Wyniki wyszukiwania dla: POLLUTION SOURCES
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Healthier and Environmentally Responsible Sustainable Cities and Communities. A New Design Framework and Planning Approach for Urban Illumination
PublikacjaAlthough sustainability and sustainable development are both considered necessary practices in various fields today, a recent analysis showed that the Sustainable Development Goal SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities established by the United Nations does not address urban illumination and its impact. This oversight is of concern because research carried out in the last 20+ years indicates artificial light at night (ALAN)...
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Balanced Spider Monkey Optimization with Bi-LSTM for Sustainable Air Quality Prediction
PublikacjaA reliable air quality prediction model is required for pollution control, human health monitoring, and sustainability. The existing air quality prediction models lack efficiency due to overfitting in prediction model and local optima trap in feature selection. This study proposes the Balanced Spider Monkey Optimization (BSMO) technique for effective feature selection to overcome the local optima trap and overfitting problems....
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Looking Up to the Stars. A Call for Action to Save New Zealand’s Dark Skies for Future Generations to Come
PublikacjaThe rapid development of technology coupled with humanity’s desire to reach beyond terra firma, has resulted in more than 60 years of Outer Space activities. Although the exploration of space has provided many advantages and benefits to society so far, including vast, new information that has greatly added to our understanding of our planet and beyond, unfortunately, mankind’s footprint has negative aspects that need to be minimised...
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LLA : A New Anypath Routing Scheme Providing Long Path Lifetime in VANETs
PublikacjaVehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs) are a promising solution to improve the road traffic safety, reduce the environmental pollution, or simply provide the on-board infotainment services. However, these actions are often not possible due to high mobility of vehicles causing frequent failures of VANET links. In this paper, we focus on anypath routing to improve the reliability of multihop VANET communications. In particular, the paper...
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4D Reconstruction and Visualisation of Krakow Fortress
PublikacjaThe specific aim of the European project named "Cultural Heritage Through Time" (CHT2) and reported in this paper is to fully integrate the fourth dimension (4D) into Cultural Heritage studies for analysing structures and landscapes over time. Krakow-the Fortress City (Poland) is the one of four case studies of the CHT2, which are used for the time varying reconstruction, analysis, visualization, and preservation. The goal of...
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Use of Brassica plants in the phytoremediation and biofumigation processes
PublikacjaIn recent decades, serious contamination of soils by heavy metals has been reported. It is therefore a matter of urgency to develop a new and efficient technology for removing contaminants from soil. Another aspect to this problem is that environmental pollution decreases the biological quality of soil, which is why pesticides and fertilizers are being used in ever-larger quantities. The environmentally friendly solutions to these...
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Treatment Wetland for Overflow Stormwater Treatment: The Impact of Pollutant Particles Size
PublikacjaThe problem of stormwater treatment in urban areas has become increas- ingly crucial. It has been widely recognized that both mechanical and biological treatment of stormwater is necessary to protect surface water against pollution. Moreover, technology must be applied to ensure effective treatment in changing hydraulic conditions and to serve, to the extent possible, as a retention volume. Treatment wetland (TW) could be...
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WATER LUBRICATED MAIN SHAFT BEARINGS - MODERN SOLUTION FOR HYDROPOWER INDUSTRY - Experimental and theoretical studies
PublikacjaWater-lubricated bearings are finding increasingly wide use in various branches of industry. As such, they may also be encountered in hydro power industry. They are also increasingly frequently employed in bearing systems of marine shaft propulsions and water pumps [1]. This rising popularity is due to a number of reasons [2]. First of all, their simple construction has direct impact on the level of pricing which is usually quite...
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Storm petrels as indicators of pelagic seabird exposure to chemical elements in the Antarctic marine ecosystem
PublikacjaData on trace element bioavailability in the south-polar marine ecosystem is still scarce, compared to that relating to temperate zones. Seabirds can be used as indicators of ecosystem health and sentinels of environmental pollution, constituting a link between marine and terrestrial environments. Here, we analysed the concentration of 17 elements (with special emphasis on mercury, Hg) in feathers of adults and chicks of two pelagic...
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TEST METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE CHEMICAL EMISSIONS OF A MARINE DIESEL ENGINE EXHAUST IN OPERATION
PublikacjaThe article briefly describes the problem of air pollution caused by sea-going ships and the resulting restrictions on the emission of toxic and harmful chemical compounds in the exhaust of marine engines, introduced by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) under the International Convention for the Prevention of Sea Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73/78). Such emissions provide a significant metrological problem, not only...
