La demande mondiale en fibre de carbone est estimée à 89 000 tonnes en 2020. Une quantité croissante de déchets de composites renforcés à fibres de carbone (PRFC) est donc attendue. Le recyclage des fibres de carbone, produits de forte valeur ajoutée, contenues dans les composites, présente des avantages économiques et environnementaux qui sont aujourd'hui la force motrice pour le développement des filières de recyclage. L'objectif est de récupérer les fibres de carbone afin de pouvoir envisager un réemploi dans d'autres applications. Leurs propriétés mécaniques et structurales doivent alors être le plus proche possible de celles des fibres neuves. C'est dans ce but que le procédé de vapo-thermolyse a été développé au sein du laboratoire RAPSODEE. La vapo-thermolyse est le procédé qui combine la pyrolyse et la vapeur d'eau surchauffée à pression ambiante afin de décomposer la matrice organique du composite. Le travail a consisté à effectuer une étude de l'échelle laboratoire à l'échelle pilote sur la valorisation des composites à fibres de carbone par le procédé de vapo-thermolyse. Notre étude se focalise sur les composites thermoplastiques provenant des chutes de fabrication. Deux types de composites, disponibles en industrie, avec les matrices polyamide 6 et polysulfure de phénylène ont été utilisées. Les analyses thermogravimétriques et l'étude cinétique ont permis une compréhension initiale du comportement thermique des composites et ont prouvé l'efficacité de la présence de la vapeur d'eau. A l'échelle pilote, des plans d'expériences ont été effectués pour déterminer les meilleures conditions opératoires du procédé de vapo-thermolyse, en regardant l'efficacité de la dégradation des résines polymériques et la qualité des fibres obtenues. Les fibres récupérées avec les conditions opératoires optimales sont propres, régulières et similaires aux fibres neuves. Elles conservent plus de 80 % de leur résistance à la traction initiale. Les liquides et gaz sortants du procédé ont été identifiés et quantifiés. A la fin, une analyse du cycle de vie (ACV) a permis de comparer les impacts environnementaux d'un scénario sans recyclage des composites et un autre avec recyclage par le procédé de vapo-thermolyse. Cette étude montre que la valorisation des composites par récupération des fibres de carbone, amène des avantages évidents d'un point de vue environnemental. / The global demand for carbon fiber is forecast to rise to 89,000 tonnes by 2020, therefore an increasing amount of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) waste is expect to be generated. Recycling of carbon fibers, a high value added material, from the composite waste offers both environmental and economic incentives for the development of recycling routes. The aim is to recover the carbon fibers, as close as possible to their initial state, in order to envisage a reuse in other applications. For this purpose, steam-themolysis has been developed at RAPSODEE Laboratory. Steam-thermolysis is a process that combines pyrolysis and superheated steam at atmospheric pressure to decompose the organic matrix of the composite. The work consists of a study of recovering carbon fibers by steam-thermolysis of the composites at both the laboratory and pilot scale. In this work the samples under investigation includes thermoplastic composites from manufacturing cut-offs. Two commercially available composites of polyamide and polyphenylene sulfide resins were studied. Thermo-gravimetric analyses and kinetic studies were conducted to understand the thermal behavior of the samples and to prove the efficiency of the steam-thermolysis compared to conventional pyrolysis. At the pilot scale, an experimental design was carried out to determine the best possible operational conditions of the steam-thermolysis process in terms of the removal efficiency of the polymer matrix and the quality of the recovered carbon fibers. The carbon fibers recovered from the optimized steam-thermolysis process presented a resin free and uniform surface. They retained over 80 % of their original tensile strength. The outgoing liquids and gases of the process were identified and quantified. Finally, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed to compare a scenario without recycling with one where the composites are recycled by steam-thermolysis. According to this study, the recycling of CFRP, with recovery of carbon fibers, provides clear environmental advantages.

