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The risk of possible ignition and burning is one of the greatest disadvantages of using wood as a construction material. An environmentally appropriate method of improving the fire-resistant properties of wood is available via thermal treatment. In this study, spruce wood (Picea abies L.) was thermally modified at 160 °C, 180 °C, and 210 °C. The effect of thermal modification on the fire performance of the wood, including weight loss and burn rate, was evaluated. A new testing method was designed to be sufficiently sensitive to monitor fire performance. The results showed that the thermally modified spruce wood had a lower weight loss than untreated wood. The burn rate of wood that was thermally modified at 160 °C was similar to that of untreated wood. Higher thermal treatment temperatures caused a higher burn rate. After the flame was removed, the burning process was rapidly stopped in thermally treated wood.

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Both soil organic matter and sulfur (S) can reduce or even suppress mercury (Hg) mobility and bioavailability in soil. A batch incubation experiment was conducted with a Chernozem and a Luvisol artificially contaminated by 440 mg·kg−1 Hg showing wide differences in their physicochemical properties and available nutrients. The individual treatments were (i) digestate from the anaerobic fermentation of biowaste; (ii) fly ash from wood chip combustion; and (iii) ammonium sulfate, and every treatment was added with the same amount of S. The mobile Hg portion in Chernozem was highly reduced by adding digestate, even after 1 day of incubation, compared to control. Meanwhile, the outcome of these treatments was a decrease of mobile Hg forms as a function of incubation time whereas the contents of magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and phosphorus (P) were stimulated by the addition of digestate in both soils. The available calcium (Ca) contents were not affected by the digestate addition. The experiment proved digestate application as the efficient measure for fast reduction of mobile Hg at extremely contaminated soils. Moreover, the decrease of the mobile mercury portion was followed by improvement of the nutrient status of the soils.

In a two-year vegetation experiment, the effects of fertilizer with two slow nutrient releasing mechanisms on the growth of outdoor grown potted chrysanthemums (Multiflora group Chrysanthemum × grandiflorum) as well as on their uptake of the nutrients N, P, K, were studied. In this experiment, coated fertilizer with a controlled nutrient release effect (CRF) -Basacote 6M and fertilizer with a slow soluble nutrients (SRF) -Lovogreen NPK were tested. In the control variant, Kristalon Blue fertilizer was regularly applied in a solution form. From this experiment, the suitability of a onetime application of a slow nutrient -releasing fertilizer to potted chrysanthemums was ascertained. The fertilizers with a slow nutrient release effect were shown to ensure better plant growth during vegetation as well as a higher biomass weight and nutrient consumption level. From the onset of vegetation, the highest rates of biomass growth and nutrient consumption by plants were evident in the (CRF) -Basacote 6M fertilizer treatment.