HYCOFOL-BV project, Deliverable 2: Microbiological characteristics of pre-processed wheat straw - Final report. HYCOFOL-BV project, Deliverable 8: Adjustment of FISH probes and of molecular techniques for the monitoring of bacteria on pre-processed wheat straw - Final report

The HYCOFOL-BV project aims at developing a two-step (thermophilic fermentation, and then photo-fermentation) process of production of hydrogen from wheat straw, a by-product of agricultural origin (in this case for bio-ethanol production). A first report addresses the microbiological characterisation of wheat straw. It present material and methods: pre-processed wheat straw, extraction of bacterial DNA, amplification by PCR, cloning, sequence analysis. Results are discussed in terms of biodiversity of the Bacteria and Arachaea domains. The second report describes the different steps of various adjustments, and technical validations related to the used of FISH bio-reactors. It presents materials and methods (pure cultures of Thermotoga maritima and Rhodobacter capsulatus, tests of FISH probes on pure cultures, inoculation of pulps of wheat straw, extraction of bacterial cells, numberings, image acquisition and analysis). Results are then discussed