The aim of the presented article was to determine the Hg content in the fruiting bodies of 13 generally consumed mushroom species (Boletus reticulatus, Clitocybe nebularis, Lactarius deliciosus, Macrolepiota procera, Russula spp., Suillus grevillei, Tricholoma spp.) growing at the area of abandoned mercury deposit Malachov. The Hg concentrations were analyzed by thermal decomposition-gold amalgamation atomic absorption spectroscopy, using AMA-254 Advanced Mercury Analyzer. The Hg concentrations in soil varied widely (ranging from 0.01 to 2.44mg·kg-1), furthermore, they were particularly depended on the mushroom species. The fruiting bodies of Russula ochroleuca contained the highest concentrations of Hg (up to 16.69mg·kg-1). The lowest concentrations were detected in Russula aeruginea (from 0.04 to 0.06 in stipe stems and from 0.05 to 0.06mg·kg-1 in pileus) and in Russula vesca (0.05 in stipe stems; 0.09mg·kg-1 in pileus). Mercury is preferentially accumulated in the mushroom pileus (ranging from 0.05 in Russula vesca to 16.69mg·kg-1 in Russula ochroleuca). The bioconcentration factor was calculated for the rate of the Hg content in soil substrate vs. its concentration in the mushroom pileus (ranging from 0.03 to 29.22). The results indicate that some investigated mushroom species can be referred as Hg excluders (e.g. Russula vesca) whereas some other species as accumulators (e.g. Russula ochroleuca or Tricholoma portentosum). The obtained results were compared with the Government Decrees of Slovak Republic, showing that the substantial part of the studied mushroom species exceed the legal tolerance limit (0.25 mg kg-1) suggested for Hg in plant food and therefore they can be considered as inappropriate for human consumption.

This article reports the results of a study concerning contamination of the dump-fields by potentially toxic elements at five abandoned copper mines: Ľubietová, Špania Dolina (Slovakia), Libiola, Caporciano (Italy) and São Domingos (Portugal). This paper offers an updated description of soil contamination at the individual deposits and indicates a possible solution of the derived environmental problems. Contamination of technosoils by PTEs at the dump-fields shows an irregular spatial distribution of Fe, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Sb and Pb. Contents of PTEs often exceed both national and EU law limits. Whereas at Ľubietová, Špania Dolina and Caporciano the environmental risk is limited, at Libiola and São Domingos it seems to be very heavy. The technosoil (slag) of the dump-fields is not well aerated and the soil colloids have (except for Špania Dolina) negative surface charge, so they are suitable for PTEs sorption. The main environmental risk in the mining area of Sao Domingos district is the long time formation of acid mine drainage water and the high Zn, As and Pb contents. The release of PTEs to the environmental components may be limited by phytostabilization and immobilization of metals, by suitable admixtures into the technosoil/slag. The environmental situation at Caporciano is not so compromised as at São Domingos mining area. Phytostabilization will be able to stop erosion, and installation of wetlands under the dump will stop the release of Cu to the environment.

The abandoned Malachov deposit belongs among the most important historic Hg deposits in the world. The soil, groundwater, surface water, plants, and animals are still heavily contaminated by potentially toxic elements such as As and Cd, but mainly by Hg. This article is focused on the Hg contamination of aquatic plants and animals in the Malachov creek. Mercury concentrations were measured in fresh water (on average 3 mu g L-1), in the zoobenthos (on average 362.47 mu g kg(-1)), and in the phytobenthos (on average 578.36 mu g kg(-1)). Higher Hg concentrations were determined in the muscles of Salmo trutta morpha fario (on average 362.47 mu g kg(-1)) and lower in Cottus poecilopus (on average 352.75 mu g kg(-1)). The Hg concentrations were higher in the internal tissues (578.36-1185.75 mu g kg(-1)) than in the muscles of the fish. The Hg content in fresh water exceeded Regulation of the Slovak Government No. 269/2010, which stipulates the criteria for achieving a proper water balance, but the Hg content in the fish muscles of both fish species was below the specified limit of the Food Code of Governmental Regulation of the Slovak Republic No. 608/3/2004-100. The Hg contamination in fishes is controlled by their weight and age. The presented data may be used as the base information for future studies in order to be able to estimate consumption recommendations and warnings.

