Waste as an alternative source of energy

• EH Project – Johannes Amos Comenius Operational Programme (2021–2027)
• Funding provider: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic
• Project duration: 2025–2029
• Principal Investigator: prof. Ing. Helena Raclavská, CSc.
• The objectives of the project “Waste as an Alternative Energy Source” include establishing and implementing cooperation between research organisations and the application sector. The project involves a research partner – the University of Ostrava – as well as partners from industry, international universities, organisations supporting business development and innovation, and public administration.

Research Excellence For REgion Sustainability and High-tech Industries (REFRESH)

• Project No. CZ.10.03.01/00/22_003/0000048
• Funding provider: Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic
• Project duration: 2022–2027
• Principal Investigator: prof. Ing. Igor Ivan, Ph.D.
• The project focuses on strengthening research excellence and building state-of-the-art infrastructure for the development of technologies in the fields of sustainable energy, advanced materials, digitalisation and environmental technologies, with the aim of supporting the transformation of the Moravian-Silesian Region.

NATIONAL CENTRE FOR ENERGY II (NCE II)

• Project No. TN02000025
• Funding provider: Technology Agency of the Czech Republic
• Project duration: 2023–2028
• Principal Investigator: prof. Ing. Stanislav Mišák, Ph.D.
• The mission of NCE II is to foster long-term cooperation between leading research organisations and key industry stakeholders in the energy sector. NCE II brings together leading research organisations, universities and innovation leaders in the field of modern energy.

• Problem identification and formulation of the research question – Focus on environmental impacts associated with thermal processes, emissions, fuels and energy by-products.
• Selection of an appropriate analytical strategy – Selection of the optimal combination of instrumental methods according to the type of matrix (emissions, particulate matter, fuels, energy by-products, waste, soils) and target compounds.
• Experimental measurements and sampling – Laboratory and field measurements using advanced instrumentation (Py-GC/MS, TD-GC/MS, DTA/TG, DSC, XRF, OC/EC, ELPI+, mobile platforms and sensor systems).
• Multidisciplinary data interpretation – Integration of organic and inorganic analyses with expertise in thermochemistry, environmental geochemistry and process engineering.
• Development of solutions and application of results – Identification of pollution sources, optimisation of fuels and combustion processes, design of emission-reduction measures, and assessment of options for the utilisation of energy by-products within the circular economy.

The research group specialises in the forensic investigation of technological problems associated with newly introduced energy and recycling processes. Using advanced analytical methods, it identifies the causes of undesirable emissions, odorous compounds, deposits and changes in the properties of energy by-products, and proposes measures to prevent these phenomena.

The research results enable the optimisation of solid recovered fuel (SRF) composition, improve the stability of combustion processes and reduce operational risks. At the same time, they contribute to the safe and resource-efficient utilisation of energy by-products within the circular economy.

An important benefit of the group’s activities is its contribution to environmental protection – from reducing VOC and odour emissions to assessing impacts on air quality and soil systems. The research therefore connects technological practice with environmental safety and contributes to the development of the circular economy.

The research group has a long-standing focus on applied research in environmental technologies, the material and energy recovery of waste, thermal processing of biomass and plastics, assessment of emission and ambient air pollution impacts, and the development of analytical methods for evaluating the quality of material streams. Particular emphasis is placed on translating research results into practically applicable methodologies and technologies that directly address the needs of the application sector.

To date, the group’s outputs include 29 certified methodologies, 10 validated technologies, 6 functional prototypes, 56 specialised maps, 5 utility models and 1 software application. These results demonstrate the team’s long-term commitment to solving specific environmental and technological challenges and support cooperation with both industrial and public-sector partners.

The practical applicability of the research is demonstrated, for example, by technologies for processing sorting residues, pretreating waste biomass, utilising sorted polymers, removing undesirable additives from polymers intended for recycling, and preparing reclamation substrates. One specific example of cooperation with industry is a methodology for identifying polymer purity and additives in sorted fractions from a sorting facility, developed in cooperation with SMOLO, a.s.

Scientific publishing is also an important part of the research group’s activities. To date, approximately 58 articles have been published in impact-factor journals, together with 5 chapters in scientific books. Most of the articles have appeared in prestigious international journals ranked in the first and second quartiles (Q1 and Q2) of the Web of Science database. These publication results demonstrate the team’s high level of scientific expertise and complement its application-oriented outputs.

• Municipal and regional authorities use our results to assess air quality, support spatial planning and make decisions on measures to reduce environmental impacts.
• Industrial partners use our analyses as a basis for optimising combustion processes, improving the efficient use of solid recovered fuels, reducing emissions and developing environmentally sustainable technologies.
• Regulatory and supervisory authorities use our results as supporting evidence for legislative measures, strategic documents and assessments of the environmental impacts of anthropogenic activities.
• Universities and research institutions build on our findings when developing new methodologies, studies and technologies in the fields of air protection and energy.

Our research activities therefore support the sustainable transformation of the energy sector, strengthen environmental safety and deliver solutions with direct practical applications.