This study aimed to determine the effect of the low-temperature conditioning of excess dairy sewage sludge using solidified carbon dioxide on the efficiency of methane fermentation. An increase in the solidified carbon dioxide to excess dairy sewage sludge volumetric ratio above 0.3 had no significant effect on chemical oxygen demand concentration in the dissolved phase. The highest chemical oxygen demand values, ranging from 490.6 ± 12.9 to 510.5 ± 28.5 mg·dm⁻³, were determined at solidified carbon dioxide to excess dairy sewage sludge ratio ranging from 0.3 to 0.5. The low-temperature conditioning caused ammonia nitrogen concentration to increase from 155.2 ± 10.2 to 185.9 ± 11.1 mg·dm⁻³ and orthophosphates concentration to increase from 198.5 ± 23.1 to 300.6 ± 35.9 mg·dm⁻³ in the dissolved phase. The highest unitary amount of biogas, reaching 630.2 ± 45.5 cm³·g o.d.m.⁻¹, was produced in the variant with the solidified carbon dioxide to excess dairy sewage sludge volumetric ratio of 0.3. Methane content of the biogas produced was at 68.7 ± 1.5%. Increased solidified carbon dioxide dose did not lead to any significant changes in biogas and methane production. The efficiency of biogas production from unconditioned excess dairy sewage sludge was lower by 43.0 ± 3.2%. The analysis demonstrated that the low-temperature conditioning is an energetic viable technology aiding the methane fermentation process.

The paper presents an evaluation of leachate monitoring data as well as investigation of temporal and seasonal variability of leachate quality. The analysis includes 27 sampling carried out at selected municipal landfill during 7-year observation period. In leachate samples, concentration of Pb,...

One of the identified obstacles to the development of biogas plants is the limited sources of organic substrates. Hydrophytes varying in morphology, chemical composition, and origin proved to be viable alternatives. This study’s aim was to determine the feasibility of deploying biomass from the cleansing of water reservoirs for anaerobic digestion. A mass and energy balance was estimated for Warmia–Mazury Province (Poland), the so-called Thousand Lake District. The effectiveness of anaerobic digestion was determined in anaerobic batch respirometric reactors. The biomass of hydrophytes harvested from this area approximated 38,070 Mg FM/year. The biogas yield from emergent plants approximated 350 m³/MgVS, and the average CH₄ content of biogas reached 55%, whereas the respective values obtained from submerged biomass reached 270 m³/MgVS and 58% CH₄. The total CH₄ volume achievable from the facility fed with waste biomass of this type allows producing ca. 1,654,560 m³CH₄/year, which enables reaching 866 kW theoretical thermal power and 636 kWe net electrical power with the facility. The contribution of biomass from mowing in this energy effect was about 84%, whereas that of the submerged vegetation obtained by hacking the bottom was 16%.

The article describes optimization studies aimed at analysing the impact of capital and current costs changes of medical waste incineration on the cost of the system management and its structure. The study was conducted on the example of an analysis of the system of medical waste management in the Podlaskie Province, in north-eastern Poland. The scope of operational research carried out under the optimization study was divided into two stages of optimization calculations with assumed technical and economic parameters of the system. In the first stage, the lowest cost of functioning of the analysed system was generated, whereas in the second one the influence of the input parameter of the system, i.e. capital and current costs of medical waste incineration on economic efficiency index (E) and the spatial structure of the system was determined. Optimization studies were conducted for the following cases: with a 25% increase in capital and current costs of incineration process, followed by 50%, 75% and 100% increase. As a result of the calculations, the highest cost of system operation was achieved at the level of 3143.70 PLN/t with the assumption of 100% increase in capital and current costs of incineration process. There was an increase in the economic efficiency index (E) by about 97% in relation to run 1.

The article describes optimization studies aimed at analysing the impact of capital and current cost changes for combustion waste storage on the cost of its system management and structure. The study was conducted using the example of an analysis of the system of medical waste management in Podlaskie Province, in north-eastern Poland. The scope of operational research carried out under the optimization study was divided into two stages of optimization calculations with assumed technical and economic parameters of the system. In the first stage, the lowest cost of functioning of the analysed system was generated, whereas in the second one the influence of the input parameter of the system, i.e. capital and current costs of combustion waste storage process on the economic efficiency index (E) and the spatial structure of the system was determined. Optimization studies were conducted for the following cases: with a 25% increase in capital and current costs for the storage process, followed by 50%, 75% and 100% increase. As a result of the calculations, the highest cost for system operation was achieved at the level of 1655 PLN/Mg with the assumption ca. 100% increase in capital and current costs for the storage process. There was an increase in the economic efficiency index (E) by about 4% in relation to first course of optimization studies.