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Thermal conductivity plays a crucial role in the design of external walls of buildings. This paper is focused on measuring the thermal conductivity coefficient of blocks made of structural lightweight waste aggregate concrete. The concrete mixture contained waste red ceramics fine aggregate and artificial expanded clay coarse aggregate. Replacing conventional aggregates with waste aggregates is one of the possibilities for the sustainable design of concrete construction today. A nondestructive method using the ISO...

In response to the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus, many countries adopted control and mitigation measures (e.g., lockdown, social distancing, intermittent attendance, etc.) that significantly increase the amount of time people spend inside the built environment. Nevertheless, the need to resume activities in attendance and ensure the continuity of businesses that cannot be stopped has led to the adoption of measures to reduce the risk of contagion, mainly involving increased ventilation of indoor environmen...

The construction sector is one of the major consumers of non-renewable energy and natural resources, but also an important factor in increasing global warming and climate change by producing greenhouse gases. In Europe, around 30% of CO2 emissions and 36% of total greenhouse gases are a direct or indirect consequence of the construction sector. At EU level it is estimated that 40% of energy consumption is due to public / private sector buildings. All EU policies regarding climate, energy efficiency and the use of ...

Buildings, including public sector buildings, are the largest consumers of energy re-sources. The aim of the work was to assess the energy saving potential of state consum-ers of the municipal territory in order to determine the efficiency of energy consumption in individual buildings and to determine the directions of the most profitable investment to improve energy efficiency. An analysis of the specific consumption of 23 buildings managed by the municipality of Yakovlevsky district of the Belgorod region (Russi...

Nowadays, along with creating materials with enhanced mechanical characteristics, it became important in the light of ecological problems, to design eco-friendly materials capable to disappear with time after fulfilling functions, in other words to develop biodegradable mechanically strong materials. The chemistry and technology of biodegradable polymers is one of the most important and rapidly developing fields of modern polymer science. A lot of biodegradibel polymers (BPs) were created mostly for medical applic...

Walking is the oldest way of transporting a person from place to place. Nevertheless, in the last decades, insufficient emphasis has been placed on it when planning the development and renewal of settlements in the Czech Republic. In recent decades, public space has been purposefully adapted to car traffic, which degrades it aesthetically, functionally, and air quality. This approach has been gradually changing in recent years. Large cities are once again turning to walk as a basic way of transporting people and a...

One of the circular economy’s principals is to «keep products and materials in use». Geopolymerization technology is promising enough to support this principle as it exploits wastes and by-products as alternative raw materials streams. However, the challenge that must be overcome to commercialize geopolymers is the substitution of the caustic alkaline solution that activates the aluminosilicate raw material. The introduction of solid activators in the process has given great results. This paper deals with the synt...

The carbon fiber composite plate is finding their increasing importance as structural material in civil building, construction equipment, aviation and marine applications. Most often, reinforced concrete structures are strengthened due to internal reinforcement corrosion, freeze-thaw action or weak original design. The carbon fibers composite plate is used in strengthen and to improve the structure's load-bearing capacity, stiffness, and service life. But despite the good reinforcing properties of composite materi...

Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), a cheap carbon-based material with large surface-to-volume ratio, are currently broadly investigated as a promising reinforcement for composite materials in building industry to enhance particularly their mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. However, the uniform dispersion of GNPs in composite material is a crucial factor to fully manifest their superior properties. This study is aimed at the design of environmentally friendly composite material based on magnesium oxychlor...

Investigation object: The paper describes the influence of the use of highly effective superplasticizer on the conductivity of cement paste. The paper shows the possibility of improvement the electrical and technological properties of electrically conductive concrete by modifying them with polycarboxylate superplasticizers. Electrically conductive concretes can be used to obtain resistive heaters for snow and ice melting, which are more ecological, then the use of chemical reagents, traditionally used for deicing....

Rice production is highly important for economy of Brazil. The residual husk of rice production is usually burned and causes a worthless ash for agriculture. Rice husk ash has high silica content. As silica is one of the most used pozzolanas in construction industry, rice husk ash is expected to develop pozzolanic activity in concrete. Considering the specific case of Montes Claros region in Brazil, an exploratory study with the goal to check the effect in the concrete properties when cement is partially replaced ...

Magnesia based cement is known for over 150 years. Compared to Portland cement (PC), magnesium potassium cement (MPC) is more environmentally friendly material, because of its high carbonation capability and a lower environmental impact on the overall ecosystem quality and resources than PC. Fast setting connected with high early strength leads to the satisfying parameters achieved after a few hours. Therefore, MPC finds use as the concrete repair material for buildings, roads or concreting runways, etc. In the pr...

