Filters
total: 1118
filtered: 1013
displaying 1000 best results Help
Search results for: PARTICULATE MATTER POLLUTION
-
DAB+ Coverage Analysis: a New Look at Network Planning using GIS Tools
PublicationFor many years, the matter of designing a transmitter network, optimized for best signal coverage, has been a subject of intense research. In the last decade, numerous researchers and institutions used GIS and spatial analysis tools for network planning, especially transmitter location. Currently, many existing systems operate in a strictly two-dimensional manner, not taking into account the three-dimensional nature of the analyzed...
-
Effectiveness of pollutants removal in hybrid constructed wetlands – different configurations case study
PublicationIn recent years, an increase in interest in hybrid constructed wetland systems (HCWs) has been observed. The aim of the paper is to compare different HCW configurations in terms of mass removal rates and efficiency of pollutants removal. Analysed data have been collected at multistage constructed wetlands in Poland, which are composed by at least two beds: horizontal subsurface flow (SSHF) and vertical subsurface flow (SSVF). The...
-
Occurrence and Determination of Volatile Fatty Acids in Landfill Leachate and Gas
PublicationIn landfills containing biological matter volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are generated at high rate at the early stage of waste disposal and their content in leachate is high as compared to the leachate from old parts of landfill since they are converted to methane gas. Monitoring of the leachate for the content of VFAs can help determine the processes occurring in waste and possible effect of the leachate on the environment in the...
-
Occurrence and Determination of Volatile Fatty Acids in Landfill Leachate and Gas
PublicationIn landfills containing biological matter volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are generated at high rate at the early stage of waste disposal and their content in leachate is high as compared to the leachate from old parts of landfill since they are converted to methane gas. Monitoring of the leachate for the content of VFAs can help determine the processes occurring in waste and possible effect of the leachate on the environment in the...
-
Space syntax analysis - methodology of understanding the space
PublicationNowadays space is considered as a net of connections between different areas. The questions how to delineate its character and how it is possible to objectively compare two spaces is the matter under consideration. This was the reason for creating new theories about the structure of place. "Space syntax analysis" (SSA) or simply "Space Syntax" defines a number of theories and research areas devoted to the analysis of space configuration....
-
Case Study of Old Steel Riveted Railway Truss Bridge: From Material Characterization to Structural Analysis
PublicationThe structural analysis of an old steel riveted railway truss bridge located over the Maruska River on the Działdowo – Olsztyn, Poland railway line is performed in this paper to check its behaviour under today’s railway loads. The mechanical properties of construction steel extracted from the old steel bridge are investigated by tensile tests, impact tests through the Charpy pendulum impact V-notch, and an optical emission spectrometer....
-
Visual Traffic Noise Monitoring in Urban Areas
PublicationThe paper presents an advanced system for railway and road traffic noise monitoring in metropolitan areas. This system is a functional part of a more complex solution designed for environmental monitoring in cities utilizing analyses of sound, vision and air pollution, based on a ubiquitous computing approach. The system consists of many autonomous, universal measuring units and a multimedia server, which gathers, processes and...
-
Treatment of malodorous air in biotrickling filters: A review
PublicationOdour nuisance, resulting mainly from the presence of the compounds containing osmophore group and characterized by low olfactory threshold, is associated with danger and may be the cause of negative psychosomatic symptoms. Among different methods of malodorous air treatment, biological methods are of importance, mainly due to reduced operating costs, high purification efficiency of voluminous gas streams characterized by low concentrations...
-
One-step recovery of REE oxalates in electro-leaching of spent NdFeB magnets
PublicationRecovery of rare-earth elements (REEs) from spent NdFeB magnets is receiving great attention because of high amount of neodymium and potential risk of environmental pollution. In this study, a novel environment-friendly hydrometallurgical route is proposed for efficient recovery of REEs during electrochemical leaching with sulfuric and oxalic acids. With proper adjustment of the electrolyte composition and operating conditions,...
