Household waste is a global problem that many countries cannot cope with and deal with difficulty. In many regions of the world, a dynamic increase in the amount of waste generated is observed, which causes significant environmental pollution and excessive use of non-renewable resources. In the case of household waste, important indicators are not only its quantity per person but also its morphology. This study compares the amount of waste generated and its morphology by a household in Sri Lanka (Colombo) and Poland (Tarnów). The presented data comes from 2022, during a time of economic crisis caused initially by the COVID-19 pandemic and then due to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Currently, Sri Lanka is going through one of the greatest economic crises in its history. Poland is currently experiencing high inflation and reduced demand for many consumer goods due to continuous price increases. These events significantly affect the demand for various types of consumer goods and, paradoxically, this may reduce the amount of waste generated. It is important to identify and implement new strategies to recycle or optimize the usage of waste and develop value added products that would, in turn, have a positive impact on the domestic waste awareness. The results of the conducted research indicate a significant share of biodegradable waste in the stream of generated waste, especially in Sri Lanka. The vast majority of generated waste can be recycled, but sorting is required. Comparing the data obtained from this case study, 71% of food waste is generated in Sri Lanka, whereas 22.1% is generated in Poland. This indicates that Poland produces a significant amount of processed food. Moreover, the recorded plastic waste produced by Polish families is twice that of Sri Lanka. Furthermore, both countries indicate a positive trend to generate more waste in the future despite economic challenges faced locally as well as globally. Therefore, it is vital to understand the amount and morphology of waste as well as to implement more efficient and economical strategies to eliminate negative impacts.
W artykule przedstawiono wyniki badań nad oceną możliwości zafałszowania olejków eterycznych dostępnych na polskim rynku. Badania przeprowadzono za pomocą analizy z zakresu podczerwieni (FTIR) na próbkach olejków: drzewa herbacianego, eukaliptusowego, ylang-ylang i paczulowego. Otrzymane widma FTIR porównano z widmem oleju (tłuszczu) roślinnego. Na podstawie przeprowadzonej analizy stwierdzono, że olejek paczulowy zostały zafałszowany, natomiast w przypadku olejku ylang-ylang zastosowana metoda analityczna nie daje możliwości jednoznacznej informacji dotyczącej zafałszowania olejku.
EN
The paper presents the results of investigation on the assessment of the possibility of adulteration of essential oils available on the Polish market. The research was carried out by means of an infrared (FTIR) analysis on samples of the following oils: tea tree, eucalyptus, ylang-ylang and patchouli. The obtained FTIR spectra were compared with that of vegetable oil (fat). Based on the analysis, it was found that the patchouli oil was adulterated. ATR-FTIR is not very useful method sufficiently reliable method to confirm adulteration of ylang-ylang oil.
This is a short review on the increasing problem of pharmaceutical pollution in surface waters. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are medicines that are widely used to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and reduce a high body temperature. The paper presents a literature review on the content of NASIDs in surface waters. Due to the continuous growth of the world's population and the increasing use of pharmaceuticals, the threat to aquatic ecosystems is increasing. Every day, huge loads of pollution are discharged into rivers and seas. Depending on used technology the effectiveness of wastewater treatment varies considerably. The level of removal efficiency by wastewater treatments depends on physicochemical properties of the individual pharmaceutics and on the type of wastewater treatment technology. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct research on removal efficiency of main drug residues in Polish wastewater treatment plants and, if necessary, apply the best available technologies in this area.
Tarnów is a city where air pollution is a major problem during the wintertime. An acceptable level of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations are exceeded very often. The main reason of this situation is individual housing and their heat system based on ineffective old units based on hard coal and sometimes even people use waste as a fuel. The city has two air quality monitoring stations and a private network for measurements of particulate matter. However, there is still a lack of information on air quality in some areas of the city. For obtaining full information on the air quality in Tarnów, readings from the monitoring station and field measurements were carried out. The obtained information allowed to determine which areas of the city are most exposed to the occurrence of smog in the heating season. So far, air quality measurements in Tarnów have not been conducted at the same time for so many collections.The most polluted air occurs in Krzyż District but air quality should be improved in all city. The best air quality has been observed for locations where heat is available from municipal heating plant e.g. Słoneczna Str. Presented research work shows that air quality in Tarnów City is very unhealthy because of particulate matter pollution. In the winter time the main problem is too high concentration of PM2.5, but also PM10 concentration. Those parameters are very frequently exceeded. The worst air quality occurs in the evenings (8 p.m.), but in the mornings (8 a. m.) air quality is highly polluted too. When air quality in Tarnów City is bad situation concerns all localisations. The similar situation is observed when air quality is good or acceptable. The main conclusion is that for locations where heat is available from heat plant is not generated individually by domestic sources, the situation is the most comfortable. Our investigation covered short period, but it is preliminary study and this important issue will be continued in the future.
