As both the human population and living standards grow, so does the worldwide electricity demand. However, the power sector is also one of the biggest environmental polluters. Therefore, options are currently being sought aimed at reducing environmental impacts, one of the potential tools for which concerns the use of life cycle assessment. This study, therefore, focuses on the most commonly used nonrenewable (black coal, lignite, natural gas and nuclear) and renewable sources (wind, hydro and photovoltaic) in the Czech Republic in terms of their construction, operation, and decommissioning periods. Environmental impacts are assessed via the use of selected impact categories by way of product environmental footprint methodology. The results highlight the potential environmental impacts associated with electricity generation for each of the primary energy sources. Black coal and lignite power plants were found to contribute most to the global warming, resource use, energy carriers and respiratory inorganics categories. On the other hand, the impact on water depletion and resource use, mineral and metals categories were found to be most significantly affected by the production of electricity from photovoltaic power plants. Finally, it is proposed that the results be employed to design scenarios for the future energy mix.

The Czech Republic is introducing new technological concepts for mitigation of greenhouse gases (GHG) in coal-based energy industries. One such technology, in power plants, is post combustion CO2 capture from flue gases by activated carbon adsorption. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was used as the assessment tool to determine the environmental impacts of the chosen technology. This article focuses on a comparative LCA case study on the technology of temperature-swing adsorption of CO2 from power plant flue gases, designed for the conditions of the Czech Republic. The LCA study compares the following two alternatives: (1) a reference power unit and (2) a reference power unit with CO2 adsorption. The most significant changes are observed in the categories of climate change potential, terrestrial acidification, and particulate matter formation. The adsorption process shows rather low environmental impacts, however, the extended LCA approach shows an increase in energy demands for the process and fossil depletion as a result of coal-based national energy mix. The feasibility of the study is completed by the preliminary economical calculation of the payback period for a commercial carbon capture unit.

Circular economy (CE) is a novel concept that promotes sustainable management of energy and materials in the industry. Contrary to linear economy, CE focuses on minimalizing the amount of waste and promoting its use as secondary materials. The article explores the implications of applying CE in the field of: air protection technologies, such as carbon capture and storage, waste treatment, and wastewater treatment technologies. The article concentrates on the current environmental challenges and the modern aspects of circular economy. The main obstacle of circular economy is the requirement for constant economic growth without accounting for environmental externalities.