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The aim of the research was to demonstrate differences in the content of trace elements (U, Th, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Cd, Mo, Hg, Pb, W, Ba) in coal mined in Poland and coal imported from Russia, which are widely available on the market. Ecophile, cube and nut were selected for the research. Among them 3 come from Russia and 3 from Poland. The samples were mineralized and the heavy metal content was determined with the use of mass spectrometry with excitation in induced plasma. The research allowed us to conclude that the same carbon grades showed completely different metal contents and depended on the place of origin. The greatest amount of trace elements was found to be found in ecophysics from Poland (durin). Relatively large contamination with trace elements was also found in Polish peach (window) and in Russian walnut. A relatively high content of uranium was found in three samples, including the ecophyses. When burning coal, even of high quality, we expose the environment to the burden of trace elements, including radioactive elements present in their composition. Heavy metals from coal combustion constantly accumulate in the environment and so far no standards have been established for their content in this fuel.

The aim of the study was to evaluate changes in the carbon/nitrogen ratio as a result of different natural methods of sewage sludge treatment from two municipal wastewater treatment plants. Sludge from the first treatment plant was poured into two lagoons, one covered with reed and the other with willow and a field with Californian earthworms. The sludge from the second treatment plant was composted with sawdust. The sludge processed by each method was simultaneously subjected to Effective Microorganisms. Samples of processed sludge from both treatment plants were collected three times. In the first one, after five weeks, four months and ten months from the beginning of treatment. The material from the second treatment plant was composted after four, ten weeks and a year of composting. In the samples taken, total nitrogen content was determined by the Kjeldahl method. The determination of the organic carbon content was carried out on a TOC analyser. The C:N ratio was then calculated.

The aim of this study was to estimate the content of trace elements(Zn, Cu, Cr, Cd, Pb) in soils and consumer plants grown under and without the influence of traffic. Thr species such as lettuce, raspberry, beetroot, apple, carrot, chives and onion were selected for the study. The samples were mineralized and the heavy metal content in plants and soils was determined by means of atomic absorption spectrometry. The content of heavy metals in the soil from municipal allotments was higher than in the soil from the Saniki Colony. For both samples, the permissible soil content was not exceeded.The amount of trace elements in plants varied depending on species, but the place of vegetables and fruits origin was also important. Most of trace elements occurred in larger amounts in the plants from allotments, and in smaller amounts in the plants from Saniki Colony.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the available waste in view of the heavy metals and fractions thereof. Three waste materials were analyzed in the work namely dried, granular sludge, digestate from agricultural biogas plant and ash after combustion of biomass from the combined heat and power plant, in terms of the content of heavy metals in them. Also determined their mobility through fractional analysis and assessed the possibilities of their agricultural use. The analyzed waste was varied due to the pH. The highest pH had biomass ashes and it was an alkaline. The dried precipitate due to the pH was neutral and digestate was slightly alkaline. In the analyzed wastes, the content of permissible concentrations of heavy metals determined in the Regulation of the Minister of the Environment was not exceeded. The content of individual elements varied and depends on the type of waste tested. The conducted sequential analysis showed that various metal fractions are present in the tested wastes. The content of heavy metals in individual factions was varied and the content of mobile and potentially mobile fractions, i.e. metals of fractions I and II, was lower compared to the non-mobile fractions III and IV.

The purpose of this study was to determine the total content of cadmium, lead, nickel, copper, zinc and their fractions in organic soils of Podlasie used as permanent grassland. The research material were samples taken from 30 soils of the Podlasie province in 2011-2013. Samples were taken from determined layer to depth of 0-30 cm. In taken soil samples basic physicochemical properties were determined: organic carbon content, pH in 1 M KCl potentiometrically. The total content of metals after mineralization in aqua regia was determined, and cadmium fractions were determined by a modified BCR method. The measurements were made by atomic absorption spectroscopy with electrothermal atomization using Varian AA-100 spectrometer. It was found that only 2 soils can be included in soils with first pollution degree due to cadmium content. The content of other metals was at geochemical background level. The distribution of investigated metals in fractions in studied organic soils was different comparing to mineral soils. Most of the analyzed elements were present in fraction associated with organic substance, which limited their mobility as evidenced by their low share in the available and potentially available fraction. The proportion of metals in residual fraction was low, which is typical for organic soils. The share of studied metals in particular fractions varied depending on sampling date, which may be related to climatic conditions course in study period and treatments performed on these soils.

