Contamination of soil by toxic elements is a global issue of growing importance due to the increased anthropogenic impact on the natural environment. Conventional methods of soil decontamination possess disadvantages in forms of environmental and financial burdens. This fact leads to the search for alternative approaches of remediation of contaminated sites. One such approach includes phytoremediation. Phytoremediation advantages consist of low costs and small environmental impact. Several fast-growing energy plant species are suitable for phytoremediation purposes. Our article focuses on the phytoremediation potential of energy woody crops of Salix and Populus, and energy grasses Miscanthus and Arundo, which are grown primarily for biomass production. This approach links the environmentally friendly and economically less demanding remediation approach with the production of the local sustainable form of energy that decreases dependency on external energy supplies. Energy plants are able to provide high biomass yields in a short period of time, they are resistant against abiotic stress conditions and have the ability to accumulate toxic substances, thus helping to restore the desirable soil properties. The phytoremediation research is very interdisciplinary in its nature. In order to implement phytoremediation practices together with bioenergy successfully, it is crucial to involve site owners, local people, farmers, technology providers and consultants, remediation experts, sustainability assessors, regulatory agencies and certification bodies, biorefineries, financial sponsors, NGOs and other voluntary organizations. Some disadvantages and challenges of phytoremediation are also indicated.

Sustainable food security assumes the elimination of food resources adulteration that is already present on farms. This paper is focused on changes in physical and chemical properties of raw cow’s milk treated by the addition of water and NaCl. The main studied factor is the freezing point of milk, which is strongly influenced by the chosen treatment. Adulteration of milk by water can be detected by the changed freezing point of the milk, but this can be brought within the range of standardized limits by the addition of NaCl. Determining the concentration of chloride ions in milk by the titration method is a proxy for the added NaCl. The analysis of raw cow’s milk from 17 agricultural farms in Southwest Slovakia revealed a negative correlation between the content of chlorides and the freezing point. In another laboratory experiment, the differences in the milk freezing points were statistically significant in the samples treated with different amounts of NaCl. The relationship of chlorides and the freezing point to other milk components (minerals, lipids, proteins, solids-not-fat, lactose, pH, and milk acidity after Soxhlet–Henkel) were analysed, as well. The results showed that the chosen method of chlorides detection to identify the adulteration of milk, by added water and NaCl, was not effective due to the unstable composition of milk and uncertainty in measurements (the coefficient of determination was very low, R² = 0.3022).

International trends in the development of the bioenergy sector are currently geared toward increasing the volume and quality of green energy, as well as its economic, energy and environmental profitability. For the cultivation of fast-growing energy plants, it is important to identify species and their hybrids that are able to effectively exploit the conditions that different climatic regions offer them in order to create as much biomass yield as possible. The physiological processes of plants such as energy exchange, photosynthetic CO2 assimilation, and water loss by transpiration are firmly linked to the air environment. Daily air temperatures and daily precipitation values from the Physicus meteorological station were used to evaluate climatic indicators. Then the values sum of active temperatures and hydrothermal coefficients were calculated. Growth dynamics and aboveground biomass production of Miscanthus were evaluated based on the percentage increment between measurements during the main vegetation period in the years under review. Multiple regression of dependence on growth parameters from SAT and HTC confirmed that microclimates of the site may affect plantations in particular by humidity conditions during the main vegetation period. Temperature conditions during the vegetation period do not affect growth dynamics.

The main objective of this work was to model ground collectors with different parameters and geometries in ANSYS R19.2 and to simulate their operation during the heating season in Slovakia in order to determine their impact on the soil. At the same time, four new geometries in the shape of vertical spirals with diameters of 6, 8 and 10 m were designed and simulated to occupy a smaller area while maintaining performance similar to classical geometries. Due to climate change, heat pumps are becoming an important proxy in the heating of buildings and are an important part of decarbonisation plans; thus, it is essential to adapt them to urban and metropolitan conditions. Ground source heat pumps possess high efficiency but require a lot of space for their collectors. The collector geometries proposed in this work are a combination of horizontal and vertical technologies and are feasible. Only one geometry achieved performance similar to classical geometries: spiral with 10 m diameter. Factors significantly influencing collector operation were confirmed, namely season, soil type, soil water content, geometry and collector placement.

This study examines the impact of climate change on agricultural productivity in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland, focusing on temperature sums influencing the growing season. Using meteorological data from 2001 to 2020, the research analyses the onset and termination of temperatures ≥5 °C (growing season). Temperature sums for two periods (2001–2010, 2011–2020) were calculated and future temperature projections under three scenarios (+1.5 °C, +2.6 °C, +3.6 °C) were developed. Results indicate regional variation in temperature sums, with 69% of the area falling in the 2900–3100 °C range, and Poland showing the highest percentage (81%). In the second decade of the 21st century, temperature sums shifted to the 3100–3300 °C range, affecting 63% of the region. The projections indicate a substantial increase in temperature sums, with the most optimistic scenario (+1.5 °C) leading to the dominance of the 3700–3900 °C range. The warmest areas (West Pannonian Basin), show a temperature sum of 4900–5100 °C. The comparison of predicted and observed temperature sums for 2011–2020 shows a minimal error (±3% in Slovakia and ±4% in Poland and the Czech Republic), confirming the projections. These findings highlight the importance of adaptive strategies in agriculture, particularly fruit farming, to mitigate the climate change effects.

Tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) is a relatively neglected tuber crop with notable nutritional, functional, and ecological value. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the biological properties and selected nutritional parameters of tiger nut tubers and oil, including antioxidant activity, total phenolic content (TPC), fatty acid (FA) profile, health-related lipid indices, and mineral composition. Methods: Natural and peeled tiger nut tubers, as well as commercially available tiger nut oil (yellow variety, Valencia, Spain), were analyzed. Antioxidant activity was measured spectrophotometrically using the DPPH method. The content of TPC was determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu assay. Fatty acid composition was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization detection, and these data were used to calculate the PUFA/SFA (P/S) ratio, atherogenicity (AI), thrombogenicity (TI) index, and hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic (h/H) ratio. Macro- and microelement contents were quantified using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), and total THQ (TTHQ) were calculated to assess potential health risks. Results: Natural tiger nut tubers exhibited substantially higher antioxidant activity and TPC compared to peeled tubers, suggesting that the peel is the primary reservoir of phenolic compounds. Strong antioxidant activity was observed in tiger nut oil (64.82 ± 2.59 mg TEAC/L). Oleic acid (C18:1cis n-9) was identified as the predominant FA across all samples, thus contributing positively to favorable health lipid indices (P/S > 0.50, low AI and TI, high h/H ratio). Potassium was the most abundant macroelement in natural and peeled tiger nut tubers. The overall trend of microelement levels in these samples was as follows: Al > Fe > Zn > Cu > Sr > Mn > Li > Ba > Se > As > Cr. All THQ and TTHQ values were below 1, indicating no appreciable health risk associated with consumption. Conclusions: These findings support the use of tiger nuts as a functionally valuable ingredient in health-oriented food products.