Selon la European Tyre Recycling Association (ETRA), plus de 3 millions de tonnes de pneus en fin de vie sont à traiter en Europe chaque année et sont directement concernés par les mesures législatives visant le réemploi et la valorisation de 95 % de la masse totale des véhicules hors d'usage. Malgré les différentes possibilités de valorisation des pneus usagés (applications dans le secteur du bâtiment et travaux publics, valorisation matière, valorisation énergétique), une partie du gisement français n’est pas répertorié, ni valorisé, et aucune des voies citées auparavant ne s’intéresse à la récupération du noir de carbone, qui est un constituant essentiel du pneu. Ce produit, à forte valeur ajoutée, est principalement utilisé comme charge de renfort dans l'industrie du caoutchouc et des plastiques. Il existe deux types de procédés thermiques industrialisés permettant de récupérer le noir de carbone d’un pneumatique en fin de vie : la pyrolyse et la vapo-thermolyse. La vapo-thermolyse, actuellement industrialisée par Alpha Recyclage Franche Comté (ARFC), est une variante innovante de la pyrolyse, qui utilise la vapeur d’eau surchauffée à pression atmosphérique. La solution qui consiste à substituer un noir de carbone issu d’un procédé de fabrication conventionnel par un noir de carbone issu de vapo-thermolyse de pneus repose sur la qualité du noir de carbone récupéré et, en particulier, sur ses propriétés physico-chimiques intrinsèques et de surface. L'objectif de ce travail de thèse est de proposer et mettre en place une méthodologie adéquate afin de récupérer et caractériser les propriétés physico-chimiques du noir de carbone recupéré (rCB) par vapo-thermolyse à partir d'une formulation de pneu, d'évaluer l'impact des conditions de fonctionnement du procédé sur les propriétés du rCB, et enfin de valoriser le rCB en tant que charge de renfort alternative pour l'élaboration d'un produit final. / According to the European Tyre Recycling Association (ETRA), more than 3 millions tonnes of waste tires are to be treated in Europe each year and are subject to legislation and regulation policies for the re-use and recycling of 95 % of the total mass of end-of-life vehicles. Despite the various opportunities for recycling used tires (civil engineering applications, material recovery, energy recovery), a part of the French available resource remains unvalued and none of the applications just mentioned focuses specifically on the recovery of carbon black, which is one of the main component of a tire. This high added value product is mainly used as reinforcing filler in the rubber and plastics industries. There are two types of industrialized thermal processes for recovering the carbon black from an end-of-life tire : pyrolysis and steam thermolysis. Steam thermolysis, currently industrialized by Alpha Recyclage Franche Comté (ARFC), is an efficient pyrolysis alternative which uses superheated steam at atmospheric pressure. The substitution of carbon blacks produced from a conventional manufacturing process by carbon blacks recovered from the steam thermolysis treatment is based upon the quality of the recycled product, especially regarding its physicochemical properties (intrinsic and surface). The objective of this work is to propose and implement an adequate methodology to recover and characterize the physicochemical properties of recovered carbon black (rCB) from steam thermolysis of a tire, to assess the impact of the process operating conditions on the properties of the rCB, and finally to valorize the rCB as an alternative reinforcing filler for the elaboration of a final product.

3-Chloro-4,4,5-trimethyl-3,5-diphenyl-4,5-dihydro-3H-pyrazole (3b) and 3-bromo-4,4,5-trimethyl-3,5-diphenyl-4,5-dihydro-3H-pyrazole (3c) were prepared for the thermolysis project. The thermal decompositions of 3b and 3c were monitored using 1H NMR spectroscopy. Plots of ln (% starting material) vs. time (sec) were linear for at least two half lives and the first order rate constants were determined over at least a 30o temperature range. The relative reactivity was found to be 3c > 3b. The activation parameters determined for the thermal decomposition of the pyrazoline at 150oC were found to be: for 3b &#;H‡ = 33 &#;1.0 kcal/mol, &#;S‡ = -2.4 &#; 0.07eu , k150 0 = 7.34 &#; 0.44 x 10 -5 s-1 ; for 3c &#;H‡ = 30&#;0.2 kcal/mol, &#;S‡ = -6.9 &#;0.03 eu, k150o = 42.3&#;0.7 x 10-5 s-1. Thermal decomposition of 3b both neat and in dibromobenzene (DBB) resulted in the formation of an intermediate 2,3-diphenyl-4-methyl-1,3-pentadiene (8) as a major product and minor isomers of 8. These intermediates then thermally decomposed to 1,1,3-trimethyl-2-phenyl-1H-indene (9) via an acid catalyzed process. In order to gain a mechanistic understanding (ionic vs. radical pathways) of the thermal decomposition of 3b, a product study was conducted in protic solvents. In methanol and ethanol, 3b underwent an ionic reaction (SN1-type) with the solvent to produce 3-methoxy/ethoxy-4,4,5-trimethyl-3,5-diphenyl-4,5-dihydro-3H-pyrazole (3/3d) in good yield. The reaction of 3b with refluxing protic solvents led to the development of new method for the synthesis of alkoxy-4,5-dihydro-3H-pyrazoles which is both safe and efficient.

