1. Funkcjonowanie oczyszczalni ścieków komunalnych w aspekcie nowej unijnej dyrektywy ściekowej. Cz. 1: Oczyszczanie ścieków / Operation of municipal sewage treatment plants in the context of the new EU sewage directive. Part 1: Sewage treatment

Stefan ROGOZIŃSKI
Water and Sewage Company Ltd. (Przedsiębiorstwo Wodociągów i Kanalizacji Sp. z o.o.), Pokoju 13, Ruda Śląska, Poland
Bożena MROWIEC
University of Bielsko-Biala, Institute of Engineering Sciences, Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biała, Poland
bmrowiec@ubb.edu.pl

Article (PDF) CC BY 4.0 / 1_RogozinskiMrowiec_vol920251-14.pdf 

Keywords
municipal wastewater treatment plants, municipal sewage, wastewater sludge, wastewater directive, circular economy

Abstract
The article presents the key provisions of the new European Parliament directive on municipal wastewater treatment, outlining the directions in which wastewater treatment technologies will need to advance. In line with the principles of the circular economy, municipal wastewater should be regarded as a source for water recovery, raw materials, and energy, both from the wastewater itself and from waste generated during its treatment processes. The quality parameters of treated wastewater necessitate the adoption of increasingly effective technologies for the removal of carbon compounds and nutrients, employing both biological and chemical methods. The elimination of micropollutants, such as pharmaceuticals and microplastics, will require the introduction of an additional treatment stage within municipal wastewater treatment plant systems, incorporating specific processes such as oxidation, adsorption, or filtration. The efficiency of their removal depends primarily on the chemical structure of the pollutants and their resultant physicochemical properties. Another critical aspect of municipal treatment plant operation is energy self-sufficiency and the sustainable management of sewage sludge. In this regard, treatment plants must reduce the energy consumption of technological processes and prioritise the acquisition of energy from renewable sources, including the utilisation of sludge as biofuel. Sewage sludge should also be considered a source of valuable elements, with potential for resource recovery. In light of these considerations, municipal wastewater treatment plants are evolving into production facilities that use sewage as a raw material, with increasingly high processing efficiency and improved removal of both conventional and emerging pollutants. Modern technologies and legal regulations are driving the implementation of such targeted technological solutions.

For citation:
Rogoziński S., Mrowiec B. 2025. Operation of municipal sewage treatment plants in the context of the new EU sewage directive. Part 1: Sewage treatment. Polish Journal of Materials and Environmental Engineering, 9(29), 1-14 (in Polish). DOI: https://doi.org/10.53052/pjmee.2025.9.01

2. Zmiany zagospodarowania przestrzennego na obszarze dzielnicy Straconka (miasto Bielsko-Biała) w latach 1998-2022 / Changes in spatial development in the Straconka district (Bielsko-Biała city) in the years 1998-2022

Janusz KOZAK
University of Bielsko-Biala, Institute of Engineering Sciences, Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biała, Poland
jkozak@ubb.edu.pl
Patryk NOWAK
Student of the University of Bielsko-Biala

Article (PDF) CC BY 4.0 / 2_KozakNowak_vol9202515-22.pdf

Keywords
Spatial Information System, spatial planning, land use

Abstract
Land-use change analysis is a key tool for studying the effects of planning and economic-political decisions on land-use. The aim of this study was to identify land-use changes in the Straconka district of Bielsko-Biała (southern Poland) using GIS tools. Historical and contemporary orthophotomaps of study area were analysed. Five land use classes were included: roads, loose buildings, compact buildings, green areas, forest areas. The significant changes in the urbanisation of the once typical village, now an integral district of the city of Bielsko-Biała, were demonstrated. In the period from 1998 to 2022, the area of compact development has clearly increased - from 23.2 to 31.2%. A consequence of the urbanisation development was also an increase in the length of hardened traffic routes - from 21.7 to 35.3 km. Due to the densification of development, the proportion of the area occupied by loose housing decreased. Urbanisation has also resulted in a reduction in the area of green spaces - from 27.4 to 14.6%. These were used as meadows for livestock feed. At present, with few exceptions, they are not used for agriculture. They are often areas of a recreational nature, but are just as often subject to uncontrolled forest succession. Forest areas have slightly increased their share in the spatial development structure of the district - from 46 to 49%. This is the result of both forest recovery and deliberate forest cultivation.

