Each year in France the building industry generates around 1,4 Mt of treated wood waste. Currently no recycling of this biomass is possible due to the toxicity of the compounds used for preservation, mainly alkaline copper quaternary and copper azole formulations. This project aims at identifying and developing a strategy using microorganisms and/or microbial enzymes as biocatalysts to remove toxic preservative compounds from wood waste in order to both (i) limit the impact of these molecules on environment and human health, and (ii) use these tons of wastes as new resource for industrial valorization of wood polymer and copper extraction. The working hypotheses are based on the fact that in natural environment, some fungal strains are highly resistant to fungicides used for wood preservation, and fungi and bacteria, either individually or in consortia of microorganisms, are efficient organisms for complex molecules breakdown and metal sequestration. We will work with the model fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium since we have already shown that it is able to bypass the toxicity of copper/azole compounds. Moreover, 9 bacterial strains have been isolated from its mycosphere. These bacteria, which naturally cooperate with the fungus in a context of wood degradation and which exhibit interesting features regarding complex molecules and metal detoxification capabilities, will be tested as helper for wood decontamination. Indeed, it has been described many times in the literature that a consortium of microorganisms is more efficient than a single species in bioremediation mainly because of the induction of cryptic enzymatic pathways or complementary actions. The sub-objectives of the project aim at (i) evaluating the fate of copper and azoles in wood according to time after fungicide treatment by mapping the quantity and repartition of the compounds in various wood wastes (from 1 to 15 years after copper/azole treatment), (ii) determining the best conditions (medium, microbial strains, “age” of wood after treatment) for an efficient biological wood decontamination process, by developing a microcosm using a consortium of fungi and bacteria, (iii) identifying and characterizing the microbial enzymes and molecules (ie siderophores) directly involved in the decontamination process and (iiii) validating the upscaling potential of the process by testing the decontamination efficiency of the microorganisms and/or purified or semi-purified molecular actors in bioreactors. This will allow quantifying the remaining polymers and extractives in the decontaminated wood for subsequent chemical valorization. The scientific consortium is composed of molecular biologists, wood chemists and an industrial partner and will provide complementary skills to achieve the objectives. This project will provide fundamental information on the microbial detoxification systems but it will also give a proof of concept showing that microorganisms can be used to decontaminate wood waste. In the future this biological process could be developed at a larger scale to set up a process needed by industrials to valorize their wood wastes.

This project aims to develop new low-carbon bio-based phase change material (PCM) composites from waste resources that can be used for sustainable buildings. This project will first evaluate the influence of microstructure, ratio, and orientation of components on the solid-liquid phase transition, thermo-hygro-mechanical coupling properties, and energy storage capacity of these bio-PCM composites at the material (micro-macro) scale. It also provides effective experimental and modeling approaches to assess the thermo-hygro-mechanical coupling properties, hygrothermal comfort, and energy consumption at wall and room scales under different climate conditions—which has remained elusive to date. The outcome of this research will address several important scientific questions in the literature.

Cogeneration - Combined Heat and Power generation by gas micro-turbine (micro-CHP) - is a very progressive industrial and ecological concept, since it can reach a very high efficiency up to 90%, and greatly minimize CO2 and NOX emission. Metals are currently used in gas micro-turbine applications, as their thermal, mechanical and dymanic characteristics are well known. However, metals are approaching their limit with respect to maximum operating temperature, and alternatives are being sought. To fully reveal its potentials, CHP turbine shall operate at very high temperature, about 1350°. The use of metallic materials is therefore no more possible and ceramic material must be considered. Ceramics present a promising alternative as they are generally lighter and having considerably higher strength at high temperatures, better refractory and corrosion-resistance than metals. Ceramic gas turbine can run at temperatures up to 1370°C compared to about 700°C of all-metal turbines. That is why ceramic turbines can achieve 30-40% greater efficiency than all-metal turbines. If high-temperature ceramics were incorporated through-out gas turbines in the electricity generation sector, 1.4 quads of energy could be saved annually (Data of U.S. Department of Energy, 2010). This Project aims to develop an innovative apparatus for low-power cogeneration of heat and electrical energy (2.0 kW power) operating with gaseous fuels such as natural gas or propane and adaptable to other fuels in the future. Within this system, the electricity will be produced by a micro-ceramic turbine driving an electric generator integrated into a rotating assembly mounted on gas bearings. Targeted outcomes are an electrical efficiency of about 28% to 30%. Miniaturised electric generator of original design will meet these technical specifications as well as safety requirements for electric devices. A total return (electricity + heat) is targeted close to 90% due to ceramic heat ecxhanger. Along with this, micro-CHP apparatus will feature extremely low pollution levels thanks to ceramic combustion chamber of a specific design. The Project propose radically innovative “integrated design- and manufacturing” approach to manufacture micro-CHP apparatus, since the straight-forward attempts for miniarturisation / ceramisation of metallic turbines have clearly shown their uselessness. To make a real step-forward in micro-CHP, the Project aims is to combine (i) innovative ceramic engineering powders specially tailored for high-temperature mecanical applications; (ii) a newly developed design of micro-turbines: helical internal channels that will replace classical miniaturized blades in the turbines; (iii) Selective Laser Sintering as manufacturing technolology as it is the unique currently existing production process allowing complex customised ceramic parts with controlled external and internal geometry. Two prototypes of cogeneration apparatus will be delivered and comprehensivelly characterised for their performance. An engineering study of micro-CHP implementation itno domestic heater will be also accomplished taking into account the existing relevant technical / explitation / safety reglamentations. A functional prototype of domestic cogenerator will be realised and tested in the industrial test-bench by project partner SILENE.

The research project "CoolWood" aims to develop an innovative conservation of wood material for optimum support of its quality during storage and thus enabling new modes of organization in the forest / wood industry. The quality of raw and processed wood is constantly challenged by attacks of biological origin. In the absence of conservation measures, the woods become unsuitable for most technological uses after a period depending on the species and weather conditions, they can lose up to their full market value. Maintaining the quality of wood during storage is therefore a key issue, as part of "normal" functioning of the forest / wood industries but also in situations of emergency following storms or forest epidemics. Although the last major storms in France in 1999 and 2010 respectively have landed 140 million and 40 million m3 of windthrow (trees blown over). The general principle of protection of the woods is the realization of conditions minimizing the development of wood-destroying organisms by chemical treatment or by acting on the wood moisture content, oxygen content of the atmosphere or ambient temperature. The effect of temperature on the preservation of wood, although it is recognized, has never been seriously explored systematically on a scientific viewpoint. Its technological implementation has never been studied. In response to this gap and in order to achieve the definition of an operational prototype, the objective of the research project "CoolWood" is, through a program lasting 43 months, to validate the feasibility Scientific method of preservation of logs by controlling the temperature and humidity and then design an industrial process optimized technically, economically and environmentally, to evaluate its performance and its preparation for future implementation through to an industrial prototype. This work is underpinned by a patent that one of the project partners filed on an innovative wood preservative during storage by temperature control. Our process meets the needs of structuring the forest / wood industry, industrial needs by improving product quality and also to societal needs in crisis situations. It can replace existing processes that remain generally unreliable for certain pollutants or heavy users of water resources. The sustainable development aspect is thus a strong component in the project. Finally the economic aspect is also very present in the benefits of this process, particularly through industrial competitiveness gains expected and the contribution that the process can make to the objective of increasing logging initiated by French government (increased wood mobilization Forest + 60% of the volume between 2009 and 2020).