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The topic of this paper concerns energy-related carbon dioxide emission factors from the combustion of gaseous methane fuels. It is a very current subject, as methane fuels, mainly of fossil origin, are one of the primary energy carriers used in industrial and municipal applications for energy purposes. Consequently, the emitted carbon dioxide contributes to the intensification of the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere. The problem of the quantities characterising emissions from the combustion of methane fuels is complicated by the diversity of these fuels. This paper presents background information on the gaseous hydrocarbon fuels and the composition of the main types of natural gas. The structure of natural gas consumption in Poland, depending on the sectors of application for particular types of natural gas, is presented. On the basis of the existing data, aggregated energy-related carbon dioxide emission factors were estimated and analysed. The analysis was carried out for high-methane natural gas (HM), colliery gas (CG) and nitrified natural gas (N)—for the years 1988–2021. Trends in fuel consumption and energy-related carbon dioxide emission factors were determined for the years 1988–2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the determinants of residential CO2 emissions, which are not covered by the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), in 19 European countries between 2000-2017. Using both static and dynamic panel models, we found strong relationships between CO2 emissions per capita, GDP per capita, energy prices and heating needs. We then assessed the impact of European carbon taxation and show that a €20/tonne CO2 tax lowers emissions by 1% on average. We found that this tax affects countries differently in terms of tax revenue-to-GDP ratio. Poland and the Czech Republic would have to pay the highest contribution, and Portugal and Denmark the lowest. Finally, we propose a scenario that equalizes countries' tax burdens. We show that, were Europe to redistribute all tax revenues, the main beneficiaries would be Poland and Belgium, while Denmark and Luxembourg would have to pay a surtax. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The main aim of this paper is to identify the specificity of socially responsible innovations in retail against the background of sustainable development, and to identify examples of socially responsible innovations implemented by selected retail chains in Poland. In the Author's opinion, they are crucial for the development of a responsible society, but also for a sustainable economy. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology applied in the article refers to the methodological canon of management sciences, including, among others, conceptual-theoretical and empirical research methodology. On their basis a critical analysis of foreign and Polish literature in the field of management science, theory of development and functioning of the retail trade has been carried out. The analyzed cases of retail chains were considered representative due to their strong market position and large contribution to the development of the FMCG market (the so-called "best business practices") – for this purpose, the qualitative research methodology was applied, including a case study. Findings: The analysis conducted in this paper indicates that large retail chains are creating socially responsible innovations, thus having a significant impact on the spread of socially responsible practices. These activities are mainly based on shaping the environmental awareness of employees and customers, increasing the safety and quality of products, reducing carbon dioxide emissions, effective waste management, rational use of natural resources, reducing staff turnover and improving their working conditions. Originality/value: The article presents how the literature on management science describes and explains the essence, specificity, and types of socially responsible innovations against the background of the sustainable development concept. On this solid factual basis, socially responsible innovations implemented by selected retail chains in Poland were identified. This allowed to verify theoretical assumptions related to the development of socially responsible innovations with the actual state of affairs, reflected in the analyzed practices of retail chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Space & Form / Przestrzeń i FORMA is the property of West Pomeranian University of Technology, Department of Architecture & Urban Planning 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.)

Extended-Range Electric Vehicles (EREVs) are intended to improve the range of battery electric vehicles and thus eliminate drivers' concerns about running out of energy before reaching the desired destination. This paper gives an insight into EREV's performance operating according to the proposed control strategy over various driving cycles, including the Worldwide Harmonized Light-duty Test Cycle Class 3b (WLTC 3b), Federal Test Procedure (FTP-75), and China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC-P). Simulation runs were performed in Matlab-Simulink® for different cases of drive range, electricity mix, and vehicle mass. The control strategy goal was to aim at a specified value of battery state of charge at the targeted range value. The obtained test results included: pure electric drive range, acceleration times, EREV range tests, control strategy range errors, Range Extender (REX) utilization metric and distribution of its engagement instances, fuel consumption, total equivalent CO2 emission, powertrain efficiency, and specific energy consumption. The control strategy operated on average with a range error of −1.04% and a range mean square error of 2.13%. Fuel consumption (in range extension mode) varied between 1.37 dm3/100 km (FTP-75) and 6.85 dm3/100 km (WLTC 3b Extra-High 3). CO2eq emission was 95.3–244.2 g/km for Poland, 31.0–160.5 g/km for EU-27, and 1.2–147.6 g/km for Sweden. This paper is a valuable source of information for scientists and engineers seeking to learn the advantages and shortcomings of EREV drives with a proposed control strategy, based on various sets of results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the conditions behind energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Poland following its accession to the European Union. The study analyzed some energy, fossil fuel, economic, and environmental indicators, such as energy use, CO2 emissions, driving factors, decoupling elasticity status, and decoupling effort status. It relied on the Kaya identity and Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) in determining the drivers of CO2 emissions. As shown by the results, between 2004 and 2020, energy consumption in Poland grew at an average annual rate of 0.8%, while fossil fuel carbon emissions declined at 0.7% per year. Energy intensity was found to be the key force behind the reduction in CO2 emissions, whereas rapid economic growth was the main driver of CO2 emissions. While other factors, i.e., carbon intensity, energy mix, and population, also contributed to reducing the emissions, they had a much smaller—if not marginal—effect. In