-
Evaluation of the prediction ability of air pollutants based on the electronic nose responses
PublicationElectronic noses are able to perform on-line measurements of the toxic volatile compounds in air. Due to their low cost and compact size they can be placed in the areas exposed to pollution, outside the laboratory. Those advantages, on the other side, force the need for development of the reliable sensors data analysis procedures. One of the most important issues connected with electronic noses is the lack of stability of the gas...
-
Remote Monitoring of Environmental Pollutants
PublicationAtmospheric air quality is one of the key factors influencing human health. Air quality evaluation is not an easy task as the atmosphere is a complex system subjected to continuous changes in time. Observed progress in the development of measurement devices and technologies is fundamental for acquisition of more reliable information about condition and quality of atmospheric air. Unfortunately, this process leads to an increase...
-
Temperature Sensors Based on Polymer Fiber Optic Interferometer
PublicationTemperature measurements are of great importance in many fields of human activities, including industry, technology, and science. For example, obtaining a certain temperature value or a sudden change in it can be the primary control marker of a chemical process. Fiber optic sensors have remarkable properties giving a broad range of applications. They enable continuous real-time temperature control in difficult-to-reach areas, in...
-
A facile approach to fabricate load-bearing porous polymer scaffolds for bone tissue engineering
PublicationBiodegradable porous scaffolds with oriented interconnected pores and high mechanical are load-bearing biomaterials for bone tissue engineering. Herein, we report a simple, non-toxic, and cost-effective method to fabricate high-strength porous biodegradable scaffolds, composed of a polymer matrix of polycaprolactone (PCL) and water-soluble poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) as a sacrificial material by integrating annealing treatment,...
-
Seasonal changes of mercury speciation in the coastal sediments
PublicationPurpose Mercury speciation in sediments is linked to environmental conditions and processes. Domination of particular mercury species depends on its source, displays considerable seasonal behavior, and may be further modified due to oxygen levels, icing conditions, or the input of fresh organic matter. The purpose of this study was to examine the coastal area of the Gulf of Gdańsk in terms of mercury contamination and the influence...
-
Ranking of ecotoxisity tests for underground water assessment using the Hasse diagram technique
PublicationThe present study deals with the novel application of the Hasse diagram technique (HDT) for the specific ranking of ecotoxicity tests capable of assessment of underground water quality. The area studied is a multi-municipal landfill in the northern Poland. The monitoring network of the landfill constitutes of 27 piezometers for underground water monitoring and two observation points at surface water courses. After sampling, chemical...
-
Rozwój zrównoważony w planowaniu strategicznym w miastach powiatowych na obszarze peryferyjnym woj. pomorskiego
PublicationCelem pracy było rozpoznanie, czy i w jakim zakresie zasady rozwoju zrównoważonego są obecne w planowaniu strategicznym w miastach powiatowych na obszarach peryferyjnych województwa pomorskiego. Wybrano taki zestaw miast, ponieważ ich rozwój może odegrać istotną rolę w aktywizacji obszarów peryferyjnych (miasta w obszarach metropolitalnych mają odrębną specyfikę). Cechy rozwoju zrównoważonego opisane w teorii oraz dokumentach krajowych...
-
Analiza holenderskich doświadczeń w zakresie logistyki miejskiej
PublicationW artykule dokonano analizy holenderskich doświadczeń w zakresie logistyki miejskiej i organizacji systemu dostaw towarów na przykładzie Utrechtu. Wybór miasta podyktowany był ponad 20 letnim konsekwentnym zaangażowaniem i doświadczeniem w tej dziedzinie. Przedstawiono zmiany w podejściu do problemów miejskiego transportu ładunków z punktu widzenia polityki krajowej oraz przebieg procesu decentralizacji odpowiedzialności na poziom...
