The Thermal Waste Treatment Plant in Kraków, Poland: A Case Study

The thermal waste treatment plant (TWTP) in Kraków (eco-incinerator) was created as a response to the energy and ecological needs of Kraków as part of the project “Municipal Waste Management Program in Krakow.” The TWTP is able to process 220,000 tons of municipal waste during the year. Estimated values of the 65,000 MWh of electricity and 280,000 MWh of heat are produced as a result of the waste combustion. The energy obtained by way of the thermal transformation process is largely organic and renewable. The TWTP is equipped with a state-of-the-art exhaust purification system that meets strict emission standards for air. The emission standards will meet the requirements the Ordinance of the Minister of the Environment of November 4, 2014 on emission standards for certain types of installations, sources of fuel combustion and devices for incineration or co-incineration of waste (Journal of Laws of 2014, item 1546, including further amendments). The cleaning process takes place in the exhaust aftertreatment process and is based on the following steps: (i) denitrification of exhaust gases, (ii) flue gas cleaning by means of a semi-dry method and (iii) dust extraction. As the project’s general contractor was POSCO E&C from South Korea

Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) Approach Used for Rare Earth Elements (REEs) from Monazite Material, Considering Uncertainty

This study describes the development of life cycle inventory (LCI) to rare earth elements (REEs) based on the secondary sources, conducted according to ISO 14040 (2006) guidelines. Monte Carlo (MC) simulation with the Crystal Ball (CB) spreadsheet-based software was employed to stochastic modeling of life cycle inventory. The number of simulations was set at 10,000. The study scope considered LCI associated with REE concentrate production from New Kankberg (Sweden) gold mine tailings production (input gate) to the final delivery of rare earth elements (end gate) to reprocessing/beneficiation for rare earth element recovery. For the presented case, lognormal distribution has been assigned to scandium (Sc), dysprosium (Dy), yttrium (Y), lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), terbium (Tb), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and lutetium (Lu). The MC simulation (10,000 trials) for the sum of analyzed REEs used for CB is presented in the form of statistics. Sensitivity analysis (SA) presented in the form of tornado charts and spider charts was performed. The results from this study suggest that uncertainty analysis is a powerful tool that should support and aid decision-making and is more trusted than the deterministic approach

Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) Modeling of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Management Systems in Kosodrza, Community of Ostrów, Poland: A Case Study

The purpose of this study is to perform the life cycle assessment (LCA) limited to life cycle inventory (LCI) related to municipal solid waste operating in Kosodrza, community of Ostrów, in Poland. The current LCI is a representative for year 2015 by application of PN-EN ISO 14040. The system boundary was labeled as gate-to-gate. The data used in this study, involving consumption of energy and fuels, water, materials, and waste, is obtained from (i) site-specific measured or calculated data and (ii) secondary data taken from integrated permit issued by Marshal of the Podkarpackie region in Rzeszów for the establishment of municipal services in Ostrów by entering the records concerning the waste landfill in Kosodrza. This study is based on the deterministic approach to LCI. Hence, uncertainty analysis is not carried out. The LCI model can be used in full LCA study

