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In 2021, at the request of PJSC “Dnepropetrovsk Coke Plant”, city Kamianske, we conducted research at the facility where coke-chemical waste is stored on one of the coal waste collectors. The study area was 9.37 ha. The research subject was anthropogenic formations, which were formed due to the storage of coal-floated sediments on the company’s premises. The research aimed to determine the characteristics and analysis of the quantity and quality of coal accumulations, determine the retention of the insulating layer and its composition, and create maps of the quality and capacity of accumulated anthropogenic sediments. The ordering company decided to use both – the latest ground penetration technology and the traditional methods of drilling and laboratory, thanks to which an unusually large number of parameters were obtained and processed during the research process. Similar research was conducted on other industrial facilities, but to a much lesser extent; since we have implemented a combined, comprehensive methodology for the assessment of anthropogenic deposits, because of which the effectiveness of geological research and economic assessment increased, the time of conducting research shortened to 40-45 calendar days, and the cost of such tests decreased five times. At this stage, some things could be improved in the methodology, such as imperfection of the mathematical model and methodology of statistical data processing. These errors will be eliminated during further modelling work under the prepared implementation plan for the tested methodology.

The purpose of the work described in the article was to find the optimal location of the pumping station for the mining area Krzyżowice III Hard Coal Mine “Pniówek”. Mining exploitation causes lowering of the area and changes in water relations. Hence, it is necessary to perform a gravitational, and if it is impossible, forced outflow of water. Localization of the pumping station should assure removal of excess water and prevent flooding. Not only was the present relief taken into account, but also the entire period of the mine’s existence. On the basis of the results of airborne laser scanning a digital terrain model (DTM) was generated. Then a catchment division was made for the entire analyzed area. The article presents the workflow of performing the simulation as the area will be changed due to forecasted mining operations. A practical way to solve the problem of simplifying large amounts of data was also shown. The obtained source materials were developed with the use of the Geolisp software. The system operates in a CAD graphic environment and allows for automation of the most frequently performed works in the field of mining map preparation. The Geolisp cooperates with EDN-OPN program. Thanks to this fact it is possible to combine the obtained results of calculations of predicted deformations of the mining area and the rock mass with the digital map.

Urban development is not a process of even and planned progression on residential-industrial sites. Enclaves of high-standard space separate degraded and abandoned areas after industrial use has ended. The idea of the compact city is challenged by the need to search for niches for possible development and even to respond to crisis situations. Changing the approach to postmining sites located inside urban spaces generates an alternative to urban sprawl and the squandering of the stock of fertile suburban agricultural land. The aim of this article is to draw attention to the urban presence of postmining sites, to take a systemic view of ways to identify and describe their specific elements and to determine their impact, from the perspective of different user groups, on the quality of space. This research combined expert knowledge and the practical experience of users to create a model for a multilevel audit of postmining spaces. Knowledge about the postmining environment was transferred to landscape and urban design, creating a universal tool for developing strategies to increase the standard utilitarian functions of revitalized postmining areas. This tool will be useful at an early stage of urban development, management and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining the level of solid pollution in beach sands located near artificial inland water bodies in order to maintain high safety standards is a difficult and expensive task. The tests aimed at determining beach pollution caused by solid wastes through analysis of toxic and chemical concentrations, are time-consuming and usually require several days before the results are available. In addition, the maintenance of the beach area involving beach raking or grooming, and the seasonal replenishment of sand makes it difficult to realistically determine the chemical or bacterial contamination of the tested material. Solid pollutants, such as glass, caps, cans, thick foil, metal, and plastic fragments, pose a greater health risk to beachgoers. The above-mentioned pollutants, especially small ones, are hardly visible on the surface or they are buried at shallow depths. Beach garbage poses a serious threat that can lead to infections from cuts and scratches. These injuries can become infected, further jeopardizing the health and lives of beachgoers due to risks like tetanus, staphylococcus, etc. The authors presented a new petrographic method aimed at assessing the quality of sand by examining the content of solid pollutants. The obtained results allowed us to conclude that the mentioned procedure can be used for a quick quantitative estimation of the content of potentially dangerous and undesirable pollutants in beach sands. Consequently, the method implemented to determent the amount of solid pollutants in beach sands has proven to be a valuable tool for recreational facility administrators, helping them in taking necessary measures to ensure the safety of beach users. Petrographic analysis of beach sands revealed the presence of pollutants of plant origin (0.4-1.8%), plastic (0.1-0.4%), paper (0.1-0.6%), charcoal (0.1-0.5%), glass (0.1-0.4%), metals (0.1-0.4%), rust (0.1-0.3%), ash and slag (0.1-0.3%), and fossil coals (0.1-0.2%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that mercury that enters the atmosphere is a serious threat to the natural environment. From the available literature, it can be stated that fossil fuels are among the main carriers of this fuel. The question arises whether it is the right approach. While the enrichment of bituminous coal produces limited amounts of mercury, they are being released into the atmosphere as a result of the combustion of coal. The situation is similar in the case of biomass, which releases large amounts of mercury into the atmosphere when subjected to the combustion process. While bituminous coal is the carrier of mercury, the application of currently known technology, rational production and the use of fossil fuels make it possible to maximally minimize mercury emissions into the atmosphere. This study evaluated the mercury content in the ashes resulting from the combustion of bituminous coal subjected to the enrichment process. The samples were collected from ten mines located in the Polish part of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB). In total, thirty coal samples and thirty products of the combustion process were examined. All sixty samples were subjected to physicochemical analysis, including: moisture content, ash content, sulfur content, carbon content, and Gross Calorific Value.