-
Advanced oxidation treatment of Pentoxifylline in aqueous solution
PublicationThe degradation of pentoxifylline (PTX) using H2O2, UV, H2O2/UV, Fenton and photo- Fenton processes has been examined in aqueous solution. The influence of various amount of oxidation agent on H2O2, H2O2/UV, Fenton and photo-Fenton reactions were investigated. Initial PTX concentration in Fenton and photo-Fenton was considerated. The addition of inorganic ions (Cl-, NO3-, SO42- and CO32-) on the degradation efficiency of PTX were...
-
Origin of bitumen fractions in the Jurassic-early Cretaceous Vaca Muerta Formation in Argentina: insights from organic petrography and geochemical techniques
PublicationThis paper investigates chemical functional groups of the two extracted bitumen fractions in shales of the Jurassic to early Cretaceous Vaca Muerta Formation of the Neuquén Basin in Argentina, South America. The results indicate that Bitumen I is strongly aliphatic and appears to be genetically related to fluorescent amorphous organic matter. In contrast, Bitumen II consists of highly condensed, aromatic hydrocarbons, and has some...
-
Structure-rheology relationship of fully bio-based linear polyester polyols for polyurethanes - Synthesis and investigation
PublicationThe synthesis of polyols from renewable substances as an alternative for petrochemical-based polyols play important matter in the polyurethane industry. In this work, the fully bio-based linear polyester polyols with different catalyst amounts were synthesized via two-step polycondensation method. The effect of various catalyst content on the structure and rheological behavior were established. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy,...
-
Properties and Formation of Mineralized Veins in an Organic-Rich Shale Formation
PublicationAn earlier paper defined mineral and organic matter constituents in weak interfaces in shale formations (Ptaszynska, et. al., 2016). The formation studied in the earlier work and here is the Jurassic, early-Cretaceous Vaca Muerta formation in the Neuquen basin in Argentina. In this earlier work, mineralized "veins" were noted to be prevalent and complicated, sometimes being shear weak interfaces while in other cases they were not....
-
Fate and significance of phthalates and bisphenol A in liquid by-products generated during municipal solid waste mechanical-biological pre-treatment and disposal
PublicationSamples of liquid by-products generated by municipal solid waste plants (MSWPs) were tested for the presence of phthalates (PAEs) and bisphenol A (BPA). The results indicated that the wastewater generated during mechanical (sorting unit - SU) and biological (composting unit - CU) pre-treatment (MBT) of residual (mixed) solid waste is a significant source of these compounds. The concentrations of PAEs (up to 32222 lg/L) and BPA...
-
Application of 3D Whole Body Scanning in Research on Human Body Surface Area
PublicationHuman body surface area (BSA) is one of the major parameters used in several medical fields. Its heterogeneity caused by individual human characteristics sustains a many-decades-long research on the matter. Today’s technology allows to create exact body models in mere seconds. However, an extensive research that includes scanning people with major disfigurements or people suffering from diseases, which often prevent their mobility,...
-
Rural domestic wastewater treatment in Norway and Poland: experiences, cooperation and concepts on the improvement of constructed wetland technology
PublicationThis article describes Norwegian and Polish experiences concerning domestic wastewatertreatment obtained during nearly 20 years of operation for constructed wetland (CW) systemsin rural areas and scattered settlements. The Norwegian CW systems revealed a highperformance with respect to the removal of organic matter, biogenic elements and faecalindicator bacteria. The performance of the Polish CW systems was unstable, and varied...
-
Removal of BTEX Compounds From Waste Gases; Destruction and Recovery Techniques
PublicationThe tendency for BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes) to spread into all compartments of the environment together with their influence on both ecosystem and human health means that the emission of thesecompounds into the air is becoming the matter of worldwide concern. The legal regulations introduced by the European Union governing the assessment and management of air quality obliges member states to systematically...
-
GPU-Accelerated Finite-Element Matrix Generation for Lossless, Lossy, and Tensor Media [EM Programmer's Notebook]
PublicationThis paper presents an optimization approach for limiting memory requirements and enhancing the performance of GPU-accelerated finite-element matrix generation applied in the implementation of the higher-order finite-element method (FEM). It emphasizes the details of the implementation of the matrix-generation algorithm for the simulation of electromagnetic wave propagation in lossless, lossy, and tensor media. Moreover, the impact...
