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Copyright of Mineral Resources Management / Gospodarka Surowcami Mineralnymi is the property of Mineral & Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Diminishing water resources, population growth and utilization energy intense processes for drinking water production lead to seek new methods of water acquisition. Desalination of seawater or/and geothermal water and also water acquisition with the utilization of abandoned oil and gas wells potentially represents promising new production method of freshwater streams. Abandoned oil and gas wells potentially can be a source of geothermal heat which can be used as a heat source for water desalination. In many countries, among others in Poland area, there are hundreds, and even thousands of abandoned exploration, research or oil/gas wells which can be adapted for other purposes, including water desalination. The aim of this paper is to conduct preliminary recognition of current world knowledge on the possibility of using abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal purposes, including desalination of produced waters (also for drinking purposes) based on selected examples (Iran and USA). This technique is environmental-friendly and provides enough amount of energy for high-energy desalination processes (e.g. reverse osmosis), along with reducing gas emissions and consumption of conventional fuels. Based on world experience, a comprehensive assessment of the possibility of using abandoned wells for geothermal purposes in Poland should be carried out.

In the last years, the European Union has developed and set a several environmental policies whose imposes an obligation on Member States to implement specific actions, including incorporating climate change considerations into SEA and EIA processes. One of major environmental challenges facing most developing countries is that of global climate change. The aim of the research was to obtain a comprehensive review of existing SEA and EIA practical approaches for renewable energy installations in the aspect of adaptation to climate change with specific reference to Polish projects. Both SEA and EIA procedures implemented in Poland and other countries was introduced with the intent of factoring in potential risk to the environment by future large-scale project developments such as the construction of power plants, roads, or dams. The paper consist the initial recognition of available data of the current experience and level of implementation climate change impact and adaptions into local procedures. Preliminary results suggest that the additional funding should be given for climate change adaptation in the energy sector, especially in renewable energy projects, as well as specific interventions for climate-adapted energy systems should be targeted in order to fill the gap in RES sector and spur sustainable energy development.

Copyright of Mineral Resources Management / Gospodarka Surowcami Mineralnymi is the property of Mineral & Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Regulations of the Water Framework Directive 200/60/EC (WFD) had been applied by European Union countries into their legislation system. However, it does not guarantee that the groundwater research has the same standard and quality in EU countries. KINDRA international research project was launched to assessment of existing groundwater-related practical and scientific knowledge based on a new Hydrogeological Research Classification System (HRC-SYS). This classification is supported by a web-service – the European Inventory of Groundwater Research (EIGR). The main goal of the project is implementation policy of optimization in groundwater research in EU. The preliminary result of survey about groundwater management shows that in Poland is a good state of implementation WFD. Good level of implementation is especially related with groundwater monitoring. It is because a lot of institutions and municipal entities carry out their tasks referring to quality or quantity assessment. Results of their works are published as reports, newsletters, maps, bulletins etc. These materials are potential source of information which can be a valuable contribution to EIGR. However, a lot of information are published only in polish language, so it is impossible to spread this knowledge in Europe.

Copyright of Geological Exploration Technology, Geothermal Energy, Sustainable Development / Technika Poszukiwan Geologicznych is the property of Mineral & Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Many factors determine the effectiveness of membrane processes used in the desalination of water. One of the most critical of these is the careful selection of membranes which have selective parameters and permeability suited to the needs of the user. The paper presents the results of studies related to the selection of membranes for the process of desalinating mineralised geothermal waters with an elevated silica content, sulphate ions, boron ions and high total hardness. Based on the preliminary theoretical models, four commercially available types of membranes were identified, which were then used for laboratory tests. Particular attention was paid in this work to the selectivity of removal of boron ions and also the effectiveness of the process in conditions of respectively 50% and 75% per- meate recovery. Tests were carried out on geothermal water at a temperature 22°C. The results of the studies carried out showed that the best permeability parameters in relation to time taken were found with the BW30HR-440i membrane at a level of 50% permeate recovery. An increase in permeate recovery to 75% demonstrated signs of a drop in performance with time which may be caused by the precipitation of deposits on the membrane and the lowering of its permeability. Favourable selectivity ratios in relation to the key inorganic components of the mineral water were obtained with the selected membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]