Exploitation of ores has surely represented a risk for contamination of environmental matrices for a long time. This paper reports the results of a study concerning soil contamination by heavy metals at Libiola abandoned copper mine (Italy). This deposit has surely got special importance in Italy because of its historical, environmental and mining features. From a historical viewpoint, Libiola deposit was known since Copper Age, with maximum exploitation at the end of the 19th century. Our investigation plan was elaborated in order to characterize the environmental matrices there, and it provided for inspection of the zones (included in the valley of Gromolo stream) which, according to our preliminary studies and according to literature, could be most affected by past mining activity. Within our selected zones, some soils (even cultivated) were collected in order to check their contamination by heavy metals. Results from the analysis of the collected soil samples showed that the content of heavy metals often exceeds limits provided by the Italian Law 152/06. The knowledge of situation concerning pollution can give useful indications about the influence of mining activities on the surrounding environment, and it can also be valid support in order to organize an optimal future use of the studied mining area, which has been abandoned since its closure (1962).

In this work, the matrix characterization (mineralogy, total and local chemical composition, and total organic (TOC) and inorganic carbon (TIC) contents) of different types of sediments from mining- and metallurgy-influenced areas and the assessment of the impact of the matrix on the association of potentially hazardous metals with the mineral phases of these samples, which affect their mobility in the environment, are presented. For these purposes, sediment samples with different origins and from different locations in the environment were analyzed. Anthropogenic sediments from metal-rich post-flotation tailings (Lintich, Slovakia) represent waste from ore processing, natural river sediments from the Hornád River (Košice, Slovakia) represent areas influenced predominantly by the metallurgical industry, and lake sediments from a water reservoir Ružín (inflow from the Hornád and Hnilec Rivers, Slovakia) represent the impact of the metallurgical and/or mining industries. The total metal contents were determined by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, the local chemical and morphological microanalysis by scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and the TOC and TIC contents by infrared (IR) spectrometry. The mobility/bioavailability of Cu, Pb, and Zn in/from sediments at the studied areas was assessed by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and acetic acid (AA) extraction and is discussed in the context of the matrix composition. The contents of selected potentially hazardous elements in the extracts were determined by the high-resolution continuum source flame atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS FAAS).

The results of the potentially toxic elements imput to the representatives of the genus Pinus spp. and Quercus spp. at four selected closed Cu-deposits: L'ubietova (Slovakia), Libiola and Caporciano (Italy) and Sao Domingos (Portugal) are significantly complicated. The imput of the potentially toxic elements to the plants at mining areas in comparison with reference areas usually markedly differ. At the mining areas show the plants much more bioaccumulation of toxic elements into their organs. The bioavailability of individual toxic elements is mutable but in general relatively limited. Pinus spp. and Quercus spp. are for most elements excluders (bioconcentration factor BCF<1). Only Ag show extraordinary ability to high degree of bioconcentration. Also bioconcentration factor values in Pinus sp. at L'ubietova ore-field show high degree of Pb and Zn accumulation in studied plants. Zinc is in Pinus spp. and Quercus spp. accumulated in needles at all studied deposits. The translocation factor (TF) indicates that the other studied toxic elements are accumulated preferentially in roots. The studied plants are suitable only for phytostabilization of the potentially toxic elements.

This paper deals with the impact of mining on the e nvironment. Coal mining is still among the most wid espread and most intense mining activity, which disturbs the landscape aroun d us bringing regional environmental, economic and esthetic problems. However, for many countries in the world, including the Czech Re public, deposits of raw materials play an important role, especially for purposes of producing electricity and thermal energy. At the sa me time, growing emphasis laid on the environmental protection can be observed worldwide. To meet the increasing ecological demand s, it is reasonable to consider the most significan t spects of mining activities from the environmental point of view, as well as to cons ider the possibilities of the abandoned mines utili zation as possible waste dumps. Parts of this problem consist in: the monitoring, environmen tal impacts assessment of exploration and mining ac tivities and waste disposal mining, which may significantly contribute to the environme ntal protection in the future. Several parameters t hat can significantly affect the usability of the waste disposal mining, such as geological st ructure, hydro-geological conditions, material comp osition and physical and mechanical properties of rocks are discussed in detail in this work. The article also includes a practical example of En vironmental Impact Assessment process for the parti cular activity of OKD stock company, which is the only producer of hard coal (b ituminous coal) in the Czech Republic. Its coal is mined in the southern part of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin – in the Ostrava-Karv iná coal district.

Heavy-metal contamination of Pinus pinaster, P. sylvestris, Quercus robur, and Q. rotundifolium was studied in four abandoned historic Cu deposits from Italy (Libiola, Caporciano), Portugal (São Domingos), and Slovakia (L'ubietová). The highest Cu and Mn contents in anthropogenic soil were described in Libiola and Caporciano whereas the highest Pb, Zn, As, and Sb contents in São Domingos. The anthropogenic soil in L'ubietová shows the highest Co contents. The area of São Domingos is the most acidified. There are important differences between the bioaccumulation of plants from individual deposits. Bioavailability of the heavy metals is generally independent of the pH values. The high Ca and Mg contents in soil are able to block the transport of heavy metals to the plant tissues. The bioconcentration factor values of all plant taxa, in all deposits, indicate a predominant strategy of excluders. Only Ag shows excellent bioconcentration ability. In L'ubietová, Pinus sylvestris has a strategy as an accumulator of Pb (2.43) and Zn (2.49); Pinus pinaster of Mn (4.97), Cd (1.85), and Co (5.62) and Quercus rotundifolium of Mn (3.54) in São Domingos. The predominantly low translocation factor values indicate that in most cases the heavy metals are accumulated in roots; only in a few rare cases do they migrate to shoots (e.g. Zn in Pinus sp. from all localities, Co in P. pinaster in São Domingos).