For citation:
Kozak J., Nowak P. 2025. Changes in spatial development in the Straconka district (Bielsko-Biała city) in the years 1998-2022. Polish Journal of Materials and Environmental Engineering, 9(29), 15-22 (in Polish). DOI: https://doi.org/10.53052/pjmee.2025.9.02

3. Prawne aspekty organizacji budowy lub przebudowy dróg publicznych spowodowanych inwestycjami prywatnymi / Legal aspects of organizing the construction or reconstruction of public roads due to private projects

Arleta PERNAL
Graduate of the University of Bielsko-Biala
Andrzej HARAT
University of Bielsko-Biala, Institute of Engineering Sciences, Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biała, Poland
aharat@ubb.edu.pl

Article (PDF) CC BY 4.0 / 3_PernalHarat_vol9202523-32.pdf

Keywords
road reconstruction, connecting the constructed facility to the existing infrastructure, access to a public road

Abstract
The development and implementation of road and transport infrastructure is not always a goal in the public interest. Private entities implementing their own projects are frequently interested in the possibility of building new road sections or adapting the existing road systems to their own plans and transport needs. The existing regulations contained in art. 16 of the Public Roads Act and the Civil Code enable cooperation in this field between road managers and private investors, offering numerous benefits to the parties that enter into mutual agreement in this matter, but also imposing on them certain obligations. The agreements in question may constitute one of the factors promoting a dynamic development of administrative units and enabling the construction of housing estates, office buildings, commercial facilities, warehouses, logistics centers and many other facilities in areas without a convenient road system. Everything is done in cooperation with public administration bodies. Naturally, the process of preparing, implementing and managing a construction project is a complicated and difficult issue. The current circumstances of economic, resource and material uncertainty may pose a significant threat to the implementation of a construction project. Nevertheless, a factor necessary to achieve satisfactory goals is mutual involvement of the parties in the appropriate preparation of the project, as well as finding an optimal solution that does not place an excessive financial burden on the private investor and, at the same time, guarantees the achievement of the assumed goal.

For citation:
Pernal A., Harat A. 2025. Legal aspects of organizing the construction or reconstruction of public roads due to private projects. Polish Journal of Materials and Environmental Engineering, 9(29), 23-32 (in Polish). DOI: https://doi.org/10.53052/pjmee.2025.9.03

4. Nowe stanowisko kruszczyka sinego Epipactis purpurata Sm. na terenie rezerwatu przyrody „Skarpa Wiślicka” na Pogórzu Śląskim / A new locality of the blue helleborine Epipactis purpurata Sm. in the “Skarpa Wiślicka” nature reserve in the Silesian Foothills

Tomasz BECZAŁA
Gorecki Nature Club Association, Zalesie 12, 43-436 Górki Wielkie, Poland
Damian CHMURA
University of Bielsko-Biala, Institute of Engineering Sciences, Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biała, Poland
dchmura@ubb.edu.pl
 

Article (PDF) CC BY 4.0 / 4_BeczalaChmura_vol9202533-38.pdf

Keywords
strictly protected species, Orchidaceae, localities of rare plant species

