The article is focused onthe energetical balance of a technical system for the conversion of crushed tyres by pyrolysis. Process temperatures were set in the range from 500 to 650°C. Mass input of the material was 30 kg per hour. The aim of the article is to answer the following questions as regards the individual products: Under which process conditions can the highest quality of the individual products related to energy be reached? How does the thermal efficiency of the system change in reaction to various conditions of the process?

On the basis of the experimental measurements and calculations, apart from other things, it was discovered that the pyrolysis liquid reaches the highest energetic value, i.e. 42.7 MJ.kg-1, out of all the individual products of the pyrolysis process. Generated pyrolysis gas disposes of the highest lower calorific value 37.1 MJ.kg-1 and the pyrolysis coke disposes of the maximum 30.9 MJ kg-1. From the energetic balance, the thermal efficiency of the experimental unit under the stated operational modes ranging from about 52 % to 56 % has been estimated. Individual findings are elaborated on detail in the article.

Mercury is a highly toxic metal which naturally occurs in the Earth’s crust and has adverse effects on both humans and the environment. The use of fossil fuels for electricity generation and specific industries sources of mercury emissions. These emissions depend on the mercury content in fuels of different types, the process gas temperature and composition, the implementation of air pollutant control devices (APCDs), etc. The APCDs partially capture and/or oxidize mercury in flue gas as a side benefit. In some cases, the emissions are reduced by mercury-dedicated or mixed methods. Mercury transformation in process gases is generally based on a chain of homogeneous and/or heterogeneous reactions. The theory of gaseous mercury/solid phase reactions and its mechanisms is widely studied in the literature. In this review, we focused on the theoretical and practical studies of these mechanisms, including mercury oxidization and capture from specified laboratory simulated or process gases and industries. We summarized research on various reactions – mostly of a chemical type – between different forms of mercury derived from process gases, and solids, including particles of different kinds (fly ash, adsorbents or catalysts). We additionally reviewed the literature on the interactions between mercury and sulfur compounds in the simulated and process gases.

The effect of plasma-radical change on the surface properties of Zn-Mg-Al ternary-alloy-coated steel sheets during atmospheric-pressure (AP) plasma treatment using different process gases: O ₂, N ₂, and compressed air was investigated. The plasma-induced radicals promoted the formation of chemical particles on the surface of the Zn-Mg-Al coating, thereby increasing the surface roughness. The surface energy was calculated using the Owen-Wendtgeometric equation. Contact angle measurements indicated that the surface free energy of the alloy sheets increased upon AP plasma treatment. The surface properties of the Zn-Mg-Al coating changed more significantly in the order air > O ₂ > N ₂ gas, indicating that the plasma radicals facilitated the carbonization and hydroxylation of the Mg and Al components during the AP plasma treatment.