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The purpose of this study is to analyse the elements and PM10 concentrations in air samples gathered in the winter of 2017/2018 in two small towns, namely Skala and Wadowice. The chemical elements were identified for each sample using the energy dispersive X-ray method. The spectrometer was equipped, among others, with an Mo-X-ray tube which was the source of the photons and the Si(Li) detector. The following chemical elements: Cl, K, Fe, Ca, Zn, Pb, Br, Ti, Cu, Mn, V, Co, Rb, Ni, Sr, and Cr were identified in the samples. In addition, As and Se were identified in Wadowice. First, the results were compared with each other and then with the results for the nearest city. It was observed that the PM10 concentrations were significantly higher than the UE limit value for PM10, which equals 50 μg·m−3 per 24 h. Moreover, the high concentrations of, among others, K, Pb, Cl or Zn, are likely to be linked with fossil fuels combustion and biomass burning. The levels of element concentrations in Wadowice and Skala resemble the levels observed several years earlier in Krakow.

Here, we present the results of a comprehensive study of air quality in two tunnels located in the city of Krakow, southern Poland. The study comprised three PM fractions of suspended particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5 and PM10) sampled during campaigns lasting from March 14 to April 24, 2016 and from June 28 to July 18, 2016, in the road tunnel and the tram tunnel, respectively. The collected samples had undergone comprehensive chemical, elemental and carbon isotope analyses. The results of these analyses gave the basis for better characterization of urban transport as a source of air pollution in the city. The concentrations of particulate matter varied, depending on the analysed PM fraction and the place of sampling. For the tram tunnel, the average concentrations were 53.2 µg·m−3 (PM1), 73.8 µg·m−3 (PM2.5), 96.5 µg·m−3 (PM10), to be compared with 44.2 µg·m−3, 137.7 µg·m−3, 221.5 µg·m−3, respectively, recorded in the road tunnel. The isotope-mass balance calculations carried out separately for the road and tram tunnel and for each PM fraction, revealed that 60 to 79% of carbon present in the samples collected in the road tunnel was associated with road transport, to be compared with 15–33% obtained in the tram tunnel. The second in importance were biogenic emissions (17–21% and 41–49% in the road and tram tunnel, respectively. Sixteen different polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been identified in the analysed samples. As expected, much higher concentrations of PAHs were detected in the road tunnel when compared to the tram tunnel. Based on the analysed PAHs concentrations, health risk assessment was determined using 3 different types of indicators: carcinogenic equivalent (CEQ), mutagenic equivalent (MEQ) and toxic equivalent (TEQ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PM10 samples were collected at the Kraków air quality traffic monitoring station during two periods: February–May 2018 and February–June 2020. The PM10 concentrations dropped by 50% from 74 ± 29 µg/m3 to 37 ± 13 µg/m3 in 2018 and 2020, respectively. The elemental concentrations were determined by the energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) method, and the ion concentrations were determined by ion chromatography (IC). The concentration ratios in 2018 to 2020 were greater than 1.7 for the following elements: S, Cl, K, Zn, Br, and the ions SO42−, Na+, and NH4+. Similar concentrations were observed in 2018 and 2020 for the following chemical species: Ca, Ti, Mn, Ni, Rb, Sr, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and PO43−. The Cr concentration was higher in 2020 compared to 2018. Four source profiles were obtained from the PMF (Positive Matrix Factorization) modelling. The following sources were attributed to this: solid fuel combustion, secondary inorganic aerosols, traffic/industry/construction work, and soil. The contributions of solid fuel combustion and secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA) were significantly lower in February and March 2020 than in February and March 2018. The relative differences were in the range 70–98%. Traffic/industry/construction work contributions were 6% and 36% lower in March and May 2020 compared to the same months in 2018, respectively. Two factors affected the characteristics of PM10: one was the ban of using coal and wood for heating purposes introduced in Krakow in September 2019, observed mainly in February and March, and the COVID-19 pandemic that was observed mainly in April and May. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The awareness of environmental pollution has been continuously growing in recent decades and is currently reaching its maximum. Europe and most developed countries are determined to ensure safe breathing air for their citizens, and the measures to do so are stricter than ever before. Combustion procedures remain the primary means of producing energy and warmth in Poland. Among the notable constituents of flue gases produced as a result of fuel combustion, solid particles (or particulate matter) hold significant prominence. The paper presents the chemical characterisation of particulate matter emitted from stationary and automotive emission sources. Stationary emission sources included the combustion process of fossil fuels (soft wood, bituminous coal, ecopea coal, culm) in domestic heating units and the process of combustion of bituminous coal in a power plant. Automotive emission sources included light duty and medium duty vehicles fuelled by diesel. Exhaust toxicity tests were carried out maintaining the real conditions of PM emission. In all field measurements particulate matter was gravimetrically measured and collected on quartz or glass fibre filters. Subsequently, the content of carbonaceous fraction, inorganic ions, and metals and metalloids was analyzed using different analytical techniques. The chemical composition of the particulate matter differed depending on the emission source. With respect to stationary combustion sources, the main factors determining solid particle emission are related primarily to the fuel quality. The duty of vehicles was also a factor that influenced the chemical characterisation of the particulate matter emitted from the engines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Krakow is a city in southern Poland inhabited by about 741,000 people. However, Krakow’s agglomeration includes neighboring cities, hence more than 1 million people live there. The agglomeration is struggling with the problem of air pollution. In 2016, admissible average annual concentrations of PM10 (40 μg / m3) were exceeded at all measuring points. Furthermore, daily PM10 concentrations were regularly exceeded in the winter, which is associated with increased coal combustion during this period. Fortunately, interest in the subject of air quality in the world is constantly growing. People are more often aware of the negative impact on health of chemical compounds present in particulate matter (PM) such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), which were proved to be cancerogenic and mutagenic for people. That is why it is so important to study their presence in the ambient air. PM10 collected in the center of Wadowice (22.12.2016 – 13.10.2017) were investigated. PAHs were extracted from particulate matter and analysed applying the GC/MS technique. The results are discussed in the article.

