The Benin Sustainable and Secure Access to Electrical Energy Project (PADSBEE), initiated by the Government of Benin, aims to develop sustainable access to electricity through the construction of new lines to extend distribution networks. The construction of overhead distribution lines requires perfect knowledge and application of the climatic, electrical and geometric constraints to which they are subject. Our work thus consists in designing a software package for the electrical and mechanical dimensioning of medium-voltage overhead lines, with its application to the 3 km long 20 kV overhead line in the town of Come, in the Mono department. Based on the characteristics of the conductor to be used, the current criteria and the maximum permissible voltage drop, the electrical dimensioning allowed us to determine an Almelec conductor with a cross-section of 75.5 mm2 and composite insulators with a 490 mm creepage distance. From a mechanical point of view, verification of clearances to obstacles led to the selection of reinforced concrete supports 12 m in line and at a standstill, and 13 m at an angle. Wind and conductor loads on the supports led to the selection of Class A supports with a force of 300 daN in alignment, a Class A support with a force of 800 daN at an angle, and Class C supports with a force of 2000 daN at a stop. Reinforcements are of the sheet-vault type in alignment, horizontal stirrup in angle and single cross-member anchorage in stop.

The development of biodegradable food packaging is one of the environmental protection issues. The aims of this study is the development and mechanical characterisation of bio-composites that can be used as food packaging based on Musa sapientum leaves and cassava starch. The physical characterisation of the constituents showed that the water content of the starch and the leaf fibres used are 10.44 ± 0.51% and 10.88 ± 1.08% respectively. The water absorption capacity of the leaf fibres and the starch are respectively 33.33 ± 4.44% and 76.67 ± 4.44%. Particle size analysis has shown that 99.93% of the fibres used are less than 1mm in size. The material samples were made by compression moulding and are composed of 10 to 25% starch with 50% water. The Young's modulus in bending of the materials produced varies between 0.07 and 3.37 MPa and the breaking strength in bending between 5.48 and 29.29 MPa. These two parameters increase with the starch content. In tensile strength, the materials obtained are fragile and have low deformation at break varying from 0.61% to 1.53%. The tensile strength of these materials varies between 0.01 and 0.99 MPa and increases with the starch content. The best formulations would be those containing 20% starch with 50% water. The process developed could enable the development of innovative materials for biodegradable food packaging.