Abstract: A thermoelectric module comprises an odd number of thermoelements (1a, 2a, 1b) connected electrically in series and disposed thermally in parallel. The electrical current flowing through a heat exchanger (9) is conducted into the module by metallic members (8a, 8b) and by first and second types of connectors (4a, 4b and 6a, 6b).

Abstract: The rapid pyrolysis of lignocellulosic products, especially forest waste, is conducted in a fluidized bed of hot refractory particles. The pyrolysis products, comprising solid carbonaceous residue (i.e., char), tars and gas, escape from the bed and cross an overheating zone comprising a packed bed contactor supplied by a rainfall of hot refractory particles. The carbonaceous solid residue is then separated from the produced gases, a portion of which is recycled to fluidize the bed, and burned in a conveyed bed combustion reactor, thus heating the refractory particles that supply the packed bed contactor and the fluidized bed.

Abstract: The invention relates to denaturation compositions for waterbase paints. These compositions are constituted by aqueous solutions containing effective amounts of at least one sulphate of iron (II), of magnesium or of manganese. To control the precipitation conditions of the denatured paint, these solutions may also contain a surface active agent which is a polyether of the form ##STR1## in which R is an alkyl, aryl, aryl-alkyl or alkyl-aryl group, containing at least 10 carbon atoms, and n and p are whole numbers of which one may be zero, n+p being comprised between 12 and 100.