Biomass is one of the oldest and most widely used renewable energy sources. The biomass is the whole organic matter of vegetable or animal origin which is biodegradable. Biomass includes leftovers from agricultural production, forestry residues, and industrial and municipal waste. The use of biomass in the power industry has become a standard and takes place in Poland and other European countries. This paper discusses the correlation of mercury content in different biomass types used in the power industry and in products of biomass combustion. Different biomass types, which are currently burned in a commercial power plant in Poland, were discussed. A photographic documentation of different biomass types, such as straw briquettes, wood briquettes, pellets from energy crops (sunflower husk and wood husk), wood pellets, wood chips, and agro-biomass (seeds) was carried out. The presented paper discusses the results obtained for 15 biomass samples. Five selected biomass samples were burned in controlled conditions in the laboratory at the University of Silesia. The ash resulting from the combustion of five biomass samples was tested for mercury content. A total of twenty biomass samples and its combustion products were tested. Based on the obtained results, it was found that any supply of biomass, regardless of its type, is characterized by variable mercury content in dry matter. In the case of e.g. wood chips, the spread of results reaches 235.1 μm/kg (in dry matter). Meanwhile, the highest mercury content, 472.4 μm/kg (in dry matter) was recorded in the biomass of straw, wood pellets, and pellets from energy crops (sunflower husk). In the case of combustion products of five selected biomass types, a three or four fold increase in the mercury content has been observed.

The utilization of herbaceous biomass as a potential source of low-cost energy can benefit the environment and contribute to the economical use of renewable energy sources. Increasing the use of various types of grasses (meadow grass, hay, miscanthus, or fescue) could be a possible solution to the problem of dwindling woody biomass resources. Currently, approximately 95% of pellet production is based on material derived from cuttings and tree waste. Given the limited supply of woody biomass, pellets produced from herbaceous biomass could be essential to ensure the sustainable use of forest resources. Not only will this type of production help to reduce the environmental impact of wood harvesting and transportation, it also would increase resource efficiency. For example, grass cuttings acquired during mowing are typically composted, often leading to material decay and, consequently, the release of methane. To minimalize the emission impact of this greenhouse gas on the environment, the utilization of green waste for energy purposes seems a more desirable option. However, the production of pellets from herbaceous biomass requires different shredding and pressing techniques than woody biomass, making the process more complex. Most importantly, herbaceous pellet biomass manufacturing requires maintaining appropriate proportions of the material mix due to the differing nature of the components and, subsequently, controlling the combustion emissions they generate (especially nitrogen and chlorine). Composition control of the pellets by physico-chemical methods at the qualitative-quantitative level is often challenging. Therefore, the goal of our project was to check if such a control would be enhanced by implementing petrographic analysis. Conducted tests showed that reflected-light microscopy can be an excellent tool to distinguish between herbaceous and woody plants and to determine the component proportions of the pellets. The tests also indicated that the optimal pellet blend should contain about 40% of herbaceous and 60% (by weight) woody material, as such proportions reduce the negative environmental impacts of excessive emissions. Our results showed that combusting such samples yields from 300 to 350 mg/m³ of CO, the VOC ranged between 20 and 25 mg/m3, PM 10 and PM 2.5 contents were about 15 mg/m³, and chlorine-based chemicals (HC1) about 10 mg/m³. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The requirements and testing methods for charcoal briquettes and lump charcoal used for barbecuing are regulated by norms EN 1860-2:2005 and ISO 7404-3 with the purpose of implementing quality standards to reduce the risks associated with using solid fuels for grilling. Nowadays, with high manufacturing standards, charcoal contamination during the production phase is rather rare. However, contamination can occur during product packing, transport, and storage. Inorganic matter, petroleum products, slag, metals, rust, coke, and coal are among the most common impurities. While most of these undesired components are easily identified applying incident light microscopy, distinguishing inertinite