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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...

The massive depletion of natural resources, together with the inefficient use of end-of-life materials, results in the generation of vast amounts of waste. The waste material recycling poses a challenge for the present generation and alteration of current material streams needs to be reconsidered to mitigate the consequent environmental burdens. The construction industry produces several millions of tons of brick debris which remain landfilled or, at the best, are used as a substitute for natural aggregates. Howev...

A responsible approach both to the environment and the principles of sustainable development in recent years not only concerns the corporate ecology itself, but it also overlaps into the field of design and construction of buildings. The concept of sustainable construction of buildings, which is based on three main pillars of sustainability, including the quality of the environment, social and cultural aspects as well as economic efficiency, is closely related to it. The main tasks of sustainable construction incl...

Sustainability is a criterion defined since the 1980s, essential in all areas of activity, without which development cannot be acheived. Thermal insulation mattresses produced using sheep wool, successfully meet the conditions imposed by this criterion. This type of building material ensures the responsible use of non-renewable natural resources, the possibility of reuse and recycling of materials, contributes to environmental protection and pollution reduction, energy saving and provides a hygienic and healthy li...

In remote, hard-to-reach areas, renewable energy resources such as the sun or wind are available and can be used to produce green electricity at competitive prices. The disadvantage is that we do not always have the source of energy available (sun at night or continuous wind). This disadvantage can be overcome by using hybrid combinations of two or more renewable energy sources together with the storage of the energy produced, thus ensuring the supply of electricity at very good performance levels and with low cos...

Concrete represents a traditional building material that is commonly applied due to its unique properties, like relatively high compressive strength and long-term durability. Such properties are gained because of its composition consisting of aggregate and cement. The usage of Portland cement, a worldwide available binder with annual production exceeding 4.6 billion tons, brings several environmental loads. One of them is releasing of an important amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Another environment...

The quality and safety of constructions are fundamental requirements that must be ensured starting with the elaboration of the feasibility study until the post-use stage of construction and they are major concerns both of those who contribute to their realization, and of the beneficiaries or users. Due to the advantages of metal constructions, the elements from metal structure are used as structural elements of the construction, they can be used in a wide range of constructions and also, they can be parts for anot...

In the current global context where we talk about the depletion of conventional fuel resources and their impact on the environment, we find that it is necessary to integrate renewable energy sources/resources in new constructions, but also adapt existing constructions in order to reduce energy consumption. This article presents a system with solar thermal collectors combined with PCM phase change materials. During operation, some of that thermal energy may be diverted to a storage system where it is maintained for...

It is known that laminated wood structures are widely used in construction industry due to the advantages of the resulting monolithic composition. However, despite the large number of positive qualities, wood as a filler has certain disadvantages that can reduce the service life of products made of a wood composite material. Thus, wood filler in the process of hardening and drying of composite material, as well as during operation of structures made of this material, can alternately shrink and swell depending on a...