This paper presents an algorithm developed to assess all aspects of sustainable development for hard coal mines. Additionally, an algorithm to assess the environmental efficiency and cost efficiency of mining production processes was presented. To develop the computation algorithm, detailed models were proposed for environmental assessments using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), whereas Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) was proposed for economic and social assessments. The algorithm developed is used when preparing a ranking of hard coal mines which considers the main aspects of sustainable development – environmental, economic and social. The tool also enables the performance of both environmental and cost assessment for particular unit processes of mining production. The practical purpose is to devise an algorithm that will perform both partial and aggregated assessment of all aspects of the sustainable development of coal mines in Poland. It is the first method which includes all aspects of sustainable development and considers the process approach to assess coal mines.

The region of Upper Silesia, located in southern Poland, is characterised by very high emissions of carbon dioxide into the air—the annual emission exceeds 33 Mt CO₂ and the emission ‘per capita’ is 7.2 t/y in comparison to the EU average emission per capita 6.4 t/y and 8.4 t/y for Poland in 2019. Although in the region there are over 100 carbon dioxide emitters covered by the EU ETS, over 90% of emissions come from approximately 15 large hard coal power plants and from the coke and metallurgical complex. The CCUS scenario for Upper Silesia, which encompasses emitters, capture plants, transport routes, as well as utilisation and storage sites until 2050, was developed. The baseline scenario assumes capture of carbon dioxide in seven installations, use in two methanol plants and transport and injection into two deep saline aquifers (DSA). The share of captured CO₂ from flue gas was assumed at the level of 0.25–0.9, depending mainly on the limited capacity of storage. To recognise the views of society on development of the CCUS technologies in Upper Silesia, thirteen interviews with different types of stakeholders (industry, research and education, policy makers) were conducted. The respondents evaluated CCU much better than CCS. The techno-economic assessment of CCUS carried out on a scenario basis showed that the economic outcome of the scenario with CCUS is EUR 3807.19 million more favourable compared to the scenario without CO₂ capture and storage.

This article presents the results of an eco-efficiency assessment of the application of large-scale rechargeable battery technology in electricity generation from coal. The eco-efficiency of electricity production in a 350 MW coal-fired power plant was calculated. Two production variants were compared: with the use of a lithium-ion battery of a 400 MWh capacity to optimize the operation of power blocks and without using the battery. Hard coal is one of the main fossil fuels used to generate electricity in Poland. Despite the growing share of electricity from renewable sources, this situation will persist for many more years. The main reasons for this are the high costs and long-lasting process of moving away from fossil fuels in the energy sector. Therefore, any technical solutions that can temporarily reduce the negative impact of coal-based power engineering on the environment should be considered. At the same time, the economic aspects of such solutions must be taken into account. That is why the eco-efficiency assessment method was chosen, which integrates economic and environmental aspects. The obtained results of the analyses indicate the occurrence of environmental and economic benefits resulting from the use of the battery in coal-fired power plants. It has been found that battery-based technology is more eco-efficient than technology without such a battery. A sensitivity analysis was carried out, which allowed the impact of individual computational variables on the eco-efficiency assessment result to be assessed. The results indicate that fuel prices (coal and heavy fuel oil—mazout) and CO₂ emission allowances have the greatest impact on the eco-efficiency of the analyzed technology. It was also found that the factors related to the battery, such as its efficiency, life span, decrease of the capacity after 10 years of operation, and construction cost, have a much smaller impact on the results.

This article presents an innovative method for phosphate(V) removal from industrial wastewater using cerium(III) chloride as a coagulant, integrated with reagent recovery. The process combines coagulation, acid extraction, and multistage recovery of cerium and phosphorus, enabling partial reagent loop closure. Based on our previously published studies, at an optimised dose (81.9 mg Ce³⁺/L), phosphate(V) removal reached 99.86% and total phosphorus (sum of all phosphorus forms as elemental P), 99.56%, and 99.94% of the added cerium was retained in sludge. Reductions were also observed for TSS (96.67%), turbidity (98.18%), and COD (81.86%). The sludge (101.5 g Ce/kg, 22.2 g P/kg) was extracted with HCl, transferring 99.6% of cerium and 97.5% of phosphorus to the solution. Cerium was recovered as cerium(III) oxalate and thermally decomposed to cerium(IV) oxide. Redissolution in HCl and H₂O₂ yielded cerium(III) chloride (97.0% recovery and 98.6% purity). The HCl used for extraction can be regenerated on-site from chlorine and hydrogen obtained from gas streams, improving material efficiency. Life cycle assessment (LCA) showed environmental benefits related to eutrophication reduction but burdens from reagent use (notably HCl and oxalic acid). Although costlier than conventional precipitation, this method may suit large-scale applications requiring high phosphorus removal, low sludge, and alignment with circular economy goals.