SIMULACIJA PROCESA PRANJA POLIMETALNIH RUDA POMOĆU TEOREMA SLIČNOSTI

The use of similarity theorems for simulation of the technological process of mineral extraction is considered. The list of parameters that significantly influence the process of underground leaching of minerals is defined. Using these parameters and fundamental laws of physics and chemistry, mathematical functions are determined to describe the processes’ behaviour under these conditions. The obtained mathematical functions make it possible to develop a computer model of polymetallic ores leaching. This allows for the prediction of the volume of extracted concentrate with minerals from the ore mass with the associated compounds. The obtained results of calculations showed a change in the volume of minerals extracted from the rock mass depending on the mass of the working agent, the volume of leached ore and the solvent percolation rate. The results of the research can be used at mining enterprises to extract polymetallic ores by underground leaching. Also, they allow for the estimation of the economic issues from mining the ore reserves.Razmatrana je uporaba teorema sličnosti za simulaciju tehnološkoga procesa ekstrakcije minerala. Definiran je popis parametara koji znatno utječu na proces podzemnoga pranja minerala. Koristeći se tim parametrima i temeljnim zakonima fizike i kemije, određuju se matematičke funkcije koje opisuju ponašanje procesa u tim uvjetima. Dobivene matematičke funkcije omogućuju razvoj računalnoga modela pranja polimetalnih ruda te je moguće procijeniti volumen ekstrahiranoga mineralnog koncentrata iz rudne mase s pripadajućim spojevima. Dobiveni rezultati proračuna pokazali su promjenu volumena ekstrahiranih minerala iz stijenske mase ovisno o količini radnoga agensa, volumenu oprane rude i brzini cijeđenja otapala. Rezultati istraživanja mogu se koristiti u rudarskim pogonima za ekstrakciju polimetalnih ruda podzemnim pranjem. Također omogućuju preliminarnu procjenu ekonomskih izazova kod eksploatacije rudnih rezervi

Risks and implications for decision making processes associated with existing design codes or their non-existence

Buckling phenomenon is a perplexing and unresolved issue in many safety critical structures, and it has been heavily regulated. The paper highlights the risks to decision making processes due to growing tendencies of eliminating from public domains disastrous events through confidentiality arrangements, erosion of existing human know-how, and falling standards of education. It is illustrated how existing, natural feedback routes to improvements of product design is broken by the imposition of legal, damage recovering, and court proceedings. All of this can lead the modern, automated support system to be blindfolded and unaware of harmful consequences when stability loss strikes

UPRAVLJANJE HORIZONTALNIM TERENSKIM IZLUŽIVANJEM NA MONGOLSKIM LEŽIŠTIMA URANA

This paper summarizes the results of evaluating uranium in-situ leaching (ISL) parameters for hydrogenous deposits in eastern Mongolia. This method, also known as in-situ recovery (ISR) or solution mining was proposed for mining used to extract uranium from underground deposits without physically removing the ore. The studies included drilling, geophysical surveying, evaluations of rock properties and chemical composition of rocks and groundwater, as well as modelling coupled flow and transport for the “Ul’zit” deposit as a case study. The proposed horizon-oriented approach to process separate ore bodies at different depths allows for the mining process to be adapted to layered heterogeneity and allows successive leaching by wells of varying diameter and special design. This approach may reduce drilling costs and shorten the time for mining uranium deposits in Mongolia by 2 times on average. It was proven that this method is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative to traditional underground or open-pit mining for uranium ore bodies. The economic evaluation confirms the effectiveness of the proposed solutions.U radu su sažeti rezultati procjene parametara pridobivanja urana izluživanjem za hidrogene naslage u istočnoj Mongoliji. Ova metoda, poznata i kao pridobivanje otapanjem, predložena je kao rudarska metoda za eksploataciju urana iz podzemnih ležišta bez fizičkoga transporta rude. Studija je uključivala bušenje, geofizičko istraživanje, procjene svojstava stijena, kemijskoga sastava stijena i podzemnih voda, kao i modeliranje spojenoga protoka i transporta ležišta Ul’zit kao studije slučaja. Predloženi pristup po horizontu za pridobivanje odvojenih slojeva na različitim dubinama omogućuje upravljanje rudarskim procesom prilagodbom slojevitoj heterogenosti te omogućuje uzastopno izluživanje pomoću bušotina različitoga promjera i specifičnih parametara. Tim se pristupom mogu smanjiti troškovi bušenja i skratiti vrijeme rudarenja ležišta urana u Mongoliji u prosjeku za dva puta. Dokazano je da je ova metoda ekološki prihvatljiva i isplativa alternativa tradicionalnomu podzemnom rudarstvu ili rudarstvu u površinskim kopovima za rudna tijela urana. Ekonomska evaluacija potvrđuje učinkovitost predloženih rješenja