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Heavy Metals in Sediments of Urban Streams: Contamination and Health Risk Assessment of Influencing Factors
PublikacjaSediments of two urban streams in northern Poland outflowing to the Baltic Sea were assessed to explain the spatial variation in relation to urbanization level of the catchment, the role of retention tanks (RTs) and identification of pollution level. During the 3 month period of investigation sediment samples were collected from the inflow (IN) and outflow (OUT) of six RTs located on streams for flood protection. Six heavy metals...
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Application of Passive Samplers in Monitoring of Organic Constituents of Air
PublikacjaThe principles of passive dosimetry, which has been known for over 100 years, are finding an ever increasing use in analytical practice and are being used as a convenient technique for isolation and enrichment of analytes from various environmental media. Due to its simplicity, a variety of designs, as well as the possibility of using a number of different final determination techniques, passive dosimetry has been applied in...
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Electronic Noses for Indoor Air Quality Assessment
PublikacjaThis chapter presents a proposal of the use of electronic noses in the monitoring of indoor air quality. The main focus is put on the detailed characteristics of today’s indoor air quality control methods, the types of pollution in the air, and the development of electronic noses for air testing. Currently, scientists seek methodological and structural solutions that would enable real-time online indoor air control. It has been...
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Mercury in Different Feather Types from Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo L.) Inhabiting the Vistula Lagoon Ecosystem in Poland
PublikacjaTotal mercury levels in different feather types (down, contour, tail and flight) in Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo L.) were determined using CV-AAS. Feathers from Great Cormorants inhabiting the Vistula Lagoon ecosystem have an average Hg level of 7.14 ± 3.99 (μg/g w.w.). Age-dependent concentrations of Hg were statistically significant (ANOVA Kruskal-Wallis, p < 0.0001). There were also significant differences in Hg levels...
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The life cycle cost of a building from the point of view of environmental criteria of selecting the most beneficial offer in the area of competitive tendering
PublikacjaThe article analyses environmental and ecological criteria of selecting the most beneficial offer in the aspect of LCC. Construction works contracts and the potential method of defining the above criteria, among others, is pondered on (for example by the recommendation of a material, which is supposed to be used, a ban on substances that are harmful for human health as well for the environment). In the relation to the above, it...
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Arctic Freshwater Environment Altered by the Accumulation of Commonly Determined and Potentially New POPs
PublikacjaChemical composition of Arctic freshwater ecosystems depends on several factors. They include characteristics of the surrounding landscape, its lithology, geomorphology, vegetation, and hydrological features, as well as accumulation of anthropogenic pollution. In the Arctic, the problem of environmental contamination is widespread. That is why research on lakes and river catch-ments in terms of their chemical composition has enjoyed...
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Chemical composition of water from roof in Gdańsk, Poland
PublikacjaThis study deals with the assessment of roof runoff waters from the region of Gdansk collected during the winter season (2007/2008). The chemical analysis includes 16 chemical variables: major ions, PAHs and PCBs measured at 3 sampling sites for 6-14 rain events. Although the data set is of limited volume the statistical data treatment using self-organizing maps (SOM) reveals the main factors controlling roof runoff water quality...
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Preliminary estimation of groundwater recharge on Brda river outwash plain
PublikacjaEstimation of groundwater recharge is one of the most challenging subjects in hydrogeology. It is a critical factor influencing the pollution migration, assessment of aquifer vulnerability to contamination, small-scale groundwater budget calculation, modeling of nutrient cycling and detailed flow path calculations. In Poland an infiltration rate method is widely used, which depends on a system of rate coefficients referring to...
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The influence of meteorological conditions and anthropogenic activities on the seasonal fluctuations of BTEX in the urban air of the Hanseatic city of Gdansk, Poland
PublikacjaThe results of studies conducted in Gdansk in the period from January to December 2013 and focused on the determination of BTEX in the atmospheric air are presented. At the stage of the isolation and/or enrichment of analytes from the gaseous medium, a passive sampling technique—Radiello® diffusive passive samplers, was applied. The time-weighted average annual concentration of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and total xylenes...
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Place attachment, place identity and aesthetic appraisal of urban landscape
PublikacjaAs the aesthetic of the Polish cities became a topic of wider discussions, it is important to detect the potentialrole of human-place relations. Two studies (N = 185 & N = 196) were conducted to explore the relationship betweenplace attachment, place identity and appraisal of urban landscape. Satisfaction with urban aesthetic was predicted by twodimensions of place attachment (place inherited and place...
