M. Turek

Model of environmental life cycle assessment for coal mining operations

This paper presents a novel approach to environmental assessment of coal mining operations, which enables assessment of the factors that are both directly and indirectly affecting the environment and are associated with the production of raw materials and energy used in processes. The primary novelty of the paper is the development of a computational environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) model for coal mining operations and the application of the model for coal mining operations in Poland. The LCA model enables the assessment of environmental indicators for all identified unit processes in hard coal mines with the life cycle approach. The proposed model enables the assessment of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) based on the IPCC method and the assessment of damage categories, such as human health, ecosystems and resources based on the ReCiPe method. The model enables the assessment of GHGs for hard coal mining operations in three time frames: 20, 100 and 500years. The model was used to evaluate the coal mines in Poland. It was demonstrated that the largest environmental impacts in damage categories were associated with the use of fossil fuels, methane emissions and the use of electricity, processing of wastes, heat, and steel supports. It was concluded that an environmental assessment of coal mining operations, apart from direct influence from processing waste, methane emissions and drainage water, should include the use of electricity, heat and steel, particularly for steel supports. Because the model allows the comparison of environmental impact assessment for various unit processes, it can be used for all hard coal mines, not only in Poland but also in the world. This development is an important step forward in the study of the impacts of fossil fuels on the environment with the potential to mitigate the impact of the coal industry on the environment.

Chapter 11 – Boron Removal Using Ion Exchange Membranes

A literature survey on the effectiveness of boron transport and removal across ion exchange membranes is presented. The effects of the type of membrane, the type of boron-bearing species, and operating conditions are presented. Based on the above effects, the technical applicability and feasibility of boron removal methods that involve ion exchange membranes are also discussed. Among the technologies considered are electrodialysis (ED), Donnan dialysis, and electrodeionization. In addition, the possibility for boron separation from ionic species by ED is discussed. Finally, the costs of boron removal and separation from salts using methods that employ ion exchange membranes are presented and discussed.

Matrix risk estimation in industrial perspective based on Polish coal mining

Coal mining is still an important industry in Polish economy and Upper Silesian Region. It also guarantees energy safety in Poland, because hard coal – in spite of decreasing consumption – still remains a key energy source in Polish energy balance. According to above and to the need to ensure efficiency in Polish coal mining, the main aim of this article is to identify the most important industrial risk factors and to estimate their influence on the activity of mining enterprises. To achieve such aim, the authors used PESTEL analysis and risk matrices. Based on the research results the most important industrial risk factors are established. Additionally, the main suggestions at their avoiding or minimizing are formulated.

Ocena perspektyw rozwojowych instytucji ochrony dziedzictwa przemysłowego w Polsce na przykładzie regionu górnośląskiego

The industrial heritage protection is an important and up-to-date topic in the historical, social and civilisation context [Ifko 2016, pp. 2040–2045]. From the region’s perspective, having such achievements is also a tourist and cultural attraction allowing to increase the recognition and improve the image of local government units. The European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH), which popularises and promotes industrial sites across Europe, is a good international practice. In Poland, promoting the industrial heritage is not centralised and institutionalised and takes place mainly within the individual actions of local government units in the field of A N N A L E S U N I V E R S I TAT I S M A R I A E C U R I E S K Ł O D O W S K A LUBLIN – POLONIA VOL. LI, 3 SECTIO H 2017

The institutional protection of industrial heritage in the strategic perspective in Poland on the example of the Górny Śląsk region

The industrial heritage is an important part of local, regional and national culture and history. The proper care of its condition and its popularisation can contribute to enhancing the tourist attractiveness of a given area and can indirectly positively affect the development of investment and economic opportunities [Dallen 2016, p. 197]. In Poland, the industrial heritage protection is not institutionalised, which impedes the coordination of actions in this area and forces local government units to take individual and independent actions to preserve and promote the existing and historical local and regional industrial heritage. The proper organisation of this protection requires knowledge and experience from a variety of scientific disciplines such as history, cultural studies, sociology, tourism, geography, archaeology, etc. Therefore, the effective management of a heritage protection institution requires an Pobrane z czasopisma Annales H Oeconomia http://oeconomia.annales.umcs.pl Data: 01/11/2019 22:46:43