Comprehensive geophysical and geological research for recognition of ochreous sediments in Zabratówka, village near Rzeszów

This article presents the results of comprehensive research on ochre sediments from the Zabratówka, village near Rzeszów. Fourteen boreholes were drilled in the investigation area for visualization of geological structures and for collecting ground samples for further laboratory measurements. Geochemical, mineralogical and petrophysical analyses were carried out in laboratory and their results were correlated to prepare a geophysical interpretation model. Preliminary georadar surveys were conducted between boreholes to analyze the possibilities and limitations of this measurement technique used in outlining Carpathian ochre accumulations. Detailed three-dimensional georadar surveys were carried out in the selected area of the research site and the results of geophysical measurements were correlated with the information from boreholes and laboratory tests

Development of Marketing Strategy on the Example of it Company

In modern conditions, when market factors have gained even more influence, and the behavior of business structures has become less predictable, companies have to rethink their activities and focus on using the concept of marketing as a management tool. The growth of competition has created conditions for the active use of a marketing approach in order to solve management and sales tasks and increase competitive advantages. The chronology of the development of marketing, which includes 6 main stages, was studied. The main approaches to the interpretation of the concept of “marketing” are analyzed, among which the following are distinguished: philosophical, managerial, organizational, functional, essential, valuable and institutional. Marketing is an activity aimed to generate demand, promote the company’s products/services, attract the attention of consumers and satisfy their needs through the purchase process. The main elements of the marketing strategy were characterized, namely: analysis of the promotion market, research of the target audience, definition of competitors, analysis of the current state of the company, definition of development goals, positioning and development of advertising promotion. The object of the study was the IT company “Uvik Software”, which has been operating on the market since 2013 and specializes in IT services. The current state of marketing activities of the IT company “Uvik Software” was analyzed. A marketing strategy was developed for the IT company “Uvik Software”, in particular, a market analysis was carried out, an analysis of competitors and their products, an analysis of the target audience (a portrait of the target audience was drawn up according to the following parameters: industry, location, financial condition, number of employees and necessary services), carried out SWOT analysis of the company, development goals (business goals, marketing goals, communication goals and media goals), positioning and advertising promotion advice are given. A content plan of publications for the company under study has been created

Quantitative and qualitative characteristics of cell wall components and prenyl lipids in the leaves of Tilia x euchlora trees growing under salt stress

The study was focused on assessing the presence of arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) and pectins within the cell walls as well as prenyl lipids, sodium and chlorine content in leaves of Tilia x euchlora trees. The leaves that were analyzed were collected from trees with and without signs of damage that were all growing in the same salt stress conditions. The reason for undertaking these investigations was the observations over many years that indicated that there are trees that present a healthy appearance and trees that have visible symptoms of decay in the same habitat. Leaf samples were collected from trees growing in the median strip between roadways that have been intensively salted during the winter season for many years. The sodium content was determined using atomic spectrophotometry, chloride using potentiometric titration and poly-isoprenoids using HPLC/UV. AGPs and pectins were determined using immunohistochemistry methods. The immunohistochemical analysis showed that rhamnogalacturonans I (RG-I) and homogalacturonans were differentially distributed in leaves from healthy trees in contrast to leaves from injured trees. In the case of AGPs, the most visible difference was the presence of the JIM16 epitope. Chemical analyses of sodium and chloride showed that in the leaves from injured trees, the level of these ions was higher than in the leaves from healthy trees. Based on chromatographic analysis, four polyisoprenoid alcohols were identified in the leaves of T. x euchlora. The levels of these lipids were higher in the leaves from healthy trees. The results suggest that the differences that were detected in the apoplast and symplasm may be part of the defensive strategy of T. x euchlora trees to salt stress, which rely on changes in the chemical composition of the cell wall with respect to the pectic and AGP epitopes and an increased synthesis of prenyl lipids