turn, the decoupling elasticity analysis showed that Poland mostly witnessed strong decoupling states, which means a strong decoupling of CO2 emissions from economic growth. Furthermore, it follows from the decoupling effort analysis that strong decoupling effort statuses prevailed throughout the study period, suggesting that the changes in the considered factors significantly contributed to reducing CO2 emissions. However, both the decoupling elasticity indices and the decoupling effort indices revealed the presence of an adverse trend. The above means that Poland witnessed a decline both in the strength of decoupling CO2 emissions from economic growth and in the efficiency of policies and measures designed to reduce CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors compare the energy consumption and CO2 emissions from vehicles using internal combustion engines (ICE), battery electric vehicles (BEV), fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV), and two types of hybrid vehicles, BEV-ICE hybrid and BEV-FCEV hybrid. This paper considers several scenarios for four countries' electricity production from primary energy sources to estimate total CO2 release. Energy consumption of the vehicle per 100 km, emissions during manufacturing, battery production, and lifecycle of the vehicle are considered in the total amount evaluation of CO2 released. The results show that with current technologies for battery manufacturing, and a significant proportion of national grid electricity delivered by fossil fuels, BEV is the best choice to reduce carbon emissions for shorter driving ranges. In the case of electricity generation mainly by low-carbon sources, FCEV and BEV-FCEV hybrid vehicles end up with lower carbon dioxide emissions. In contrast, with electricity mainly generated from fossil fuels, electric vehicles do not reduce CO2 emissions compared to combustion cars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic with subsequent economic fluctuations during consecutive epidemics waves and preventive measures in the form of lockdowns, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine have had a meaningful impact on the European economy, including the energy market. These events have caused an increase in the prices of many products, including fossil fuels, and also a lack of their availability. The changes inspired the authors to conduct research on the current situation in Poland in the field of renewable energy and coal. The paper describes the research on the impact of the development of RES (mainly photovoltaic sources) on the change in the energy generation profile in the case of Poland. The article analyzes the impact of RES (renewable energy sources) on the reduction of CO2 emissions. The conducted analysis was based on the historical similarity of the replacement of conventional (carbon) sources by PV (photovoltaics) by determining in how many cases (%), a specific carbon source will be displaced. Based on the prepared forecast, it was determined that by the end of the year, the installed capacity in PV will reach the level of 11,213 MWp (in wind energy, it will be 7875 MWp). Replacement (reduction of consumption) of approximately 1.5 million Mg of hard coal and 2.87 million Mg of lignite was concluded to be possible (~4.4% and 6.3% of the hard-coal and lignite volume used for energy production). Limiting this volume of hard coal and lignite will also reduce CO2 emissions in the entire NPS by 5.24 million Mg (−5%) in 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the changes in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions related to energy consumption in the Polish agricultural sector between 2000 and 2019. Based on the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI), the changes in agricultural CO2 emissions are viewed in the context of changes in six factors, i.e., CO2 emission intensity, substitution of fossil fuels, penetration of renewable energies, energy intensity, labor productivity and number of employees. The analysis demonstrated that total energy consumption declined over the study period; this was related to a reduction in the intake of energy derived from solid fossil fuels (−1.05%), crude oil (−1.01%), electricity (−4.89%), and heat (−1.37%), and to an increased consumption of natural gas (5.78%) and biofuels (0.82%). Furthermore, it follows from the analysis that changes in CO2 emissions witnessed in that period were consistent with changes in energy consumption levels; this resulted from a negligible transformation of the energy mix (largely determined by fossil fuels). Generally, CO2 emissions declined over the study period at a rate comparable (−0.9%) to that of the reduction in energy consumption (−1.03%). In light of the LMDI method, the reduction in CO2 emissions from fuel consumption in the Polish agricultural sector was mainly driven by a reduction in energy intensity and in employment. Conversely, rapid growth in labor productivity was the key factor in increasing carbon dioxide emissions. Compared to these impacts, changes in other factors (i.e., emission intensity, energy mix and penetration of renewable energies) had an extremely small or marginal effect on the variation in CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper presents critical perspective of the DFI research technique. • Presented empirical data may modify the findings formulated by other researchers of communicating about CC(U)S. • The analysed argumentation is based on presenting the innovative usage of captured CO2 as a cushion for stored natural gas. The paper presents the results of deliberative group interviews with the representatives of local communities in West Pomeranian Province (Poland) on the opportunities and challenges related to the theoretical location of combined CO 2 and natural gas underground storage (CC(U)S and UGS) in their immediate vicinity. The research has been conducted within AGaStor Project that focuses on innovative usage of captured CO 2 as a cushion for stored natural gas. Therefore, there are two possible benefits: active limitation of CO 2 emissions (Poland is and will be dependent on conventional energy sources) and reduction of gas storage costs (by using waste CO 2 as so-called cushion gas). However, previous experiences in these types of projects show the key role of local public opinion in the final shape of the investment. CC(U)S projects are usually located in less developed, less populated areas, with smaller, more rural local communities facing serious socio-economic challenges. This is the case presented in this paper. In such communities, socially expressed uncertainty and dissent are mechanisms of emancipation and articulating community's subjectivity, and a strategy for articulating fears of distrust and inadequacy of empowerment. The presented results of the research lead to four significant mechanisms of building trust for CC(U)S and UGS in West Pomeranian Province communities: a) communicating safety, b) communicating the lack of nuisances, c) communicating the benefits and d) transparent and competent knowledge transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Serbian Journal of Management is the property of Serbian Journal of Management 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.)

