Increasing year-by-year vehicle production is related to the expanding volume of used tires; therefore, exploring waste management strategies is strongly recommended. The global tire market reached 2.27 billion units in 2021 and is expected to reach 2.67 billion units by 2027. Dumping tires in landfills can cause significant environmental impacts, so waste tire utilisation plays an important role. Predominantly, the following three directions are employed for waste tire disposal: retreading, energy recovery and material recovery. The review shows that used tires can remove environmental pollution from both aqueous solutions containing heavy metal ions, dyes, pharmaceutical compounds, and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX). Particularly high efficiency was achieved in the removal of dyes (72%), taking into account the high initial concentration of impurities. The adsorption process depends on multiple factors, including, in particular, the following: pH, initial concentration of pollution, contact time and the properties of the sorbent used. The optimal pH range was identified to be between 6 and 7. Considering the principles of circular economy as well as based on the current state of knowledge, it can be concluded that the solid fraction obtained from the combustion of waste tires can be practically utilised for various environmental purposes.

This article attempts to model interdependencies between socio-economic, energy, and environmental factors with selected data characterizing the development of the hydrogen economy. The study applies Spearman’s correlation and a linear regression model to estimate the influence of gross domestic product, population, final energy consumption, renewable energy, and CO₂ emission on chosen hydrogen indicators—production, patents, energy technology research, development, and demonstration budgets. The study was conducted in nine countries selected for their actions towards a hydrogen economy based on analyses of national strategies, policies, research and development programs, and roadmaps. The results confirm the statistically significant impact of the chosen indicators, which are the drivers for the development of the hydrogen economy from 2008 to 2018. Moreover, the empirical results show that different characteristics in each country contribute to the development of the hydrogen economy vision.

In less than a decade, the photovoltaic sector has transformed into a global business. The dynamics of its development vary depending on the country. According to estimates, the value of the photovoltaic micro-installations market in Poland at the end of 2019 exceeded PLN 2.8 billion. In the...

Strategies and roadmaps are essential in areas that require long-term planning, such as the energy transition. Strategic plans can play an important role in developing visions for reducing CO2 emissions, developing renewable energy sources (RES) and hydrogen technologies. Hydrogen can be included in value chains in various sectors of the economy as raw material, emission-free fuel, or as an energy carrier and storage. The analysis of the future of hydrogen energy, which is an essential component of transforming the economy into an environmentally neutral one, is an integral part of the strategies of the European Union (EU) Member States. This article reviews the strategic documents of the EU countries in the field of a hydrogen economy. Currently, six EU Member States have approved the hydrogen strategy (Germany, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Hungary, Czech Republic), and two of them have roadmaps (Spain, Finland). The others are working on their completion in 2021. EU countries have the possibility of energy transformation based on a hydrogen policy, including green hydrogen, within the framework of the European Green Deal, i.e. aiming for climate neutrality and creating a modern and environmentally friendly economy. By 2030, some of the countries plan to become a leader not only in the field of hydrogen production or RES development aimed at this process but also in the areas of research and development (R&D), sales of new technologies, and international cooperation. Member countries are focused on the production of clean hydrogen using electrolysis, creating incentives to stimulate demand, developing a hydrogen market, and implementing hydrogen infrastructure.