The power sector is currently experiencing a dynamic transformation, resulting not only from EU directives, but also from current problems, mainly related to ensuring energy security for customers. For this reason, in Poland, it was decided that the model of electricity market operation needed to be changed. A dual market has been created, and a separated segment is the capacity market. This solution operates, in addition to other power mechanisms, in many European Union countries, e.g., in France, Great Britain, and Italy. The experience of these countries indicates the positive impact of the power market on various aspects of the power sector, such as legal, economic, technical and technological, social, and infrastructural aspects, mainly due to technological neutrality and open competition between power suppliers. The creation of the structure of an energy market drastically changes the rules of energy management, which requires investigations concerning the impact of those factors on the energy sector in Poland. The aim of this work is to examine the impact of the power market on the Polish power sector, and to determine the impact of individual consequences on several predefined areas. For this purpose, a questionnaire survey was used. The purpose of a detailed analysis is to develop probable scenarios for the sustainable development of the Polish energy sector.

Economic progress, development of transport, production of new cars, production of more and more energy, and the combustion of fossil fuels are causing huge changes that are currently occurring in the environment. Ecological problems of the contemporary economy combined with perspectives of resources exhaustion, as well as the need to follow sustainable rules of living, require the search for new fuels. Fuels which can assure their availability and good environmental performance are needed for maintaining sustainable transportation. Knowledge about the behavior of various fuels is necessary for realistic methods of technology management in transportation means and the fuel industry. This paper describes biofuels that can be an addition to petrol or can exist as standalone fuels. A simulation was carried out on an urban vehicle and the tested fuels were petrol 95, ethanol, methanol, and dimethyl ether. For the selected engine a simulation corresponding to that of the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) test was created using the Scilab package. Based on this simulation, values of carbon dioxide and water vapor emission were determined. The fuel demand for each fuel mixture and the amount of air for the fuels used were also calculated (and verified on the basis of laboratory tests). It was demonstrated that addition of biofuel decreases emission of carbon dioxide, simultaneously increasing emission of water vapor. Biofuel additive also caused an increase in fuel consumption. Unfortunately, in the New European Driving Cycle test being investigated, carbon dioxide emissions in all cases exceeded the permissible level of 130 g CO₂/km, which is bad news in the context of the further tightening of norms and standards. The simulation tests confirmed that when using the start/stop system and applying specific additives, the carbon dioxide emission decreases and the consumption of mixtures with the activated start/stop system is smaller. The analyzed problems and results of this analysis become more important in light of the Worldwide Harmonized Light Duty Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) standard, which became binding from September 2018 and applies to the sale of cars that had been approved prior (in accordance with the New European Driving Cycle standard). Although the NEDC standard appears obsolete the computer model simulating this type of test will be necessary in many cases. It is, however, needed and possible to develop a similar simulation procedure for WLTP tests.

Plastic packaging of food products has a significant impact on the sustainability of the food industry and trade. The article presents selected problems surrounding the production of plastic packaging for food storage and distribution that might cause disruptions in the implementation of sustainable production. An important question regards the extent to which the industry that produces this packaging complies with the sustainability requirements. The present work consists in an investigation of the problems observed in a plastic packaging manufacturing company located in Poland, which is part of a global corporation. Plastic waste management was analyzed and compared with the requirements of a closed loop economy. The quantities of raw material processed and the quantities of waste in the defined period were analyzed. During the analyzed period, 0.05% of the monthly production was non-recyclable waste. The quality of raw material seems to be responsible for the majority of wastes. Therefore, the important role of SAP (Systems Applications and Products) in the use of lower quality batches of raw material is indicated. On the other hand, a possibility of converting the wastes into liquid or gaseous fuels is suggested. In addition, the paper investigates the efficiency of machine use in a film bag production line in a three-shift system. Process losses were analyzed and reliability indicators such as overall equipment efficiency (OEE) and its components, mean time between failures (MTBF), and mean failure repair time (MTTR) were determined. The monthly OEE values for each change individually exceeded 80%.

The paper concerns the analysis of harmful emissions during the combustion process in households. The subject of the analysis is a low emission heating device with an output of 50 kW for burning biomass of forest origin (low-quality hardwoods or softwoods). The proposed boiler is automatically fed from the connected container by means of a screw conveyor. In this way, the optimum amount of fuel is supplied for maximum heat output (adjustment of the ratio of primary air to fuel). The proposed biomass heating system is equipped with a primary and secondary air supply system and exhaust gas sensors. This ensures optimal regulation of the air mixture and efficient and clean combustion. Proper control of the combustion process, control of the air supply by means of a lambda sensor and power control of the system ensure a low-emission combustion process. The system precisely adjusts to the heat demand. This results in highly efficient heating technology with low operating costs. In the presented work, the emission of exhaust gases from the proposed heating device during the combustion of woodchips and beech–oak pellets were measured. It is demonstrated that the proposed design of the boiler equipped with intelligent control significantly reduces emissions when the biomass solid fuels are used, e.g., CO emissions from beech and oak chips and pellets in the low-emission boiler—18 extract pipes shows the value <100 ppm, which is even lower than when gas is burned in the other boilers; on the other hand, the pine chips show even higher emission when burned in the low-emission burner. Consequently, the choice of biomass source and form of the fuel play some role in the emissions observed.

Managing of wastes rich in lignocellulose creates the opportunity to produce biofuels that are in full compliance with the principles of sustainable development. Biomass, as a suitable base for the production of biofuels, does not have to be standardized, and its only important feature is the appropriate content of lignocellulose, which assures great freedom in the selection of input. Biobutanol, obtained from this type of biomass, can be used as fuel for internal combustion engines, including diesel engines. In the era of strict environmental protection regulations, especially concerning atmospheric air, any new fuel, apart from good energetic properties, should also show beneficial ecological effects. This study investigates the carbon dioxide emissions from biobutanol powered diesel engine by means of use of the simulation model. The parameters of a real passenger car powered by a diesel engine were used for simulation carried out accordingly to the WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure) approval procedure as the current test for newly manufactured cars. The results obtained for biobutanol were compared with simulated exhaust emissions obtained for conventional diesel and with FAME (fatty acid methyl esters)—the most popular biofuel. Biobutanol, in spite of its higher consumption, showed lower direct carbon dioxide emissions than both: the conventional diesel and FAME. In addition, a LCA (life cycle assessment) was carried out for the fuels and vehicles in question using the SimaPro package. Therefore, the implementation of butyl alcohol as a fuel provides favorable environmental effects. This result gives arguments towards biofuel production management indicating that implementation of biobutanol production technology mitigates carbon dioxide emission, as well as promotes lignocellulosic resources rather than edible parts of the plants.

Intensified action aimed at reducing CO₂ emissions and striving for energy self-sufficiency of both business entities and individual consumers are forcing the sustainable development of environmentally friendly and renewable energy sources. The development of an appropriate class of equipment and production technology is not without significance in this process. On the basis of a proven design for a combustion burner for ecological fuels, a new biofuel burner, also dedicated to prosumers’ energetics, was built. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of the type of biofuel on a burner’s output parameters, especially gaseous emissions, during the combustion of four types of fuels, including three types of biomass. The combustion temperature was measured for lignite, wood pellets, straw pellets, and sunflower pellets. An analysis of exhaust gas composition was performed for lignite and wood pellets. The results of exhaust emissions and combustion temperatures were compared with the burners currently in use. The use of a new burner might contribute to cleaner combustion and reducing the emissions of some gaseous components.