Life cycle inventory processes of the Mittal Steel Poland (MSP) S.A. in Krakow, Poland—blast furnace pig iron production—a case study

Purpose

The goal of this paper is to describe the life cycle inventory (LCI) approach of pig iron produced by Mittal??s Steel Poland Blast Furnace (MSPBF) in Krakow, Poland. The present LCI is representative for the reference year 2005 by application of PN-EN ISO 14040: 2009 (PN-EN ISO 2009). The system boundaries were labeled as gate-to-gate (covering a full chain process of pig iron production). The background input and output data from the blast furnace (BF) process have been inventoried as follows: sinter, several types of pellets, ore (from Brazil or Venezuela), limestone, coke, and from 2005 coal powder, pig iron, blast furnace gas, blast furnace slug, consumption of energy and fuels, including: pulverized coal, natural gas, blast furnace gas and coke oven gas, and emission of air pollutants.

Main feature

LCI energy generation was developed mainly on the basis of following sources: site specific measured or calculated data, study carried out by Mittal Steel Poland (MSP) Environmental Impact Report, study carried out by the Faculty of Mining Surveying and Environmental Engineering of the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, literature information, and expert consultations. The functional unit is represented by 1,504,088?Mg of pig iron, produced BF process. Time coverage is 2005. Operating parameters as well as air emissions associated with the BF process were presented. The production data (pig iron) was given. The emissions of SO₂, NO₂, CO, CO₂, aliphatic hydrocarbons, dust, heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, and Mn), and waste are the most important outcomes of the pig iron process.

Results

With regard to 1,504,088?Mg of pig iron produced by MSP, the consumption of coke, pulverized coal, sinters, pellets, and natural gas were 808,509, 16,921, 1,669,023, and 914,080?Mg, respectively. Other material consumption, industrial water, was 1,401,419 m³/year.

Conclusions

The LCI study is the first tentative study to express pig iron production in Poland in terms of LCA/LCI for the pig iron in steel industry. The results may help steel industry government make decisions in policy making. Presentation of the study in this paper is suitable for the other industries.

Recommendations and outlook

The LCI offers environmental information consisting on the list of environmental loads. The impact assessment phase aims the results from the inventory analysis more understandable and life cycle impact assessment will be direction for future research. Another issue to discuss is integration of LCA and risk assessment for industrial processed.     

Influence of climatic factors upon tree rings of Larix decidua and L. decidua × L. kaempferi from Pulawy,Poland

Summary Dendroclimatological techniques are used to assess the impact of climatic factors on tree-ring width of Larix decidua and L. decidua × L. kaempferi (= L. x eurolepis) growing in two experimental plots established in 1914 in south-west Poland. One plot included F₁ progeny grown from seeds of an artificial crossing between European and Japanese larch. The other plot included progeny from maternal trees of European larch. Total ring width, earlywood width and latewood widths were dated, standardized and related to monthly climatic data using response function and stepwise multiple regression analyses. Wide rings in larch are associated with high precipitation in May–July, cool conditions in July–September of the preceding year, and cool dry conditions in August. Ring widths in L. x eurolepis are more dependent upon precipitation than ring widths in L. decidua. Latewood widths in L. x eurolepis are more dependent on high temperatures in June and July than latewood in L. decidua as well as total width and earlywood measurements. Variations in latewood were relatively independent of variations in earlywood and total wood. The variability of ring widths in these larches was greater than the variability reported for larches in many alpine sites and for other conifer species in some regions of North America.     

What Comes First,Job Burnout or Secondary Traumatic Stress? Findings from Two Longitudinal Studies from the U.S. and Poland

This longitudinal research examined the directions of the relationships between job burnout and secondary traumatic stress (STS) among human services workers. In particular, using cross-lagged panel design, we investigated whether job burnout predicts STS at 6-month follow up or whether the level of STS symptoms explains job burnout at 6-month follow-up. Participants in Study 1 were behavioral or mental healthcare providers (N = 135) working with U.S. military personnel suffering from trauma. Participants in Study 2 were healthcare providers, social workers, and other human services professions (N = 194) providing various types of services for civilian trauma survivors in Poland. The cross-lagged analyses showed consistent results for both longitudinal studies; job burnout measured at Time 1 led to STS at Time 2, but STS assessed at Time 1 did not lead to job burnout at Time 2. These results contribute to a discussion on the origins of STS and job burnout among human services personnel working in highly demanding context of work-related secondary exposure to traumatic events and confirm that job burnout contributes to the development of STS.     