-
NbIr 2 B 2 and TaIr 2 B 2 – New Low Symmetry Noncentrosymmetric Superconductors with Strong Spin–Orbit Coupling
PublicationSuperconductivity was first observed more than a century ago, but the search for new superconducting materials remains a challenge. The Cooper pairs in superconductors are ideal embodiments of quantum entanglement. Thus, novel superconductors can be critical for both learning about electronic systems in condensed matter and for possible application in future quantum technologies. Here two previously unreported materials, NbIr2B2...
-
HCI-Based Wireless System for Measuring the Concentration of Mining Machinery and Equipment Operators
PublicationMaintaining stable and reliable working conditions is a matter of vital importance for various companies, especially those involving heavy machinery. Due to human exhaustion, as well as unpredicted hazards and dangerous situations, the personnel has to take actions and wisely plan each move. This paper presents a human–computer interaction (HCI)-based system that uses a concentration level measurement function to increase the safety...
-
Towards an integrated assessment of environmental and human health impact of energy sector in Poland
PublicationReferat prezentuje system zintegrowanej oceny wpływu sektora energetycznego na stan środowiska i zdrowie ludzkie w Polsce. W podejściu wykorzystano kombinację modelu transportu zanieczyszczeń w powietrzu POLAIR 3D z modelem informacyjno-symulacyjnym RAINS. Model oszacowuje emisje i koncentracje zanieczyszczeń powietrza, koszty kontroli emisji zanieczyszczeń i inne koszty związane z różnymi scenariuszami rozwoju sektora energetycznego.The...
-
Geographic information system for remote integration of diverse under-water acoustic sensor data
PublicationMaritime and port areas throughout the world are exposed to many different hazards, like pollution, terrorism and natural disasters. Early detection, identification and preparation of appropriateesponse strategies is especially important in the case of semi-enclosed basins like the Baltic Sea, mainly due to the marine ecosystems' continuous absorption of pollutants including oil, heavy metals and chemicals. Many of those agents...
-
SURFACTANTS IN KLODNICA RIVER (KATOWICE, POLAND). PART I. LINEAR ALKYLBENZENE SULPHONATES (LAS)
PublicationSurfactants are a group of compounds with specific physico-chemical properties and therefore they are used in many spheres of human activity. Surface-active substances undergo various physico-chemical transformations, what enables their migration between different elements of the environment and may lead to its pollution. Selected anionic surfactants were determined in samples of water from the Klodnica river (25 samples) and bottom...
-
Concentrations of heavy metals and PCBs in the tissues of European beavers (Castor fiber) captured in northeastern Poland
PublicationEuropean beavers (Castor fiber) from two regions were examined to identify exposure to persistent environmental contaminants. A reference group was comprised of six animals from the Forest Division of Srokowo, and an exposed group was comprised of five animals from the vicinity of a former military airport operated in 1918–1986—both from Warmia land in Poland. 137 Cs in beavers' muscles was considered negligible for the overall...
-
Design and distribution of air nozzles in the biomass boiler assembly
PublicationDue to energy crisis as well as increasing pollution of the environment, renewable energy sources usage increases all over the world. These facts encouraged authors to start research over developing a uniform biomass boiler calculation model. This paper presents a design of biomass boiler assembly created for ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) unit since these systems could achieve strong position in energy industry....
-
A novel method for archiving multibeam sonar data with emphasis on efficient record size reduction and storage
PublicationOver the past few years considerable advances in sonar technology, spatial positioning capabilities and computer processing power have lead to significant improvements in mapping, imaging and technologies of seafloor exploration. Recently, modern multibeam echosounder systems (MBES) capable of recording backscatter data for the whole water column, not just for the seabed, have become available thus providing data allowing for...