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Roofing Materials as Pollution Emiters - Concentration Changes During Runoff
PublikacjaThe influence of roofing material on concentration of pollutants in roof runoff waters and changes of pollution concentration in time were investigated. In field studies four roofing material types were taken into consideration - ceramic tile, bituminous membrane, asbestos tile and zinc sheeting. Samples were collected since November 2007 to March 2008, anions, cations, metals, PAHs, pesticides and PCB were determined. The existence...
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Smart and resilient cities- new challanges for Polish cities in terms of 2020 energy efficiency and climate action
PublikacjaGlobal climate change action along with energy efficiency optimizations are becoming increasingly pressing principles in terms of moving towards sustainable development. As a member of EU and UN Poland is also obliged to follow restricted rules concerning energy efficiency of buildings which come to force in 2020. To meet new goals, innovative approaches - like moving towards smart and resilient cities -may be required. Through...
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Decrease in Photovoltaic Module Efficiency Due to Deposition of Pollutants
PublikacjaThe deposition of pollutants on the surface of photovoltaic (PV) modules reduce the efficiency that can be achieved in given climatic conditions. This results in the loss of energy yield obtained from the solar installation. A number of factors determine the scale of this problem. The first of these is the amount of impurities deposited, the associated amount of precipitation, and the speed and direction of the wind. A second aspect...
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Creating Acoustic Maps Employing Supercomputing Cluster
PublikacjaThe implemented online urban noise pollution monitoring system is presented with regard to its conceptual assumptions and technical realization. A concept of the noise source parameters dynamic assessment is introduced. The idea of noise modeling, based on noise emission characteristics and emission simulations, was developer and practically utilized in the system. Furthermore, the working system architecture and the data acquisition...
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Automatic Detection and Monitoring of Cyanobacterial Blooms in the Context of the Marine Cadastre
PublikacjaIn the wake of the European and global spatial data infrastructures (SDI) it is important to build information systems which use and serve thematic data in compliance with the INSPIRE Directive. In the context of hydrographic data, the Directive requires EU member states to collect and share information on maritime areas divided into regions and sub-regions, as well as coastal zone management areas. These data are part of recently...
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The impact of the Tri-City Ring Road on surface water of small endorheic wetlands
PublikacjaThe paper presents the results of the impact of the Tri-City Ring Road on small endorheic catchment basins. Particular attention was paid to pollution discharged from the road to the surface water, as well as changes in hydrological conditions in the vicinity of the road. In the study, surface water samples were analysed in terms of their electrolytic conductivity, pH and content of major minerals. GIS was also used to study transformation...
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Traffic-induced vibrations. The impact on buildings and people
PublikacjaTraffic-induced vibrations have recently been of major concern to engineers as one of the aspects of so called physical environmental pollution. The interest is related to the observations of serious negative effects of such kind of vibrations on buildings and their inhabitants. Traffic-induced vibrations may cause plaster cracks, structural damage and even failure and collapse of the structure. They may also be the reason of serious...
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Miniaturized Solid Phase Extraction techniques for different kind of pollutants analysis: State of the art and future perspectives – PART 1
PublikacjaSolid Phase Extraction (SPE) has been practiced in a modern form for more than half a century. It was constantly developing, driven by the analysts needs. These needs are coming from the importance to select an appropriate analytical method, which should have satisfactory accuracy, precision and sensitivity. In the case of sorbent-based microextraction techniques, the choice of miniaturized variants that meet these requirements...
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Do the New Requirements for the Use of Energy Efficient Lighting Design Mean the End of Creativity?,
PublikacjaThis paper addresses issues strongly connected to recent environmental discussions which are currently taking place in Europe, Asia, America, Australia and other parts of the world about global warming, the Greenhouse Effect, light pollution and other negative impacts artificial lighting has on our planet and what can be done about it. The author also attempts to answer indirectly two of the most important questions for lighting...
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Impact of influent wastewater quality on nitrogen removal rates in multistage treatment wetlands
PublikacjaNitrogen removal in treatment wetlands is influenced by many factors, and the presence of electron donors (biodegradable organic matter) and electron acceptors (nitrate ions) is the main limiting one; for obtaining these conditions, multistage treatment wetlands (MTWs) are required, where an extensive nitrification can be obtained in the first stages under aerobic conditions leaving then to the following anoxic/anaerobic stages...