The study was carried out using water samples from two small retention reservoirs located in the communes: Czarna Białostocka and Turośń Kościelna in Podlaskie Voivodeship. The main tasks of both reservoirs are to improve the water balance by means of regulating the levels and water outflow. Three characteristic measurement and control points were selected on both reservoirs in accordance to the water flow in the longitudinal section. The first and third points were located near the inflow and outflow of water, while the second in the middle of the reservoirs. Samples of water for the study were collected from the surface layer of the shore zone of the reservoirs once a month from March 2015 to February 2017 (water from two hydrological years was analyzed). Water samples were subject to determination of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and chlorophyll “a” concentrations, as well as turbidity. Contamination of the water reservoirs with biogenic compounds is a common problem and at the same time difficult to eliminate due to the scattered nature of external sources of pollution, especially in the case of agricultural catchments, as well as the inflow of untreated sewage from areas directly adjacent to the reservoirs. Based on achieved results, high values of TSI (TN), TSI (TP), TSI (Chl), and overall TSI, clearly indicate the progressive degradation of water quality in analyzed reservoirs. Appearing water blooms due to the mass development of phytoplankton adversely affect the quality of water in the reservoirs and biochemical processes occurring both in water and bottom sediments, are conditioned by progressive eutrophication.

The aim of study was demonstration of dependence of produced biogas on batch composition as agricultural waste. Research was conducted in biogas power plant Biogas Adler, which was the first agricultural biogas plant built in Podlaskie province. The analysis showed in analyzed biogas production of biogas from waste from agricultural activity, is a good way of their utilization, while producing heat and electricity. Among the three analyzed substrates the highest efficiency of biogas production is characterized by corn silage and manure. Potato pulp significantly reduces the efficiency of biogas production. Independently of the composition and quality of substrates, to produce 1 MWh of the biogas plant consumes approx. 457 m3 of biogas.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of the landfill on the groundwater environment. The assessment of water status in the region of landfill sealed with a layer of clay with a thickness of 0.5 m, was based on the own research and monitoring received from the municipal office, and conducted in 2007–2010. Waters flowing out of the landfill revealed an increase in pollution indicators such as: total organic carbon (TOC), concentrations of PAHs and heavy metals including zinc, cadmium, and chromium. It was demonstrated that the landfill sealed with a clay layer does not reduce the outflow of leachate to groundwater, but also that the purity of these waters is influenced by increased agricultural activity in the areas adjacent to the landfill.

Article describes studies on the trophic status which were carried out using the water samples from the small retention reservoir Topiło located in especially valuable natural forests of Puszcza Białowieska. In order to assess the degree of Topiło reservoir contamination, three measurement and control points were selected for testing, which were situated near the inflow (point No. 1) and outflow (point No. 3) of river Perebel, as well as in the middle part of the reservoir (point No. 2). The selection and placement of measurement and control points on the reservoir was dictated by the ability to capture changes in the study object. Tests of water samples collected from the surface layer of the coastal zone, were carried out once a month during the period from April 2007 to March 2014. The following determinations in collected water samples were performed: total nitrogen, total phosphorus, chlorophyll “a”, and turbidity. The trophic level of Topiło reservoir was also assessed according to the concentration criteria and based on the trophic status indices (TSI) calculated after Carlson’s as well as Kratzer and Brezonik’s. Given the annual average value of overall trophic level (Trophic Status Index), the dominant role of the TSI (TP) during all years of research attracts some attention. The TSI index values ranged within 78.3–80.26, which allowed to classify the water of Topiło reservoir as hypertrophic. The research indicates an advanced and constantly progressive degradation of water quality in Topiło reservoir. Values of TSI (Chl) were in the range of 49.2–77.35 and therefore water status in winter can be defined as eutrophic indicating the hypertrophy in remaining periods under study. Additional investments planned for advance reclamation treatments should be necessarily taken into consideration at the stage of planning and design of new small water retention reservoirs. Topiło reservoir requires modernization and reclamation, it is also necessary to clean it up, especially the bottom pond, out of the stocked wood residues, as well as to remove the excess of sludge.

When analyzing the symptoms of eutrophication and water quality in a small retention reservoir Bachmaty, an attempt to assess changes in its trophic condition before and after modernization, was undertaken. The study upon changes in water trophic level was carried out on a small retention reservoir Bachmaty located in Podlasie region on the Orlanka river in the municipality of Dubicze Cerkiewne. Tests of water samples collected from the surface layer of the coastal zone were performed once a month, and the time of the research was divided into two periods. The first period was conducted since April 2007 to March 2008 and since April 2009 to March 2010. The second research period included the time immediately after the reservoir reclamation, which ended in May 2011. The study was conducted since May 2011 to March 2012 and since April 2013 to March 2014. The trophic level of Bachmaty reservoir was also assessed according to the concentration criteria and based on the trophic status indices (TSI) calculated after Carlson’s as well as Kratzer and Brezonik’s. Reclamation of the reservoir, which consisted mainly in removing the sediments, caused a reduction in all TSI values. Analysing the overall trophic level index, i.e. the average of TSI (TP), TSI (TN), and TSI (Chl), water of the Bachmaty reservoir may be classified as eutrophic in individual years of the research, although a gradual decline in the TSI value could be observed directly after the reservoir modernizing. After testing it was found that the formation of the trophic level of Bachmaty reservoir was largely affected by the amount of total phosphorus supplied to the water. Water quality in the reservoirs, and also the content of phosphorus compounds is largely determined by external supply.

