Assessment of valuable and critical elements recovery potential in ashes from processes of solid municipal waste and sewage sludge thermal treatment

Due to the increasing amount of produced and accumulated wastes, a potential source of elements might be the global waste stream coming from the waste incineration process. As a result of this process, bottom ash, fly ash and air pollution control residues are produced. The goal of this study was to evaluate the raw material potential of the anthropogenic materials which are fly ashes from municipal waste incineration and municipal sewage sludge incineration, and the possibility for the recovery of metallic or other economically valuable elements by comparison of their chemical composition with the chemical composition of Earth materials (ultramafic, mafic and felsic igneous rocks, various sedimentary rocks), and with their lowest content in currently exploited ores. Fly ashes contain more valuable and critical elements when compared to Earth materials; however, they are less concentrated in comparison to the content in currently exploited ores. Since natural resources are becoming depleted, the costs of exploitation, mineral processing and related operations are increasing and the fly ashes are easily accessible. Cheap materials do not demand complicated treatment which might be considered as a future source of P, Zn, Sn, Cr, Pb, Au and Ag, and thus fulfilling the assumptions of close-loop economy and to maximize natural resources protection

Studies of discrete symmetries in decays of positronium atoms

A positronium - a bound state of electron and positron - is an eigenstate of parity and charge conjugation operators which decays into photons. It is a unique laboratory to study discrete symmetries whose precision is limited, in principle, by the effects due to the weak interactions expected at the level of 10−14 and photon-photon interactions expected at the level of 10−9. The Jagiellonian Positron Emission Tomograph (J-PET) is a detector for medical imaging as well as for physics studies involving detection of electronpositron annihilation into photons. The physics case covers the areas of discrete symmetries studies and genuine multipartite entanglement. The J-PET detector has high angular and time resolution and allows for determination of spin of the positronium and the momenta and polarization vectors of annihilation quanta. In this article, we present the potential of the J-PET system for studies of discrete symmetries in decays of positronium atoms

‘Lost – Saved’. The discovery of archaeological artefacts from Szczecin collection of Pomeranian antiques in Mołtowo

Abstract: The article presents the fate of archaeological artefacts from former collection of Pommersches Landesmuseum in Szczecin evacuated during the Second World War to the village Mołtowo, part of which (503 specimens) were found in 2016. Based on the history of Szczecin museum collection, the authors present in detail the circumstances of the objects recovery. The enclosed catalogue includes all archaeological artefacts transferred to von Braunschweig residence near Kołobrzeg

Overview of safety at rail-road crossings in Poland in 2008-2018

The intersection of a public road with a railway line in one level, called a rail-road crossing, is a particularly dangerous place due to the traffic flows crossing it. The regulations give absolute priority to a rail vehicle over a public road user; in addition, significant differences in the masses and speeds of moving vehicles require traffic regulation consisting of adequate passage protection. To this end, the road on which motor vehicles is equipped with road signs informing drivers that they are approaching an intersection with a railway line. The rail-road crossing, depending on the category, is equipped with signaling devices warning of an oncoming train and barriers closing the entire width of the road or part of it, operated or operating automatically. In Poland, the category of rail-road crossing, the associated method and type of security used at the crossing, is determined on the basis of relevant acts and internal regulations of the railway line manager. The paper presents an overview of the state of safety at rail-road crossings in Poland in the years 2008-2018, presents applicable regulations regarding traffic safety at rail-road crossings, and presents methods of protection of rail-road crossings. In addition, a map of concentration of events on rail-road crossings was presented for the area of the Silesian Voivodeship. The effect of the case study for the Silesian Voivodeship is to identify sensitive rail-road crossings with the highest numer of events during the analysis period

The Occurrence of <i>Apiognomonia hystrix</i> and Its Pathogenicity towards <i>Acer pseudoplatanus</i> and <i>Fraxinus excelsior</i> under Field Conditions

