Course Details

Ecology in the Building Industry

Academic Year 2025/26

BJA024 course is part of 1 study plan

​ BPC-MI Winter Semester 4th year

Course Guarantor

doc. Ing. Nikol Žižková, Ph.D.

Institute

Institute of Technology of Building Materials and Components

Language of instruction

Czech

Credits

5 credits

Semester

winter

Forms and criteria of assessment

course-unit credit and examination

Offered to foreign students

Not to offer

Course on BUT site

https://www.vut.cz/en/students/courses/detail/289928

Lecture

13 weeks, 2 hours/week, elective

Syllabus

  • 1. Ecosystem, biosphere, lithosphere, pedosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biochemical cycle.
  • 2. Atmosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere pollution, combustion gases, waste waters.
  • 3. Biological needs of humans, environmental comfort, chemical and physical effects. Radioactivity, radon and its sources in secondary raw materials.
  • 4. Toxicology, determination of toxicity, survey of toxic substances and the possible sources of them. Laws and decrees concerning the environment and handling with wastes, EU regulations.
  • 5. Classification of technologies from the point of view of waste formation, classification of wastes, composition and radioactivity of wastes. Handling of waste – accumulation, haulage, sorting and recycling of waste.
  • 6. Methods of treatment of wastes – physical, physico-chemical and chemical.
  • 7. Thermal treatment of wastes, municipal refuses incinerating plants, incinerating plants for other and toxic refuses, other methods of thermal treatment.
  • 8. Storing of wastes, technological parts of storing areas, types of storage sites, rehabilitation.
  • 9. Wastes utilized in the building industry, their classification and characteristics of individual groups. Wastes from building production and possibilities of their recycling.
  • 10. Wastes from power producing industry, chemical and phase composition, reactivity, pozzuolana activity, possibilities of utilization in building industry.
  • 11. Wastes from metallurgical industry, chemical and phase composition, reactivity, possibility of utilization in building industry.
  • 12. Modern earthen buildings.
  • 13. ETICS – classical composition and use of alternative raw materials.

Exercise

13 weeks, 2 hours/week, compulsory

Syllabus

  • 1.Introductory seminar - laboratory regulations, basic terminology, topics of the ECO PROJECT.
  • 2.Preparation of samples for determination of CuCl2 extract and related theory.
  • 3.Laboratory work within the ECO PROJECT.
  • 4.Seminar focusing on using by-products in the cement based composites.
  • 5.Seminar focusing on using by-products in the ceramics.
  • 6.Laboratory seminar to determine the properties and subsequently the type of building materials.
  • 7.Laboratory seminar to determine the type of contamination of water samples + laboratory work within the ECO PROJECT.
  • 8.Determination of CuCl2 extract of the reference and modified mortar.
  • 9.Completion of experiments and testing of products obtained during the ECO PROJECT.
  • 10.Excursion to a cement plant focused on waste co-incineration.
  • 11.Processing the results of the EKO PROJECT according to the required form, including research design of the issue.
  • 12.Presentation of the results of the EKO PROJECT and its evaluation, submitting of reports.
  • 13.Credit test.