Polycrystalline photovoltaic (PV) panels of various orientations were installed in Riga, Latvia, for long-term monitoring and determination of the efficiency in real operation conditions depending on the environmental parameters. Results of the first couple of years of monitoring are summarised in this paper. Analysis of the available energy and environmental data allows for the quantitative estimation of actual efficiency depending on spatial orientation and following comparison with manufacturer?s values. The cl...

The European mining industry is an active sector. Mining operations disturb large volumes of land and produce huge quantities of waste. The tailings dams of the mining industry occupy large areas representing a huge cost in terms of operation/maintenance, health, safety, environment and economy. This paper is an overview of the possible sustainable waste management strategies that are targeted on the reuse of residues as secondary resources. Therefore, it is focused on restoring mine tailings as inert materials to...

The European mining industry is an active sector. Mining operations disturb large volumes of land and produce huge quantities of waste. The tailings dams of the mining industry occupy large areas representing a huge cost in terms of operation/maintenance, health, safety, environment and economy. This paper is an overview of the possible sustainable waste management strategies that are targeted on the reuse of residues as secondary resources. Therefore, it is focused on restoring mine tailings as inert materials to...

In the area of transport infrastructures, spontaneous vegetation is exposed to a considerable safety risk and combated by chemical or mechanical means [1]. Glyphosate is one of the most widely used agents worldwide. Glyphosate is harmful to the environment and to health; As a result, alternative and environmentally friendly solutions are being researched in many places [2]. As part of the research project Green Logix of the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, an analysis of the plant growth with different ro...

Biofilms on exterior plasters deserve an attention as they affect not only the aesthetical appearance of buildings, but also their hygric and thermal performance that can subsequently results in an initiation of degradation processes. Understanding of biofilms growth mechanisms can be therefore efficiently exploited to avoid such conditions that are convenient for their propagation. This paper therefore combines experimental and computational techniques to predict the biofilms growth rate on lime plasters when exp...

The magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) as an alternative to commonly used Portland cement (PC) has been intensively studied in the past decade. Compared to PC it is more environmentally sustainable and it can be considered as CO2-neutral due to the low calcination temperature of the raw materials and its ability to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. The objective of this paper was to develop a composite material based on MOC, containing partially oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (partially oxidized MWCNTs) in o...

The diagnosis of existing structures determines the current state of the selected object. In order to diagnose structures as accurately as possible, it is necessary to choose reliable and effective survey methods, which are used to achieve objective and reliable results. When choosing destructive physical analysis, which includes, for example, concrete cores, accurate and appropriate results are obtained. However, the disadvantage of these methods is that they result in irreversible damage to the structure. For th...

The interiors of buildings are often overheated in summer. The integration of Phase Change Material (PCM) into the building structure can reduce the temperature in the interior because PCMs are able to store latent heat at normal indoor air temperatures. This paper presents the results of the research of mechanical and thermal properties of interior plasters with an increasing proportion of PCM. These plasters were made of gypsum, and microencapsulated PCM Micronal DS 5008 X was used. Two sets of samples with an i...

The stone industry is one of the most essential industries in the Alpine region. This research aims to evaluate the possibility of reusing secondary waste materials produced by the quarry sector as aggregates in Ultra-High-Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC). The secondary materials involved were Diabase Sand, Diabase Powder, Dolomite Sand and Dolomite Gravel from crushed stone quarries from the regions of Carinthia and Tyrol in Austria, as well as Limestone Powder from the preparation and production of...

Natural zeolites having a structure with a large number of cavities allow design lightweight plasters with improved thermal insulation parameters. Focusing on the assessment of plasters’ durability, their resistance to salt damage should to be taken into consideration, especially in case of their application in repair of salt laden masonry. Although the crystallization of salts in plasters presents a serious problem, there is as yet no standard procedure for its evaluation. To predict salt damage of lime-based pla...

The rising global average temperature was the main topic at the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference in Glasgow during the climate summit in 2021 (COP26). The meeting aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and to discuss the transfer of funds to developing countries. The Europen Green Deal has the same goals. The European Commission aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Climate change has a negative impact on environmental biodiversity, the occurrence of natural disasters, and human health...

One of the significant problems in terms of the mining impact on environment is abandoned (due to various factors) deposits and tailings accumulated on landfills. In addition, one of the most important resources for the development of mining is the inclusion of raw materials (as non-industrial stocks) in the economy. There are two ways to solve these problems: a) to achieve economic profitability of the deposit by improving the technologies of extraction and processing of basic raw materials, and b) to develop inn...

The paper presents some aspects of an experimental research in which basic recipes have been designed in order to obtain innovative products to be used in construction as finishing coatings. Starting from sunflower seed shells, considered a waste rather a by-product resulting from the industry of edible sunflower oil, and also from rough sheep wool, an animal waste from the zootechnical field, and also from the specific thermal insulating characteristics of theese two waste materials, a serie of basic recipes was ...