Apiognomonia hystrix is an ascomycetous fungus within Diaporthales that is found on maples and to a lesser extent on other hardwood trees in Europe, Northern America and Asia. To date, varying opinions on the species’ status as a cause of plant diseases have been expressed. In this study, we present the results of analyses conducted from 2012–2017 at forest sites in Poland on the occurrence of A. hystrix on Acer pseudoplatanus and Fraxinus excelsior and the pathogenicity of this fungus towards both tree species. For the sycamore leaves, A. hystrix conidiomata were detected in connection with 19.2% of galls caused by Dasineura vitrina, 20.4% of galls caused by Drisina glutinosa and 67.9% of extensive vein-associated necroses. The A. hystrix colonization of galls caused by both midge species resulted in statistically significantly larger necroses. On European ash leaves, conidiomata of A. hystrix occurred in connection with 0.8% of Dasineura fraxinea galls. Perithecia of A. hystrix were detected on overwintered leaf petioles in 8.1% of A. pseudoplatanus and 1.2% of F. excelsior samples. Twelve representative cultures were characterized molecularly by barcoding three marker genes (ITS, ACT, CAL). Results of phylogenetic analyses indicate that A. hystrix isolates are genetically variable, and three lineages are distinguishable. Eight isolates, including four originating from sycamore and four from European ash, were used to determine A. hystrix pathogenicity. Among the 48 A. pseudoplatanus petioles inoculated with A. hystrix, 41 developed necrotic lesions after 8 weeks, with the average necrosis length caused by particular isolates ranging from 14.5 to 67.2 mm. None of the 48 inoculated F. excelsior petioles developed necrotic lesions. Finally, selected aspects of A. hystrix morphology on natural substrates and in vitro are discussed in this paper, as well as the species’ potential to cause disease symptoms

Clinical Condition of the Oral Cavity in the Adult Polish Population below 70 Years of Age after Myocardial Infarction&mdash;A Case&ndash;Control Study

According to recent scientific consensus, there is an increasing amount of evidence on the correlation between oral health and cardiovascular disease morbidity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the number of missing teeth, the presence of residual roots with necrotic pulp and teeth with caries, the type of teeth deficiencies, and periodontal status in patients after myocardial infarction (MI). A total of 151 patients after MI and 160 randomly selected controls without history of MI were enrolled in the study. Epidemiological data were collected, and dental examination was performed. Findings showed significantly more women, subjects with lower level of education, lower income, higher percentage of nicotine addiction, more frequent presence of arterial hypertension, diabetes, and obesity than in the study group. Moreover, oral status of the subjects who suffered from MI was inferior to the control group. An average patient from the study group had 11 missing teeth, when compared to four missing teeth in an average control subject (p &lt; 0.0001). The majority of patients in the control group had occlusal contacts in intercuspal position in premolars and molars (group A), in contrast to the patients after MI, who had at least one missing supporting zone (group B) (p &lt; 0.0001). Severe periodontitis was found in 50.3% of tests and in 30.4% of controls (p &lt; 0.0001). A correlation was found between the edentulousness and the risk of myocardial infarction after adjusting for other known risk factors of cardiovascular diseases (OR = 3.8; 95% CI = 3.01&ndash;7.21; p &lt; 0.0001). This case&ndash;control study showed that MI patients had more missing teeth, more residual roots with necrotic pulp, much higher incidence of edentulism and occlusal contacts in intercuspal position in fewer than four occlusal supporting zones, as well as worse periodontal status when compared to healthy subjects without a history of MI. Due to the methodology of unmatched controls, the presented results must be interpreted with caution

Thermal performance of the thermal storage energy with phase change material

Values of energy supply and demand vary within the same timeframe and are not equal. Consequently, to minimise the amount of energy wasted, there is a need to use various types of energy storing systems. Recently, one can observe a trend in which phase change materials (PCM) have gained popularity as materials that can store an excess of heat energy. In this research, the authors ana-lysed paraffin wax (cheese wax)’s capability as a PCM energy storing material for a low temperature energy-storage device. Due to the relatively low thermal conductivity of wax, the authors also analysed open-cell ceramic Al2O3/SiC composite foams’ (in which the PCM was dispersed) influence on heat exchange process. Thermal analysis on paraffin wax was performed, determining its specific heat in liquid and solid state, latent heat (LH) of melting, melting temperature and thermal conductivity. Thermal tests were also performed on thermal energy container (with built-in PCM and ceramic foams) for transient heat transfer. Heat transfer coefficient and value of accumulated energy amount were determined

Experimental Research of Selected Lattice Structures Developed with 3D Printing Technology

This paper presents the results of the experimental research of 3D structures developed with an SLA additive technique using Durable Resin V2. The aim of this paper is to evaluate and compare the compression curves, deformation process and energy-absorption parameters of the topologies with different characteristics. The structures were subjected to a quasi-static axial compression test. Five different topologies of lattice structures were studied and compared. In the initial stage of the research, the geometric accuracy of the printed structures was analysed through measurement of the diameter of the beam elements at several selected locations. Compression curves and the stress history at the minimum cross-section of each topology were determined. Energy absorption parameters, including absorbed energy (AE) and specific absorbed energy (SAE), were calculated from the compression curves. Based on the analysis of the photographic material, the failure mode was analysed, and the efficiency of the topologies was compared