The energy sector worldwide is a significant source of air pollutant emission. In Poland, the vast majority of heat and electricity is generated in coal-fired heat and power plants. There is a common belief that high greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector in Poland are mainly due to the technological processes involving the conversion of energy by burning fossil fuels. However, coal mining also causes a high environmental burden. This paper aimed to determine the carbon footprint of a typical hard coal-fired heating plant in Poland, taking into account mining of hard coal, its transport to the heating plant and useful energy generation in the heating plant. The investigation carried out allowed comparing the process steps and determining which of them is the dominant source of the greenhouse gas emissions. The obtained results show that hard coal mining and hard coal transport account for almost 65% and 5% of total equivalent carbon dioxide emission, respectively. Energy transformations in the heating plant account for 30% of total equivalent carbon dioxide emission, where approx. 29% is due to hard coal burning and 1% due to electricity consumption. The relative shares of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in total equivalent carbon dioxide emission account for approx. 91%, 4% and 5%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important element in the local shaping of a low-carbon economy, as well as one of the key areas of activity in communal plans for its development should be rural areas and their related agricultural activities. This is due on the one hand to the significant share of agriculture in total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Poland (on average about 8%, locally as much as 20-50%), and on the other hand to the high potential of rural areas to use their resources to increase carbon sequestration in biomass and soil, reduce GHG emissions, as well as use agricultural activity for the development of renewable energy. The paper, based on the results of mathematical modelling of GHG emission from agricultural sources in all Polish communes, attempts to regionalize the needs of integrating agriculture and rural areas into the development of low-carbon economy at the local level. For this purpose, the guiding factors for regionalisation of the needs for mitigation actions were determined, and a regionalisation of these needs as well as a typology of the distinguished regions were, consequently, developed. The regions with the most urgent needs for mitigation actions were indicated, as well as the directions of mitigation actions for particular types of regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fleet electrification is one of the measures proposed for achieving climate neutrality in the coming years. The replacement of internal combustion engine vehicles with electric vehicles has a positive impact on carbon emission reduction in some countries. However, in countries highly dependent on fossil fuels, such a possibility requires examination with respect to the means of electricity generation and fuel mix used in their power systems. One such country is Poland, selected as an example of an economy strongly dependent on fossil fuels. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of fleet electrification of an individual company located in Poland on the reduction of carbon emissions. The concept and calculations are based on historical data on the single-year mileage and fuel consumption of 619 cars used by this company. Even though the Polish power system is based on fossil fuels, fleet electrification could contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions of 24%. The decrease in operational costs by EUR 370 thousand/year is also significant. Apart from environmental and economic impacts, this paper provides valuable findings on the difference between catalogue and real-driving data application in the various analyses. With respect to Polish fuel mix in 2019, the application of data published by car producers shows that fleet electrification would increase carbon emissions by 14% in this company. This means that depending on the initial assumptions, different conclusions can be drawn by policymakers, regulatory bodies, academics, or other groups of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the crucial role of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology in mitigating CO2 emissions from Poland's power systems, which is essential not only for meeting climate targets but also for maintaining energy security in the country. Acknowledging natural gas as a transitional fuel, the focus is on evaluating the decarbonization potential of the natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plant. The NGCC with and without an amine-based carbon capture unit was modeled using IPSEpro (SimTech, version 7.0). It was found that the annual CO2 emission from 435.68 MWe (net) NGCC can be reduced from 1,365,501 tons (357.8 kgCO2/MWh) to 136,556 tons (42.9 kgCO2/MWh). On the other hand, the CCS reduced the net electric power of the NGCC from 435.68 MW to 363.47 MW and the net energy efficiency from 55.60% to 46.39%. Nonetheless, these results demonstrate the potential of using the amine-based CO2 capture technology in NGCC systems. This is especially important in the context of the decarbonization of the Polish power system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests and forest management play a vital role in capture and storage of carbon dioxide, which contributes to mitigation of climate change. Forests are not only a natural carbon sink. Proper forest management can enhance biomass production, providing wood to be converted into e.g. construction timber, paper and furniture as well as wood fuels and, as a result, considerably enlarge this carbon sink. Poland, being a party of the Climate Convention and Kyoto Protocol and a member of the EU is obliged to provide yearly reports on carbon emissions and sequestration, including the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector, of which forestry is the leading constituent. Forests, with the sequestration rate at a level of 3.93 t CO2·ha-1 form practically the only important carbon sink in the LULUCF category. Unfortunately the LULUCF sector has not been yet included in the current climate policy framework. The purpose of the study was an attempt to estimate the hypothetical value of carbon stored in forestry, resulting from the reported quantities of the emitted and sequestered carbon. The calculations were based on figures included in the National Inventory Report for Poland, reported yearly to the Secretariat of the Climate Convention. Among the forestry carbon sources/sinks, reported annually, the sequestration resulting from forest management significantly exceeds the net sequestration from afforestation/deforestation activities. Average data from recent years show that forest management is a net CO2 sink, with 12 Mt CO2·y-1 (above the forest management reference level, FMRL), and when combined with the carbon pool change resulting from afforestation/deforestation activities, it can be regarded as a net carbon sink sequestering nearly 15 Mt CO2·y-1. That value, when multiplied by the price of carbon emission allowance (e.g. EUA), could be a source of over 80 mill Euros per year, if used as a commodity on the emissions market. Due to high price volatility of CO2 emission allowances, the calculated profits are hypothetical, and the EU Emissions Trading System does not include forestry. These potential gains can become realistic after the LULUCF sector has been included in the emissions trading system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Amine emissions and their volatile degradation products from carbon capture pilot plant. • Long-term measurement of purity of the CO 2 produced from the desorber. • Process parameters for treating 200 m3/h of flue gas from coal-fired boiler. • Gas analysis from different sections of the absorber using FTIR analyzer. • Evaluation of the pretreatment section, which cleans the flue gas entering the CO 2 absorber. Carbon dioxide reduction by amine absorption is considered the most technologically advanced method. This method is particularly recommended for gases with low CO 2 concentrations, such as flue gases. On the other hand, the use of amine absorption solutions can contribute to the emission of harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. This paper presents the emission of amines and their degradation products from a CO 2 capture pilot plant treating a slipstream (approximately 200 m3 N /h) of flue gas from a pulverized coal-fired boiler. The studies were conducted during a 2-week research campaign at the Łaziska Power Plant in Poland. An aqueous blend of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (25 % AMP) with piperazine (9 % PZ) was used as the absorption liquid. Among others, ammonia (12 ppmv), acetone (1 ppmv) and AMP (20 ppmv) were found to be the main contaminants in the clean gas (from the absorber). However, it should be noted that only single water wash