The article presents the results of the research on the water samples taken from the Krakow water
distribution system and their pollution by haloacetic acids: monochloroacetic acid, monobromoacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, bromochloroacetic acid and dibromoacetic acid. The water samples were
taken from the extremities of the distribution systems (Raba and Bielany) in the city of Krakow. Both analyzed
plants use the chlorination as the water treatment process, however, water for Raba and Bielany comes from
different surface waters and differs in quality and organic matter concentration. These plants also apply different
water treatment processes and their distribution systems have a different size. The objective of this study was
to measure the haloacetic acids levels in these two water distribution systems, asses the correlation between the
total trihalomethanes and the sum of six haloacetic acids, determine if trihalomethanes can be a good indicator
to predict haloacetic acids concentration in water distribution systems.
The paper presents the results of experiments on the influence of the organic matter’s characteristics on the formation potential of water chlorination by-products – representatives of the following groups:
trihalomethanes, haloacetonitriles, haloketones, chloral hydrate and chloropicrin. The products of water fractionation (the hydrophobic and hydrophilic acids, hydrophobic and hydrophilic bases, and hydrophobic and
hydrophilic neutral fractions) were chlorinated with sodium hypochlorite. Its dose was adjusted to obtain a
residual free chlorine concentration between 3 and 5 mg/dm3
after 24 h. After this time, the water chlorination
by-products were analyzed with gas chromatography. The results’ analysis has defined the fractions, which have
the highest potential to form particular groups of volatile organic water chlorination by-products.
Results of laboratory scale research have been presented on the effects of an oxidizing reactor on ozone consumption and by-producs composition and separation of simultaneous NOx and SO2 removal from a carrier gas by ozonation method and absorption in an alkaline solution. The additional Dreschel washer added before two washers containing 100 ml of 0.1 molar NaOH solution played the role of an oxidation reactor. Its effect was investigated using an empty (dry or wetted) or filled with packing elements washer. The measured by-products in a scrubber and in the oxidizing reactor were SO32-, SO42-, NO2- and NO3- ions, respectively. It has been shown that use of oxidizing reactor improves NOx removal efficiency reducing ozone consumption. Wetting of the oxidation reactor with water enables a preliminary separation of sulphur and nitrogen species between the oxidizing reactor and an alkaline absorber. Application of packing elements in the oxidizing reactor allows to retain 90% of nitrogen compounds in it. Some results were confirmed by tests in pilot scale.
This paper provides analyses of the accuracy and convergence time of the PPP method using GPS systems and different IGS products. The official IGS products: Final, Rapid and Ultra Rapid as well as MGEX products calculated by the CODE analysis centres were used. In addition, calculations with weighting function of the observations were carried out, depending on the elevation angle. The best results were obtained for CODE products, with a 5-minute interval precision ephemeris and precise corrections to satellite clocks with a 30-second interval. For these calculations the accuracy of position determination was at the level of 3 cm with a convergence time of 44 min. Final and Rapid products, which were orbit with a 15-minute interval and clock with a 5 minute interval, gave very similar results. The same level of accuracy was obtained for calculations with CODE products, for which both precise ephemeris and precise corrections to satellite clocks with the interval of 5 minutes. For these calculations, the accuracy was 4 cm with the convergence time of 70 min. The worst accuracy was obtained for calculations with Ultra-rapid products, with an interval of 15 minutes. For these calculations, the accuracy was 10 cm with a convergence time of 120 min. The use of the weighting function improved the accuracy of position determination in each case, except for calculations with Ultra-rapid products. The use of this function slightly increased the convergence time, in addition to the CODE calculation, which was reduced to 9 min.
Analyses of the ground waters in respect of presence of residues of plant protection products, i.e. active substances as well as environmental metabolites thereof are performed in the Institute of Plant Protection since the end of 80ties of the past Century. Based on the results obtained in 1993–1994 for 40 wells located in administrative territories of former Poznań, Toruń and Bydgoszcz voivodeships, in the vicinity of intensive agricultural production areas (orchards, farms), wells where significant amounts of residues of triazines group and dealkylated metabolites thereof had been found previously were qualified to further studies. There were 6 wells in which triazine residues were determined most often. Additionally, based on hydrogeological maps, directions of underflows in the areas of well’s locations were determined as well. The aim of the above was to find the additional places for sampling waters distant from pollution sources and estimation of the level of residues of target compounds depending on distance from the basic wells. Seven triazine compounds including basic active substances (atrazine, simazine) and their metabolites [desethyl atrazine, desisopropyl atrazine, desethyldesisopropyl atrazine, hydroxyatrazine and hydroxysimazine] were selected for the presented studies. Residues were analyzed using methodologies designed in the Institute, i.e. solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by determination by chromatographic techniques HPLC-PDA, GC-NPD and GC-MS. Generally, during 11 years of investigations (1993–2003) samplings were performed 52 times and 323 samples of groundwater including that from additional wells were analyzed. Most often residues of atrazine and deethylatrazine in wells located in environs of Poznań were detected.
