Tomasz Czech

Phytostabilization of Zn-Pb ore flotation tailings with Dianthus carthusianorum and Biscutella laevigata after amending with mineral fertilizers or sewage sludge

Zinc-lead mining wastes remain largely unvegetated and prone to erosion for many years because of phytotoxic levels of residual heavy metals, low nutrient status and poor physical structure. The optimal solution for these areas is to restore plant cover using species which spontaneously appear on the spoils. These species are adapted to the conditions of tailings, and their establishment will promote further vegetation by increasing soil organic matter and development of a soil system capable of supporting the nutrient and water requirements of plants and microoorganisms. The potential of Dianthus carthusianorum and Biscutella laevigata to stabilize mine spoils was analysed in a three-year pot experiment. Post-flotation wastes accumulated after Zn and Pb recovery from ores, were collected from tailings and used as a substrate for plant growth. Seeds for seedling production were collected from plants growing spontaneously on mine tailings. Prior to the establishment of the three-year pot experiment, the substrate was amended with fertilizer NPK or municipal sewage sludge, supplemented with K2O (SS). Substrate samples were collected for chemical analyses, dehydrogenase and urease activities measurements each year at the end of the growing season. The plants were harvested three years after the amendments. Both tested plant species were equally suitable for revegetation of the tailings. The amendment including both SS and NPK resulted in an increase of Corg, Nt, available P, K, Mg contents, an increase of dehydrogenase (DHA) and urease activities and a decrease in the concentrations of the soluble forms of Zn, Pb and Cd. However, nutrient content, DHA activity and plant biomass were higher with SS than NPK addition. NPK application enhanced the substrate properties after the first growing season, while positive effects of SS use were still observed after three years. A longer-lasting positive effect of SS than NPK application was probably due to the high organic matter content in SS, which was gradually decomposing and releasing nutrients.

ASSESSMENT OF CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF WASTE MATERIALS FROM HARD COAL BURNING IN VIEW OF THEIR AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATIONS

Production of electric power in Poland bases on burning brown and hard coal. Currently over 90 % of electricity originates from this source. Generating electric power, like many other human activities, inevitably involves production of wastes. Considering the previous trends of these waste materials utilisation, one should analyse also potential use of biogenic components which they contain as fertilizers. The main objective of conducted investigations was an assessment of potential application of selected waste materials, i.e. fly ashes from production, fly ashes from the landfill site and slag sand from “KRAKOW S.A.” heat and power plant for agricultural and environmental purposes. The assessment was made on the basis of analyses of the following physical and chemical properties of studied materials: pH, granulometric composition determined by Bouyoucose-Casagrande method in Proszynski’s modification, total alkalinity, total nitrogen content assessed by means of Kjeldahl’s method, organic carbon by Tiurin’s method, total contents of trace elements and the content of available forms of trace elements soluble in 1 mol · dm HCl solution. On the basis of conducted laboratory analyses it should be stated that the amounts of heavy metals determined in the studied materials did not exceed the content allowable for waste materials designed for soil liming. The analysed materials reveal physical and chemical properties which do not exclude their potential application for soil liming. In this respect, fly ash from production seems the best. However, it contains about twice lower amounts of CaO in comparison with other calcium fertilizers available on the market.

YIELD FORMING EFFECT OF APPLICATION OF COMPOSTS CONTAINING POLYMER MATERIALS ENRICHED IN BIOCOMPONENTS

In a pot experiment the impact of composts containing polymeric materials modified with biocomponents on the diversity of crops of oats and mustard was examined. The composts used in the study were produced in the laboratory from wheat and rape straw, and pea seed cleaning waste with 8-percent addition of chopped biopolymer materials (films) which were prepared in the Central Mining Institute (GIG) in Kato wice. Three polymers differing in content of starch and density were selected for the composting. The pot experiment was conducted on three substrates: light and medium soil and on the sediment obtained after flotation of zinc and lead ores, coming from the landfill ZGH “Boleslaw” S.A. in Bukowno. The need for using such materials and substrates results from the conditions of processing some morphological fractions of municipal waste and from improving methods of reclamation. Yield enhancing effect of composts depends on the substrate on which the compost was used, cultivated plants and crop succession. Application of composts prepared with 8% of polymeric materials based on polyethylene, modified with starch as biocomponent, resulted in significantly lower yields in sandy (light) soil in case of oats and, in some cases, in medium soil. Subsequent plant yield did not differ significantly between the objects fertilized with compost.

