Simultaneous quantification of Bi(III) and U(VI) in environmental water samples with a complicated matrix containing organic compounds

Trace amounts of bismuth(III) and uranium(VI) can be simultaneously determined in a single scan by adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry in the presence of cupferron as a complexing agent. Optimal conditions were found to be: 0.1 mol?L^?1 acetate buffer (pH 5.3), 5?×?10^?5?mol?L^?1 cupferron, accumulation potential of ?0.25 V, and accumulation time of 30 s. The linear range of Bi(III) and U(VI) was observed over the concentration range from 2?×?10^?9 to 2?×?10^?7?mol?L^?1 and from 1?×?10^?8 to 5?×?10^?7?mol?L^?1, respectively. The influence of the main components of real water samples such as foreign ions and organic substances (surface active substances, humic substances) was precisely investigated. The method was applied to the simultaneous measurements of bismuth and uranium in natural water samples.     

Accumulation of polonium 210Po in tissues and organs of deer carvidae from Northern Poland

This study was undertaken to provide information on accumulation of polonium in tissues and organs of deer carvidae in order to assess the potential transport of this element via food-chain to game meat consumers. Livers, kidneys and muscles of large herbivorous animals belonging to three species: roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), red deer (Cervus elaphus) and fallow deer (Dama dama), collected in Northern Poland, were the subject of the present investigation. Activities of ²¹⁰Po were determined by means of alpha spectrometry along with relevant radiochemical procedures. The concentration of ²¹⁰Po in analyzed animals decreased in the order kidney > liver > muscle tissue. The average activity concentrations of ²¹⁰Po ranged between 0.02 ± 0.01 Bq· kg^{? 1} w.w. in muscles and 7.15 ± 0.12 Bq· kg^{? 1} w.w. in kidneys. Levels of polonium were not influenced by sampling location, sex, age and species of animals.     

Water leaching of titanium from ore flotation residue

Copper ore tailings were tested for the stability of titanium submitted to water leaching in three different reactor systems (agitated vessel, bioreactor and percolated fixed-bed column). For each of these systems, titanium extraction did not exceed 1% of the available metal. Biomass removed from ore residue adsorbed a small part of the titanium with sorption capacities below 20-30 mg g(-1), but most of this biomass was sequestered in the ore residue. Oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations were monitored and changes in concentration correlated with bacteria development at the initial stage of the process and to fungal development in the latter stages.     

Expansion of Nature Conservation Areas: Problems with Natura 2000 Implementation in Poland?

In spite of widespread support from most member countries’ societies for European Union policy, including support for the sustainable development idea, in many EU countries the levels of acceptance of new environmental protection programmes have been and, in particular in new member states, still are considerably low. The experience of the countries which were the first to implement union directives show that they cannot be effectively applied without widespread public participation. The goal of this study was, using the example of Poland, to assess public acceptance of the expansion of nature conservation in the context of sustainable development principles and to discover whether existing nature governance should be modified when establishing new protected areas. The increase in protected areas in Poland has become a hotbed of numerous conflicts. In spite of the generally favourable attitudes to nature which Polish people generally have, Natura 2000 is perceived as an unnecessary additional conservation tool. Both local authorities and communities residing in the Natura areas think that the programme is a hindrance, rather than a help in the economic development of municipalities or regions, as was initially supposed. This lack of acceptance results from many factors, mainly social, historic and economic. The implications of these findings for current approach to the nature governance in Poland are discussed.     

Analytical application of solid contact ion-selective electrodes for determination of copper and nitrate in various food products and drinking water

A simple, fast and cheap method for monitoring copper and nitrate in drinking water and food products using newly developed solid contact ion-selective electrodes is proposed. Determination of copper and nitrate was performed by application of multiple standard additions technique. The reliability of the obtained results was assessed by comparing them using the anodic stripping voltammetry or spectrophotometry for the same samples. In each case, satisfactory agreement of the results was obtained, which confirms the analytical usefulness of the constructed electrodes.     

Radium removal from mine waters in underground treatment installations

The underground mining of hard coal is widespread in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (southern Poland). In deep mines, inflows of highly mineralised waters containing radium isotopes are numerous. These waters cause severe damage to the natural environment due to the salinity, but additionally radioactive pollution occurs. The region is densely populated, therefore mitigation methods are very important. The method of radium removal has been applied in full technical scale in two coal mines with very good results - in one of the mines radium-bearing waters are treated at the rate of approximately 0.1m(3)s(-1), while in another mine salty waters are purified at the rate of 0.1m(3)s(-1). The purification takes place in special underground galleries without any contact of the mining crew with the radioactive deposits produced during the process. As a result, release of radium is significantly lower, more than 200MBq of (226)Ra and (228)Ra remains underground each day.