The paper presents the results of laboratory-scale tests of Polish hard coal steam gasification process combined with CO2 capture by absorption on CaO in a single step. Polish coal mine Piast was selected as a coal samples supplier based on the coal resources, quality, price and reactivity which makes it a potential supplier for a future full-scale gasification system. Steam gasification tests were conducted in a vertical fixed bed reactor at the temperature range of948-I I 73K in three series: with addition of CaO layered on a coal sample (II), mixed with a coal sample (111) and without adding CaO (I). The CaO increased both the hydrogen yield and content in gaseous products mixture in comparison with series l. As expected, mixing of CaO with coal sample improved the effects in terms of hydrogen yield and concentration in outlet gas when compared with CaO layered on a coal sample. An effective CO2 absorption was observed in tests with CaO mixed with a coal sample and at relatively low temperatures. At higher temperatures a reaction resulting in CO2 concentration increase in the produced gas mixture was observed.

The paper presents a mature concept of an intelligent monitoring system of air pollution inflow and its realization in the form of a SINZaP system lunched at Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas (]ETU) in 2006. SINZaP is a real time operating system resembling a neural network. It is designed for modeling of pollutant emissions and air pollutants concentrations, addressed to specialists or decision makers responsible for air quality management. For modeling of emission and air pollutants concentrations in SIZNaP system, a back trajectory model -BackTrack has been used, which is based on YLSTRACK model. The essential feature ofthe BackTrack model is the application of back trajectories in the selection of emission sources influencing a given receptor. For modeling of trajectories BackTrack uses three-dimensional wind fields, friction velocity, MoninObukhov length and mixing layer height. SINZaP consists of four main modules: (I) data module including data scanner for reading public data accessible in the Internet, (2) module for preparation of meteorological data, (3) BackTrack module for simulations of pollutants emissions and simulations of air pollutants concentrations, and (4) Trainer module, the task ofwhich is correction of input parameters for adjusting modeling and observed data.

The paper is focused on use of renewable energy sources for energy production with special attention paid to the biomass wastes. Type and potential of wastes biomass, which can be used for production of electric and thermal energy, were generally characterized, use of the biomass as energy source in Poland was discussed, existing reserves were estimated and basic strategic-and-legal acts, which refer to the considered problem were presented. A type of possible activities to increase the amount of alternative energy produced in Poland, in the light of requirement to achieve a determined ecological-and-energy target resulting from international agreements and EU legislation, were indicated.