plant cell wall.To mine for new biocatalysts, the gut microbial communities of two species of termite were investigated by a metagenomic approach : Nasutitermes corniger, a wood-feeder termite, and Termes hispaniolae supposed to be a soil-wood feeder. 30 000 metagenomic clones were screened on an array of 10 cellulosic and hemicellulosic substrates and 660 hits were obtained. Phenotypic comparison showed clear differences between both environments, probably related to the diet of the termite. The sequence of 45 N. corniger metagenomic inserts revealed 120 original sequences encoding for putative enzymes of interest. Original sequences encoding for multimodular enzymes were revealed and many ORFs were organized in clusters, suggesting that these enzymes are encoded on Polysaccharides Utilization Locus. In a second part, a high-throughput approach was used for the cloning, the expression and the slight characterization of 104 full-size and truncated enzymes. Forty five recombinant proteins were produced soluble, and their investigation revealed the activity of 19 enzymes and of 12 enzymatic modules, representing a hemicellulolytic tool-box for endo- and exo-type activities. In some cases, the implication of “Unkown” domains in the activity of multimodular enzymes was demonstrated. This approach was particularly efficient for the study of the GH3-UNKCBM48-CE1 Pm69, and this study triggered the patent process for this multiactive glucosidase, xylosidase and esterase. The xylanases and the feruloyl esterases were shown to be particularly efficient to supplement cellulolytic cocktails on pretreated wheat straw. In a third part, we investigated a DNA fragment belonging to a species of the genus Bacteroides and that encoded 19 ORFs. The biochemical characterization of Abn43A, Abn43B, Abf51A and Abf51B-trunc showed that these four enzymes harbored complementary actions for the hydrolysis of the arabinan, and that they can act synergistically for the hydrolysis of this pectic polymer. We also revealed that Abn43B had an original mode of action that we classified as exo-arabinanase. Finally, the in-depth study of the 19 ORFs allowed us to propose the entire scheme for arabinan detection, hydrolysis and utilization by the Bacteroides species carrying this DNA sequence

The goal of this Master thesis was development of teaching materials that are focusing on mastering the fundamentals of mathematical modelling on the examples of photosynthetic processes and influence of selected environmental factors on these processes. Developed models of photosynthetic response to select environmental factors, worksheets, methodical manuals and other supporting materials belong to the teaching materials for secondary schools and serve as a basis of work with models. This teaching materials are aimed to introduce modelling and its significance not only in science but also in education. The present thesis was accomplished on the basis of participation of the Department of Experimental Plant Biology of Faculty of Science of Charles University in Prague in international project NSF within programme GLOBE - The Carbon Cycle. The present thesis is divided into two parts - theoretical part and practical part. The theoretical part includes a literary review and an introduction to the mathematical modelling (in software Stella) that are elaborated considering the teaching purposes and serve as a theoretical background for practical part of present thesis. The chapters that deal with increasing interest in mplementing of modelling in education and with philosophical background of software...