New complex silicon-containing molecules were made by B(C6F5)3-catalyzed hydrosilation, dehydrocoupling, and dealkylative coupling reactions starting from Si-H reagents. The scope of reactions starting from disilane was expanded to include the formation of silicon-sulfur1, silicon-oxygen and silicon-alkyl side-chains. Reaction inhibition was found with some heteroatom substrates, such as phenols and imines, that strongly bound to B(C6F5)3, and was consistent with the proposed mechanism (Chapter 2). B(C6F5)3 was found to be selective for Si-H activation in reactions of disilane and no competing Si-Si bond cleavage side-reactions were observed. This result will guide future studies and application of B(C6F5)3-catalyzed reactions with polysilanes. A different type of selectivity, the competing B(C6F5)3-catalyzed over-reduction, is evaluated and discussed in Chapter 3. This over-reduction reaction was classified into two distinct cases: alkyl groups for which over-reduction reaction was dependent on the steric bulk of the alkyl group and benzylic groups for which over-reduction was dependent on having an alpha-aryl group. These reactions are consistent with the proposed Piers-Oestreich mechanism (see Chapter 3) and suggest the rate-determining step for over-reduction is the nucleophilic attack of the alkoxysilane (R -O-SiR3) to the R3Si•••H•••B(C6F5)3 complex. Benzylic side-chains were over-reduced regardless of the steric bulk of the aryl groups. Literature precedents suggest that benzyl over-reductions must undergo an alternative mechanism to the Piers-Oestreich mechanism. A number of mechanisms have been proposed in the literature and in Chapter 3, suggesting conventional heteroatom substrate borane or silane-borane complexation. Furthermore, over-reduction of benzylic sulfur containing side-chains was found and this reaction was exploited in the B(C6F5)3-catalyzed synthesis of unique silicon-sulfur silicon-containing products. These over-reduction reactions highlighted the role of the silane for over-reduction and the challenges associated with the post-polymerization modification of poly(phenylsilane). The advances in B(C6F5)3-catalyzed synthesis of small silane molecules suggested reaction conditions and gave spectroscopic benchmarks that were applied to the post polymerization modification of poly(phenylsilane) (Chapter 4). New X-modified poly(phenylsilane) derivatives with thiolato (sulfur), alkoxy/aryloxy (oxygen), amido (nitrogen) and alkyl(carbon) side-chains were prepared with 10-40% incorporation of the ‘X’ group into poly(phenylsilane). These new polysilanes were characterized by the following methods: 1H/13C/29Si NMR, IR, MALS-GPC, EA, and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. Together, these characterization methods showed that the polysilane had not undergone Si-Si cleavage and thus demonstrated the utility of B(C6F5)3 for the selective activation of Si-H bonds. Thermal decomposition of X-modified poly(phenylsilane) derivatives and parent poly(phenylsilane) showed interesting redistribution pathways (Chapter 5). The thermal decomposition products of poly(phenylsilane) were identified: volatile monosilanes, a structurally complex not-yet-identified phenylsilicon-containing material generated at 500 °C, and a mixture of silicon carbide (SiC) and elemental carbon generated at 800 °C. The B(C6F5)3-catalyzed post-polymerization method (Chapter 4) was evaluated based on the substitution percentage for X-functionalized poly(phenylsilane) derivatives. Reactions of highly electron-donating substrates gave a low amount of X incorporation (10%, e.g. aryloxy side-chains derived from phenol). Aryloxy groups were alternatively introduced via demethanative coupling, which gave a polymer with a greater substitution percentage (25%). The overall impact of the H-to-X substitution reactions was gauged by UV-vis absorption spectra and desirable UV absorption properties would require the modified poly(phenylsilane) to have a high degree of substitution. / Graduate / 2017-09-02

Cette étude a pour but d’explorer le comportement de radicaux centrés sur des atomes de soufre dans des silices nanostructurées de type hexagonales 2D. Une large variété de silices a été synthétisée en jouant sur la nature et la charge en précurseurs organiques. La synthèse de silices de type SBA-15 fonctionnalisées avec des précurseurs de radicaux sulfanyle, sulfinyle et sulfonyle a été réalisée grâce au procédé sol-gel. Ces matériaux nanostructurés ont permis de fortement exalter la persistance des radicaux formés en leur sein.Des radicaux alkyl- et arylsulfanyle ont été formés par photolyse de thiols greffés dans des silices. Ces radicaux ont été piégés par la tert-butylphénylnitrone et les adduits de spin ainsi formés ont vu leur temps de vie grandement augmenter par rapport aux mêmes expériences conduites à partir de précurseurs non greffés. L’observation directe du radical arylsulfanyle à température ambiante a pu être réalisée, le temps de demi-vie pouvant aller jusqu’à plusieurs jours, même en présence de dioxygène.Des précurseurs contenant un motif diazène greffés dans une silice ont permis la formation et l’observation directe de radicaux arylsulfanyle, arylsulfinyle et arylsulfonyle par photolyse à température ambiante et par thermolyse à 200 °C. Selon les conditions, des temps de demi-vie de plusieurs heures ont été enregistrés. / The aim of this study is to explore the behavior of sulfur-centered radicals in 2D-hexagonal nanostructured silicas. A large variety of silicas was synthesized by varying the nature and the loading of organic precursors. Synthesis of SBA-15 silicas functionalized with sulfanyl, sulfinyl and sulfonyl radicals precursors was achieved according to the sol-gel process. These nanostructured materials led to a dramatic enhancement in the lifetime of generated confined radicals.Alkyl- and arylsulfanyl radicals were formed by photolysis of thiols grafted in silicas. These radicals were trapped by tert-butylphenylnitrone and the resulting spin-adducts got their lifetime strongly enhanced as compared to the same experiment conducted with non-grafted precursors. Direct observation of arylsulfanyl radicals at room temperature was also achieved, the half-lifetime of which was recorded to be several days, even in the presence of dioxygen.Precursors containing a diazene framework grafted onto silica enabled the formation and direct observation of arylsulfanyl, arylsulfinyl and arylsulfonyl radicals by both photolysis at room temperature and thermolysis at 200 °C. Depending on the conditions, half-lifetimes of several hours were recorded for these radicals.

