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The growth in population increases greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the environment. High GHG emissions are attributed to meat production, due to its high energy demand. The largest carbon footprint in the production of poultry meat is generated by combustion. This paper deals with the problem of greenhouse gas emissions (total dust, CO, CO2, NOx, SOx and benzo(a)pyrene) resulting from the generation of energy for heating broiler houses located in different locations in Europe. The study includes continuous measurements of selected microclimate parameters: temperature and relative humidity inside and outside the building, floor temperature, wind speed and direction, and solar radiation intensity. Validation and calibration of the model, emission calculations, and analysis of the obtained results were conducted. Eighteen design variants were assumed, differentiated by the heating fuel used (hard coal, fuel oil, gaseous fuels), material and construction solutions for the floor and the location of the facility. The analysis showed that CO2 emissions for a facility located in northern Europe are 123,153 kg higher compared to the same building located in southern Europe. In addition, increasing the floor's thermal resistance by 3.69 m2·K·W−1 reduced harmful gas emissions by an average of 5.7% for each of the locations analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal interaction between cooling facilities and the ground is most often discussed in terms of the appropriate insulation of building partitions. Unfortunately, there is little information about the potential of using ground thermal accumulation to support the shaping of the microclimate in cooling facilities by embedding them in the ground. This problem is particularly important in the context of striving to reduce the energy demand of buildings. The article discusses a new scientific problem related to the effect of vegetable cold storage floors being recessed into the ground on the surrounding land's impact range and on its energy management. Validation of the numerical model was performed based on actual year-round field surveys. These surveys were conducted in a free-standing vegetable cold storage facility located in southern Poland. The results of the study allowed us to determine the contribution of the land to the energy balance of the cold storage. A floor recessed into the ground doubled the ground's contribution to the energy balance. The most important research results showed that the range of thermal impact on the surrounding ground also increased by 2.0 m more than that of a building with the floor located at ground level. An evaluation of the heat flow between the cold storage and the ground in the cases analyzed was also carried out. The analysis of the ground heat exchange balance on an annual basis showed high energy gains of 2055 kWh. The total energy demand for cooling was 1723 kWh, while it was 1204 kWh for heating. The results of the analysis of the heat exchange intensity between the indoor air and the ground showed that the ground contribution accounted for 16.6% of the total energy balance of the cold storage. The highest energy gains from the ground were found in October and amounted to 478 kWh. Due to the summer shutdown, there was an intense heat flow to the ground in July, which amounted to 588 kWh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study performed in-situ microwave pyrolysis of plastic waste into hydrogen, liquid fuel and carbon nanotubes in the presence of Zeolite Socony Mobil ZSM-5 catalyst. In the presented microwave pyrolysis of plastics, activated carbon was used as a heat susceptor. The microwave power of 1 kW was employed to decompose high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) wastes at moderate temperatures of 400–450 °C. The effect of plastic composition, catalyst loading and plastic type on liquid, gas and solid carbon products was quantified. This in-situ CMP reaction resulted in heavy hydrocarbons, hydrogen gas and carbon nanotubes as a solid residue. A relatively better hydrogen yield of 129.6 mmol/g as a green fuel was possible in this process. FTIR and gas chromatography analysis revealed that liquid product consisted of C13+ fraction hydrocarbons, such as alkanes, alkanes, and aromatics. TEM micrographs showed tubular-like structural morphology of the solid residue, which was identified as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) during X-ray diffraction analysis. The outer diameter of CNTs ranged from 30 to 93 nm from HDPE, 25–93 nm from PP and 30–54 nm for HDPE-PP mixure. The presented CMP process took just 2–4 min to completely pyrolyze the plastic feedstock into valuable products, leaving no polymeric residue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper presents an analysis of thermal interaction between a building and surrounding soil. The examined building was located in southern Poland. Measurements of selected indoor and outdoor air temperature parameters were made in order to determine the boundary conditions. The soil temperature measurements were conducted at 42 points. The analysis of results is divided into four periods: summer, autumn, winter, and spring. The analysis show that weather conditions significantly affect the temperature in soil, but the range of residential building impact decreases with distance, and it varies depending on the season. The residential building impact on the soil temperature is in the range of 1.2–3.3 m. This paper also includes a study of the heat flow direction in soil and a quantitative estimate of heat exchange between a building and the soil. The greatest energy losses 2082 kWh (21.24 kWh/m2) from the building to the soil were recorded in winter. In spring, the energy losses were reduced by about 38% as compared with the energy losses in winter, and the energy losses in spring were comparable to autumn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]