Geology, Geophysics & Environment
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ISSN 2299-8004
e-ISSN: 2353-0790
Issue Date
2013
Volume
Vol. 39
Number
No. 4
Description
Journal Volume
Geology, Geophysics & Environment
Vol. 39 (2013)
Projects
Pages
Articles
An attempt to identify traffic related elements in snow
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2013) Adamiec, Ewa; Wieszała, Robert; Strzebońska, Magdalena; Jarosz-Krzemińska, Elżbieta
The main objective of this article is an attempt to use snow as an indicator in the process of assessing and identifying vehicle-derived elements pollution. The aim of the present study is to characterize traffic-related elements in snow collected from three sites: a parking place, a highway and a relatively unpolluted airfield. Several recent studies suggest that road traffic is considered to be one of the major sources of environmental pollution in urban areas. In order to avoid the problem of low emission from household furnaces, samples were collected far away from residential buildings. Snow located near roads with heavy traffic seems to be a very useful tool and indicator of traffic-related elements released into the environment. Snow acts as a natural filter for various chemical elements and particles. Snow is an efficient scavenger of aerosol and air pollutants, usually remains on the ground for sampling after the event, moreover, snowmelt contaminates soil. In the present study filtered (0.45 µm) samples of melted snow were analyzed with ICP-MS. The results show significantly higher concentrations of elements in snow collected at the parking lot and at the highway when compared to samples taken from a relatively unpolluted airfield. Research on exploitation dust (break, tire, clutch) was performed with SEM-EDS.
2D Electrical Resistivity Tomography interpretation ambiguity - example of field studies supported with analogue and numerical modelling
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2013) Bania, Grzegorz; Ćwiklik, Michał
Single Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) survey was carried out in the Manor and Park Complex in Nowa Huta (Krakow Branice, Poland). It was applied at a small distance and parallel to the longer wall of a monumental building containing an empty 3 m deep basement. Analogue modelling was performed in order to recreate the field study at the proper scale. The laboratory set-up consisted of a water tank where electrodes were mounted to the particular plate, which rested on water surface. The basement model was made out of a non-conducting material. The default and robust inversions were tested and these variants were also considered with the use of numerical modelling. Laboratory experiments have confirmed that zones visible in the interpreted field section are caused by the influence of the building cellar located next to the survey line. Zones of this kind are additionally disturbed by the local geological structure. The experiment has pointed out, among others, that as the distance between the survey line and the underground body increases, the inversion results are still burdened by an object influence. Thus, similar situations can be verified with the use of analogue modelling presented in this paper or 3D numerical one.
Sorption of saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons on selected coal sample from the Pniówek mine
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2013) Baran, Paweł; Cygankiewicz, Janusz; Krzyżanowski, Andrzej M.; Zarębska, Katarzyna
Type, amount and composition of gases which form in rocks and coals during a metamorphism process depend on a number of factors in particular genetic type of original matter, way and conditions of its gathering, temperature, pressure and geological time. Sorption tests were done by the volumetric method, with the use of adsorption micro-burettes. A major advantage of the measurement set-up is that the surplus amounts of adsorbate can be used in experiments, which is of particular importance when handling sorbents with heterogeneous structure, such as hard coals. Sorbates used in the test program were the vapours of hexane, hex-1-ene, heptane, hept-1-ene, octane and benzene. Measurement results seem to corroborate the hypothesis that sorption of polar substance vapours is chiefly a surface process. Polarity of hard coals, mostly associated with the presence of reactive oxygen groups (nitrogen and sulphuric groups), largely affects the sorption of polar substances and in a most characteristic manner controls the sorption of apolar ones. In the case of the latter, sorption is induced by the action of the dispersive interaction force between the coal surface and the sorbate's polar molecules. The pattern of sorption isotherms indicates that the presence of dual bond affects the sorbent-sorbate interactions and hence the sorption capacity of investigated coals.
Characterization of near-surface sediments based on Electrical Resistivity Tomography measurements in the vicinity of the Wawel Hill (Krakow, Poland)
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2013) Ćwiklik, Michał
The Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) method was applied at the SW foot of the Wawel Hill was applied. The survey was carried out along five survey lines (P1-P5), 50 m long each. The Wenner alpha array with spacing a = 0.5 m, 1.0 m, 1.5 m, 2.0 m, 2.5 m, 4.0 m, 5.5 m, 7.5 m, and 10.0 m was used. The basic electrode spacing was 0.5 m. In apparent resistivity contours and sections we can distinguish two zones, which have noticeably different resistivity values. The low resistivity zone dominates in the deeper part of the section on all survey lines, especially on the profiles located in the close neighbourhood of the Vistula River. The relative high resistivity zone is probably the effect of complex local geology, as well as the influence of the limestone of the Wawel Hill. Based on ERT inversion results, three resistivity zones were distinguished. Then the probable lithological or/and anthropogenic character was assigned to them. The shallowest zone has the thickness of about 0.5 m and results probably from accumulation of weathered limestone fragments derived from the Wawel Hill. It may be that high resistivity zones have anthropogenic character. Below, a zone of water-bearing sands was recorded, which may result from redevelopment and reclamation of this area. Thickness of this zone increases towards the Vistula River. Another zone, which can be identified with limestone, was identified on survey lines P4 and P5. This could also be result of accumulation of the calcareous debris for the purpose of planation of the area. In order to generalize and simplify the characterization of the quaternary sediments, ID interpretation was made. The method allows us to estimate the depth of groundwater, which in that place is about 5 m.
Suitability study of using birch and willow trees in phytoremediation of acidic waste settlers
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2013) Jarosz-Krzemińska, Elżbieta; Adamiec, Ewa
Research addresses the issue of assessing the possibility of using birch and willow trees in phytoremediation of acidic waste settlers. In order to determine the suitability of these trees to bioaccumulate metals it was crucial to first characterized the physico-chemical parameters of the waste. Both waste and leaves samples were analyzed with respect to heavy metals concentration using microwave digestion (cone. HNO3) procedure followed by AAS analyzes. Moreover, the mobility of contaminants from waste was studied using aqueous leaching test as well as sequential extraction procedures. Investigated waste is very inhomogeneous and is characterized with diversity of pH values within sampling points (2.9-7.0) as well as with high concentration of $SO_{4}^{2-}$ anions (1203-1301 mg/dm$^{3}$), Fe (11-19%) and Zn (64-172 mg/kg). Ability to accumulate metals in birch and willow leaves is high. In birch leaves Zn was accumulated up to toxic level of 431 mg/kg, Mn up to 790 mg/kg, Cu up to 9 mg/kg, Pb up to 21 mg/kg. In willow leaves Zn concentration were found to be even higher and reached 679 mg/kg. Concentrations of remaining metals in willow leaves were as follows: Mn up to 173 mg/kg, Cu up to 17 mg/kg and Pb up to 10 mg/kg. Research results confirmed that both birch and willow trees growing on settlers have high tolerance to the adverse living conditions caused by metal stress and low pH of the foundation. These trees can be used for the purpose of phytoremediation of investigated waste settlers.