1. Problematyka koncesjonowania wydobycia kopalin energetycznych w Polsce / Granting licences for the extraction of energy minerals in Poland

Andrzej HARAT
University of Bielsko-Biala, Department of Civil Engineering, Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biała, Poland
aharat@ubb.edu.pl
Andrzej JAGUŚ
University of Bielsko-Biala, Department of Environmental Protection and Engineering, Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biała, Poland
ajagus@ubb.edu.pl

Article (PDF) CC BY 4.0 / 1_harat_jagus_vol520231-13.pdf

Keywords
mining activities, non-renewable resources, peat, lignite, hard coal, petroleum, natural gas

Abstract
The extraction of minerals, including fossil fuels, is a licensed activity. In the case of strategic fossil fuels owned by the state, such as hard coal, lignite, crude oil, natural gas, a license is issued by the minister responsible for the environment. The minister also signs a mining lease agreement, that is the right to use a mining area, with the entity to which  they grant the licence. In the case of resources that are not covered by mining lease, but are subject to land property ownership, such as rock or peat, the licensing authority is the staroste or voivodship governor (depending on the area of the deposit or the volume of the mineral to be extracted). The licensing procedure requires the preparation and completion of extensive documentation presenting the interested entity and the activity it is going to undertake. In the case of licences granted by the minister or governor, the submitted documentation is required to contain a deposit development plan. The licensing procedure consists in examining the license application along with the attached documentation by the competent authority, as well as conducting arrangements with the interested institutions and supervisory authorities. Commencement of the licensing procedure for the extraction of coal or peat is not limited in time, whereas the granting of licences for the exploration, identification and extraction of hydrocarbon deposits begins only in the form of a time-limited tender. After the licence has been granted, the area covered by its provisions is entered in the register of mining areas. Licences are granted for a specified period of time. An important element to be included in their contents is indication of the requirements for conducting a business in a way that minimizes the negative impact on the environment.

For citation:
Harat A., Jaguś A. 2023. Granting licenses for the extraction of energy minerals in Poland. Polish Journal of Materials and Environmental Engineering, 5(25), 1-13 (in Polish). DOI: https://doi.org/10.53052/pjmee.2023.5.01

2. Zmienność stężeń pyłu zawieszonego PM10 w powietrzu na terenie Krościenka nad Dunajcem w latach 2018-2022 / Variability of PM10 particulate matter concentrations in the area of Krościenko nad Dunajcem in the years 2018-2022

Monika WIERZBIŃSKA, Janusz KOZAK
University of Bielsko-Biala, Department of Environmental Protection and Engineering, Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biała, Poland
mwierzbinska@ubb.edu.pl
jkozak@ubb.edu.pl
Ewelina ZAJĄC
Pieniny National Park, Jagiellońska 107B, 34-450 Krościenko nad Dunajcem

Article (PDF) CC BY 4.0 / 2_wierzbinska_i_in_vol5202314-22.pdf

Keywords
particulate matter PM10, air pollution, Krościenko nad Dunajcem

Abstract
Frequent exceedances of permissible PM10 concentrations occur mainly during the so-called heating season and are readily noticed not only by environmental protection specialists but also by residents; they are also wildly discussed in the mass media. If the state of elevated concentrations persists for at least several hours, it is generally referred to as smog. The duration of smog can range from several hours to several days, causing an increase in morbidity and in the number of deaths. The paper presents the air-sanitary situation in Krościenko nad Dunajcem using the air quality indicator as the concentration of particulate matter PM10. Krościenko is a Carpathian town located in the valley of the Dunajec river. Such a topoclimatic location is conducive to the occurrence of frequent temperature inversions, stagnant cold air and poor ventilation, which results in the concentration of local emissions mainly from domestic boilers. The research period covered the years 2018-2022 of continuous daily D24 PM10 measurements. Preliminary comparisons of annual concentrations with selected cities located in mountainous and foothill areas of southern Poland indicated the aerosanitary problem of Krościenko. In all analyzed years, the daily norms were exceeded from 46 days in 2022 to 91 days in 2018. This situation occurs as a result of the low-stack emission during the heating period and the poor topoclimatic conditions in Krościenko. However, there is a visible downward trend in concentrations over the analyzed period, which may have resulted from the gradual reduction of the use of fossil fuels.

