The quality of coal has been analyzed basing on the data from geological exploration and chemical – geological analyses of coal carried out on the samples obtained from the boreholes and mining pits. The operated coal seams indexed as 382 and 385/2 reveals the changeable morphology due to the thickness of carbon shoals and stent intergrowths. The other parameters, such as the ash content or the calorific value are strongly linked with the non-coal rock interlayers, which presence causes the decrease in the calorific value and increase in the amount of after-burning ash. These parameters are less dependable on the sedimentation environment of the coal formation material. The content of total sulfur in the analyzed seams does not show any link with the values of the parameters analyzed before. The total sulfur is made up from sulphide gathered in coal and sulphates deriving from the decomposition of plants and supplied by deposit waters in different phases of coal seam formation. The obtained results could be useful in the reconnaissance of the prospective seams lying below the currently exploited ones (e.g. 389) and the seams in the neighboring areas.

The Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences: Technical Sciences (Bull.Pol. Ac.: Tech.) is published bimonthly by the Division IV Engineering Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences, since the beginning of the existence of the PAS in 1952. The journal is peer‐reviewed and is published both in printed and electronic form. It is established for the publication of original high quality papers from multidisciplinary Engineering sciences with the following topics preferred: Artificial and Computational Intelligence, Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology, Civil Engineering, Control, Informatics and Robotics, Electronics, Telecommunication and Optoelectronics, Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, Thermodynamics, Material Science and Nanotechnology, Power Systems and Power Electronics.

Journal Metrics: JCR Impact Factor 2018: 1.361, 5 Year Impact Factor: 1.323, SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) 2017: 0.319, Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP) 2017: 1.005, CiteScore 2017: 1.27, The Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education 2017: 25 points.

Abbreviations/Acronym: Journal citation: Bull. Pol. Ac.: Tech., ISO: Bull. Pol. Acad. Sci.-Tech. Sci., JCR Abbrev: B POL ACAD SCI-TECH Acronym in the Editorial System: BPASTS.

In 1995- 1997 and 1998-1999 floristical investigations were carried out within the projected ,,Dolina Sztoły" Landscape Protected Area, located in the Olkusz district (north-eastern part of the Silesian Upland). The occurrence of 413 taxa of vascular plants was reported. Out of 23 legally protected species, 16 are strictly and 7 are partly protected. Among vascular plants there are 28 regionally rare and endangered taxa, Medicinal materials used in Polish oflicinal medicine can be derived from 46 species. Eleven species (2,6% of vascular flora) represent mountain element. The richest group are hemicryptophytes (49,4%), while woody chamaephytes are represented by 3,4% of species.

Clay was admixtured with 1, 2, 3 and 10% of waste sludge precipitated from lead electroplating fluoroborate electrolyte. The sludge contained, besides 60.7% of lead, 3.7% of fluorine. Small standardized ceramic bricks were burnt at 980°C and then tested for physical and mechanical features (contraction, water soaking, freeze resistance, compressive strength) and for leaching with water saturated with carbon dioxide. The tests showed that 1% of added sludge did not change properties of ceramic bricks and leaching of lead and fluorine is not hazardous, while the larger admixtures result in spoiling of quality features. On burning fluorine is emitted to exhaust gases.