Oogenesis in Vimba vimba (L. 1758) from Drawieński National Park (NW Poland)

The objective of the studies was to analyse the process of oogenesis in vimba from a non-migratory population living in the waters of Drawieński National Park in north-west Poland. The character of spawning of this species is an obstacle in determining the right moment to catch spawners or developing artificial spawning biotechniques. Previtellogenesis of vimba begins about six months after hatching and lasts three years. The trophoplasmatic growth of oocytes (October-March/April) begins when carbohydrate vesicles appear near the nuclei oocytes of sexually mature females (aged 4+). Just before spawning, granulated, lipoprotein-like substances are cumulated. The resorption of pre-ovulation corpora lutea (non-ejected oocytes) and post-ovulation corpora lutea (ruptured theca folds and follicles) begins in the ovary of vimba in the middle of June. These were observed in histological cross sections for about two to three months. Describing the process of oogenesis can provide a foundation for developing practical applications in aquaculture aimed at preserving the biodiversity of the park's waters and this critically endangered species of the Polish ichthyofauna.     

Short shoots of Betula pendula Roth. as bioindicators of urban environmental pollution in Wrocław (Poland)

Concentrations of the elements Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, N, Ni, P, Pb and Zn were measured in leaves of Betula pendula from the polluted areas of Wrocław, Poland and from a control site, relatively free from pollution. From the same sampled trees, lengths of vegetative short shoots were measured to investigate the influence of environmental pollution. Length of the vegetative short shoots of B. pendula was positively influenced by the traffic intensity and by the concentration of Co, Cu, Fe, Ni and Pb in leaves of this species. Vegetative short shoots of B. pendula from polluted sites in Wrocław were significantly longer than that of the trees growing in a clean area. Thus, this feature may be used as a pollution bioindicator.     

Human Alveolar Echinococcosis in Poland: 1990–2011

Background

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) caused by Echinococcus multilocularis infections is a dangerous old disease in the Northern Hemisphere. The aim of the paper was to collect and analyze data on human AE in Poland in the last two decades.

Methodology/Principal Findings

The sources of data were both the cases officially registered and detected by an active field and laboratory surveillance. The cases were verified by clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory criteria. Altogether 121 human cases of AE were detected. Among these 83 (68,6%) cases were classified as confirmed, 16 as probable and 22 as possible. During the two decades a continuous increase in detection rate was noticed. The cases were 6–82 years old at the time of diagnosis (mean - 47.7 years). Sex ratio M/F was 0.86/1.0. The AE was fatal in 23 (19%) patients (mean age at death - 54.1 years). Family agglomeration of AE was found in 4 foci, involving 9 patients. Seventy six of the cases were diagnosed in an advanced stage of disease. In all cases the liver was the primary location of AE. In 30 (24.8%) patients a spread to other organs was observed. Ninety four of the patients were treated with albendazole. In 73 (60%) patients a surgical operation was performed, including 15 liver transplantations.

Conclusions/Significance

The studies confirmed that AE is an emerging disease in Poland, which is the fourth country in Europe with over 120 cases detected. The results also indicate the need of a wider national programme for implementation of screening in the highest AE risk areas (north-eastern Poland) with an effort to increase the public awareness of the possibility of contracting E. multilocularis, and above all, training of the primary care physicians in the recognition of the risk of AE to allow for an early detection of this dangerous disease.     

The adaptation of Dianthus carthusianorum L. (Caryophyllaceae) to growth on a zinc–lead heap in southern Poland

Plants of Dianthus carthusianorum from a calamine (zinc–lead) waste heap and from unpolluted stands were compared in the field and under controlled laboratory conditions. It was found that the waste-heap plants differed significantly from those in the normal population in respect to the following morphological traits: lower weight of aerial parts, shorter and narrower leaves, smaller number of leaves per plant. In combination with shorter, less numerous shoots, these features reduce the transpiration area of the plants. The general habit (predominance of forms with short and trailing shoots) of the waste-heap population points to adaptation to a xeric environment. Under controlled conditions all of the above traits were maintained through three successive generations. They are thus genetically controlled. Root tolerance tests showed that the waste-heap plants had higher tolerance to zinc and lead. These results indicate that strong selection processes have generated a clear ecotypical differentiation for heavy metal tolerance and drought tolerance in a zinc–lead-rich waste-heap population of D. carthusianorum (variety).     

Pimenta officinalis Lindl. (pimento,myrtle pepper) from early modern latrines in Gdańsk (northern Poland)

Fruits, seeds and embryos of Pimenta officinalis Lindl. syn. Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr. (Myrtaceae) have been found in Gdask (northern Poland) in latrines dated to the 18th century. This is one of the first few records of allspice from European archaeobotanical material. The paper presents morphological criteria used for the identification of allspice or myrtle pepper remains and briefly summarises the information on the introduction of this species to the Old World.     