Abstract
Epipactis purpurata Sm., is a rare orchid species in Poland, classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the Polish Red List of Ferns and Flowering Plants and as Rare (R) on the Red List of Plants and Fungi of Poland. It is strictly protected and considered one of the most endangered orchids in the country. Morphologically, it is a perennial herb reaching 20–80 cm in height, with a purplish stem and pale pink flowers. It typically blooms from mid-July to September, making it one of the latest-flowering orchids in Poland.
In August 2013, two shoots of E. purpurata were discovered in the “Skarpa Wiślicka” nature reserve, located in the Silesian Foothills. This reserve, established in 1996 and covering 29.03 ha, is part of the Natura 2000 network due to its active tufa formation processes. The area is a forested island within an agricultural landscape and has been the subject of botanical research since the 1930s.
In July 2024, a follow-up survey confirmed the presence of a new population of E. purpurata in forest compartment 74c of the reserve, approximately 350 meters south of the 2013 site. Five flowering individuals were found in a patch of subcontinental hornbeam forest (Tilio-Carpinetum). The confirmed site belongs to the DF91 square according to the vascular plant distribution grid in Poland. This finding highlights the importance of continued botanical monitoring in the Silesian Foothills, especially given the region’s dynamic land-use changes and urbanization pressures. Authors also highlight the need to update records of rare and protected plant species to support effective conservation strategies.

For citation:
Beczała T., Chmura D. 2025. A new locality of the blue helleborine Epipactis purpurata Sm. in the "Skarpa Wiślicka" nature reserve in the Silesian Foothills. Polish Journal of Materials and Environmental Engineering, 9(29), 33-38 (in Polish). DOI: https://doi.org/10.53052/pjmee.2025.9.04

5. Ocena stanu troficznego wód zbiornika Tresna na podstawie stężenia chlorofilu / Assessment of the trophic state of the Tresna reservoir water based on chlorophyll concentration

Ewa JACHNIAK
University of Bielsko-Biala, Institute of Engineering Sciences, Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biała, Poland
ejachniak@ubb.edu.pl
Marek WILMAN
Graduate of the University of Bielsko-Biala, Student of the University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland
marek.wilman@o365.us.edu.pl

Article (PDF) CC BY 4.0 / 5_JachniakWilman_vol9202539-50df

Keywords
chlorophyll a, dam reservoir, eutrophication

Abstract
The aim of this research was to assess the state of eutrophication of the Tresna dam reservoir. Knowledge of the degree of eutrophication of the reservoir water is very important, because water with a high degree of eutrophication is often unsuitable for use (especially recreational and water supply). The trophic state was determined based on chlorophyll a concentrations. In addition, the species composition of planktonic algae in the reservoir water was also analyzed in the summer period. The water samples for research were taken during the vegetation season in 2023 year during 5 months (from May to September) from two research points – T1 (the beach area in Zarzecze) and T2 (the area of ​​the dam in Tresna). Chlorophyll a concentrations in the area of ​​the beach in Zarzecze exceeded the lower limit values ​​for mesotrophy for most of the study period. In turn, in May and August, they indicated the eutrophic nature of the reservoir water. The average concentration of chlorophyll a in the study period in this region (7.24 µg/dm³) indicates the mesotrophic character of the water. In turn, chlorophyll a concentrations at the research site in Tresna (near the reservoir dam) were more variable during the research period and they indicated a state from oligotrophy to eutrophy. The average chlorophyll a concentration (5,27 µg/dm³) while allowed to classify the water of this region as mesotrophic. The dominant taxa of algae in the water samples were Fragilaria crotonensis, Asterionella formosa (diatoms), Pediastrum duplex and Gloeotilla (green algae) and Ceratium hirundinella (dinoflagellates). The numerous presence of Fragilaria crotonensis and Asterionella formosa in the samples may indicate an increase in the level of eutrophication, because they live in large numbers in eutrophic water and sometimes creating blooms. In turn, the presence of the dinoflagellate Ceratium hirundinella may confirm a more temporarily moderate the level of fertility in the reservoir water and a small amount of organic compounds.

For citation:
Jachniak E., Wilman M. 2025. Assessment of the trophic state of the Tresna reservoir water based on chlorophyll concentration. Polish Journal of Materials and Environmental Engineering, 9(29), 39-50 (in Polish). DOI: https://doi.org/10.53052/pjmee.2025.9.05