In line with the requirements of the circular economy, the European Union’s waste management legislative changes also concern the treatment of sewage sludge. Although sewage sludge production cannot be prevented, its quantities may be reduced by the synergetic effect of energy recovery via choosing a proper technology. Sewage sludge is difficult to apply as fuel alone, because of its high moisture and ash content. However, its energy use will be increased by adding suitable waste materials (different types of plastics, waste tires and paper rejects). Most recently, the thermal utilization of sewage sludge via incineration or pyrolysis has grown in importance. This article describes the fuel parameters of particular waste materials and of their blends with sewage sludge in connection with laboratory-scale thermal decomposition in an inert atmosphere, for their potential use in a semi-pilot plant pyrolysis unit. For pyrolytic application, the results of thermogravimetric analysis are needed in order to know the maximal temperature of thermal decomposition in an inert atmosphere, maximal mass losses, and weight loss rates. The samples of different thermoplastics mixed with sewage sludge, and low-density polyethylene blends with sewage sludge, had the lowest residual masses (70–74%) and the highest weight loss rates (11–19%/min). On the other hand, the blend of polyester rejects from tire processing, paper rejects and sewage sludge had the second highest residual mass (60%) and the lowest weight loss rate (3%/min).

Following the growing interest in monitoring the status, behavior and impact of micropollutants in the environment, a significant area of concern revolves around the degradation of plastics, which is closely associated with a range of environmental risks. The long-term goal is to investigate the degradation process of plastics in an aqueous environment within controlled laboratory settings and analyze the status of degraded particles over a specific period. The proposed methodology, which is the subject of this paper, aims to achieve this objective. Over the period of one year, both conventional and biodegradable plastics are subjected to the combined effects of UV radiation and water motion. This paper presents the design of laboratory setting and experimental setup for conducting the degradation process. Based on its implementation, the degradation process is evaluated including weight loss and conducting microscopic and FTIR analysis of microplastic particles (MP). By gaining a better comprehension of these processes, we expect to be able to effectively mitigate the adverse environmental consequences caused by plastics.

This paper evaluates the washing interval of the rapid sand filter at the central drinking water treatment plant Nová Ves—Frýdlant nad Ostravicí in the Czech Republic (DWTP Nová Ves). The aim was to conduct automated flow cytometry measurements (FCM) and find the link between FCM and turbidity. The monitor parameters were the length of the wash cycle in hours, the flow rate of the filter and the production, the pumping of the recirculating wash water, and the physico-chemical and microbial analysis of the water samples. The focus of this paper is the detailed characteristics of the filtration mode evaluated during the summer and winter periods. During the measurements, it was confirmed that turbidity replicated the FCM data measured by the FC BactoSense instrument. Turbidity can be identified as one of the key features that can be related to the measurements made. Turbidity and the cell count itself are influenced, among other things, by the pumping of the return water, whereby an increase in the cell count can be observed after the pumping has stopped but gradually stabilizes at the values measured before pumping.

This study investigates the potential use of black coal mining waste as a feedstock for plasma gasification. A national database of coal waste heaps was developed based on standardized criteria such as heap volume (>100,000 m³), accessibility, and environmental risk. From six initially sampled sites, two active and unreclaimed heaps—Jan Karel (Karviná) and Paskov D (Ostrava)—were selected for detailed material analysis due to their favorable characteristics. Subsequent plasma gasification experiments were conducted using sorted coal waste fractions at a temperature of 1600 °C in a pilot-scale plasma reactor. Four trials were performed with fuel flow rates of 15 and 20 kg/h and varying steam/fuel ratios (0.6, 1.0, and 1.3). The results revealed a high syngas yield of up to 92% by volume. Increasing the steam/fuel ratio led to higher hydrogen and carbon dioxide content in the syngas, while lower ratios favored carbon monoxide and trace methane formation. Volt-ampere characteristics of the plasma torch showed that higher nitrogen flow rates required higher voltage to maintain a stable arc. The findings confirm the technical feasibility and efficiency of converting selected coal mining waste into valuable syngas, supporting its future use in advanced waste-to-energy technologies.

This study addresses the issue of water losses in drinking water distribution networks, a problem exacerbated by climate change, drought, and aging infrastructure. The research was conducted in the operational area of Frýdek-Místek, managed by Severomoravské vodovody a kanalizace Ostrava a.s., covering 59 municipalities, 1024.4 km of pipeline, and more than 32,594 service connections. The objective was to evaluate the impact of implementing the “Leakage monitor” software system (ver. 19-11-2024), which focuses on continuous monitoring of minimum night flows (Q_min), on the reduction in Non-Revenue Water (NRW). The system, deployed since 2019, enables automated data collection, remote transmission, and analysis for timely leak detection and localization using acoustic and correlator methods within district metered areas. The results confirmed a reduction in NRW from 14.6% in 2019 to 11.5% in 2024. The implementation of a “Leak monitor” has proven to be an effective tool for improving operational efficiency and ensuring both economic and environmental sustainability of water supply systems.

A technology aimed at reducing extremely high water hardness in Chotěšov, a village in the Czech Republic, was developed and tested. Three treatment methods were evaluated under laboratory conditions: softening filtration using a cation exchange resin in the Na⁺ cycle (resulting in a 72% reduction in hardness); nanofiltration (NF); and reverse osmosis (RO), which reduced hardness by 71% and 96%, respectively. The mixing of the permeate with treated groundwater at a volume ratio of 1:1 resulted in a further reduction in hardness to 41% with NF permeate and to 53% with RO permeate, relative to the original value.