-
Novel approach to ecotoxicological risk assessment of sediments cores around the shipwreck by the use of self-organizing maps
PublicationMarine and coastal pollution plays an increasingly important role due to recent severe accidents which drew attention to the consequences of oil spills causing widespread devastation of marine ecosystems. All these problems cannot be solved without conducting environmental studies in the area of possible oil spill and performing chemometric evaluation of the data obtained looking for similar patterns among pollutants and optimize...
-
Solid phase microextraction–comprehensive twodimensional gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry: a new tool for determining PAHs in airport runoff water samples
Publicationfundamental aspect of airport operations is the pollution caused by airport runoff waters. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are one of the most important groups of xenobiotics which are commonly found in runoff water originating from airports. Only very limited data on the analysis of airport runoff water have been published until now. Therefore, a reliable and accurate analytical method based on headspace solid-phase microextraction...
-
A Model-Based Improved Control of Dissolved Oxygen Concentration in Sequencing Wastewater Batch Reactor
PublicationBiochemical processes at wastewater treatment plant are complex, nonlinear, time varying and multivariable. Moreover, relationships between processes are very strong. One of the most important issues is exerting proper control over dissolved oxygen levels during nitrification phase. This parameter has a very large impact on activity of microorganisms in activated sludge and on quality of pollution removal processes. Oxygen is supplied...
-
Insights into Seawater Biodegradation of Sustainable Mater-Bi/Poly(ε-caprolactone)-Based Biocomposites Filled with Diisocyanate-Modified Cellulose Particles
Publication: Due to rapid economic growth, the use of plastics in almost all areas of human life has significantly increased over recent decades, leading to massive pollution. Therefore, works dealing with sustainable and biodegradable polymer materials are vital now. Herein, sustainable MaterBi/poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)-based biocomposites, filled with diisocyanate-modified cellulose particles, were prepared and subjected to 12-week seawater...
-
Investigation of functional layers of solid oxide fuel cell anodes for synthetic biogas reforming
PublicationSolid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are one of the most promising energy conversion devices due to their high efficiency, low pollution and fuel flexibility. Unfortunately, when hydrocarbons are used as a fuel, for example in the form of a biogas, solid carbon can deposit on the anode surface. This process leads to the degradation of the fuel cell performance. A possible solution to this problem is to apply an additional catalytic material,...
-
DETERMINATION OF THE EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON THE CORROSION OF WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM BASED ON ANALYSIS OF ON-LINE CORROSION MONITORING RESULTS
PublicationCorrosion of water distribution system is a significant issue causing problems with quality, safety and continuity of distribution. The changes of corrosion rates of the water distribution systems in Cracow made of carbon steel were investigated by analysis of online corrosion monitoring system results. Corrosion rates were determined using the linear polarization method. The impact of rain, temperatures, conductivity, dissolved...
-
Elucidating the impact of enzymatic modifications on the structure, properties, and applications of cellulose, chitosan, starch and their derivatives: a review
PublicationPolysaccharides, as one of the most prominent natural biopolymers, display numerous biological activities and industrial applications. Nevertheless, some polysaccharides lack biological properties or display weak biological activities. Besides, practical usages of polysaccharides still remain challenging because of their poor solubility and inappropriate hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance. Hence, enzymatic or chemical modifications...
-
Adaptive stochastic and hybrid nonlinear optimization algorithms for improving the effectiveness of the biological processes at WWTP
PublicationWastewater treatment plays an important factor in the modern world. Insufficient treatment may result in environmental pollution which can further lead to disasters and diseases. However, processes that take place inside wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are highly complex in nature, therefore it is difficult to design an efficient, optimal control system. The problem regarding biochemical reactions inside Sequential Batch Reactor...