The article compares the classic Fenton reagent (Fe2+/H2O2) with its modification with zero-valent iron (ZVI/ H2O2) to remove azo dye Acid Red 27 from aqueous solutions at a concentration of 100 mg/L. For both methods, the most favorable parameter values were determined at which visual discoloration of the solutions tested was obtained (for Fe2+/ H2O2:pH 3.5, H2O2=60 mg/L, Fe2+/ H2O2=0.3, t=15 min, and for ZVI/ H2O2pH = 3, H2O2=40 mg/L, ZVI=80 mg/L, t=15 min). Under these conditions, the COD value was reduced by 71.5% and 69.2% for the classic Fenton and its modification, respectively. A reduction in toxicity was also obtained for Vibrio fischeri bacteria to below 25% by using the Microtox test. ZVI digestion at acidic pH for 10 minutes allowed to shorten the reaction time by about four times - from 15 to 4 minutes. BET analysis showed that the specific surface area increases with the digestion time, which significantly accelerates the reaction. The visual discoloration of aqueous solutions was obtained, and the final COD values were very small, ranging from 49-53 mg O2/L. According to the Aliivibrio fischeri toxicity classification test for water samples, all solutions of dyes tested can be considered as non-toxic (toxicity value <25%). In the study presented, results of decreasing the COD value and concentration of the dye in the ZVI/ H2O2 method obtained are slightly worse compared to the Fe2+/ H2O2method. However, taking the decolorisation time as a criterion, a four times faster decolorisation time was obtained in the ZVI/ H2O2 method, compared to the Fe2+/ H2O2 method.
PL
W artykule porównano klasyczny odczynnik Fentona (Fe2+/H2O2) z jego modyfikacją żelazem o zerowej wartościowości (ZVI/ H2O2), w celu usunięcia barwnika azowego czerwień kwasowa 27 z wodnych roztworów, o stężeniu 100 mg/L. Dla obu metod wyznaczono najkorzystniejsze wartości parametrów, przy których uzyskano wizualne odbarwienie badanych roztworów (dla (Fe2+/H2O2): pH 3,5, H2O2=60 mg/L, Fe2+/ H2O2=0,3, t=15 min. i dla ZVI/H2O2: pH 3, H2O2=40 mg/L, ZVI=80 mg/L, t=15 min. W tych warunkach wartość ChZT spadła o 71,5% i 69,2% dla klasycznego Fentona i jego modyfikacji. Zmniejszenie toksyczności uzyskano również dla bakterii Aliivibrio fischeri (poniżej 25%) przy zastosowaniu testu Microtox. Trawienie ZVI w kwasowym pH przez 10 minut pozwoliło skrócić czas reakcji około cztery razy z 15 do 4 minut. Analiza BET wykazała, że powierzchnia właściwa wzrasta wraz z czasem trawienia, co znacznie przyspiesza reakcję. Uzyskano wizualne odbarwienie roztworów wodnych, a końcowe wartości ChZT były bardzo małe i mieściły się w zakresie 49-53 mg O2/L. Zgodnie z testem klasyfikacji toksyczności wobec Vibrio fischeri dla próbek wodnych, wszystkie testowane roztwory barwników można uznać za nietoksyczne (wartość toksyczności <25%).
The article presents the possibility of using potassium ferrate(VI) (K2FeO4) to remove dyes (Acid Red 27, Reactive Black 5, Acid Green 16) belonging to the single azo, double azo and triarylmethane classes from aqueous solutions with an initial concentration of 100 mg/l (Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) values for AR27, RB5 and AG16 sulutions were 172, 156 and 198 mg O2/l, respectively). For the most favorable values of oxidation parameters of AR27 and RB5 (pH 7, K2FeO4 concentration, 180 and 240 mg/l, respectively, reaction time 10 min), visual discolouration of the aqueous solutions investigated and a decrease in COD values of 83.7% and 81.4%, respectively, were achieved. In the case of AG 16 dye, in the most favorable conditions of the oxidation process (pH 3, K2FeO4, concentration 300 mg/l, 15 min), visual discolouration and a decrease in the COD value of 83.8% were also obtained. The probable reasons for the higher resistance of AG16 to oxidation using K2FeO4 compared to AR27 and RB5 were also explained, based on the analysis of the structure and type of bonds present in the molecule AG 16.
PL
W artykule przedstawiono możliwość zastosowania żelazianu(VI) potasu (K2FeO4) do usuwania barwników (Acid Red 27, Reactive Black 5, Acid Green 16), należących do barwników azowych i triarylometanowych z roztworów wodnych o stężeniu początkowym 100 mg/dm3 (wartości ChZT(Cr) dla roztworów Acid Red 27, Reactive Black 5 i Acid Green 16 wynosiły odpowiednio 172, 156 i 198 mg O2/dm3). Dla najkorzystniejszych wartości parametrów procesu utleniania Acid Red 27, Reactive Black 5 (pH 7, stężenie K2FeO4 odpowiednio 180 i 240 mg/dm3, czas reakcji 10 min.), uzyskano wizualne odbarwienie badanych roztworów wodnych oraz zmniejszenie wartości ChZT(Cr), odpowiednio o 83,7% i 81,4%. W przypadku barwnika Acid Green 16, w najkorzystniejszych warunkach przebiegu procesu utleniania (pH 3, stężenie K2FeO4 300 mg/dm3, czas reakcji 15 min.), uzyskano także wizualne odbarwienie oraz zmniejszenie wartości ChZT(Cr) o 83,8%. Wyjaśniono też prawdopodobne przyczyny większej odporności Acid Green 16 w stosunku do Acid Red 27 i Reactive Black 5 na utlenianie z zastosowaniem K2FeO4, na podstawie analizy budowy i rodzaju wiązań obecnych w cząsteczce barwnika Acid Green 16.
JavaScript jest wyłączony w Twojej przeglądarce internetowej. Włącz go, a następnie odśwież stronę, aby móc w pełni z niej korzystać.