The aim of this study was to determine the change of water quality in the Trzemna River after modernisation of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Gołuchów and wastewater effluent diversion (WED) to the Prosna River in 2008. Data was acquired from the State Environmental Monitoring database for the period before and after changing the location of discharge from the treatment plant. The before-after (BA) and before-after-control-impact (BACI) analyses were used to determine the effectiveness of applied solutions. The BA study covered 12 physicochemical parameters and showed improvement of water quality in terms of phosphorous compounds, EC, ammonium nitrogen, TKN, TN, and BOD5. Lack of statistically significant differences for nitrates, pH, and TOC were noted. The BACI analysis was only applicable for six physicochemical parameters, and statistically significant differences were shown for TN, TKN, ammonium nitrogen, and TP. There were no differences in the case of nitrates and DO. After wastewater effluent diversion, a high concentration of nitrates in Trzemna water was still observed, with a statistically confirmed increasing trend. This is an effect of the negative impact of agricultural diffuse pollution. Modernisation of a WWTP and wastewater effluent diversion positively affected the quality of Trzemna water. The BA and BACI analyses in relation to statistical tests applied in hydrology can be successfully used to evaluate the impact of changes in the environment on water quality. In the case of BA design it was possible to analyse 12 parameters, whereas in BACI analysis it was only half of them. However, this method is recognised as more reliable and eliminates the impact of natural temporary variations.

The paper deals with the problem of wastewater treatment with specific physicochemical composition (increased ammonium nitrogen concentration) which were generated in Motor Rest Areas (MRA). Conventional biological wastewater treatment systems with activated sludge were used to purify the...

Municipal wastewater is characterized by diverse microbial content, largely dependent on their sources as well as many other factors like condition and health of their producer, but also environmental factors. The number and share of individual bacterial population in wastewater is changing...

This paper focuses on the agronomic evaluation of a synthetic NPK (N in the form of urea, P and K in the form of phosphate monopotassium) fertilizers blended with four types of pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) wood biochar prepared at different thermal regimes (300 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C and 700 °C). The evaluation of benefits was done based on crop nutritional status and soil fertility. The pot experiment was set up with fertile Haplic Luvisol fertilized with 1.85 g kg⁻¹ of blends of biochar (1.25 g) with urea (310 mg) and KH₂PO₄ (290 mg), which is equivalent to 500 kg ha⁻¹ (biochar ~67.6%; N ~7.8%; P ~3.6%; K ~4.7%) applied before sowing. Only NPK blends made with biochar containing 75% or 85% carbon increased the biomass of 27-day old wheat seedlings from 12% to 20% in comparison to NPK applied alone. These blends raised the content of Mn and Fe in plants but decreased the contents of Ca and Mg. All the tested mixtures enhanced soil fertility by increasing the content of humic acids. Additionally, the content of potentially phytotoxic phenolic compounds was lower. In general, the addition of biochar to NPK fertilizer did not show a negative effect on crop quality. The overall results of the study suggest that the application of low doses of biochar to synthetic fertilizer can benefit crops and can support soil fertility.

The primary objective of this study was to assess the operational conditions of the municipal wastewater treatment system. This system comprises a wastewater treatment plant that employs the activated sludge process, along with wastewater stabilization ponds as the third stage of treatment. The operating conditions of the wastewater stabilization ponds were observed during both normal operation and malfunction scenarios. The average values of the pollutant parameters at the inlet and outlet of the ponds did not differ significantly. However, an increase in the concentrations of total organic carbon (TOC) and phosphates was observed at the ponds’ outlet. Specifically, the TOC increased from 2.25 mg/dm³ (inlet) to 5.02 mg/dm³ (outlet), while phosphates rose from 0.34 mg/dm³ (inlet) to 3.02 mg/dm³ (outlet). The analyzed pollutants in the wastewater stabilization ponds samples were characterized by seasonal variability, particularly concerning TOC, dissolved oxygen, ammonium nitrogen, and phosphates. During malfunctions, the highest pollutant load (including activated sludge and precipitated phosphorus) was delivered to the first wastewater stabilization pond, inducing the phenomenon of internal loading, leading to increase in phosphates concentrations. To mitigate such issues, the main force should be focused on the proper operation of the wastewater stabilization ponds and wastewater treatment plants.

This article focuses on the agronomic evaluation of the supplementation of mineral NPKMg fertilizers with elemental sulfur, magnesium, potassium, or ammonium sulfates in pot experiments with ryegrass growing in a sandy Arenosol with very low sulfur content. A benefit evaluation was carried out on the basis of biomass production, crop nutritional status, and changes in the content of soil organic matter fractions. Furthermore, the total number of bacteria, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and fungi was estimated using the qPCR technique in soil samples after 60 days of ryegrass growth. The combined application of NPKMg and sulfur or sulfate fertilizers significantly increased the summary yield of three cuttings of fresh ryegrass biomass in the range of 32.3% to 82.7%. The application, especially in the form of sulfates, significantly decreased the content of free phenolic acids. Furthermore, compared to the control, i.e., soil with NPKMg applied alone, an increase in the content of glomalin-related proteins and a decrease in the amount of water-soluble organic carbon compounds were observed. Neither the number of DNA marker copy numbers of the total bacterial community nor the nitrogen-fixing bacteria were noticeably different. In turn, the total number of genetic markers for fungi was significantly higher in soils with potassium or ammonium sulfates compared to the control soil. The general results suggest that the application of sulfur fertilizers with NPKMg mineral fertilizer can benefit crops and support soil fertility due to the stabilization of aggregates and the decrease in water-soluble organic compounds.