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Visual Traffic Noise Monitoring in Urban Areas
PublikacjaThe 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...
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Remote Monitoring of Environmental Pollutants
PublikacjaAtmospheric 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...
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Evaluation of the prediction ability of air pollutants based on the electronic nose responses
PublikacjaElectronic 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...
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One-step recovery of REE oxalates in electro-leaching of spent NdFeB magnets
PublikacjaRecovery 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,...
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Aspects of pollution in Gdansk and gdynia Harbours at the coastal zone of the South Baltic Sea
PublikacjaOrganotin compounds (OTC), as well as metals, are toxic to many organisms. Even at very low concentrations OTC and metals can have several negative effects. The paper discusses key issues relating to the location of harbours in the coastal zone (including near the river mouths and semi-closed access to the sea) and the pollution of harbour sediments with heavy metals (e.g. zinc, copper, nickel and lead) and organotin derivatives...
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A review on electrospun membranes for potential air filtration application
PublikacjaAir pollution is one of the major environmental concerns in most highly populated cities, which is typically caused by particulate (PM2.5 and PM0.1) or gaseous pollutants that can be removed using electrospun membranes. These membranes are characterized by different features in terms of uniform and controllable structure, tuneable porosity, and high surface area, where their separation efficiency strongly depends on their properties....
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Temperature Sensors Based on Polymer Fiber Optic Interferometer
PublikacjaTemperature 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...
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Treatment of malodorous air in biotrickling filters: A review
PublikacjaOdour 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...
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The impact of sediment, fresh and marine water on the concentration of chemical elements in water of the ice-covered lagoon
PublikacjaThe common use of chemical elements by man has been contributing to their extraction for centuries. As a consequence, they have been directly or indirectly introduced into the biogeochemical cycle. In the framework of many conventions, mining and processing of elements are currently subject to many restrictions. However, their large load that has already been deposited in the soil and bottom sediments can be remobilised and...
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Monitoring of odors emitted from stabilized dewatered sludge subjected to aging using proton transfer reaction–mass spectrometry
PublikacjaOne of the potential emission sources of odorous compounds from wastewater treatment plants is sludge processing. The odorous compounds released from dewatered sludge can result in odor nuisance. This study concerns the use of flux hood chamber combined with proton transfer reaction—time of flight—mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) technique for periodical monitoring of odorous compounds emitted from aged, stabilized dewatered sludge samples...
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Geographic information system for remote integration of diverse under-water acoustic sensor data
PublikacjaMaritime 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...
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Towards an integrated assessment of environmental and human health impact of energy sector in Poland
PublikacjaReferat 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...
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Seashore sediment and water chemistry at the Admiralty Bay (King George Island, Maritime Antarctica) – geochemical analysis and correlations between the concentrations of chemical species
PublikacjaThis study covers water and sediment chemical characteristics by the western shore of Admiralty Bay (King George Island, Antarctica) in 2016. Chemical processes between sediment and water have been described based on the determination of ions, metals, non-metals, and TOC concentrations. Rock weathering is an important source of Fe, Ni, Co, Al in the seashore area. The PCA shows the impact of acidification in the release metals...
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Concentrations of heavy metals and PCBs in the tissues of European beavers (Castor fiber) captured in northeastern Poland
PublikacjaEuropean 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...
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SURFACTANTS IN KLODNICA RIVER (KATOWICE, POLAND). PART I. LINEAR ALKYLBENZENE SULPHONATES (LAS)
PublikacjaSurfactants 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...
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Investigation of functional layers of solid oxide fuel cell anodes for synthetic biogas reforming
PublikacjaSolid 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,...
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Solid phase microextraction–comprehensive twodimensional gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry: a new tool for determining PAHs in airport runoff water samples
Publikacjafundamental 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...
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Surface sediments pollution due to shipwreck s/s “Stuttgart”: a multidisciplinary approach
PublikacjaShipwrecks may pose a serious source of pollution for marine ecosystems. For this reason, it is of great importance to perform a marine ecosystem risk assessment due to plausible wreck presence. One of elements of such an assessment is determining the state of the environment in the vicinity of the wreck. In the work presented, the results of studies on surface sediments samples collected around the s/s Stuttgart ship sunk during...
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Novel approach to ecotoxicological risk assessment of sediments cores around the shipwreck by the use of self-organizing maps
PublikacjaMarine 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...
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A Model-Based Improved Control of Dissolved Oxygen Concentration in Sequencing Wastewater Batch Reactor
PublikacjaBiochemical 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...