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Technological development in coal gasification for power generation and for production of syngas in the frame of IGCC and poly-generation still continues. New conceptions of effective and efficient coal gasification appeared. The conceptions utilize combination of down-moving bed and fluidized bed with inner circulation, new variants of multi-stage entrained flow gasification and integration of IGCC processes with CO2 separation (IGCC+CCS and oxy-fuel IGCC). There are also attempts to integrate IGCC with high temperature fuel cells. Similarly as in combustion processes, metallic oxides are tested as oxygen transferring materials in gasification processes. Problems to be solved in new coal gasification technologies (IGCC, production of syngas and chemicals) are: cheaper oxygen separation from air, reliable feeding of coal into pressurized gasification reactors, efficient and safe gas cleaning and cooling.

This review article summarizes fundamental knowledge about biochar. Biochar is getting paid a lot of attention recently for its ability to enhance crop yield and mitigate climate change. Main European furnace producers for generating biochar are introduced. Relevant physicochemical and textural properties are reviewed with emphasis on a stability of biochar, pH, water holding, and nutrient retention capacity. Czech legislation, where biochar is classified as a supplementary soil substance and voluntary certification initiatives such as European Biochar Certificate (EBC) and International Biochar Initiative (IBI) are discussed. The methods of application of biochar in agriculture are described as well.

In the Czech Republic, much attention is paid to the codification of special constitutional water protection and the constitutional right to water. These efforts respond to changes such as low rainfall and more frequent droughts and to forecasts stemming from climate change models. Since 2019, four parliamentary proposals have been submitted, all motivated by the need for greater water protection and prioritization of the public interest in water protection. Two of the proposals explicitly enshrine the constitutional right to drinking water, and rights of access to water, respectively. Water is a limited natural resource and at the same time essential element for the lives of present and future generations. The reason for the use of the constitutional law level may be that it is a society-wide interest, and its constitutional entrenchment will ensure its security and support further steps of the state. Opening up the issue of water protection at the constitutional level sends a clear signal for the need for water protection, but it is not a sufficient solution in itself. Besides that, it is necessary to carefully consider what specific measures should be reflected at the constitutional level and what goals should be promoted at this level. On the one hand, the submitted parliamentary proposals reflect the requirements of the internationally recognized right to water, but, on the other hand, they raise some problematic issues which should be subjected to a wider public debate.

The paper focuses on the assessment of using ligno-cellulosic biomass in a fluidized bed gasifier, available within a distance of 50 km, in units with capacity approximately 3 MWe. The main objective of the experiments was to evaluate the effect of partial replacement of inert bed material (sand) with a material catalytically active (dolomitic limestone) on the composition and purity of produced gas and the input fuel energy conversion into the energy chemically bound in the producer gas.

The dynamics of air temperatures during cold half-year to a large extent affect all human activities. Most significant damages are caused by minimum air temperatures dropping to very low values. Due to the current ongoing climate change, air temperatures in winter in general are increasing, however, this does not necessarily mean the frequency of these very low temperatures decreases. It is not easy to express the course of air temperatures during cold periods using some simple characteristic. Meteorologists and climatologists use various characteristics, which can be referred to as frost indexes. These include the number of frost, ice or arctic days. Since these indexes not always perfectly reflect reaction of the nature to a particular temperature threshold, the analysis also included number of days with minimum air temperature below -3, -5, -7, -10, -15, -20 and -25°C. In the last 15 years (2001-2015), there has been a decrease in the frost indexes in comparison to the normal period 1961-1990, this trend however, is not always statistically significant. Significant changes were found in particular in case of the number of days with a higher temperature threshold (frost, ice days and minimum air temperature above -3 to -10°C). In contrast, days with extremely low temperatures are relatively rare (sometimes only observed once in several years), so the dominant factor here is rather variability. The paper also includes an analysis of possible future development based on the most recent climatological models.

Support of culture and sustainability of tangible cultural heritage are strongly debated issues due to their economical, cultural and identity-shaping outreach. Culture belongs to public sector, therefore, is financed from state resources. The question often asked is: Does it make sense to promote culture? The factual argument about the purpose of promoting culture and its effects is complex, but it is not impossible. The first part of the paper presents the results of the economical and social impacts of the conducted research in the field of culture. If we narrow down the view of the tangible cultural heritage protected by the Czech state, we get to 44,000 objects in the Czech Republic that have the status of cultural monuments. With this amount, the state’s financial support is either dispersed to small amounts or it is higher, however, one-off. Therefore, another important criteria for supporting monuments is their sustainability, which is closely related to the functional use of monuments. A significant number of them has lost its original role and it is important to choose a new one in order to preserve the monument for the next generations. The variables that influence the selection of the new purpose of the monuments are discussed in the second part of the article.

The study updates the preceding analyses of wind energy potential of the Czech Republic published in 2008 and 2012. The assumptions for the estimation of the future possibilities of wind energy development were updated with respect to the current and currently assumed future technological and social development. The new findings on the feasibility of realization of wind turbines, operation issues and energy production were taken into account. Beyond the scope of previous studies, the broader context was discusses, considering various limits of wind energy utilization, such as permitting issues, climate impacts or grid integration.

This paper deals with the importance of land use planning in relation to the need to address the impacts of climate change. It then examines the structure of land use planning instruments, specifically land use planning documentation and aspects of its hierarchical organization in the light of the existing and new Building Act. It reflects on the need for the preparation of some mitigation and adaptation measures in a national context. It also assesses the readiness of land and spatial planning legislation in terms of response to climate change through the goals and objectives of land use planning.

The paper focuses on the properties of sodium and calcium based sorbents for removal of acid gases from flue gas form waste to energy plants. The emphasis is on the comparison of sorption under 250 °C and utilisation of sorbents in technologies that remove more pollutants in one step.

The work is focused on the gasification of brown coal in a fluidized-bed in the integrated gasification combined cycle. The usual gasification medium is a mixture of oxygen and water vapor. The specific objec-tive of the study was to examine the influence of water vapor and waste carbon dioxide in the gasification agent and the effect of the addition of waste wood biomass to the brown coal on the quality (composition, purity, yield, and calorific value) of producer gas.