Značaj ekološke metode procjene životnog ciklusa (PŽC) pri proizvodnji željeza i čelika

The following paper contains importance of LCA in the iron and steel industry. The metallurgy sector is highly energy intensive and the production of crude steel is associated with significant CO2 emissions. ULCOS (Ultra Low CO2 Steelmaking) is the world’s initiative to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 50 % by 2 050 compared with today’s best routes from steel production by developing new breakthrough technologies. A new environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method has been undertaken in ULCOS as the most holistic approach of assessing environmental impact and selecting new technologies. Usage of LCA enables to compare alternative metallurgical technologies.Ovaj rad prikazuje važnost metode procjene životnog ciklusa (PŽS) u proizvodnji željeza i čelika. Metalurgija zahtijeva velike količine energije i proizvodnja čelika je povezana sa značajnom emisijom CO2. Vrlo niska emisija CO2 u proizvodnji čelika (VNECO2PČ) je svjetska inicijativa da se razvijanjem novih tehnologija do 2 050 smanji sadržaj CO2 na 50% u odnosu na današnje najpogodnije postupke. Nova ekološka metoda procjene životnog ciklusa je sastavni dio projekta vrlo niske emisije CO2 u proizvodnji čelika omogućuje holistički pristup procjene utjecaja na okoliš i odabira novih tehnologija. Korištenje procjene životnog ciklusa omogućuje usporedbu alternativnih metalurških tehnologija

Comparative life cycle assessment of current and future electricity generation systems in the Czech Republic and Poland

Purpose The purpose of the study was to perform a comparative life cycle assessment of current and future electricity generation systems in the Czech Republic and Poland. The paper also outlines the main sources of environmental impact for the different impact categories for the electricity generation technologies analyzed. The analyses covered the years 2000-2050, and were conducted within the framework of the international programme Interreg V-A Czech Republic-Poland, Microprojects Fund 2014-2020 in the Euroregion Silesia. Methods Environmental assessment was done using the life cycle assessment (LCA) and ReCiPe Midpoint and Endpoint methods, which allowed the presentation of different categories of environmental impact and damage. The LCA was based on ISO 14040 and ISO 14044, using SimaPro 8.2.3 software with the Ecoinvent 3.2 database. The analyses cover both the current electricity production structures in the Czech Republic and Poland, and the projected energy production. Results and discussion The LCA analyses performed for the energy systems under consideration in the Czech Republic and Poland enabled a comparative analysis of current and forecast energy systems in these countries, as well as identification of the main sources of environmental impact. Comparative analysis of the LCA results showed that current and future electricity generation systems in Poland caused higher environmental impact there, than in the Czech Republic. Conclusions The assessment of the life cycle of electricity sources showed that the main determinant of the negative impact on the environment of energy systems in both Poland and the Czech Republic was the consumption of solid fuels, and in particular, the consumption of lignite. It is important to highlight that this is the first attempt of a comparative LCA of electricity production in the Czech Republic and Poland. This is also the first approach that contains analyses of the life cycle assessment of both present and future energy systems. The economic assessment and eco-efficiency of current and future electricity generation systems in European Union countries will be addressed in future research.Web of Science23112177216

Carbon footprint and water footprint of electric vehicles and batteries charging in view of various sources of power supply in the Czech Republic

In the light of recent developments regarding electric vehicle market share, we assess the carbon footprint and water footprint of electric vehicles and provide a comparative analysis of energy use from the grid to charge electric vehicle batteries in the Czech Republic. The analysis builds on the electricity generation forecast for the Czech Republic for 2015–2050. The impact of different sources of electricity supply on carbon and water footprints were analyzed based on electricity generation by source for the period. Within the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the carbon footprint was calculated using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) method, while the water footprint was determined by the Water Scarcity method. The computational LCA model was provided by the SimaPro v. 8.5 package with the Ecoinvent v. 3 database. The functional unit of study was running an electric vehicle over 100 km. The system boundary covered an electric vehicle life cycle from cradle to grave. For the analysis, we chose a vehicle powered by a lithium-ion battery with assumed consumption 19.9 kWh/100 km. The results show that electricity generated to charge electric vehicle batteries is the main determinant of carbon and water footprints related to electric vehicles in the Czech Republic. Another important factor is passenger car production. Nuclear power is the main determinant of the water footprint for the current and future electric vehicle charging, while, currently, lignite and hard coal are the main determinants of carbon footprint.Web of Science63art. no. 3

Chemometric study of the sinter mixtures used in sinter plants in Poland

The main goal of the study was the analysis of chemical parameters of sinter mixtures used in sinter plants in Poland. For this purpose the chemometric method was used, in this case hierarchical clustering analysis. This method allowed to examine the similarities and differences between the studied sinter mixtures

Chemical composition analysis of raw materials used in iron ore sinter plants in Poland

The main goal of the study was the analysis of the chemical compositions of raw materials used in iron ore sinter plants in Poland. The iron ore sintering process is the largest source of emissions of dust and gas pollution in the iron and steel industry. Hematite ores, magnetite concentrates, admixtures (dolomite, limestone and burnt lime), fuels (coke breeze, anthracite) and by-products are used in Poland to produce the sinter mixture

Harmful admixtures assessment in sinter mixtures used in iron ore sinter plants in Poland

In this study composition of sinter mixtures used in Polish sinter plants were established. Seven sinter mixtures composition were examined, based on iron-bearing materials, admixtures and fuels. Contents of harmful admixtures were examined according to three kinds of environmental impacts: emissions of SOx, heavy metals, polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDDs/PCDFs)

Primjena nove smjese i tehnologije granulacije sirovine za proces sinterovanje željezne rude

This paper presents a new technology for preparing the mixture for iron ore sintering process. The nature of component mixing and granulation has been discussed. The application of the intensive mixer in the preparation of the process components has been shown. The results of the analysis of the sintering mixture granulation process using laboratory installation for mixing and granulation have been presented.Članak donosi nove tehnologije za primjenu smjese za sinterovanje željezne rude. Raspravljena je priroda komponenti smjese i granulacija. Prikazana je intenzivna primjena smjese u pripremnom procesu komponenti. Prikazani su, rabljenjem laboratorijske opreme za smjesu i granulaciju, rezultati analiza granulacije sinterovane smjese

Impact of Road Transport Means on Climate Change and Human Health in Poland

Operation of means of transport is one of major sources of environmental impact. The goal of this article was to analyse the greenhouse gas emissions and to assess the impact of operation of means of road transport in Poland on human health using the life cycle assessment technique based on an analysis of emission of dust and gas pollutants. Road transport was assessed by taking the following means of transport into account: passenger cars, other cars with weight of up to 3,500 kg, lorries, buses, motorcycles, mopeds and tractors. The analysis covered various dust and gas pollutants, including the emission of CO2, CO, N2O, CH4, NOx, NMVOC, PM and SO2. Using the IMPACT 2002+ life cycle impact assessment method, transport was assessed in a breakdown into the following impact categories: greenhouse gas emission and damage to human health, including damage caused by organic and inorganic compounds. It has been evidenced that the highest emissions of dust and gas pollutants are caused by passenger cars, which is mainly due to the number of vehicles of this type traversing Polish roads. The main cause of climate changes due to road transport is CO2 emission, while NOx emission is the main factor determining individual categories of damage to human health. The negative environmental impact is primarily related to the operation of combustion engine vehicles. Diesel oil and petrol are currently the main fuels used in Polish transport. In order to reduce their impact on the environment one should intensify the efforts aimed at increasing the share of alternative fuels in transport