Among its activities, the construction industry has a significant impact on the environment. In recent years, therefore, emphasis has been placed on the sustainability of building structures and materials, and ways and means are being sought to achieve this. Specifically, it is about reducing emissions and using the waste produced by recycling materials, e.g. aggregate. The motivation for using recycled aggregates is also to reduce dependence on natural resources, which are declining. The article deals with the as...

The use of information and communication technologies has many benefits. Based on many studies, their level is not sufficient. This can be caused by several factors and obstacles. Communication and ICT competencies are one of the key factors for the active use of advanced technologies for the management of sustainable construction projects. This digital age requirements systematic communication and project management. In this pandemic time, it can be considered an even more important requirement. It is the level o...

The reduction of fuel consumption in the engine was experimentally investigated in cogeneration system with the participation of 1:4000 vol. CeO2 concentrate (Bluediesel): diesel fuel. CeO2 concentrate purifies combustion chamber and after burns hydrocarbons which in turn affects lowering the fuel consumption. This work was carried out with the engine load at the level of 0-4000W and it shows that in the presence of the Bluediesel concentrate, fuel consumption is 5-7 wt. % lower than in case of diesel oil consumpt...

Current sources of energy used to power motor vehicles are fuels produced on the basis of crude oil (gasoline, diesel oil). In the near future, these fuels must be replaced with other substances with similar properties that enable them to power the engines of motor vehicles. The amount of conventional fuels is limited and with the ever-growing demand for this raw material, implying, among others, price increase, it is necessary to look for alternative fuels - for traditional mixtures. According to the assumptions ...

processes and stages carried out to achieve imposed performance objectives. The activities involved in the construction process are characterized by their own level of importance and each must comply with the established monitoring and execution plan, respecting the required specifications, especially in the case of concealed works. According to theoretical research, concealed works are those works or construction elements, which, once completed, can be viewed or inspected with the help of special intervention mea...

Samples of biodegradable composite material obtained by mixing a biodegradable polymer (PLA) as a matrix and chopped fine wood as a filler were developed. The filler in the samples was preliminary thermally modified at various temperatures. Composites were studied for biodegradation in alkaline solutions of NaOH and KOH. It was found that the biodegradability of pure PLA was significantly lower than that of composites based on PLA and a wood filler. In addition, the experiments revealed that by adjusting the degre...

In recent years, the European Commission (EC) has increased interest in environmental issues, focusing its attention on the green economy concept. Green Public Procurement (GPP) is a voluntary tool that integrates environmental criteria with all steps of the process of purchasing goods and services. With the first Public Procurement directives, the EC introduces a useful framework to define guidelines for the adoption of GPP. In Italy, the definition of the GPP National Action Plan (GPP NAP) for the environmental ...

This paper describes the influence of biomass ash (BA) from wooden chips processing on the properties of magnesium potassium phosphate cement (MKPC) mortar. The MKPC belongs to chemically bonded cementitious binders and is formed through the reaction between the dead burned magnesia (MgO), KH2PO4 and water. The dead burned magnesia powder as well as the biomass ash were first analysed by XRF, particle size distribution and specific density. In the production of MKPC-based composites, the biomass ash was used in th...

This paper presents the results of the comparison of various measures to reduce the indoor air temperature in the attic room in summer. The building with attic rooms in Brno in the Czech Republic was chosen for this research. The building was modeled in the DesignBuilder software and compared with the measured results in the given period to optimize the model. After verifying the correctness of the model, six different alternatives of shading measures were one by one added in the model, and simulations were run. O...

Foam glass is one of the materials for which it is possible to use glass waste of lower quality, which cannot be used for the production of classic glass products. Foam glass aggregate is a very interesting raw material, which, although it does not reach the quality of conventional foamed glass, but has a number of very interesting properties, thanks to which it can be used for the production of composites with a very good ratio of thermal insulation, acoustic and mechanical properties. The paper describes the res...

At present, the consumption of thermal and acoustic insulating materials is increasing worldwide, therefore it is very important to look for possible ways how to produce these materials from secondary raw materials and thus save the primary material base. In the textile and automotive industry, a number of wastes are produced which contain very high purity PES fibers, often comparable with primary PES fibers. In general, most types of PES fibers used in industry have a very low thickness (between 10 and 20 microns...

Alkali-activated aluminosilicates and geopolymers in the dry-state are typical dielectrics which is a limiting factor for their utilization in new sophisticated ways in construction industry. Nevertheless, such an issue can be solved by using various electrically conductive admixtures to attain reasonable electrical properties that ensure new functional properties, such as self-heating or self-sensing. Self-heating ability is attained by the addition of electrically conductive aggregates or sufficient amount of me...