section was used. The composition of the CO 2 produced (from the desorber) was also measured. It was shown that the main pollutants were water vapor (3–4 % vol.), ammonia (2–6 ppmv), nitrogen oxide, formaldehyde, and formic acid (sum, up to 10 ppmv). Traces of acetone were also detected. The composition of this gas is of practical importance for the planned management of the captured CO 2 stream. During the studies, the CO 2 capture efficiency was in the range of 86.6 %-94.6 %. The average specific reboiler heat duty (gross) was 3.24 MJ/kg of removed CO 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within an uncertain environment and following carbon trade policies, this study uses the Extended Exergy Accounting (EEA) method for coal supply chains (SCs) in eight of the world's most significant coal consuming countries. The purpose is to improve the sustainability of coal SCs in terms of Joules rather than money while considering economic, environmental, and social aspects. This model is a multi-product economic production quantity (EPQ) with a single-vendor multi-buyer with shortage as a backorder. Within the SC, there are some real constraints, such as inventory turnover ratio, waste disposal to the environment, carbon dioxide emissions, and available budgets for customers. For optimization purposes, three recent metaheuristic algorithms, including Ant Lion Optimizer, Lion Optimization Algorithm, and Whale Optimization Algorithm, are suggested to determine a near-optimum solution to an "exergy fuzzy nonlinear integer-programming (EFNIP)." Moreover, an exact method (GAMS) is employed to validate the results of the suggested algorithms. Additionally, sensitivity analyses with different percentages of exergy parameters, such as capital, labor, and environmental remediation, are done to gain a deeper understanding of sustainability improvement in coal SCs. The results showed that sustainable coal SC in the USA has the lowest fuzzy total exergy, while Poland and China have the highest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key challenge of Fit for 55 will be reducing household emissions. For this, it is necessary to understand the factors that influence emissions and the specific role of household income. This study tests the validity of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) for households and links carbon emissions with income, housing, energy sources, and hidden energy poverty. We use individual household data from the Polish energy consumption survey complemented with data from a budget survey both compiled by Statistics Poland. The EKC is estimated in two scenarios, i.e. current energy mix, and zero-carbon electricity. Our model is based on the least trimmed squares technique. The study confirms the existence of the inverted U-shaped EKC in households, which is especially relevant for owners of small houses. This finding might be explained by the energy under-consumption often experienced by the poorest households, whereas wealthier households usually live in energy-efficient buildings and use less carbon-intensive fuels. The turning point is reached at 373 euros of income and 3425 kg of carbon emissions in a usual energy mix scenario compared to 560 euros and 5104 kg in a clean electricity scenario. Apart from income, household carbon emissions are interrelated with house size and hidden energy poverty, which should be in policymakers focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peatbogs are important in global greenhouse gas budget estimates. The main aim of the work was to assess the amount of greenhouse gas emissions based on the Greenhouse Gas Emission Site Type (GEST) method and compare them with actual field measurements. The research was carried out in selected peatbog areas in the coastal zone of northern Poland. The proposed method allowed us to assess whether the restoration treatments carried out in peatbogs contributed to the emission of these gases. The results of this research using the GEST method indicate that, in the studied peatbog areas, the reduction in CO2 emissions was approximately 12%. These results were compared with actual measurements of greenhouse gas emissions made using the chamber method in 2018. The average CO2 emission for the entire peatbog was 16,338.7 t CO2-eq./yr. Comparing this result with the result obtained using the GEST method, it should be stated that it is lower by 2.464.1 t CO2-eq./year, which gives an approximately 13% overestimation of the result by the Gas Emission Site Type method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of energy and environmental evaluation of geothermal CHP plant. The variant of CHP plant based on Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) has been taken into consideration as the most favorable for the geothermal conditions prevailing in Poland. The existing geothermal well located in the city of Konin in Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) voivodship has been chosen as the case study. The conceptual design of CHP plant has been proposed and evaluated from energy and environmental point of view. The non-renewable primary energy consumption has been chosen as energy performance criterion. In the case of environmental performance carbon dioxide emission has been taken as evaluation criterion. The analysis has been performed for different operating conditions and three working fluids. The best energy performance can be spotted for working fluid R123, for which the reduction varies between 15200 and 11900 MWh/a. The working fluid R134a has a worse energy performance, which allows for the reduction of fossil fuels energy consumption in the range of 15000 and 11700 MWh/a. The total reduction of CO2 emission is the highest for working fluid R123: 5300 to 4150 MgCO2 /a, the medium one for working fluid R134a: 5200 to 4100 MgCO2 /a and the lowest for working fluid R227: 5000 to 4050 MgCO2 /a. It has been shown that the construction of geothermal CHP plants based on Organic Rankine Cycle can be reasonable solution in Polish conditions. It is important concerning the need of reduction of fossil fuels primary energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents various aspects of harnessing solar energy and green hydrogen which is one of the objectives of the EU and Poland's energy transition. Theoretical issues were examined on the basis of the analysis of available source literature on renewable energy sources (RES), green hydrogen and energy transition. The research methods used in this paper include: critical analysis of the source literature, comparative analysis method and secondary data analysis. The article describes actions taken in Poland to facilitate the energy transition associated with harnessing solar energy and green hydrogen and presents author's diagram of energy transition related to RES and green hydrogen in EU and Poland. The analysis and assessment carried out in the article indicated that the new concept of operation of the entire energy market and its transition involves the integration of three sectors: transport, heat engineering and power engineering. In the future, green hydrogen will enable a reduction of CO 2 emissions from the power engineering and heat engineering sector to zero. Importantly, the electrification of heat engineering and transport based on domestic renewable energy sources will render Poland independent of the energy resources from other countries. The issues as presented in the article concerning renewable energy sources, green hydrogen and energy transition have not been collectively studied in Polish and foreign literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents results of a parametric analysis of a hightemperature nuclear-reactor cogeneration system. The aim was to investigate the power efficiency of the system generating heat for a high-temperature technological process and electricity in a Brayton cycle and additionally in organic Rankine cycles using R236ea and R1234ze as working fluids. The results of the analyses indicate that it is possible to combine a 100 MW high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor with a technological process with the demand for heat ranging from 5 to 25 MW, where the required temperature of the process heat carrier is at the level of 650°C. Calculations were performed for various pressures of R236ea at the turbine inlet. The cogeneration system maximum power efficiency in the analysed cases ranges from ~35.5% to ~45.7% and the maximum share of the organic Rankine cycle systems in electric power totals from ~26.9% to ~30.8%. If such a system is used to produce electricity instead of conventional plants, carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by about 216.03-147.42 kt/year depending on the demand for process heat, including the reduction achieved in the organic Rankine cycle systems by about 58.01-45.39 kt/year (in Poland). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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.)

Copyright of Archives of Environmental Protection is the property of 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.)

