Wroc?aw's motorway ring-road--noise protection.

The 35.4-km stretch of the A8 motorway, i.e., Wroc?aw's motorway ring-road (WMRR), passes through the north-west part of the city of Wroc?aw and 4 neighbouring districts. Analyses have shown that WMRR will be a source of noise in the environment, which may adversely affect large areas. Normative environmental protection acts mandate taking all the necessary technical and organizational measures to reduce noise generated by the operation of WMRR in order to comply with the acoustic environment quality standards. The paper presents the research methodology adopted for assessing noise impact and designing acoustic barriers, and proposed designs of acoustic barriers which take into account the acoustic requirements, technical limitations, urban development, and architectural conditions.     

Accuracy of assessing the level of impulse sound from distant sources.

Impulse sound events are characterised by ultra high pressures and low frequencies. Lower frequency sounds are generally less attenuated over a given distance in the atmosphere than higher frequencies. Thus, impulse sounds can be heard over greater distances and will be more affected by the environment. To calculate a long-term average immission level it is necessary to apply weighting factors like the probability of the occurrence of each weather condition during the relevant time period. This means that when measuring impulse noise at a long distance it is necessary to follow environmental parameters in many points along the way sound travels and also to have a database of sound transfer functions in the long term. The paper analyses the uncertainty of immission measurement results of impulse sound from cladding and destroying explosive materials. The influence of environmental conditions on the way sound travels is the focus of this paper.     

Thermal Solid State Reactions of Potato Starch with α-Hydroxy Acids

The numerous applications of dextrins resulting from the heating of potato starch with α-amino acids prompted me to check the thermal reactions of starch with hydroxy acids and their lactones, such as citric acid, lactic acid, tartaric acid, and coumarine. The course of reactions was observed by means of Simultaneous TG/DSC Thermal Analyser. The thermal reactions were carried out on convectional and microwave heating. The course of reactions under such conditions was compared and properties of resulting dextrins were recognized. The structure and properties of products were obtained from FTIR spectra, water solubility tests, and pH measurements. It was found, that hydroxy acids and/or products of their thermal transformations reacted with starch and/or resulting dextrins producing esters or crosslinking esterification of dextrins took place. The properties of new dextrins were presented in order to check, in further studies, their application for selective flotation of complex metal ores and their suitability as prebiotics.     

Thermally Induced Reaction of Potato Starch with Thiourea

Thermally induced reaction of thiourea with potato starch was carried out with involvement of either conventional or microwave heating. Under applied reaction conditions conventional heating provided a higher degree of transformation. The course of reaction was complex. Thiourea reacted with starch but the reaction products underwent further decompositions. Dextrins contaminated with isothiocyanates were obtained. Not necessarily they underwent alpha-amylolysis more readily than original starch.     

Anaerobic co-digestion of swine and poultry manure with municipal sewage sludge

The anaerobic digestion of municipal sewage sludge (SS) with swine manure (SM) and poultry manure (PM) was undertaken. It was found that a mixture of sewage sludge with a 30% addition of swine manure gave around 400 dm³/kgVS of biogas, whereas the maximal biogas yield from ternary mixture (SS:SM:PM = 70:20:10 by weight) was only 336 dm³/kgVS. An inhibition of methanogenesis by free ammonia was observed in poultry manure experiments. The anaerobic digestion was inefficient in pathogen inactivation as the reduction in the number of E. coli an Enterobacteriaceae was only by one logarithmic unit. A substantial portion of pathogens was also released into the supernatant.     

Sectoral marginal abatement cost curves: implications for mitigation pledges and air pollution co-benefits for Annex I countries

Using the GAINS (Greenhouse Gas–Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies) model, we derived Annex I marginal abatement cost curves for the years 2020 and 2030 for three World Energy Outlook baseline scenarios (2007–2009) of the International Energy Agency. These cost curves are presented by country, by greenhouse gas and by sector. They are available for further inter-country comparisons in the GAINS Mitigation Efforts Calculator—a free online tool. We illustrate the influence of the baseline scenario on the shape of mitigation cost curves, and identify key low cost options as well as no-regret priority investment areas for the years 2010–2030. Finally, we show the co-effect of GHG mitigation on the emissions of local air pollutants and argue that these co-benefits offer strong local incentives for mitigation.     

Interaction of different forms of graphene with chicken embryo red blood cells

With the rapid development of graphene synthesis and functionalization approaches, graphene and its related derivatives have shown great potential in many applications in material science, including biomedical applications. Several in vitro and in vivo studies clearly showed no definitive risks, while others have indicated that graphene might become health hazards. In this study, we explore the biocompatibility of graphene-related materials with chicken embryo red blood cells (RBC). The hemolysis assay was employed to evaluate the in vitro blood compatibility of reduced graphene, graphene oxide, and reduced graphene oxide, because these materials have recently been used for biomedical applications, including injectable graphene-related particles. This study investigated structural damage, ROS production and hemolysis of chicken embryo red blood cells. Different forms of graphene, when incubated with chicken embryo RBC, were harmful to cell structure and induced hemolysis.     

Distribution of mercury and organic matter in particle-size classes in sediments contaminated by a waste water treatment plant: Vidy Bay, Lake Geneva, Switzerland

In Lake Geneva, Switzerland, the most Hg-contaminated sediments have been found in the Vidy Bay where high Hg contents largely exceeds the background levels of Lake Geneva sediments. This contamination has been attributed to the discharge of a waste water treatment plant (WWTP). Total Hg (THg) and monomethylmercury (MMHg) were determined in bulk sediment and in three different grain size fractions (i: clay and silt, ii: fine-coarse sand, iii: and very coarse sand and gravel) collected close to the outlet pipe of a WWTP in order to verify whether the standardized procedures of sediment treatment is adequate for this setting and, by extension, for similar contaminated sites. THg was homogeneously distributed in the different grain size fractions and was correlated to organic matter content (R(2) = 0.6). MMHg was homogeneously distributed in the two finer grain fractions (Φ < 0.063 mm; 0.063 mm < Φ <1 mm). The results of this study suggested that the analysis of the bulk sediment seems to be more appropriate for the assessment of the content and spatial distribution of Hg in freshwater sediments contaminated by WWTPs.