The 9th International Conference on Life Cycle Management 2019—Poznań, Poland, 1-4 September 2019 (www.lcm2019.org)

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment -     

Occurrence of endophyte fungi on grasses in Poland – Review

The first reports from Pfannmöller et al. (1994) and Lewis (2000) regarding the level of Neotyphodium colonization of grasses in Poland identified ratios ranging from 20 % to 60 %. To date, the studies of endophytes in Poland have focused mainly on the rate of endophyte infection in subsequent years of plantation use, the effect of endophytes on turf performance and the occurrence of endophytes in cultivars of meadow fescue, tall fescue and perennial ryegrass. The aforementioned studies were mainly conducted on breeding varieties of grasses. From 2007 to 2009, intensive studies on Neotyphodium occurrence in ecotypes of wild grasses in Poland were conducted. The results suggest that Neotyphodium species are quite common in Poland and colonize roughly 70 % of semi-natural, used or abandoned grasslands. In this paper we review studies that have been conducted thus far in Poland regarding the occurrence of Neotyphodium spp. in grasses.     

Variations in Quercus sp. pollen seasons (1996–2011) in Poznań, Poland,in relation to meteorological parameters

The aim of this study is to supply detailed information about oak (Quercus sp.) pollen seasons in Poznań, Poland, based on a 16-year aerobiological data series (1996–2011). The pollen data were collected using a volumetric spore trap of the Hirst design located in Poznań city center. The limits of the pollen seasons were calculated using the 95 % method. The influence of meteorological parameters on temporal variations in airborne pollen was examined using correlation analysis. Start and end dates of oak pollen seasons in Poznań varied markedly from year-to-year (14 and 17 days, respectively). Most of the pollen grains (around 75 % of the seasonal pollen index) were recorded within the first 2 weeks of the pollen season. The tenfold variation was observed between the least and the most intensive pollen seasons. These fluctuations were significantly related to the variation in the sum of rain during the period second fortnight of March to first fortnight of April the year before pollination (r = 0.799; p < 0.001). During the analyzing period, a significant advance in oak pollen season start dates was observed (?0.55 day/year; p = 0.021), which was linked with an increase in the mean temperature during the second half of March and first half of April (+0.2 °C; p = 0.014). Daily average oak pollen counts correlated positively with mean and maximum daily temperatures, and negatively with daily rainfall and daily mean relative humidity.     

Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia spp. in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks found within the city of Białystok,Poland—first data

Pathogens carried by ticks pose a threat to both human and animal health across the world. Typically associated with rural landscapes, ticks appear to adapt well to life in urban recreational areas. Although Dermacentor reticulatus is commonly found across Europe, data on the prevalence of pathogens in this tick species, in an urban environment, are very limited. PCR was used to examine 368 D. reticulatus individuals collected in the Zwierzyniecki Forest Nature Reserve in Bia?ystok, Poland. In total, 10.3% of ticks were infected, with Babesia spp. (9.2%), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (0.8%) and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (0.3%). Rickettsia spp., Bartonella spp., and Coxiella burnetii were not detected. Sequence analysis for Babesia-positive samples identified 79.4% of them as Babesia canis, 8.8% as Babesia microti, 5.9% as Babesia spp., 2.9% as Babesia venatorum, and 2.9% as Babesia vogeli. Results obtained in this study indicate that D. reticulatus ticks found within the urban premises of the study area are infected with at least three pathogens and therefore are an important factor in public health risk for tick-borne diseases.

     

Pollen calendar for cracow (southern Poland), 1982–1991

Summary During 1982 – 1991 pollen deposition in the centre of Cracow (southern Poland) was investigated using the gravimetric method. 32 taxa of the 84 identified were taken into consideration, and nearly all of them can be allergenic. The beginning of mass pollen fall was observed in the second decade of March, and the third decade of September saw the completion of the yearly cycle of abundant appearance of pollen in the aeroplankton. Tree pollen dominates quantitatively.     

Can Chara control phosphorus cycling in Lake Łuknajno (Poland)?

Waters of Lake uknajno (623 ha, 3 m max. depth postglacial basin in Masurian Lakeland) are of meso-eutrophic type in spite of an intensive land impact and substantial phosphorus loading. The reason of this peculiarity is an abundance of 4 species of charophytes (Chara aculeolata, C. aspera, C. contraria and C. tomentosa) which dominate the submerged vegetation of the lake and yielded 417 g m^-2 dry biomass in summer 1991. The plants have high potential for phosphorus uptake and accumulation as was checked in laboratory experiments. Due to this potential Chara can outcompete planktonic algae in mixed cultures at different mineral P supplies.