Instytucjonalna ochrona dziedzictwa przemysłowego w perspektywie strategicznej w Polsce na przykładzie regionu górnośląskiego

The main objective of the article is to define the concept and fundamental strategic assumptions for the International Documentation and Research Centre on Industrial Heritage for Tourism. To accomplish this objective, the paper presents the results of in-depth interviews conducted among internal and external stakeholders of the International Documentation and Research Centre on Industrial Heritage for Tourism concerning the expectations for future directions of the Centre’s development and the effects of its activity. Then, based on the conducted consultations and the diagnosis of the Centre’s activity to date, the fundamental assumptions of the Centre’s strategy were specified and the key areas of activity were identified. They included: (1) archiving and research actions, and (2) educational and promotional actions.The article identifies the barriers in cooperation between vocational schools and employers, which are connected with the economic and social environment of schools. The main source of information on employers’ perspective is a survey of employers cooperating with vocational schools in Lublin (Poland). The survey results shows that employers are set on increasing the number of hours of students’ practical vocational training in the workplace, but are reluctant to undertake more costly and more demanding forms of cooperation with schools, like participating in vocational exams, training teachers or providing equipment for school workshops. It was argued that employers’ limited willingness to cooperate stems i.a. from fragmentation of the enterprise sector in Poland, poorly developed cooperative bonds between enterprises, and the small scale of recruitment problems during most of the last two decades.

Determination of enterprise value by using the fuzzy pay-off method for real option valuation

In the article there is the possibility of application of the fuzzy pay-off method presented in calculating the company value of a mining enterprise. This method was used in the method of valuation called DCF. The application of fuzzy sets allows to limit the amount of analyses to three scenarios. The scenarios correspond to, respectively, the worst situation, the most probable and most advantageous, in relation with a particular strategy. The result obtained is also the effect of similar form, therefore we obtain the values concerning the following scenarios: the best, the worst, and the most probable. The fuzzy number is turned into one particular indirect value taking into account all the scenarios. The application of fuzzy numbers also enables comparing the two different scenarios realized in the various strategies.

Possibilities of Improving the Efficiency of Mining Companies

Polish hard coal mining has been struggling with numerous problems for many years. Currently, the main challenge for the industry is the need to improve efficiency. It is the prerequisite for survival of mining industry. Considering the importance and topicality of the issue there are threats and opportunities regarding efficiency improvement in Polish mining enterprises in terms of production costs presented in the article. Main thesis states that the analysis and evaluation of production costs connected with monitoring the branch and economic environment allows to specify procedures aimed at improving the efficiency in mining companies. In the first stage of the research the costs of coal production in 2006-2009 are analyzed and evaluated. Then, based on the results of the previous stage and review of internal and external conditions of mining enterprises performance, a catalogue of opportunities and threats for efficiency improvement is established. In the first stage of the research following methods are used: analysis of financial records, analysis of the structure and dynamics of the unit cost of production, comparative analysis and case study. In the second part of the research the SWOT analysis is adapted for the purpose of verifying the potential area of efficiency.

New Performance Funding Models as a Way of Funding

Mining industry in Poland faces many financial problems. One of them is to determine the proper performance funding structure. The main objective of this article is to create new models of funding performance in mining enterprises and to propose the way of examining influence of separate models on effectiveness of finance management in mining enterprises. As the measure of effectiveness growth regarding finance management the Authors adopted the value growth of mining enterprise. In the following stages of research there were assumptions and procedure presented for building funding models of mining enterprises as well as the basic funding models were suggested and the method of examining models’ influence on the value of a mining enterprise was described. In order to solve the research problem there were several general methods used: financial data analysis, comparison and generalization and also detailed methods such as: observation, documents analysis method, statistic methods