This work investigates the effect of the dust deposition and temperature on the photovoltaic module working under varying environmental conditions. The impact of the module temperature caused by the dust deposition, as well as direct impact caused by the dust particle absorption, scattering and reflectance on module performance, has been analysed. Presented results showed that dust deposition even in desert free country Poland influences the module temperature and power output significant. The estimated join effect of dust deposition and temperature increase, on power loss after three-four days of natural dust exposure in the city environment, was about 0.32 and 0.37 point of percentage for the selected sunny and cloudy days while evaluated PV system efficiency was in the range 13.37-14.14%.

Conventional methods are unable to remove many organic compounds. It becomes critical that the treatment technologies used are effective and do not create harmful by-products by reacting with the pollutants being removed. Such methods include advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), deep oxidation methods, which form highly reactive HO• radicals that are capable of reacting with all organic compounds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the processes of AOPs in the degradation of micropollutants from model wastewater and effluent collected in one of the wastewater treatment plants of the Kraków agglomeration. The amount of micropollutants degradation was determined on the basis of changes in the chemical oxygen demand index. The UV/H2O2 method and the photocatalytic Fenton reaction were applied. The conducted experiments enabled the selection of the most optimal conditions for conducting AOPs processes (doses of H2O2, UV and the matrix effect). For the UV/H2O2 method, after 2 h, a 90% removal of micropollutants in the model sewage was obtained, and in real wastewater it was 75%. The UV-Fenton reaction was modified by direct irradiation of H2O2. This innovative approach enabled a 30% removal of pollutants within 30 min, while for the UV/H2O2 method it was only 10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigated the application of char activated with CO2 and impregnated with amines solutions for removal of selected xenobiotics from aqueous solutions. The chars produced from the pyrolysis of waste tires. The solutions of monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA) and polyethylenimine (PEI) were used for impregnation of char. The sorption capacity of char impregnated with amines depended on amines chemical properties. The adsorptive removal of mixture of pharmaceuticals residues by modified materials was assessed. BET surface area of materials varied from 36 m2 g−1 to 128 m2 g−1. The highest removal efficiencies up to 99 % were observed for char impregnated with PEI.

Organic compounds are the most diverse group of contaminants. The largest anthropogenic source of these contaminants in water is municipal and industrial wastewater. One of the indicators of surface water pollution is biological oxygen demand (BOD). Purifying water from organic micropollutants is a serious challenge and requires the development of newer and more effective methods. The removal of such contaminants is most effective only in advanced oxidation processes (AOP), which include UV photolysis and photocatalysis. The presented results are from preliminary research to evaluate the effectiveness of water treatment by ultraviolet (UV) photolysis and photocatalysis. Treatment efficiency was evaluated on the basis of changes in the BOD index before and after the advanced oxidation process of raw water. The values of the BOD5 index determined in accordance with PN-EN 25813:1997. The exposure time of the samples was a maximum of 60 minutes. The tested material was water samples taken from the Rudawa River, which is one of the drinking water sources for Krakow. The initial BOD5 value (expressed as concentration of O2) for all samples was about 8 mg/L but it has decreased to over 2 mg/L due to AOP processes. This means that after an hour, more than 75% of organic compounds present in the raw water were removed. For photocatalysis (TiO2-MMT), the exposure time of the samples was a maximum of 35 minutes. Water samples taken from the Rudawa River were also used as test material. The initial BOD5 value for all samples was about 9 mg/L but it has decreased to about 4 mg/L due to the photocatalysis process. This means that after 35 minutes, 55% of the organic compounds present in the raw water were removed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observations of air pollution in Krakow have shown that air quality has been improved during the last decade. In the presented study two factors affecting the physicochemical characteristic of PM2.5 fraction at AGH station in Krakow were observed. One is the ban of using solid fuels for heating purposes and the second is COVID-19 pandemic in Krakow. The PM2.5 fraction was collected during the whole year every 3rd day between 2nd March 2020 and 28th February 2021 at AGH station in Krakow. In total 110 PM2.5 fraction samples were collected. The chemical composition was determined for these samples. The elemental analysis was performed by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) technique, ions analysis was performed by ion chromatography (IC) and black carbon by optical method. In order to identify the emission sources the positive matrix factorization (PMF) was used. The results of such study were compared to similar analysis performed for PM2.5 for the period from June 2018 to May 2019 at AGH station in Krakow. The PM2.5 concentration dropped by 25% in 2020/2021 in comparison to 2018/2019 at this station. The concentrations of Si, K, Fe, Zn and Pb were lowering by 43–64% in the year 2020/2021 in comparison to 2018/2019. Cu, Mn, Zn and Pb come from mechanical abrasion of brakes and tires while Ti, Fe, Mn and Si are crustal species. They are the indicators of road dust (non-exhaust traffic source). Moreover, the annual average contribution of traffic/industrial/soil/construction work source was reduced in 2020/2021 in comparison to 2018/2019. As well the annual average contribution of fuels combustion was declining by 22% in 2020/2021 in comparison to 2018/2019. This study shows that the ban and lockdown, during COVID-19 pandemic, had significant impact on the characteristic of air pollution in Krakow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]