Pyrolysis is a thermochemical technology for converting biomass into energy and chemical products consisting of bio-gas, bio-oil, and biochar. Several parameters influence the process efficiency and properties of pyrolysis products. These include the type of biomass, biomass preliminary preparation, gaseous atmosphere, final temperature, heating rate, and process time. This manuscript provides a general summary of the properties of the pyrolytic products of waste rapeseed cake, with particular emphasis on the sorption properties of biochar. Biochar, produced by the pyrolysis process of biomass, is emerging as a powerful tool for carbon sequestration, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and purifying water from contaminants such as potentially toxic elements and antibiotics. The review found that the biochar obtained as a result of pyrolysis of chemically modified waste rapeseed cake is characterised by its excellent sorption properties. The obtained sorbents are characterised by sorption capacity relative to the copper(II) ion, ranging from 40 mg·g⁻¹ to 100 mg·g⁻¹, according to the pyrolysis conditions and chemical modification method. The purified pyrolysis gas obtained in the high-temperature process can be used to generate heat and energy. Bio-oil, with its significant combustion heat of 36 MJ·kg⁻¹, can be a source of environmentally friendly green biofuel.

This publication presents a series of data of one of the most difficult chemical processes to implement in industrial conditions. Obtaining soda using the Solvay technique is a process with a world volume of about 28 Tg per year. The process is extremely physico-chemically complex and environmentally burdensome. The paper presents information on a multi-component system containing three phases with a chemical reaction. Calculations for such systems and their engineering are very complicated, but the authors show how the results of this work can be applied. This paper also describes modifications of the soda process to minimize the environmental burden and minimize the production input of Na₂CO₃. The modifications were beneficial in reducing CO₂ emissions and increased the efficiency of the soda process, resulting in a measurable financial benefit. At the scale of the plant where the experiment was carried out, this reduction in CO₂ emissions amounts to 7.93 Gg per year.

A new chitosan-based protective film containing rosemarinic acid (0.282% w/w) has been elaborated. The film was formed from a water–oil emulsion system and applied to poultry meat samples using a dip-coating technique. Various physicochemical parameters of the coatings, such as thickness, Young’s modulus, elongation at break, water vapor transmission rates, and antioxidant activity, were tested with free-standing film samples peeled from a Petri dish. Compared to neat chitosan films obtained similarly, new films cast from the emulsion showed significantly better elasticity (Young’s modulus was diminished from 1458 MPa to about 29 MPa). Additionally, barrier properties for moisture transition decreased from 7.3 to 5.8 g mm m⁻² day⁻¹ kPa⁻¹. The coated poultry samples were subsequently evaluated in juxtaposition with uncoated ones in a storage test. Levels of selected biogenic amines (histamine, tyramine, tryptamine, phenylethylamine, putrescine, cadaverine, spermine, and spermidine), total bacterial count, and lipid oxidation levels in the meat samples were analyzed during storage at 4 °C (up to 96 h). The results obtained for the biogenic amines, total bacterial content, calculated biogenic amine index, and the ratio of spermidine to spermine in meat samples suggest the advantage of the proposed coatings with rosmarinic acid in protecting poultry meat against environmental factors and rapid spoilage.

Modifying the absorption process in soda production by the Solvay method requires performing many calculations and determining a new equilibrium process. An increase in ammonia concentration in the reaction solution causes kinetic changes in equilibrium. Changes to the Solvay soda production technology were determined using chemical and instrumental analysis methods. A modification of the process in the form of SAB was introduced. Information allowing the design of an additional absorber and its location in the network of technological devices was presented in the form of parameters using typical chemical engineering assumptions. Spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques were used for this purpose. The increase in total alkalinity due to the addition of ammonia to 135 mmol·20 cm⁻³ resulted in cooling savings of about 152.4 MJ·Mg⁻¹ of soda. The ammonia desorption rate and process energy parameters were determined for the new system. The temperature requirements for the carbonation column were defined, and in particular, a technique was developed to minimize the cooling of the lower part of the reactor, which reduces the consumption of process energy. Emissions of CO₂ were reduced from 11.70 to 7.85% and NH₃ from 5.52 to 4.89% in exhaust gases from the carbonation column.

The wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF) method for phosphorus determination in meat samples has been described. The effects of sample pretreatment on the XRF analysis have been discussed. The phosphorus content determined in meat samples ranged from 603 ± 6 to 613 ± 19 mg P/100g dry mass (d.m.), depending on the sample preparation technique. The meat samples spiked with phosphates have been used for the calibration procedure. The accuracy was determined against a number of certified reference materials (SMRD 2000, RF 8414, NIST-1568A, and NIST-1549), and recovery was assayed using the standard addition procedure. The proposed method has been compared with the standard spectrophotometric method (PN-ISO 13730, 1999) of total phosphorus determination. The sample pretreatment procedure has been reduced to minimum the presented results suggest the WD-XRF method can be an alternative to the spectrophotometric analysis.

Wydawnictwo SIGMA-NOT wydaje czasopisma fachowe informuj?ce swoich czytelnik?w o najnowszych osi?gni?ciach naukowych i nowoczesnych rozwi?zaniach technicznych w Polsce i na ?wiecie, popularyzuje problemy techniczne oraz poszerza wiedz? i kultur? techniczn?.