For citation:
Wierzbińska M., Kozak J., Zając E. 2023. Variability of PM10 particulate matter concentrations in the area of Krościenko nad Dunajcem in the years 2018-2022. Polish Journal of Materials and Environmental Engineering, 5(25), 14-22 (in Polish). DOI: https://doi.org/10.53052/pjmee.2023.5.02

3. Wpływ chemicznego kondycjonowania na własności grawitacyjne osadu czynnego nadmiernego / Impact of chemical conditioning on the gravitational properties of surplus activated sludge
Klaudiusz GRÜBEL, Marta DUDA
University of Bielsko-Biala, Department of Environmental Protection and Engineering, Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biała, Poland
kgrubel@ubb.edu.pl

Article (PDF) CC BY 4.0 / 3_grubel_duda_vol5202323-31.pdf

Keywords
peroxydisulfates, waste activated sludge, chemical disintegration, gravitational sludge properties

Abstract
The formation of sludge is an inevitable consequence of wastewater treatment processes and their disposal and utilization requires knowledge, technology and engineering. Sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) are gaining popularity as a feasible alternative for sludge conditioning and removing recalcitrant pollutants in an aqueous environment. Application of the pretreatment processes/conditioning allows to obtain better mechanical properties of sludge. In the last decade can be noticed a lot of research from around the world focused on new methods of conditioning of sludge, i.e. the processes of disintegration, of which the destruction of the mechanical, chemical and biological. Nowadays, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) has been proposed as one of the most promising technology over conventional water treatment processes to destroy persistent organic contaminants, as well as better sludge conditioning. Persulfate-based AOPs have attracted significant interest in the AOPs due to the following merits: 1) lower costs of storage and transportation; 2) easy availability of persulfate salts; 3) high yield of sulfate radicals formation and their longer half-life compared to other reactive oxygen species in AOPs. Persulfates, namely peroxydisulfate (PDS), are the most common sulfate radical donors. In order to generate them the peroxide bonds of persulfates can be cleaved homolytically or heterolytically by various activation methods. SR-AOPs activation by heat is considered feasible due to the high concentration of radicals produced as well as the lack of catalysts leaching. The research focuses on determining the impact of activated PDS on the gravitational surplus activated sludge properties. Characteristic parameters were determined in sludge sedimentation processes, i.e. the rate of descent and compaction, sludge density index and sludge volume index, and changes in the supernatant liquid. Conditioned sewage sludge with PDS activated by microwaves changes its sedimentation parameters: the sludge volume index decreased with the dose of PDS and was dependent on it, the settling of the conditioned sludge occurred with the highest intensity in the first minutes of gravitational thickening, the oxidation efficiency of the formed radicals caused a decrease in the turbidity and color of the supernatant liquid.

For citation:
Grübel K., Duda M. 2023. Impact of chemical conditioning on the gravitational properties of surplus activated sludge. Polish Journal of Materials and Environmental Engineering, 5(25), 23-31 (in Polish). DOI: https://doi.org/10.53052/pjmee.2023.5.03

4. Wpływ ekranów akustycznych na śmiertelność ptaków na przykładzie Bielska-Białej / The impact of noise barriers on bird mortality: a case study of Bielsko-Biala town
Marcela ADAMCZYK, Damian CHMURA
University of Bielsko-Biala, Department of Environmental Protection and Engineering, Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biała, Poland
dchmura@ubb.edu.pl

