In this work, sorption of chromium on granular ferric hydroxide (GFH) has been investigated using batch and column techniques. The adsorption behavior of Cr on GFH, depending on pH, contact lime and sorbent amount were studied. The equilibrium adsorption capacity of GFH for Cr was measured and cxtrapo latcd using Freundlich isotherms. Metal ions bounded lo the GFH could be recovered by alkaline solution, and the GFH can be recycled. The sorption capacity of GFH was 25.0 mg/g. The ion exchange of chromium on GFH follows pseudo-first-order kinetics. The intraparticlc diffusion of chromium on GFH presents the limiting rate. The results indicated practical value of this method for industry and also provide strong evidence to support the proposed thesis about the adsorption mechanism.

Water extractsfrom selected Geraniaceae plants, to which paraffin oil was added as adjuvant, were tested. It was observed that the plant extracts researched limited Colorado potato beetle feeding and development and adding adjuvant increased the effects. The highest antifeedant activity towards Colorado potato beetlesand their larvae wasobs erved in extractsobtained from Pelargonium × hortorum Bailey and Geranium pusillum L. The extract from Pelargonium × hortorum Bailey added to food showed a negative effect on the development of female reproductive organs and embryo development and showed the highest effectiveness in field conditions.

The aim of this work was to determine the influence of native and alien keratinolytic fungi inocula on the petroleum hydrocarbon removal rate in soil covered and not covered with hair. The hair was the major nutrient for keratinolytic fungi and other soil microorganisms. The fungal inocula accelerated the petroleum hydrocarbon biodegradation process during the first month of the experiment. During the second month, TPH removal rates were similar for soil inoculated and not inoculated with fungi. The highest petroleum hydrocarbon removal rate was observed in soil inoculated with native fungal strains. The TPI-I removal rates were about 64% in soil covered with hair and 77% in soil not covered with hair. The lowest removal rate was observed in soil not inoculated with fungi (60%). The hair applied as additional nitrogen, sulfur and carbon source did not impact, or slightly inhibited, the petroleum hydrocarbon biodegradation process. The fungal inocula caused dramatic changes in soil fungal qualitative composition.

The optimization method using the ON/OFF sensitivity analysis has an advantage hat an epoch-making construction of magnetic circuit may be obtained. Therefore, it is attractive for designers of magnetic devices. We have already developed the ON/OFF method for the optimization of a static magnetic field problem, and the effectiveness is verified by applying it to the optimization of magnetic recording heads. In this paper, the ON/OFF sensitivity method is extended to the optimization of the eddy current problem using the adjoint variable. The newly developed ON/OFF method is applied to the determination of the optimal topology of the yoke of the billet heater for rolling wire rod. As a result, the optimal shape of yoke, which we could not imagine beforehand can be obtained. It is shown that the local heating of the yoke was reduced without decreasing the heating efficiency.

The article presents a critical analysis of Yeshayahu Leibowitz’s thesis that Judaism and Kant’s practical philosophy represent antagonistic tendencies of thought. This opposition, according to Leibowitz, consists in the claim that Kantian ethics sees the supreme value in human being, while in Judaism such a view can amount only to a usurpation of God’s sovereignty by man. The aim of the article is to show that after an investigation into its substance, Kant’s moral theory turns out to resemble in the essential respects Leibowitz’s view concerning Judaism.

In the paper, a solution to the problem of elastic deformation of thin-walled shell structures with complex shapes within the theory of geometrically non-linear shells has been presented. It is a modification of the Newton-Raphson method. In a variational formulation, the problem is based on a Lagrange’s functional for increments of displacements. The method has been applied to investigations of a harmonic drive, in particular to analysis of the stress state in the flexspline with a variable curvature as well as bearings of the generator. For verification of the obtained results, a more adequate FEM model calculated by ANSYS has been used.