from coal and modem charcoal can be challenging. Since the addition of coal in charcoal-based BBQ fuels increases emissions of harmful substances and gases, qualitative-quantitative identification of coal is extremely important. During the microscopic analysis of coal, three groups of macerals (vitrinite, liptinite, and inertinite) can be distinguished. If these macerals occur in association in a single coal fragment (Figs la, b), identification of coal does not pose difficulties. The challenge arises when a single fragment of inertinite is encountered (Fig. lc), as it appears indistinguishable from the image of modern charcoal fragments (Fig. Id). In this preliminary study, an attempt was made to distinguish coal inertinite from modern charcoal using white light combined with Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) and fluorescent filters. The examination was made on 10 samples of Carboniferous coal from the Upper Silesian Basin in Poland and 10 samples of modern charcoal (grilling fuels). The DIC filter produced an apparent relief and depth of field effect. Its application made it possible to see numerous cracks, scratches, and small and larger pores in coal inertinite fragments; these features were absent from modern charcoal. Coal inertinite also showed rather blurry edges, while charcoal demonstrated sharp outlines typical for modern hardwoods. The use of the fluorescence filter allowed us to clearly see the preserved cellular structure in charcoal. Analyzed fossil inertinite did not have the characteristic structure of modern wood due to the different precursors and the sedimentary and diagenetic processes. This experimental comparative analysis with the application of filters indicated a potential for developing effective tools to distinguish coal from charcoal during microscopic analysis. The work is ongoing to acquire better ways to enhance the description of their morphological and optical characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pore network within organic matter rich shales is responsible for transport, sorption, and gas storage capacity, the latter very important for unconventional shale gas reservoirs. Shale porosity consists of inorganic mineral matrix pores and pores hosted within organic matter. Organic hosted pores are the most important for shale gas storage capacity; they evolve in response to increasing thermal maturity, change in maceral composition, and hydrocarbon generation. The lower Paleozoic shales from the Baltic Basin were recently targeted for exploration of unconventional resources of hydrocarbons. So far, the exploration results have not been promising, even though the shale has elevated organic matter content of several wt.%, and sometimes reaching more than 15 wt.%. Thermal maturity of the shale ranges from immature in the NE region of the Baltic Basin, gradually increasing to overmature in the SW of the basin, allowing for the opportunity to observe evolving maceral composition and pore network. Organic petrography was applied to monitor maceral composition changes, while low pressure gas sorption (both N2 and CO2) was used for porosity and surface area measurements. Maceral composition in low maturity samples is dominated by liptinites with some solid bitumen present. Increasing maturity within the oil window results in a decrease and eventual disappearance of liptinites and an increase of solid bitumen content. This change is accompanied by decreasing porosity and specific surface area. The decreasing porosity can be attributed to compaction with increasing burial and also plugging of the pore system with secondary solid bitumen. Further increase in maturity within the gas window results in a slight increase in porosity and specific surface area, which can be attributed to the hydrocarbon generation from solid bitumen associated by secondary porosity development within organic matter. Further maturity increase in overmature samples results in a slight porosity decrease, which again can be attributed to compaction. Organic petrography also revealed the presence of graptolites within the studied shales. Observations of a wide maturity range of graptolites indicate they behave differently than other primary macerals. While other primary macerals eventually convert to solid bitumen, graptolites persist through increasing maturity and are present even in overmature samples. Thermal endurance of graptolites may suggest they contribute to a lesser degree towards hydrocarbon generation than remaining macerals. The lower Paleozoic shale from the Baltic Basin can be locally enriched in graptolites, as often visible macroscopically within the cores. Graptolite enrichment contributes to the shale's organic richness, but their low hydrocarbon generation potential could be one of the reasons the exploration results are lower than expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]