Investment in the insulation of houses is a topical issue nowadays, as the costs associated with heating make up a significant part of operating costs. Therefore, thermal insulation can be understood as a form of long-term investment, which main goal is to reduce energy performance and thus the operating costs required for housing. In recent years, it has been possible to observe the global effort to reduce daily energy consumption both in the construction sector and in other sectors. It should be borne in mind th...

This article describes experimental measurement and evaluation of the thermal-technical properties of historical masonry of the perimeter wall. It focuses on the principles of the measurement process itself as well as the evaluation of the obtained data. The measurement took place on a historic building, today used as an office building, located in the city of Ostrava, in the Czech Republic. In a selected room, used as an office, the measuring equipment was applied to the perimeter wall and ensured long-term measu...

Efficient management of operating costs, processes and premises usage has currently become one of the basic requirements of building owners and operators. This results in an effort being made to optimize these costs in order to provide comfort and safety of both the employees and people present in the buildings, while not wasting basic operating media and human labour at the same time. Such optimization is dealt with by Facility Management. Its concept is slightly diverse in different countries as the definition o...

The printer?s building and its associated operating costs are usually (after its payroll) the company?s second highest expense and a major factor in determining its environmental impact. The energy consumed in buildings is about 25-40% of final energy consumption, plus the related carbon footprint. Some printers have re-invented their working environment to improve their overall economic and environmental efficiency ? a ?lean and green? strategy. It must be recognized that the printing industry is part of an ecosy...

The construction sector is one of the most material-intensive and power-consuming industries having a negative impact on the environment. The adverse environmental factors include greenhouse gas emissions, depletion of natural raw materials, extensive landfilling or dumping in the sea. In this regard, resource conservation, waste minimization, as well as the reduction of harmful substances emissions into the atmosphere, hydrosphere and soil are considered currently as the most significant environmental challenges....

In the presented study, new types of lightweight plasters for passive moderation of interior climate were designed and tested. The examined plasters were composed of blended mineral binder (cement-lime or gypsum-lime), silica sand, perlite, chemical additives, and batch water. For the basic characterization of studied materials, bulk density, specific density, and total open porosity were measured. The mechanical resistance of the developed plasters was assessed in flexural and compressive strength tests. The ther...

Magnesium oxychloride (MOC) cement-based composites were studied in the presented paper. As filler, silica sand was used and partially replaced with fly ash from coal combustion. First, the chemical composition and basic physical properties of raw materials were tested. For the hardened composites, bulk density, specific density, and total open porosity were measured. Among mechanical parameters, flexural and compressive strengths were determined. The thermal performance of composites was studied using a transient...

The objective of this paper to study the mechanical properties of natural fiber fabrics and to promote their use as a strengthening technique to reinforced concrete structures. The materials used are the natural hemp fibers and synthetic glass fibers as control material. The natural hemp fibers have been known since ancient times and remain relevant today. In fact, in civil engineering the use of composite carbon fiber material, although recent is an interesting alternative application in the field of strengthenin...

It is generally accepted that organic agriculture as a production system is aimed at the health of soils, ecosystems and people. Such land use and management combines experience, innovation and science to improve the environment, ensure a high standard of living and achieve the goal of sustainable development. It should be recognized that there are different approaches to the future of organic farming among scientists and practitioners. Some experts say that in modern economic and demographic conditions, organic a...

One of the most common areas of wood use is the creation of composite materials based on it. Moreover, active research on preliminary heat treatment of wood filler in the production of various composites has been carried out in recent years. This is due to the fact that heat treatment of wood is an environmentally friendly method that allows changing its color and performance properties, as well as reduce various negative factors: the impact of fungi and other biological organisms, shrinkage and warping in conditi...

To address the global energy problem, energy from the solar source remains the most encouraging solution for buildings with a difficult-to-achieve goal such as achieving zero net energy consumption. In a solar thermal system, integrated solar collectors in buildings can convert the absorbed solar energy into thermal energy and can be better exploited in an area of the facade, while acting as an integral component of the building envelope, with good sun exposure. The aesthetic character and functionality of this te...

The structural design of concrete structures needs to result in qualities ensuring structural safety and serviceability, together with durability, robustness, sustainability and resilience. Due to this, the effects of mechanical load, environmental load and even social coherence need to be reflected and included in the formulation of limit states. This is a complex matter involving the time factor, service life, degradation effects, modelling, probability analyses, limit states, costs and other phenomena, and it i...

Currently, many researchers around the world have been focused on applying existing natural resources beside artificial and agricultural waste in RCC mixtures for dam construction to improve the properties of the resulting concrete, produce a greener RCC, and therefore, to protect surrounding environment. The aim of this experimental study is to estimate and compare pozzolanic activity of some active mineral additives used in roller compacted concrete for dam construction by using saturated lime solution method. T...