-
Constructed wetlands systems for wastewater treatment in Poland
PublicationOczyszczalnie hydrofitowe mogą stanowić interesującą alternatywę dla konwencjonalnych rozwiązań gospodarki ściekowej na terenach o rozproszonej zabudowie. Celem pracy była ocena działania i skuteczności usuwania zanieczyszczeń w hybrydowych systemach hydrofitowych pracujących w rejonie Gdańska, w klimacie umiarkowanym.Technologiczne rozwiązanie składające się z osadnika gnilnego oraz złoża hydrofitowego z podpowierzchniowym przepływem...
-
Rapana venosa consumption improves the lipid profiles and antioxidant capacities in serum of rats fed an atherogenic diet
PublicationIn the recent years, the consumption of seafood has increased. There are no results on the studies of Rapana venosa (Rv) as a supplementation to the diets. We hypothesized that Rv would increase antioxidant capacity and reduce blood lipids, based on the composition of bioactive compounds and fatty acids. Therefore, the aim of this investigation was to evaluate in vitro and in vivo actions of Rv from contaminated (C) and non-C (NC)...
-
Hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties of pollutants as a factor influencing their redistribution during snowpack melt
PublicationGlaciers accumulate organic pollutants delivered by snow. However, our understanding of the exact dynamics of organic pollutants in the snowpack relies primarily on laboratory experiments and mathematical models. To fill the gap related to the detailed field data, we have conducted observations of melting snow profiles in two locations and three different stages of melting on one High Arctic glacier, as well as in superimposed...
-
Microporous Polyurethane Thin Layer as a Promising Scaffold for Tissue Engineering
PublicationThe literature describes that the most efficient cell penetration takes place at 200–500 µm depth of the scaffold. Many different scaffold fabrication techniques were described to reach these guidelines. One such technique is solvent casting particulate leaching (SC/PL). The main advantage of this technique is its simplicity and cost efficiency, while its main disadvantage is the scaffold thickness, which is usually not less than...
-
Polyurethane porous scaffolds (PPS) for soft tissue regenerative medicine applications
PublicationTissue engineering requires suitable polymeric scaffolds, which act as a physical support for regenerated tissue. A promising candidate might be polyurethane (PUR) scaffold, due to the ease of the PUR properties design, which can be adjusted directly to the intended purpose. In this study, we report a successful fabrication of porous polyurethane scaffolds (PPS) using solvent casting/particulate leaching technique combined with...
-
Modeling organic nitrogen conversions in activated sludge bioreactors
PublicationFor biological nutrient removal (BNR) systems designed to maximize nitrogen removal, the effluent total nitrogen (TN) concentration may range from 2.0 to 4.0 g N/m3 with about 25-50% in the form of organic nitrogen (ON). In this study, current approaches to modeling organic N conversions (separate processes vs. constant contents of organic fractions) were compared. A new conceptual model of ON conversions was developed and combined...
-
Optymalizacja rozkładu jazdy na kolei z uwzględnieniem efektywności hamowania odzyskowego.
PublicationNa wstępie artykułu przybliżono czytelnikowi, czym jest rozkład jazdy na sieci kolejowej, na czym polega jego optymalizacja oraz odwołano się do literatury opisującej proces jego konstrukcji. W dalszej części przedstawiono kryteria optymalizacji rozkładu jazdy i zaproponowano podejście od strony efektywności wykorzystania energii pochodzącej z hamowania rekuperacyjnego, realizowanego metodą odzysku bezpośrednio do sieci trakcyjnej....
-
Sieciowe systemy przetwarzania rozproszonego typu GRID – rozwiązania systemowe oraz przykłady aplikacyjne
PublicationZaprezentowano możliwości wykorzystania oraz integracji rozproszonych mocy obliczeniowych komputerów Internautów w globalnej sieci www. Pokazano paradygmaty internetowego przetwarzania rozproszonego typu grid computing oraz volunteer computing. Zwrócono uwagę na istotność tego typu przetwarzania w rozwiązywaniu zagadnień wymagających bardzo dużych mocy obliczeniowych. Pokazano reprezentatywne przykłady rozwiązań systemowych tego...