Course detail

Ecology in the Building Industry

FAST-BJA024Acad. year: 2025/2026

Ecosystem, biosphere, lithosphere, pedosphere, hydrosphere, biochemical cycle.
Atmosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere pollution combustion gases, waste water. Toxicology, determination of toxicity, survey of toxic substances and their possible sources. Biological needs of humans, environmental comfort, physical effects, harmlessness of building materials, radon and its sources.
Classification of technologies from the point of view of waste formation, classification of wastes, composition of wastes, radioactivity. Recycling, stabilization and solidification possibilities of wastes. Laws and decrees concerning the environment and handling of wastes, introduction of EU regulations. Storing of wastes, technological parts of deposit areas, types of storage sites, rehabilitation. Thermal treatment of wastes, municipal refuses incinerating plant, incinerating plants for other and toxic wastes, securing the protection of environment during incineration. Other methods of thermal treatment.
Wastes utilized in the building industry, their classification and characteristics of individual groups.
Energetic wastes, chemical and phase composition, pozzuolanic activity, possibility of wastes utilization in the building industry. Wastes from metallurgical production, chemical and phase composition, reactivity, possibility of these wastes utilization in the building industry. Wastes from building industry and the possibility of their utilization.
Waste water, purification, sludge and its destruction. Economical aspects of wastes managing, utilization of wastes as secondary raw materials, penalties for environment pollution.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

doc. Ing. Nikol Žižková, Ph.D.

Department

Institute of Technology of Building Materials and Components (THD)

Entry knowledge

Physics and building materials in extent of the subject matter at the Faculty of Civil Engineering.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

Extent and forms are specified by guarantor’s regulation updated for every academic year.

Aims

The aim of the subject is to introduce the students into basic principles concerning the field of economics. In connection with production and processing of wastes in building industry the students will get overlook of adequate legislative regulations, processing methods for wastes produced by building industry and other industrial branches in building industry, about composition of wastes, their toxicity, thermal processing of wastes and basic principles of wastes storing.
The student would manage the goal of the subject by acquiring knowledge on basic principles connected with ecology about related legal regulations, methods of waste processing produced in civil engineering and other industrial branches in civil engineering, on waste composition, on waste toxicity, on thermal waste processing and on basic principles of waste storage.

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

BERGE, Bjørn The Ecology of Building Materials. Elsevier, 2009. ISBN 978-1856175371. (EN)
PYTLÍK, Petr Ekologie ve stavebnictví. SPS Praha, 1997. ISBN 80-85380-38-2. (CS)
ROVNANÍKOVÁ, Pavla a Nikol ŽIŽKOVÁ Ekologie ve stavebnictví. FAST, VUT v Brně, studijní opora, 2010. (CS)

Recommended reading

GRAHAM, Peter Building Ecology: First Principles For a Sustainable Built Environment. Blackwell Science Ltd., 2002. ISBN 10:0632064137. (EN)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme BPC-MI Bachelor's 4 year of study, winter semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. Nikol Žižková, Ph.D.
Ing. Šárka Keprdová, Ph.D.

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

26 hod., compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. Nikol Žižková, Ph.D.
Ing. Šárka Keprdová, Ph.D.

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.