Objective CELLULOSE IS THE MOST ABUNDANT ORGANIC COMPOUND IN WASTES FROM FOREST PRODUCTS, AGRICULTURE, FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. THE BEST UTILISATION OF THIS CELLULOSE COULD BE OBTAINED BY FERMENTATION TO PRODUCE CH4, H2, ALCOHOLS, SOLVENTS... IN THIS PROCESS, ANAEROBIC CELLULOLYTIC BACTERIA PLAY AN ESSENTIAL FUNCTION, UNFORTUNATELY LITTLE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ABOUT THESE BACTERIA. ONLY TWO ANAEROBIC CELLULOLYTIC BACTERIA HAVE BEEN ISOLATED: CLOSTRIDIUM CELLOBIOPARUM AND CLOSTRIDIUM THERMOCELLUM, SO IT IS A NECCESSITY TO SCREEN THESE BACTERIA, TO DETERMINE THEIR PROPERTIES AND TO SELECT THE SPECIES THAT MAY BE THE MOST ACTIVE. FROM THESE STUDIES IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO FIND OPTIMUM FERMENTATION CONDITIONS. IN OUR LABORATORY A NEW SPECIES OF AN ANAEROBIC THERMOPHILE CELLULOLYTIC BACTERIA WAS ISOLATED; ITS ACTION ON CELLULOSIC SUBSTRATES IS UNDER INVESTIGATION. NOW WORK IS UNDERTAKEN TO ISOLATE CELLULOLYTIC, MESOPHILIC CLOSTRIDIA WITH PURE ISOLATES, STUDIED COMBINAISONS OF CELLULOLYTIC BACTERIA AND METHANOGENIC BACTERIA OR ACETONE-BUTANOL PRODUCING BACTERIA WILL BE UNDER INVESTIGATION. THIS APPROACH SHOULD PROVIDE BASIC INFORMATION FOR THE EXPLOITATION OF CELLULOSE AS A SOURCE OF FUEL AND CHEMICAL FEEDSTOCK. Programme(s) PRE-RAWMAT 2C - Research and development programme (EEC) in the raw materials sector, 1982-1985 Topic(s) Data not available Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme Data not available Coordinator Université de Nancy I (Université Henri Poincaré) EU contribution No data Address INSTITUT NATIONAL POLYTECHNIQUE DE LORRAINE (INLP) 24 RUE LIONNAIS 54013 NANCY France See on map Total cost No data