Use of composts and vermicomposts and their extracts together with bioffectors for growing of plants.

The aim of this project will be to determine the influence of conditions during composting and vermicomposting of biodegradable waste of organic matter on physical-chemical properties of compost and vermicompost extracts. From this point of view mainly the content of basic nutrients and humin substances will be monitored and also the possible content of risk elements. In the same purpose the presence of different types of microorganisms in these extracts will be investigated and the enzyme activity of microorganisms in their extracts will be also determined. The extracts will be simultaneously prepared under aerobic and unaerobic conditions in different portion among the organic matter and its leachate and each sample variants will be compared to above conditions. The real effect of extracts applied on grown plants or into a soil including the fungicide effect of sample extracts during pot experiments will be reported. The effect of extracts will be also compared with commercial bioeffectors

Use of composts and vermicomposts and their extracts together with bioffectors for growing of plants.

The aim of this project will be to determine the influence of conditions during composting and vermicomposting of biodegradable waste of organic matter on physical-chemical properties of compost and vermicompost extracts. From this point of view mainly the content of basic nutrients and humin substances will be monitored and also the possible content of risk elements. In the same purpose the presence of different types of microorganisms in these extracts will be investigated and the enzyme activity of microorganisms in their extracts will be also determined. The extracts will be simultaneously prepared under aerobic and unaerobic conditions in different portion among the organic matter and its leachate and each sample variants will be compared to above conditions. The real effect of extracts applied on grown plants or into a soil including the fungicide effect of sample extracts during pot experiments will be reported. The effect of extracts will be also compared with commercial bioeffectors

Nitrate-Alkaline Pulp from Non-Wood Plants

Because there is a lack of wood resources in many countries, this work focused on pulp and paper production from the waste and agricultural residues of non-wood plants. The work aimed to pulp the nitrate-alkaline of black mustard (Brassica Nigra L.) and camelina (Camelina Sativa L.). The black mustard and the camelina were selected due to the expanding planted areas of these crops in the Czech Republic. To characterize the chemical composition of black mustard and camelina, cellulose, lignin, ash, and extractives were determined. Raw alpha-cellulose, beta-cellulose, and gamma-cellulose were also measured. The results showed that the content of lignin in non-wood plants is lower than that in softwoods. The cooked pulp was characterized by the delignification degree–Kappa number. Additionally, handsheet papers were made for selected samples of pulp. The handsheet papers were characterized by tensile index, breaking length, and smoothness and compared with commonly available papers

Colour and Chemical Changes of Black Locust Wood during Heat Treatment

Black locust is a fast-growing deciduous tree species with multiple industrial purposes due to its valuable traits. However, the heterogeneity of colour distribution between sapwood and heartwood limits its application. Thermal modification is an environment-friendly technology for improving various wood properties, especially dimensional stability, decay resistance, and colour homogeneity. In this work, black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) wood samples were thermally modified at temperatures of 160, 180, and 210 °C. Extractives and main wood components were analysed by wet chemical methods, colour was measured by spectrometry, and structural changes by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The obtained results show that the darkening of black locust wood, unlike other wood species of the temperate zone, is mainly caused by changes in extractives. Their content decreases during thermal treatment, but new chromophores are formed, especially in quinones. Degradation of hemicelluloses and the partial degradation of cellulose also contribute to colour changes. At higher temperatures, condensation reactions can occur in lignin, leading to the formation of some chromophores. Statistical analysis confirmed that temperature can be considered a very significant factor affecting the colour of the wood surface

Availability and Applicability of Wood and Crop Residues for the Production of Wood Composites

Due to high levels of volatility in both the agricultural and the forestry commodity markets, specifically, of timber and agricultural crops, it is important to identify the risks associated with the stability of supplies necessary for the production of composite materials in the Czech Republic. This study aims to accurately estimate the availability of selected raw materials that contain lignocellulose over the next 20 years. In addition, their suitability for the production of composite materials is assessed based on their physical properties. Furthermore, in the event of scarcity involving timber in the European Union, recycled wood and post-harvest residues could replace conventional raw materials in wood-based composites such as particleboards and chipboards. The viable potential of Czech forests is predicted to be between 740 and 750 million cubic meters of timber. For agricultural crops, it is estimated at 0.9 million hectares of wheat and 0.5 million hectares of canola under the current EU biofuel policy and at 0.4 million hectares if this policy is removed. According to moisture and fibre analyses carried out in our study, the most suitable candidate for wood-based composites production is soft wood

Physicochemical Properties of Biobutanol as an Advanced Biofuel

Biobutanol is a renewable, less polluting, and potentially viable alternative fuel to conventional gasoline. Biobutanol can be produced from same sources as bioethanol, and it has many advantages over the widespread bioethanol. This paper systematically analyzes biobutanol fuel as an alternative to bioethanol in alcohol–gasoline mixtures and the physicochemical properties. Based on the conducted analyses, it was found that biobutanol mixtures have a more suitable behavior of vapor pressure without the occurrence of azeotrope, do not form a separate phase in lower temperature, it has higher energy density, but slightly reduce the octane number and a have higher viscosity. However, in general, biobutanol has many advantageous properties that could allow its use in gasoline engines instead of the commonly used bioethanol