Carbon Footprint for energy efficiency in public buildings

The paper presents an empirical analysis of Carbon Footprint indicator applied to the public building of the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Warsaw. Analysis takes into account direct and indirect CO2 emissions related to the functioning of the Faculty. Analysis concentrates on the year 2013 but also allows for some comparison with two earlier years and with two other public buildings in Warsaw. The final outcome of this study, with a help of thermo visual examinations, proposes a list of undertakings which are necessary to improve the efficient use of energy in the Faculty

Ślad węglowy w ocenie efektywności energetycznej budynków publicznych

The paper presents an empirical analysis of Carbon Footprint indicator applied to the public building of the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Warsaw. Analysis takes into account direct and indirect CO2 emissions related to the functioning of the Faculty. Analysis concentrates on the year 2013 but also allows for some comparison with two earlier years and with two other public buildings in Warsaw. The final outcome of this study, with a help of thermo visual examinations, proposes a list of undertakings which are necessary to improve the efficient use of energy in the Faculty.W artykule przedstawiona została analiza empiryczna wskaźnika jakim jest Ślad węglowy. Obiektem poddanym badaniom jest Wydział Chemii Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego. W analizie uwzględniono pośrednie i bezpośrednie źródła emisji gazów cieplarnianych, które łączą się z eksploatacją budynku. W pracy dokonano także porównania danych dla wspomnianego budynku z dwoma innymi instytucjami. Analiza dotyczy roku 2013, jednak przeprowadzono również obliczenia dla lat 2011 i 2012. W podsumowaniu, po przeprowadzeniu dodatkowych analiz metodą termowizji, zidentyfikowano i podano działania, które mogą być wprowadzone w celu zwiększenia efektywności energetycznej budynku Wydziału

ASSESSMENT OF POSSIBILITY OF AGRICULTURAL USE OF MUNICIPAL SEWAGE SLUDGE GENERATED IN SELECTED SMALL SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS FROM KRAKÓW DISTRICT

The paper presents the findings from research on physical chemical parameters as well as on microbiological-parasitological municipal sewage sludge from one mediumsized and three small municipal sewage treatment plants from the area of Kraków district. The research was conducted in the years 2007-2012 and aimed at estimating the possibility of agricultural use of the studied sludge. The analyzed sludge turned out to be rich in fertilizing elements, i.e. organic substance, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. Contents of heavy metals in the analyzed sludge were distinctly lower than the permissible contents in sludge used in agriculture. However, due to frequent occurrence of bacteria from Salmonella group in the studied sludge, its agricultural use may be limited. Relatively high variability in the determined parameters makes it necessary to monitor continuously the sludge coming from particular lots and sewage treatment plants

ASSESSMENT OF POSSIBILITY OF AGRICULTURAL USE OF MUNICIPAL SEWAGE SLUDGE GENERATED IN SELECTED SMALL SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS FROM KRAKÓW DISTRICT

The paper presents the findings from research on physical chemical parameters as well as on microbiological-parasitological municipal sewage sludge from one mediumsized and three small municipal sewage treatment plants from the area of Kraków district. The research was conducted in the years 2007-2012 and aimed at estimating the possibility of agricultural use of the studied sludge. The analyzed sludge turned out to be rich in fertilizing elements, i.e. organic substance, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. Contents of heavy metals in the analyzed sludge were distinctly lower than the permissible contents in sludge used in agriculture. However, due to frequent occurrence of bacteria from Salmonella group in the studied sludge, its agricultural use may be limited. Relatively high variability in the determined parameters makes it necessary to monitor continuously the sludge coming from particular lots and sewage treatment plants

Practical and Economical Effects of the Use of Screen Meshes for Steel Nitriding Processes with Glow Plasma

The dynamically developing energy sector forces technologists to create new materials that meet the increasingly higher mechanical, chemical, and electrical requirements. The paper relates to the method of reducing the energy consumption of the plasma nitriding process of austenitic steels. The method proposed by the authors involves the modification of nitriding technology in glow plasma. It consists of introducing perforated screens between the anode and nitrided surface made of a material with a composition similar to the processed material and the use of an HF power supply with controlled mean current generating negative voltage peaks of about 1000 V. Nitriding is carried out in a nitrogen-hydrogen atmosphere. The processed material has a negative potential in relation to the surrounding plasma and strongly negative in relation to the vacuum chamber jacket. The actual treatment is preceded by ionic cleaning of the surface of the detail and heating it to the temperature that activates the diffusion processes. The authors analyse the dynamic distribution of electric fields generated at the surface of the nitrided material with different configurations of the cathode-sample-screen system, trying to find the correlation of treatment parameters with the parameters of the nitrided layer. A significant influence of the screening meshes on the depth of the obtained diffusion layers containing nitrogen was found. The oscilloscopic measurements of the plasma in the boundary layer allowed for the observation of voltage peaks, probably leading to an increase in the peak kinetic energy of nitrogen ions and their easier penetration into the material. The work is of a cognitive nature and is probably one of the first to look for relationships between the dynamic electrical parameters of plasma and the efficiency of nitriding

Species composition, elevation, and former management type affect browsing pressure on forest regeneration in the Tatra National Park

Effects of ungulate pressure on the development of young generation of trees is one of the most important issues in ecology and forestry. Ungulate pressure influence on the development of natural regeneration has been also reported from several national parks. Our study on the effects of ungulate browsing on the young generation of trees was conducted on more than 500 sample plots controlled during one growing season. The overall browsing pressure ranged from 7.6% in seedlings to 20.3% in low saplings. The pressure of ungulates on the regeneration of Picea abies, the dominant species in the Tatra National Park, was by and large below 1%. Broadleaved species were browsed more frequently. The relationship between the plot altitudes and browsing intensity was statistically significant for seedlings and low saplings; at the higher altitudes, the browsing pressure was greater. There was also observed a statistically significant relationship between the type of former management and the browsing degree in seedlings; in the areas subjected to “landscape protection”, the intensity of browsing was higher when compared to strictly protected areas. Pressure exerted by ungulates on tree regeneration was very unevenly distributed, i.e. some plots were heavily browsed and many others - not browsed at all. The most affected tree species were Salix caprea and Sorbus aucuparia, although the percentage of browsed individuals rarely exceeded 50%. Other species favored by ungulates was Acer pseudoplatanus; despite the high browsing pressure, this species was present among seedlings and tall saplings, suggesting that it would be able to recruit to the tree layer. Abies alba was browsed less frequently than the deciduous trees; however, among the tall saplings it was the third most browsed species