The Jubilee 50th International Chemistry Olympiad, IChO took place in Prague and Bratislava from the 19th to the 29th of July, 2018. More than 300 talented students from 76 countries participated. As part of a daylong excursion they visited the open-air museum at Solvay’s Quarry where Dr. Válek and his team gave a presentation on the history and evolution of lime production. The young chemists learned about limestone, the raw material used in the production of quicklime, about its extraction and processing, the history of the industry, and the development of various types of inorganic binding agents. Contemporary research was covered as well, including the project our team from UTAM is currently working on. As part of the lectures there were practical demonstrations on lime slaking, stirring and application. The young Olympians were captivated by the experiments, and often eagerly asked numerous questions. The presentations for each group usually ended in lively discussions. For most of these young chemists this was the first time encountering a practical demonstration in the processing of quicklime. And thus the lectures and the program gave them insight into a craft that utilizes chemical processes they normally only study on a theoretical level.
Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