Integrated Innovative Biotechnology for Optimization of Environmental Bioprocesses and a Green Economy

A systematic approach to sustainable management of natural resources incorporates integration of innovative biotechnologies and eco-engineering. Here we review complementary eco-innovations for sustainable development in different regions. One of the newer biotechnologies is laser photostimulation of different species of plants and microorganisms to increase their adaptability to xenobiotics in soil, air, and water. Empirically selected algorithms of laser irradiation significantly increase biodegradation of hydrocarbons, phytoremediation of trace metals by willow Salix sp., elephant grass Miscanthus x giganteus, Virginian mallow Sida hermaphrodita, and to increase tolerance of different species of plants to petrochemical pollutants and efficiency of reclamation of contaminated areas and tolerance to salinity of soil and suboptimal temperatures as well as water deficiency. This biotechnology is also useful for biomass enhancement and bio-energy production under suboptimal conditions for more efficient vegetative multiplication of some vegetables and development of sustainable agriculture, forestry, protection of the landscape, and biodiversity. Integration of transdisciplinary cooperation and application of complementary biotechnologies and innovative methods of environmental pollutant bioremediation (such as wastewater treatment) and reclamation, supported by the implementation of a neural network, can optimize bioprocesses that are useful for a better quality of life, globally. Long-term research-developing studies are supplemented by problem-solving training and case studies in different regions (including ecotourism, recreation, and promotion of ecological culture), long distance education and life-long education for the common action of experts and knowledge-based society, promoting sustainable development that is based on integrated biological sciences and sustainable models of consumption.

YIELDING AND CONTENT OF SELECTED MICROELEMENTS IN MAIZE FERTILIZED WITH VARIOUS ORGANIC MATERIALS

The paper aimed at comparing the yield and concentrations of zinc, copper and nickel in maize cultivated in soil fertilized with two different sewage sludge with yielding of maize fertilized with manure and solely with mineral fertilizers. The experiment was conducted in plastic pots, of which each contained 8.5 kg of air-dried soil with granulometric composition of light sandy loam and neutral pH. Sewage sludge used for the experiment originated from two municipal sewage sludge treatment plants in Krzeszowice (sludge I) and Niepołomice (sludge II), while manure from a private farm in Czernichów district. The test plant was maize (Zea mays) cultivated for 74 days and then harvested for green forage. On the basis of conducted research it was found that various fertilizer combinations applied in the experiment had a significant influence on the test plant yielding. All compared fertilizer variants allowed maize to produce statistically significantly higher yield in comparison with the yield harvested from the unfertilized soils. Fertilization with sewage sludge I supplemented with mineral treatment and application of solely mineral salts proved the most beneficial for the maize yield. Applied fertilizer combinations affected the content of microelements. The highest concentrations of nickel in maize green mass were assessed in plant samples from the unfertilized object, whereas zinc and copper from mineral fertilization variant. Except of zinc, introducing additional metal doses did not influence their increased content in plant organs. Soil enrichment with zinc contained in sewage sludge I and II (respectively 77.4 mg and 49.9 mg ∙ pot-1) contributed to its elevated concentration in maize roots but at the same time this metal content statistically significantly decreased in maize shoots in comparison with the amounts determined in plants fertilized with mineral materials.

CONTENT OF HEAVY METALS IN SOIL AND PLANTS FROM AN AREA BORZĘCIN MUNICIPALITY (MALOPOLSKA PROVINCE)

The research aimed to assess the content of heavy metals in soils and plants as an indicator of human pressure in a typically agriculture area. The research was conducted in northern part of Brzesko district on Borzecin municipality (Malopolska province). In total 15 points were set. At those points, soil samples were collected from the levels of 0–10 cm and 40–50 cm.