When considering the issue of the functioning of small water reservoirs, the attempt to assess changes in trophy of small retention reservoir located in Wasilkow, Podlasie, before and after remediation, was carried out. Water samples tests were carried out once a month from April 2007 to March 2008, from April 2009 to March 2010 (before remediation), and from April 2013 to March 2014 (after removal of silt). Prior to works related to the reservoir remediation, a gradual increase in the number of tested contaminants and disturbances in the seasonal occurrence of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds were observed. Advanced eutrophic processes in Wasilków reservoir occur probably due to the supply of large amounts of humic and biogenic substances from the catchment, because a significant percentage of its area is covered by forests and agricultural lands. The development of the trophic status of the reservoir is largely influenced by the amount of phosphorus and total nitrogen supplied to the reservoir; the least affected by chlorophyll “a”. Comparing the analyses performed in 2007/2008 and 2009/2010, a slight, but growing trend of average trophic levels of water in the basin Wasilków was found. Studies conducted in 2013/2014 revealed a significant decrease in the concentrations of all analyzed pollutants, and hence lower TSI values. It can be concluded that the reclamation associated with the removal of sediments brought the expected results.

The study aimed at determining the changes in the trophic status of the processes associated with the risk of eutrophication in small retention reservoir in Korycin, characterized by agricultural performance of direct and indirect catchment. The study was conducted using the surface water samples that were collected systematically every month over four hydrological years (2008 to 2014) from three research points. Mean annual concentration of total phosphorus varied from 0.641 mg P/dm3 during research conducted in 2007/2008 to 0.874 mg P/dm3 in 2013/2014 showing an increasing trend from year to year. Taking into account the calculated average values, an upward trend can be seen along with particular years of the study from the annual average value of 1.44 mg N/dm3 determined in the first year to the value of 2.66 mg N/dm3 recorded in the last year of the study. It was observed during the study that in non-flowing parts of Korycin reservoir, plankton developed more abundantly than in the central fragments, where the flow of water is more intensive. A mild growth of phytoplankton in the waters of Korycin reservoir is provided by relatively low concentrations of chlorophyll “a” found during all research periods. Concentrations of chlorophyll “a” in waters of the reservoir were within the range of 4.08 to 5.21 g/dm3. At a Schindler coefficient > 2, this value, based on the Decree of the Minister of the Environment of 2011, should not exceed 7 and therefore waters of the Korycin reservoir during the research can be classified as the first class. Values of the general trophic level (Trophic State Index) during the first three years of the study ranged from 67.15 to 68.65, which enabled to count waters of the reservoir in Korycin to eutrophic ones. In the last year of the analyzes, this coefficient increased to a value of 72.43, classifying its waters as hypertrophic. The largest share in such a situation was expressed by TSI (TP), which ranged from 97.34 to 101.82, always classifying the waters to hypertrophic ones. In contrast, the indicator TSI (TN) ranged from 59.71 to 68.57 and it classified the reservoir waters to eutrophic, while TSI (Chl) to mesotrophic.

The subject of this paper is environmental sustainability assessment of agricultural holdings in the Podlaskie voivodeship, participating in the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) in the years 2007–2012. The assessment was conducted based on agro-ecological indicators and environmental burden (material pressure). The analysis was conducted according to a classification into agricultural holding types: field crops, dairy cattle, and mixed holdings. The factor with the strongest impact on the agro-ecological sustainability of the studied agricultural holdings was the holding type. Field crop and mixed holdings achieved more favorable environmental sustainability indicators. Holdings specializing in dairy cattle breeding pose a threat to the natural environment due to their excessive number of livestock.

The problem of liquid wastes is still current not only in Poland, but also in the world. The primary source of liquid wastes are single-family and multi-family houses. To a lesser extent, public service or production facilities, mainly in urban areas, are equipped with no-outlet reservoirs. Low concentrations in liquid wastes and their high density are often some difficulty to work with not only by sewage treatment plants, but also collection points. Therefore, the knowledge of the composition of liquid wastes supplied to the collection points is important. The paper presents the results of research as well as variability of concentrations of selected parameters of liquid wastes supplied to the collection point in Bialystok, that accepts both municipal and industrial sewage. Statistical processing of the obtained results and those derived from The Waterworks Bialystok showed the presence of high variability of total suspended matter and electrolytic conductivity as well as organic impurities expressed as BOD5 and COD.