The climate change, volatile geopolitical conditions, energy insecurity, and supply disruptions experienced lately have highlighted the need for a solid strategy to speed up the transition to green energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Developing tools and methods for fast assessment of techno-economic, environmental and socio-economic aspects of sustainable energy solutions will contribute to this goal. This paper presents results of a case study using an inhouse techno-economic analysis tool developed to provide access to detailed data settings, reflecting the most important technical as well as economic parameters of studied energy technologies. Five different energy solutions for heating and cooling of a specified building in a given geographical position and thereby economic environment have been assessed and compared using the inhouse analysis tool. Based on the proposed techno-economic framework, the energy efficiencies, costs, subsidies and negative CO 2 emissions are estimated and used to identify the critical economic parameters on profitability and policy making recommendations. Using the coal-based heating system as reference case, the comparative study carried out shows the advantages and disadvantages of biomass and natural gas based boilers as well as the geothermal installation. Considering the environmental benefits of the renewable based energy resources, which will become a stronger market driver for every year. The results show that both air-source and ground source heat pumps are currently profitable under current subsidy schemes. The net present value is highly influenced by capital costs and subsidies. In the same way, natural gas prices significantly affect the net present value of gas boilers. As gas prices increase over 43 % of the current level in Poland, heat pumps become more attractive. Replacing a coal-fired boiler with gas will take up to years to pay-off. However, the air source heat pump and ground source heat pump will take longer to pay off, up to 10 years for the air source heat pump and 15 years for the ground source heat pump. The carbon intensity of the ground source heat pump (186 kg CO 2 eq) is lower than the levels of the gas boilers (203 kg CO 2 eq) and the air source heat pump (263 kg CO 2 eq). Ground source heat pump system installation expects to provide a substantial saving of 58 % on CO 2 emissions versus coal-fired systems. Air source heat pump P emits 267 kg CO 2 /kWh/year more than gas boilers, but emissions decrease drastically as the Polish power grid becomes greener in 2030 and 2040. • Low-carbon heating systems economics • Cost functions are developed. • 42 %–58 % CO 2 savings [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is now widely accepted that we are in a climate emergency, and the number of people who are concerned about this problem is growing. Yet, qualitative, in-depth studies to investigate the emotional response to climate change were conducted either in high-income, western countries, or in low-income countries particularly vulnerable to climate change. To our knowledge, there are no qualitative studies conducted in countries that share great barriers to decarbonization while being significant contributors to carbon emissions. Since climate change affects people globally, it is crucial to study this topic in a variety of socio-political contexts. In this work, we discuss views and reflections voiced by highly concerned residents of Poland, a Central European country that is a major contributor to Europe's carbon emissions. We conducted 40 semi-structured interviews with Polish residents, who self-identified as concerned about climate change. A variety of emotions related to climate change were identified and placed in the context of four major themes: dangers posed by climate change, the inevitability of its consequences, attributions of responsibility, and commonality of concern. Our findings highlight a variety of often ambivalent and conflicting emotions that change along with the participant's thoughts, experiences and behaviours. Furthermore, we describe a wide repertoire of coping strategies, which promoted well-being and sustained long-term engagement in climate action. As such, our work contributes to research on a broad array of climate-related emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduced limits on carbon dioxide emissions by the European Union encourage experimental work on new-generation materials containing smaller amounts of clinker. Currently, silica fly ash from hard coal combustion is widely used in cement and concrete technology in Europe and Poland. Their wide application is determined mainly by the chemical and phase composition, and in particular by the activity of pozzolanic and its high fineness, like cement. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of glass flour and polypropylene fiber modifiers on the properties of concrete and its microstructure. To analyze the results, samples of reference ordinary concrete and samples with different amounts of glass flour (0–30%) and a constant number of polypropylene fibers (0.025 kg) were used. The obtained test results showed the possibility of producing ordinary concrete with the addition of glass flour. The average compressive strength for concrete containing 10% additive was set at 49.3 MPa, 51.2 MPa, and 53.1 MPa after 28, 56, and 90 days of maturation for a content of 20% of 44.6 MPa, 46.4 MPa, and 48.4 MPa, respectively, and for 30% of 41.5 MPa, 43.8 MPa, and 45.6 MPa, respectively. By modifying concrete with glass flour and polypropylene fibers, a composite resistant to negative temperatures can be obtained. Glass flour shows reactivity with the cement matrix, and in small amounts, it might cause the microstructure to seal and a slight increase in compressive strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper indicates that hydropower, including small hydropower plants (SHPs), may play a very important role in Poland's energy transformation in the near future. The development of SHPs may also increase water resources in the steppe Poland. Additionally, the aim of the present research is to conduct the PEST analysis of SHPs in Poland, taking into account the SHP potential. For the first time, maps showing the power and location of potential SHPs on the existing dams in Poland are presented. SHPs should be an important element of energy transition in Poland, especially on a local scale—it is stable energy production. Our analysis shows that there are 16,185 such dams in Poland, while the total capacity of potential hydropower plants in Poland would be 523.6 MW, and the total number of new jobs is estimated at 524. It was calculated that the annual avoided carbon dioxide emissions will amount to 4.4 million tons, which will reduce Poland's emissions by 1.4%. The construction of SHPs can bring significant environmental and economic benefits. As far as the PEST analysis is concerned, the political environment of SHPs in Poland can be described as unfavorable (2.86 points). The economical nature of PEST analysis (3.86 points) should be considered as friendly for the development of SHPs. The social nature of PEST analysis can be considered as neutral (3.36 points). The technological nature of the PEST analysis can be considered as neutral (3.21 points). