The gasification of Polish coal to produce hydrogen could help to make the country independent of oil and gas imports and assist in the rational energy transition from gray to green hydrogen. When taking strategic economic or legislative decisions, one should be guided not only by the level of CO₂ emissions from the production process, but also by other environmental impact factors obtained from comprehensive environmental analyses. This paper presents an analysis of the life cycle of hydrogen by coal gasification and its application in a vehicle powered by FCEV cells. All the main stages of hydrogen fuel production by Shell technology, as well as hydrogen compression and transport to the distribution point, are included in the analyses. In total, two fuel production scenarios were considered: with and without sequestration of the carbon dioxide captured in the process. Life cycle analysis was performed according to the procedures and assumptions proposed in the FC-Hy Guide, Guidance Document for performing LCAs on Fuel Cells and H₂ Technologies by the CML baseline method. By applying the CO₂ sequestration operation, the GHG emissions rate for the assumed functional unit can be reduced by approximately 44% from 34.8 kg CO_2-eq to 19.5 kg CO_2-eq, but this involves a concomitant increase in the acidification rate from 3.64·10⁻² kg SO_2-eq to 3.78·10⁻² kg SO_2-eq, in the eutrophication index from 5.18·10⁻² kg PO³⁻_4-eq to 5.57·10⁻² kg PO³⁻_4-eq and in the abiotic depletion index from 405 MJ to 414 MJ and from 1.54·10⁻⁵ kg Sb_eq to 1.61·10⁻⁵ kg Sb_eq.

The aim of this publication is to review the current state and possibilities of developing electromobility and alternative fuels in Poland. It was found that the current market for alternative fuels in Poland is insufficiently developed. At the end of 2019 in Poland, liquefied petroleum gas-powered cars accounted for approximately 3.3 million pieces, which amounts to 14.3% all passenger vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes of gross vehicle weight. There were over 9000 electric cars on the road, the share of which accounted for 0.04% of domestic passenger transport. The lack of a sufficient number of charging points, inhibiting the development of electromobility, was also noted. There were approximately 4000 (0.02%) passenger cars powered by compressed natural gas. Liquefied gas-powered vehicles were exclusively public transport vehicles or trucks. The share of biofuels in the Polish transport sector stands at 4%, while European Union requirements are at a level of 10%. Although there is huge potential for the use of hydrogen as an alternative to conventional transport fuels in Poland, just one hydrogen-powered vehicle has been registered in the country so far, with no filling station in existence for this fuel. The synthetic fuel sector is in the planning stage.

E3S Web of Conferences, open access proceedings in environment, energy and earth sciences

In this study, municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash was subjected to mineral carbonation with the aim of investigating CO₂ sequestration in waste material. The conducted study follows the trend of searching for alternatives to natural mineral materials with the ability to sequestrate CO₂. The mineral carbonation of MSWI fly ash allowed for the storage of up to 0.25 mmol CO₂ g⁻¹. Next, both carbonated and uncarbonated MSWI fly ashes were activated using an alkaline activation method by means of two different activation agents, namely potassium hydroxide and potassium silicate or sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate. Mineral carbonation caused a drop in the compressive strength of alkali-activated materials, probably due to the formation of sodium and/or potassium carbonates. The maximum compressive strength obtained was 3.93 MPa after 28 days for uncarbonated fly ash activated using 8 mol dm⁻³ KOH and potassium hydroxide (ratio 3:1). The relative ratio of hydroxide:silicate also influenced the mechanical properties of the materials. Both carbonated and uncarbonated fly ashes, as well as their alkali-activated derivatives, were characterized in detail by means of XRD, XRF, and FTIR. Both uncarbonated and carbonated fly ashes were subjected to TG analysis. The obtained results have proved the importance of further research in terms of high-calcium fly ash (HCFA) utilization.

Power production from coal combustion is one of two major anthropogenic sources of mercury emission to the atmosphere. The aim of this study is the analysis of the carbon footprint of mercury removal technologies through sorbents injection related to the removal of 1 kg of mercury from flue gases. Two sorbents, i.e., powdered activated carbon and the coke dust, were analysed. The assessment included both direct and indirect emissions related to various energy and material needs life cycle including coal mining and transport, sorbents production, transport of sorbents to the power plants, and injection into flue gases. The results show that at the average mercury concentration in processed flue gasses accounting to 28.0 µg Hg/Nm³, removal of 1 kg of mercury from flue gases required 14.925 Mg of powdered activated carbon and 33.594 Mg of coke dust, respectively. However, the whole life cycle carbon footprint for powdered activated carbon amounted to 89.548 Mg CO_2-e·kg⁻¹ Hg, whereas for coke dust this value was around three times lower and amounted to 24.452 Mg CO_2-e·kg⁻¹ Hg. Considering the relatively low price of coke dust and its lower impact on GHG emissions, it can be found as a promising alternative to commercial powdered activated carbon.