No abstract

Five different boiler types (automatic boiler, overfire boiler, boiler with down-draft combustion, and two types of gasification boilers) representing residential-scale combustion technology were tested. Boilers were fueled with various fuels (lignite, wet and dry wood, wood pellets, and mixed fuel), and the combustion emissions were measured both at nominal and reduced output. The investigated emissions comprised CO, organic gaseous compounds (OGC), and particulate matter (PM). A cyclone and a low-pressure impactor were used to determine PM emissions. It was found that the emission factors for CO, OGC, and PM depend more on boiler type and mode of operation (reduced or nominal output) than on fuel type. Data from the Dekati low-pressure impactor (DLPI) show that, in most cases, PM1 represents approximately 80% of the total PM mass. PM0.1 represents 15–30% (modern boilers) or 5–10% (old-type boilers) of the total PM mass. Comparison of the results shows that the emission factors for PM obtained by the cyclone were higher than the emission factors obtained using the DLPI.

The use of new technologies (additive technology, collaborative robotics, virtual or augmented reality) in teaching and preparing for it gives the teacher many different ways to activate students to learn. Therefore, this article focuses on the options for using virtual reality in the field of occupational safety. A work injury scenario was created in the XVR software environment. It was aimed at students studying Occupational and Process Safety at the Faculty of Safety Engineering (FSE), VSB-Technical University of Ostrava. In the future, they will be professionally qualified in risk prevention (Health, Safety, Environment Professional, HSE). The aim was to train students in: an employer's obligations during a work injury, the HSE Professional's job during a work injury, cooperating with the emergency services and the Czech Police.

Ashes were prepared by annealing selected types of solid fuels (biomass: corn cobs, sunflower husks, olive pomace, hay pellets and rice husks; coal: lignite and bituminous; and alternative fuel: paper sludge) at different temperatures (550°C, 815°C and 975°C). Based on X-ray fluorescence spectra, the slagging/fouling indexes were used to study the effects of the type of ash and the ashing temperature on the ash fouling and slagging properties. Slagging indexes were compared with the ash fusion temperatures. Ash fusion temperatures were measured by a LECO AF-700. The lowest deformation temperature (below 1000°C) was seen for the ashes prepared from hay pellets and corn cobs. On the other hand, the deformation temperature exceeded 1500°C for ashes prepared from paper sludge, sunflower husks and rice husks. By calculating the different slagging/fouling indexes, all the ashes exhibited slagging/fouling problems of varying degrees.

Industry and related work and workplaces are constantly changing as a result of the implementation of new technologies, substances and work processes, changes in the composition of the workforce and the labor market, and new forms of employment and work organization. The implementation of new technologies represents certain ambivalence. Next to the positive impact on workers’ health, new risks and challenges can arise in the area of process and occupational safety and health of people at work. On these bases, it follows the need for predicting and handling the new risks, in order to ensure safe and healthy workplaces in the future. The aim of most forecasting studies is not only to identify new emerging risks, but also to foresee changes that could affect occupational safety and health. However, a number of questions still require proper investigation, i.e., “What impact do new emerging risks have on tertiary education in the area of Safety engineering? Has tertiary education already reacted to progress in science and research and does it have these innovations in its syllabus? How are tertiary graduates prepared for the real world of new technologies?” This paper represents a first attempt in the literature to provide answers to the raised questions, by a survey approach involving academics, Health Safety and Environment (HSE) industrial experts and university students in the Czech Republic. Even if statistical evaluation is limited to a single Country and to a small sample size, the obtained results allow suggesting practical recommendations that can contribute to ensuring new challenges in the area of education by addressing relevant culture issues needed to support new workplace realities according to the newly defined Safety 4.0.