Le contexte de cette thèse est la production du vecteur énergétique hydrogène par thermolyse de la vapeur d’eau consistant en la dissociation de la molécule H2O en oxygène (O) et hydrogène (H). Le dispositif employé est une torche à plasma d’arc non transféré développée au LAEPT. Après l’exposition de la théorie sur la physique des plasmas et la spectrométrie d’émission atomique nécessaire à l’exploitation des mesures, cette thèse présente l’évolution de la torche à plasma ainsi que son environnement nécessitée par la présence de gaz instables et explosifs. Les mesures des différentes grandeurs électriques, hydrauliques et spéctrométriques ont permis la détermination des caractéristiques physique et chimique d’un plasma formé d’un mélange de vapeur d’eau – d’argon. La détermination de grandeurs telles que la température du jet plasma, la conductivité électrique, l’enthalpie massique et la densité électronique, est basée sur la comparaison entre expérimentation et théorie. / The context of this thesis is the production of hydrogen as an energy vector by steam thermolysis consisting in the dissociation of H2O molecule into oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H). The process used is a plasma torch device developed by the LAEPT. After presenting the theory of plasma physics and atomic emission spectroscopy which will help to make the most of the measured realized, this thesis will show the evolution of the plasma torch device and the experimental environment required to work with explosive and unstable gases. Some measurements like electrical, hydraulic and spectroscopy magnitudes made it possible to determine the chemical and physical characteristics of a water vapor – argon plasma. A comparison between experiments and theoretical knowledge will enable to determine the temperature of a flow of plasma, electrical conductivity, enthalpy and the electronic density.

In the area of forensic chemistry, improved or new analysis methods are continually being investigated. One common and powerful technique used in forensic chemistry is wall-coated open-tubular column (WCOT) gas chromatography with electron ionization single quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Improvements to and effectiveness of alternatives to this instrumental platform were explored in an array of parallel inquiries. The areas studied included the column for the chromatographic separation, the universal detection method employed, and the fragmentation method used to enhance molecular identification. <br><br>Superfine-micropacked capillary (SFµPC) columns may provide an alternative to commercial packed GC columns and WCOT GC columns that combines the benefits of the larger sample capacity of packed columns and the benefits of the excellent separation capabilities and mass spectrometry (MS) flow rate compatibility of WCOT columns. SFµPC columns suffer from high inlet pressure requirements and prior reported work has required specialized instrumentation for their use. Fabrication of and chromatography with SFµPC GC columns was successfully achieved with typical GC-MS instrumentation and within the flow rate limit of a MS. Additionally, the use of higher viscosity carrier gasses was demonstrated to reduce the required inlet pressure for SFµPC GC columns.<br><br>Recently, a new vacuum ultraviolet spectrometer (VUV) universal detector has been commercialized for GC. The ability of VUV detectors to acquire absorbance spectra from 125 nm to 430 nm poses a potential alternative to MS. As such, GC-VUV provides an exciting potential alternative approach to achieving excellent quantitative and qualitative analysis across a wide range of analytes. The performance of VUV and MS detectors for forensic analysis in terms of quantitative and qualitative analysis was compared. Analysis of alkylbenzenes in ignitable liquids was explored, which can be important evidence from suspected arson fires and are difficult to differentiate with MS. The VUV detector was found to have superior specificity and comparable sensitivity to the MS detector in scan mode.<br><br>Addition of thermolysis (Th) as an orthogonal fragmentation pathway provides the opportunity to increase the differences between MS fragmentation patterns. Fragmentation has been widely established to aid in identification of molecules with MS by providing characteristic fragments at characteristic relative abundances. However, molecules with very similar structures do not result in sizable spectral differences in all cases with typical MS fragmentation techniques. A series of Th units were fabricated and integrated into GC-Th-MS instruments. Th-MS was conducted with the thermally labile nitrate esters across a range of instrumentation and thermal conditions.<br>