Biomass ash as a potential raw material for the production of mineral fertilisers

Received: September 10th, 2021 ; Accepted: November 5th, 2021 ; Published: November 19th, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] obtained from biomass combustion could be a valuable product for fertilisation of soil or/and plant. It is connected with high reaction and potassium, calcium, magnesium content as well as low content of heavy metals. The analysed phyto-ash was obtained from Szczecin Power Plant Poland (12.2018–12.2019). The samples of phyto-ash, in the number of 24, were collected on subsequent dates at two-week intervals to determine the total content of the analysed elements (P, K, Mg, Ca, As, Cd, Ni, Cr, Pb, Hg). The differentiated percentage share of macroelements both in total form as well as available form in ash from wood biomass and Agro-biomass is described as: calcium > potassium > magnesium > phosphorus. Phosphorus is characterised by a very low (10%) and highly variable availability. Ash from biomass is characterised by alkali pH (13.0). Biomass ash can be treated as a mineral fertiliser used for soil deacidification and as a substitute for calcium fertilisers. Biomass ash has a high content of potassium and magnesium, which could qualify this by-product as a source for fertiliser. Mean contents of heavy metals: lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury in ash do not exceed the limit values for the mineral fertilisers. The variable percentage share of Agro-biomass did not result in significant changes in the amount of available form of macro-elements in ash. The obtained results indicate the pronounced variability, depending on the season in a year, of the content of available macroelements in biomass ash

Medical radioisotopes produced using the alpha particle beam from the Warsaw Heavy Ion Cyclotron

The internal alpha particle beam of the heavy ion cyclotron operated by the Heavy Ion Laboratory (HIL) of the University of Warsaw has a maximum energy of 32 MeV and currently an intensity of up to 1 p A. This beam is used by the HIL-University of Silesia collaboration for the production of research quantities of 211At, 72Se/72As and 43;44Sc radioisotopes. The produced activities are transported to the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology inWarsaw where research on therapeutic and imaging radiopharmaceuticals based on these radioisotopes is pursued

The use of definitive methods based on radiochemical neutron activation analysis for the determination of selenium and arsenic in materials used in proficiency testing

This article describes the use of two definitive methods for the determination of Se and As traces in biological materials intended for proficiency testing. Radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) definitive methods are based on reactor neutron activation with a very selective and quantitative post-irradiation separation of the indicator radionuclide by column chromatography, followed by γ-ray spectrometric measurement. Each of these methods has detection limit of the order of ng·g–1 or better, and yields accurate results. The expanded standard uncertainty for both methods is ca. 4%. Definitive RNAA methods were used for establishing assigned values for Se and As in materials employed in proficiency testing of “Plants” series

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for steel analysis and certification

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) procedure of elemental steel analysis has been elaborated. The reliability of results obtained by the described procedure has been proved in the frame of different proficiency testing/interlaboratory comparison (PT/ILC) programmes, in which the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology (INCT, Warsaw) took part since 2005. This work summarizes participation of INCT in these exercises and demonstrates the usefulness of INAA to the certification of steel reference materials

Environmental aspects of post mining uranium wastes deposited in Radoniow, Poland

Post mining uranium wastes from Radoniów were analysed and chemical, mineralogical andpetrographic characteristics were performed. Additionally, the size parameters of dumps and direction of water runoff were estimated using LIDAR data. Bioaccumulation of uranium in different plants covering dump’s surface was shown

Dictyonema black shale and Triassic sandstones as potential sources of uranium

The main objective of the present study was an assessment of the possibility of uranium recovery from domestic resources in Poland. In the fi rst stage uranium was leached from the ground uranium ore by using acidic (sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid) or alkaline (carbonate) solutions. The leaching efficiencies of uranium were dependent on the type of ore and it reached 81% for Dictyonemic shales and almost 100% for sandstones. The novel leaching routes, with the application of the helical membrane contactor equipped with rotating part were tested. The obtained postleaching solutions were concentrated and purifi ed using solvent extraction or ion exchange chromatography. New methods of solvent extraction, as well as hybrid processes for separation and purifi cation of the product, were studied. Extraction with the use of membrane capillary contactors that has many advantages above conventional methods was also proposed as an alternative purification method. The fi nal product U3O8 could be obtained by the precipitation of ‘yellow cake’, followed by calcination step. The results of precipitation of ammonium diuranate and uranium peroxide from diluted uranium solution were presented