The article concerns fly ashes generated from the combustion of hard coal and deposited on landfills. Investigation results describing fly ash taken from a combustion waste landfill are presented in the article. The investigation results indicate a possibility for combusting the coal reclaimed by separation from the fly ash and utilizing the remaining fly ash fractions.
Finite fossil fuel resources, as well as the instability of renewable energy production, make the sustainable management of energy production and consumption some of the key challenges of the 21st century. It also involves threats to the state of the natural environment, among others due to the negative impact of energy on the climate. In such a situation, one of the methods of improving the efficiency of energy management – both on the micro (dispersed energy) and macro (power system) scale, may be innovative technological solutions that enable energy storage. Their effective implementation will allow it to be collected during periods of overproduction and to be used in situations of scarcity. These challenges cannot be overestimated - modern science has a challenge to solve various types of problems related to storage, including the technology used or the control/ /management of energy storage. Heat storage technologies, on which research works are carried out regarding both storage based on a medium such as water, as well as storage using thermochemical transformations or phase-change materials. They give a wide range of applications and improve the efficiency of energy systems on both the macro and micro scale. Of course, the technological properties and economic parameters have an impact on the application of the chosen technology. The article presents a comparison of storage parameters or heat storage methods based on different materials with specification of their work parameters or operating costs.
The growth of the global population, urbanization as well as economic and industrial development, affect the continuously increasing demand for mineral aggregates. The current assessed global production of mineral aggregates amounts to 50 billion Mg/year, which statistically approximates 6.5 Mg per an inhabitant of the globe. In terms of consumption volume, water is the only raw material ahead of aggregates. Despite such a great scale, in many countries and regions the extraction and production of aggregates belong to the least regulated sector of human activity. This refers particularly to the countries of A sia, A frica, and North A merica, where both the resources and the extraction of aggregates, particularly of sand and gravels, are either not monitored and registered. It significantly increases the negative impact on the natural environment, due to the destruction of riverbeds and oxbows, coastal erosion, drying up cultivation areas, etc. In the reports, local terminology of aggregates often functions, which makes it difficult to compare them and prepare appropriate balances. In order to regulate the unfavorable situation, one of the main conclusions of the Report (UNEP 2019) is the need of implementing a common requirement to plan and monitor the process of extraction of natural resources. The paper presents the possibility of forecasting the extraction and producing aggregates based on the consumption of cement, i.e. the basic building material. A lthough the analyzed coefficient of mineral aggregate production per unit of cement consumption (production) varies, its advantage is the fact that the production of cement is identified and taken into account in balances of industrial production of the majority of countries, whereas such identification for mineral aggregate production are still lacking.
The article presents the possibility of using the Cobb-Douglas production function for planning in a turbulent environment. A case study was carried out – the Cobb-Douglas function was used to examine the condition of the Polish hard coal mining industry and the progress which has been made after undertaking certain activities aimed at increasing the competitiveness of coal companies over recent years. Only the correct and confirmed identification of the causes of irregularities in the production process can allow for the introduction of effective remedies. The effectiveness of the solutions proposed by the author has been confirmed thanks to the simulation during which the impact of the proposed production strategy on the parameters of the CD function was examined. Three variants of production functions models were created and production productivity rates and marginal substitution rates were determined. The results enabled the verification of the progress of restructuring as well as identification of the origin of the observed problems and comparison of the current state with the results of analyses carried out in previous years. Scenarios of possible trend developments for the factors introduced into the function model in order to present remedial measures that could improve the process of hard coal extraction were created. The scenarios were created using the ARIMA class models. Which scenario is the most favourable was determined. A computer program, created by the author, for optimising the level and use of labor resources at the level of the entire coal company has been presented.
The aim of the present study was to investigate inline lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) dynamic changes based on different cow factors – different number and stages of lactation, milk yield, and the status of reproduction in clinically healthy dairy cows.
In the Herd Navigator system, LDH activity levels (μmol/min per litre) were measured using dry-stick technology. A total of 378 cows were selected. According to their reproductive status, the cows were classified as belonging to the following groups: Fresh (1 – 44 days after calving); Open (45 – 65 days after calving); Inseminated (1 – 35 days after insemination); Pregnant (35 – 60 days after insemination and pregnant). According to their productivity, the cows were classified into the following groups: <15 kg/day, 15 – 25 kg/day, 25 – 35 kg/day and >35 kg/day. The cows were milked with a DeLaval milking robot (DeLaval Inc. Tumba Sweden) in combination with a Herd Navigator analyser (Lattec I/S. Hillerød Denmark).
In conclusion inline dynamic changes in the milk LDH concentration may increase together with the rise in the lactation period frequency. The highest LDH level determinated in the group of the fresh cows ranged from 5 to 10 DIM, while the highest LDH concentration level was found in the fresh cow milk. Thus, there was a positive relationship between the milk concentration of LDH and the milk yield.