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inland navigation is hardly ever used to transport cargo in cities. In most urban areas, it is performed almost exclusively via road transport, with the virtual exclusion of rail and inland transport. Research and implementation projects in several European cities have shown that employing inland navigation is a viable alternative for road transport in urban areas. The research involved a case study of transporting the same number of 40-foot containers by inland waterway and road and then comparing the results in terms of transport time, transport costs, and carbon dioxide emissions between two metropolitan areas in Poland. The article shows that River Information Services (RIS) system can contribute to improving freight transport efficiency not only on longer routes, but also in urban and inter-urban conditions. The findings were that inland shipping is much cheaper and more environmentally friendly, but transport takes much longer and is not always possible due to insufficient waterway infrastructure. The paper can be used as a road map to proceed with new approach to planning urban and inter-urban logistics, with the use of inland navigation supported by the RIS system. The study delivers evidence that the main benefits of using RIS for urban logistics are: optimization of the cargo route, improved supervision and control of cargo transport, optimization of inter-branch transport, optimization of the use of fleet, more efficient use of technical infrastructure of waterways, combination of many recipients/senders into one transport, and reduction of administrative barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of transport is a special type of mathematical programming designed to search for the optimal distribution network, taking into account the set of suppliers and the set of recipients. This article proposes an innovative approach to solving the transportation problem and devises source codes in GNU Octave (version 3.4.3) to avoid the necessity of carrying out enormous calculations in traditional methods and to minimize transportation costs, fuel consumption, and CO 2 emission. The paper presents a numerical example of a solution to the transportation problem using: the northwest corner, the least cost in the matrix, the row minimum, and Vogel's Approximation Methods (VAM). The joint use of mathematical programming and optimization was applicable to real conditions. The transport was carried out with medium load trucks. Both suppliers and recipients of materials were located geographically within the territory of the Republic of Poland. The presented model was supported by a numerical example with interpretation and visualization of the obtained results. The implementation of the proposed solution enables the user to develop an optimal transport plan for individually defined criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle assessment is an environmental method which estimates either a process or a building material within the cradle-to-grave cycle. Presently, it is one of a few tools that include all factors which may influence the environment. The authors used this tool to prove effects connected with potential efficient energy levels and a reduction in CO2 emissions within a building's life cycle. For the purpose of our analyses, several types of single-family building were chosen and they were subjected to analysis in the fixed location of Warsaw. The research scope included a numerical analysis of the buildings concerning the level of embodied energies and the emission of greenhouse gases. The performed analysis proved that, within a 50-year cycle, the difference between the embodied energy from the best and worst building choices can amount to 14.87%, whereas a reduction in embodied carbon emissions can reach 20.65%. Each change in the building's form and the type of building materials used, regardless of the usable area, influence the environmental impact. Therefore, this paper concludes that LCA, as a management tool, should be used cyclically as part of each phase of the design process. A multi-criteria method for selecting architectural solutions was proposed which considered minimum cumulative primary energy, minimum cumulative carbon emission and minimum cost of constructing a building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal mining accounts for ∼12 % of the total anthropogenic methane (CH4) emissions worldwide. The Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB), Poland, where large quantities of CH4 are emitted to the atmosphere via ventilation shafts of underground hard coal (anthracite) mines, is one of the hot spots of methane emissions in Europe. However, coal bed CH4 emissions into the atmosphere are poorly characterized. As part of the carbon dioxide and CH4 mission 1.0 (CoMet 1.0) that took place in May–June 2018, we flew a recently developed active AirCore system aboard an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to obtain CH4 and CO2 mole fractions 150–300 m downwind of five individual ventilation shafts in the USCB. In addition, we also measured δ13C - CH4 , δ2H - CH4 , ambient temperature, pressure, relative humidity, surface wind speed, and surface wind direction. We used 34 UAV flights and two different approaches (inverse Gaussian approach and mass balance approach) to quantify the emissions from individual shafts. The quantified emissions were compared to both annual and hourly inventory data and were used to derive the estimates of CH4 emissions in the USCB. We found a high correlation (R2=0.7 –0.9) between the quantified and hourly inventory data-based shaft-averaged CH4 emissions, which in principle would allow regional estimates of CH4 emissions to be derived by upscaling individual hourly inventory data of all shafts. Currently, such inventory data is available only for the five shafts we quantified. As an alternative, we have developed three upscaling approaches, i.e., by scaling the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) annual inventory, the quantified shaft-averaged emission rate, and the shaft-averaged emission rate, which are derived from the hourly emission inventory. These estimates are in the range of 256–383 ktCH4yr-1 for the inverse Gaussian (IG) approach and 228–339 ktCH4yr-1 for the mass balance (MB) approach. We have also estimated the total CO2 emissions from coal mining ventilation shafts based on the observed ratio of CH4/CO2 and found that the estimated regional CO2 emissions are not a major source of CO2 in the USCB. This study shows that the UAV-based active AirCore system can be a useful tool to quantify local to regional point source methane emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of biogas at municipal landfills and the significant emission of greenhouse gases from these facilities into the environment were the main reasons for analyzing the molecular composition of soil gas in the near-surface zone at the reclaimed part of the Barycz municipal waste landfill. The relations between the studied components (methane, carbon dioxide, light hydrocarbons and non-hydrocarbon components) and impact of the magnitude of recorded concentrations of methane and carbon dioxide on their emission to the atmosphere were evaluated. Two profiles were determined, along which 41 soil and landfill gas samples were taken at 20-meter intervals. At the same time, emissions were measured at each sampling point using a static chamber with a portable fluxometer. Chromatographic analysis showed that the concentrations of methane and carbon dioxide fluctuated in the ranges: 2.1 ppm – 76 vol% and 0.04 ppm – 11 vol%, respectively. Relatively high concentrations of these gases were determined at many of the measurement points, and this was particularly evident at the A-A’ profile, indicating stronger biochemical processes in this part of the landfill, or lateral migration of methane from the neighbouring stage II of the landfill, where biogas extraction is currently taking place. In addition, significant correlations between methane, carbon dioxide, and oxygen were demonstrated, indicating ongoing methane fermentation processes. Based on the study, it can be concluded that the southern part of the A-A’ profile is an optimal place to locate a degassing well from which biogas production could be used. However, the research is only preliminary and, it will be necessary to extend the soil gas tests before the final decision on the location of the well is made. Moreover, it has been shown that the concentrations of methane and carbon dioxide measured at points located outside the landfill were low. This means that generated biogas probably does not migrate beyond the boundaries of reclaimed waste landfill, but this will need to be confirmed by performing additional soil gas tests inside and outside the landfill area. The preliminary assessment of the effectiveness of the reclamation carried out was confirmed by the negligible values of the measured methane and carbon dioxide emissions on the surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One method to reduce CO2 emissions from vehicle exhaust is the use of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) fuel. The global use of this fuel is high in European countries such as Poland, Romania, and Italy. There are a small number of computational models for the purpose of estimating the emissions of LPG vehicles. This work is one of the first to present a methodology for developing microscale CO2 emission models for LPG vehicles. The developed model is based on data from road tests using the portable emission measurement system (PEMS) and on-board diagnostic (OBDII) interface. This model was created from a previous exploratory data analysis while using gradient-boosting machine learning methods. Vehicle velocity and engine RPM were chosen as the explanatory variables for CO2 prediction. The validation of the model indicates its good precision, while its use is possible for the analysis of continuous CO2 emissions and the creation of emission maps for environmental analyses in urban areas. The validation coefficients for the selected gradient-boosting method of modelling CO2 emissions for an LPG vehicle are the R2 test of 0.61 and the MSE test of 0.77. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key goal of this research was to figure out the short and long run relationship between environmental degradation caused by carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and energy consumption, the level of GDP economic growth, and urbanization in the Visegrad Region countries (V4). The study used data from the years 1996–2020. In the methodological area, ARDL bound test, and ARDL and ECM models were used to determine the directions and strength of interdependence. The results show that in the case of some V4 countries (Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary), changes in the urbanization rate affect CO2 emissions. Moreover, it was confirmed that the phenomenon of urbanization influences the enhanced energy consumption in the studied countries. In the case of individual countries, these relationships were varied, both unidirectional and bidirectional. Their nature was also varied—there were both long and short-term relationships. These findings suggest that the V4 countries should increase renewable and ecological energy sources. It is also recommended to enhancement energy savings in the areas of both individual and industrial consumption by promoting low-emission solutions. This should be done while considering changes in urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the global characteristics of the Polish manufacturing industry and the structure of its energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions related to direct emission as a result of fuel combustion and indirect emission as a result of electricity consumption. The share of individual sectors in energy consumption and emission levels was determined, and the changes in this share over the last 20 years were determined. A method for determining the carbon productivity index for the emissions of individual industries with the use of global macroeconomic indicators was proposed. The index allows for the comparison of the productivity of individual industries, regardless of the nature of production. The change in carbon productivity in Polish industry over time was presented. On this basis, it was assessed which industries are particularly promising in terms of decarbonising the Polish industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental degradation, which became evident after the Industrial Revolution, is one of the most important problems to be solved in the twenty-first century. The need for energy in the production process has caused the rapid use of carbon stores, and global warming has been experienced with the increase in carbon emissions. Due to the fact that global warming has reached a level that threatens human life and negatively affects the quality of life, many studies have been carried out to find ways of preventing the decrease in the life quality caused by environmental degradation. The policies developed by politicians to reduce this degradation have been insufficient, and the increase in environmental degradation has continued. The increase in needs with the increasing population, more consume more happiness and costly access to clean energy sources are the reasons for the failure of these policies. Failures of policies implemented on a macro-scale have led to searches for different policies. In this process, education-oriented policies came to the fore. Education has an important role in production, technological progress, and awareness about the environment, which are determinants of environmental degradation. Although the education is an important policy tool to be used against environmental degradation in the future, studies on the effects of education on the environment are limited and theoretical. Hence, the purpose of this research was to investigate empirically whether education is an important policy tool for addressing environmental quality in developing countries. To this end, the causal relationship between education and CO2 emissions for 14 developing countries from 1990 to 2017 was explored using the de Kónya method (Econ Modell 23(6):978–992, 2006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2006.04.008). This method uses an augmented panel non-causality procedure that controls cross-sectional dependence and heterogeneity. The results showed that there is a causality relation of education to CO2 emissions in Chile and Poland, countries with the highest education and income levels among the emerging nations. Also, the corrective effect of income level expressed in EKC on the environment can be realized at lower income levels thanks to education. In this respect, education policy can be seen as an important tool in preventing environmental degradation, particularly in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The region of Upper Silesia, located in southern Poland, is characterised by very high emissions of carbon dioxide into the air—the annual emission exceeds 33 Mt CO2 and the emission 'per capita' is 7.2 t/y in comparison to the EU average emission per capita 6.4 t/y and 8.4 t/y for Poland in 2019. Although in the region there are over 100 carbon dioxide emitters covered by the EU ETS, over 90% of emissions come from approximately 15 large hard coal power plants and from the coke and metallurgical complex. The CCUS scenario for Upper Silesia, which encompasses emitters, capture plants, transport routes, as well as utilisation and storage sites until 2050, was developed. The baseline scenario assumes capture of carbon dioxide in seven installations, use in two methanol plants and transport and injection into two deep saline aquifers (DSA). The share of captured CO2 from flue gas was assumed at the level of 0.25–0.9, depending mainly on the limited capacity of storage. To recognise the views of society on development of the CCUS technologies in Upper Silesia, thirteen interviews with different types of stakeholders (industry, research and education, policy makers) were conducted. The respondents evaluated CCU much better than CCS. The techno-economic assessment of CCUS carried out on a scenario basis showed that the economic outcome of the scenario with CCUS is EUR 3807.19 million more favourable compared to the scenario without CO2 capture and storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of analyses of energy efficiency and environmental outcomes of putting into operation high-speed trains—first of that kind in Poland—in 2014 on upgraded 3 kV DC lines. Comparative analyses of these trains in Poland have not been carried out so far and provide a new approach to assessing the feasibility of their adoption and, in a broader context, the advisability of replacing conventional with high-speed rail transport. The analysis supports the advantages of high-speed railway (HSR) and the need to develop a network of high-speed connections using energy-efficient trains in Poland. Putting these trains into service reduced CO2 emissions, which is significant in Poland as a country relying heavily on power generated in coal power plants and complies with the assumptions of the sustainable development policies and EU Green Deal. The outcomes of our analysis can be used for transportation planning to mitigate climate change and the presented approach provides a method of quantification of environmental impacts of HS trains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecotechnologies have the potential to