Article (PDF) CC BY 4.0 / 4_adamczyk_chmura_vol5202332-40.pdf

Keywords
acoustic screens, avifauna, protected species

Abstract
The studies on bird mortality along 12 transparent acoustic barriers near roads in Bielsko-Biala (Poland) were conducted from March to October in 2017. The aim was to characterize avifauna striking glass barriers and to relate frequency of collisions to time, developmental stage, sex, vicinity of noise barrier. During the breeding season of birds, 102 collisions of birds with screens, belonging to 25 species, were found. The most collisions were found in June, when 29 victims were observed. In this month, the largest number of juveniles (imm.) was also determined - 17 victims, the lowest number of collisions was at the end of the breeding season (September and October), where the number of collisions did not exceed 7 victims. The largest family of birds hitting the screens are Paridae, which account for as much as 31.4% of all victims. The largest number of collisions occurred with the participation of adults (ad - 68.) while 34 were young victims. The most active young birds were in June, when 17 collision victims were found. From the side of the road, as many as 60 fatalities were observed, while from the other side of the habitats - 42. As for the sex of individuals, most probably there were males (42), and there were 28 females. We conclude that acoustic screens should have nontransparent: stickers, stripes, dots, foils or be replaced by greening walls or earth embankments.

For citation:
Adamczyk M., Chmura D. 2023. The impact of noise barriers on bird mortality: a case study of Bielsko-Biala town. Polish Journal of Materials and Environmental Engineering, 5(25), 32-40 (in Polish). DOI: https://doi.org/10.53052/pjmee.2023.5.04

5. Monitoring małych rzek wyżynnych na przykładzie potoku Łękawka (gmina Bestwina, województwo śląskie) / Monitoring of small upland rivers on the example of the Łękawka stream (Bestwina commune, Silesian Voivode-ship)

Anna SALACHNA
University of Bielsko-Biala, Department of Environmental Protection and Engineering, Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biała, Poland
asalachna@ubb.edu.pl
Dominika WIDUCH
Graduate of the University of Bielsko-Biala

Article (PDF) CC BY 4.0 / 5_salachna_widuch_vol5202341-49.pdf

Keywords
ecological status, chemical status, biological indicators, benthic macroinvertebrates

Abstract
The paper presents the assessment of the water condition of the Łękawka stream according Water Framework Directive, carried out on the basis of research on benthic macroinvertebrates and the analysis of data on other indicators used in the monitoring of waters. Sampling of macroinvertebrates, taxonomic identification and calculation of the MMI_PL index were carried out in accordance with the Multi-Habitat Sampling (MHS) method according to the EU standard EN16150:2012, used in Poland for the monitoring of surface waters. Field studies were carried out in September 2022. From each site, 20 quantitative samples were taken from various fractions of the substrate present in the bottom, using a Surber net. Data on other biological indicators, physicochemical and hydrobiological parameters and chemical status were obtained from the resources of the State Environmental Monitoring, concerning the results of monitoring of rivers and dam reservoirs in Poland in 2016-2021. Studies of the invertebrate macrofauna of the Łękawka stream showed the occurrence of only nine families, dominated by taxa with a wide range of ecological tolerance. The final assessment of the ecological status of the Łękawka water body, according to the RDW guidelines, based on the results of monitoring studies, showed a bad ecological status (class V) of the ecosystem. The key influence on this assessment, in accordance with the principle "the worst decides" was the value of the Polish Multimetric Ecological Quality Index MMI_PL, confirmed by the results of the hydromorphological index (HIR). The chemical status of the examined water body, determined on the basis of the results of monitoring priority substances in the field of water policy (a group of 45 indicators) and other pollutants (eight indicators), showed a "below good" class. Finally, on the basis of a comparison of the ecological and chemical status, the bad condition of the Łękawka stream was confirmed. The obtained results indicate a significant disruption in the functioning of the water ecosystem as well as a violation of the hydrological regime and morphological conditions of the streambed. It means that the achievement of the environmental goal set by the Water Framework Directive is very seriously threatened. Therefore, it is necessary to urgently regulate activities in the field of water and sewage management in the catchment area, regarding water intake and discharge of municipal and industrial sewage.

For citation:
Salachna A., Widuch D. 2023. Monitoring of small upland rivers on the example of the Łękawka stream (Bestwina commune, Silesian Voivode-ship). Polish Journal of Materials and Environmental Engineering, 5(25), 41-49 (in Polish). DOI: https://doi.org/10.53052/pjmee.2023.5.05