The main waste of wood sanding technology is wood dust. The formation of wood dust affects its behaviour. Wood dust can be in a turbulent form and behaves explosively or in a settled form where it becomes flammable. Dust particles are barely detectable by the naked eye, wood dust still presents substantial health, safety, fire and explosion risks to employees. This article deals with the evaluation of ignition temperature and surface temperature of deposited wood dust samples by selected ignition sources. The influence of selected physical properties of wood dust, the size of the contact area between the ignition source and the combustible material, the spatial arrangement during the ignition and the application time of the ignition source are analysed. The paper describes the behaviour of a 15 mm deposited layer of wood dust of spruce (Picea abies L.), beech (Fagus silvatica L.). oak (Quercus petraea Liebl.) caused by three potential ignition sources—a hot surface, an electric coil and a smouldering cigarette. Prior to the experimental determination of the ignition temperature, dust moisture content which did not significantly affect the ignition phase of the samples, as well as sieve analysis of tested samples were determined. The lowest minimum ignition temperature on the hot plate, as an important property of any fuel, because the combustion reaction of the fuel becomes self-sustaining only above this temperature, was reached by the oak dust sample (280 °C), the highest by the spruce dust sample (300 °C). The ignition process of wood dust was comparable in all samples, differing in the ignition time and the area of the thermally degraded layer. The least effective ignition source was a smouldering cigarette.

Slovakia, as part of the European Union, participates in all forms of regional development and sustainability. A transparent form of regional development and sustainability is regional labeling, which has a 10-year tradition. Our regions represent excellent potential for the development of domestic products. Acceptance of essential requirements for regional products (domestic raw materials, manual work share, respect for the environment) opens up opportunities for the labor market, promotes tourism, and increases citizens’ purchase ability, none of which are clearly demonstrable in Slovak regions. Residents of individual regions have specific approaches in relation to regional brands depending on the region studied. For the purpose of the survey, four regions of southern Slovakia (with common environmental morphology and different industrial development) were selected. Indicators of age, gender, education, monthly income, and location relative to regional product preferences were studied. The results obtained were processed by cluster analysis (as a way of segmenting consumers). An average conscious purchaser of regional products is a local productive middle-aged person with a secondary or tertiary education, either male or female, and from a more economically advanced region. The results show regional branding as a mobilizing function for connecting inhabitants and the subsequent joint presentation of regional activities.

This article deals with the assessment of the hazards of dust waste generated by modern CNC (computer numerical control) technologies from the processing of resin-containing plastic composites. The change of the original material into dusty waste predicts the emergence of new hazardous characteristics such as flammability, explosiveness and adverse effects on employee health. The aim of this article is to determine the experimental measurement of dust particle size, its thermal degradation and safety characteristics. Sieve analysis showed that the representative sample contained a 93.8% weight of particles with a size of less than 0.4 mm. Three degrees of thermal degradation of industrial dust samples and heat production (exo reaction ∑ΔH = 9172.9 J/g) were determined by TG (thermogravimetry), DTA (differential thermal analysis) and DSC (differential scanning calorimetr) methods. The measurement safety characteristics such as the lower explosion limit, the maximum explosion pressure, the maximum pressure rise rate, and the calculated cubic constant confirmed that the dust is an explosive, and is determined as explosion class St1 (determined by Cubic constant).

Thermal Analysis of Granulometry Selected Wood Dust Particles

Thermal Parameters of Beech Wood Dust

Straw, a natural cellulose-based material, has become part of building elements. Eco-panels, compressed straw in a cardboard casing, is used as building insulation. Eco-panel is a secondary product with excellent insulating properties. If suitably fire-treated (insulation and covering), straw panels’ fire resistance may be increased. This contribution deals with monitoring the behavior of eco-panels exposed to a small ignition initiator (flame). The samples consisted of compressed straw boards coated with a 40 mm thick cardboard. Samples were exposed to a flame for 5 and 10 min. The influence of the selected factors (size of the board, orientation of flame with the sample) were compared on the basis of experimentally obtained data: mass loss. The results obtained do not show a statistically significant influence of the position of the sample and the initiating source (flame). The results presented in the article confirm the justifiability of fire tests. As the results of the experiments prove, the position of a small burner for igniting such material is also important. Such weakness of the material can also be eliminated by design solutions in the construction. The experiment on larger samples also confirmed the justifiability of fire tests along with the need for flame retardancy of such material for its safe application in construction.