reduce the use of finite resources while providing a variety of co-benefits to society, though they often lack in market competitiveness. In this study, we investigate the sustainability of ecotechnologies for recovering carbon and nutrients, and demonstrate how a so-called "bottom-up" approach can serve as a decision-making instrument. Based on three case study catchments with a focus on domestic wastewater in Sweden and Poland, and on manure, grass and blackwater substrates in Finland, we apply a cost–benefit analysis (CBA) on system alternatives derived from a participatory process. After drawing on an initial systematic mapping of relevant ecotechnologies, the scope of the CBA is determined by stakeholder suggestions, namely in terms of the considered assessment criteria, the physical impacts and the utilised data. Thus, this CBA is rooted in a localised consideration of ecotechnologies rather than a centralised governmental approach to systems boundaries. The key advantage of applying such a bottom-up approach is that it has gone through a robust participatory selection process by local stakeholders, which provides more legitimacy to the decisions reached compared with traditional feasibility studies. Despite considering the revenues of the recovered products as well as the provision of the non-market goods CO2 mitigation and reduced eutrophication, findings from this study indicate that the benefits of the considered ecotechnologies are often outweighed by their costs. Only anaerobic digestion of agricultural wastes appears to be economically feasible under the current conditions, highlighting that further efforts and incentives may be required to mainstream ecotechnologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, a growing number of enterprises have taken different steps to reduce the energy consumption and carbon emissions of information and communication technology (ICT) assets. Because of the expansion of digitalization and the need for rapid access to information, enterprises have been compelled to optimize the location and utilization of their ICT hardware. In this context, this paper presents a novel method based on a mixed-integer linear programming approach for optimizing the physical location and task allocation of printing devices in office floor plans considering the power usage of the ICT assets, the costs related to the purchase and service of the individual devices, operating costs, and distance between employees and printing devices. The applicability of the proposed model is illustrated using the case study of a company with 100 functional departments located in several office buildings across Poland. The results reveal that the model guarantees the execution of all printing tasks and satisfies the functionality requirements expressed by the users of the workstations. Moreover, the selection of more energy-efficient printing devices leads to a considerable reduction in electricity consumption, related not only to the direct operation of these devices but also to their modes of operation (work, idle, or sleep). Such results also bring tangible effects in reducing carbon dioxide emissions, which is particularly important for businesses operating in countries where fossil fuels still dominate the energy mix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of severe European environmental policy, increasing carbon dioxide emissions with simultaneous growth of natural resources consumption the position of Poland as one of the most prospective emerging market seems to be considerably endangered. Taking into consideration considerable difficulties in the discovery of new affluent hydrocarbon reservoirs as well as the significant technical progress one of the most popular solution is sequestration of CO 2 in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs or those in the final exploitation phase. Such solution allows for improvement of both oil recovery factor and underground storage of harmful to the environment gas. Nevertheless, the implementation of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods is strictly combined with the risky economy of entire project, therefore in order to exclude any possible drawback the project should be proceed by the detailed analyze of economic management and optimization process. In this paper authors proposed the development plan for one of the Polish multi horizontal hydrocarbon reservoir using CO 2 -EOR methods with smart multilateral wells technology, which multidimensional exploitation strategy was optimized by genetic algorithm method. Based on the performed model, ten-year productions forecasts were made. The obtained project net present value (NPV) increase of additional 3 MM$ unambiguously confirmed the significant efficiency of the applied advanced exploitation solutions with indication of the interesting prospects of their implementation in similar reservoirs. • Development of mature reservoirs using multilateral smart wells. • Optimization of EOR-CO 2 methods as a solution for fragile project economy. • Utilization of carbon dioxide as an opportunity to increase oil production. • Redevelopment of mature oil fields using advanced exploitation methods. • Genetic algorithm as a new way of management of oil field production strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from flue gas, particularly from flue gas originating from coal-firing CFB systems, is currently an important challenge. Many centers around the world have tested post-combustion CO2 capture systems. One of these systems, operated using DR-VPSA adsorption technology (dual-reflux vacuum pressure swing adsorption), was tested under the Strategic Project in Poland. The flue gas in this study originated from a supercritical CFB boiler (460 MWe). An important problem involved in capturing CO2 from flue gas is the occurrence of SO2 and NOx. These substances have a negative effect on the CO2 adsorption process. In this study, commercial impregnated activated carbon was used to remove SO2 and NOx from CFB flue gas in the pre-treatment section during the tests of a pilot CO2 capture unit in a large-scale CFB boiler at the Lagisza Power Plant (Poland). The spent activated carbon was analyzed using several different methods (N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, SEM-EDX, XRD, FTIR, and TG) to evaluate the efficiency of the operation and life span of the adsorbent used in the SO2 and NOx removal unit. The results demonstrate that using commercial impregnated activated carbon in the pre-treatment section ensures sufficient flue gas purification and the removal of sulfur oxides but remains insufficient for nitrogen oxides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every year the interest in biofuels, including biomethane, grows in Poland. Biomethane, obtained from biogas, is widely used in the Polish economy; the most important two applications are as gas injected into the gas grid and as automotive fuel. The aim of this work is to determine the potential for the development of the biomethane sector in Poland. The following article presents the technological stages of biomethane extraction and purification. The investment process for biogas/biomethane installation is presented in the form of a Gannt chart; this process is extremely long in Poland, with a duration of three years. In the coming months, the Polish Oil Mining and Gas Extraction will begin to invest in biomethane, which will be connected to the gas grid, while the Polish oil refiner and petrol retailer, Orlen, will invest in biomethane to be used as automotive fuel. This article includes a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) and PEST (Political, Economic, Social, Technological) analysis of the biogas/biomethane sector in Poland. The main barriers to the development of the biogas/biomethane sector in Poland are high investment costs, long lead times and a strong conventional energy lobby. The most important advantages of biogas/biomethane technology in Poland include environmental aspects, high biomethane potential and well-developed agriculture. The development of biogas/biomethane technology in Poland will slowly reduce environmental pollution, reduce carbon dioxide emissions and allow for partial independence from the importing of natural gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]