Abstract. Heavy-metal contamination of Pinus pinaster, P. sylvestris, Quercus robur, and Q. rotundifolium was studied in four abandoned historic Cu deposits from Italy (Libiola, Caporciano), Portugal (São Domingos), and Slovakia (L'ubietová). The highest Cu and Mn contents in anthropogenic soil were described in Libiola and Caporciano whereas the highest Pb, Zn, As, and Sb contents in São Domingos. The anthropogenic soil in L'ubietová shows the highest Co contents. The area of São Domingos is the most acidified. There are important differences between the bioaccumulation of plants from individual deposits. Bioavailability of the heavy metals is generally independent of the pH values. The high Ca and Mg contents in soil are able to block the transport of heavy metals to the plant tissues. The bioconcentration factor values of all plant taxa, in all deposits, indicate a predominant strategy of excluders. Only Ag shows excellent bioconcentration ability. In L'ubietová, Pinus sylvestris has a strategy as an accumulator of Pb (2.43) and Zn (2.49); Pinus pinaster of Mn (4.97), Cd (1.85), and Co (5.62) and Quercus rotundifolium of Mn (3.54) in São Domingos. The predominantly low translocation factor values indicate that in most cases the heavy metals are accumulated in roots; only in a few rare cases do they migrate to shoots (e.g. Zn in Pinus sp. from all localities, Co in P. pinaster in São Domingos).

Economic activity has always been linked with the natural and social environment in which it develops, no activity is conceived that does not interact with any element of the environment in which it operates, the absence of environmental awareness has been one of the main reasons why until into the twentieth century scholars of the economy have not addressed in depth analysis of the economy-environment interaction. From the point of view of sustainable development, it is concerned about the economic expansion of the world economy causing irreparable damage to our planet.Environmental economics is the focus on economic analysis of the process through political decisions related to environmental protection. Environmental policy is a major area of development policies in economic theory whose short-and long-term have a profound impact on human development. Environmental policy develops methods and instruments for the treatment of global environmental problems.From a policy perspective, environmental policy economy is related to the creation and attribution of value. Environmental policies that define man's relationship with the environment include the rules affecting the use of natural resources.

The paper deals with the study of problems relating o classification of energy sources, in particular from the perspective of their position in covering of energy needs of country or economic sector. Classification of energy sources i s currently often viewed as a set of fixed categories, but taking a closer look and maki ng a deeper analysis can defined a number of criter ia that might determine the final importance and position of resources in the context of complex connections. The composition of energy sources was analysed on a sample of nine countries, which was conceived with the intent o cover various kinds of standard and specific ty pes of energy mixes. In the paper, several criteria for assessing the quantitative and qualitative nature of energy sources were defined. Sectoral, temporal, spatial and scale framework for the validity of the assessment were a lso defined. In the analysis, the attention was foc used on the electricity sector and partially on the sector of transport. The results o f the analysis indicate that in different condition s, the same energy source or group can be categorised in a different way, which may have a si gnificant impact on the application of legislation in terms of the use of control, support and regulatory instruments. The analysis took into account in particular the aspects, which complement the recently published papers analyzed this complex issue.

The issue of capillary active calcium silicate insulation used in the systems of energy redevelopment of historic buildings is a very up-to-date topic. This article describes the properties of the developed material structures built on cement composites with a defined inner surface using industrial waste materials containing aluminosilicates. The article presents the structures containing fly ashes from heating plants improving the rheological properties of the mixture and the latent hydraulic properties allowing a reduction of the necessary amount of the binding matrix, represented by cement in this case, which has a direct impact on the economy of the final material. The aim of the developed material is to extend the segment of capillary thermal insulation board materials used for the purpose of energy redevelopment of historic buildings. The article will present the parameters evaluating the capillary activity of the material, the coefficient of diffusion resistance, the thermal conductivity coefficient and the physical and mechanical properties. The acquired values are then implemented into the simulation software Delphin, taking into account the moisture transport in porous materials under non-stationary conditions. The output of the software is a simulation describing the developed material in time, after the incorporation into a moisture-defined building structure showing a disruption of the waterproofing layers of the lower structure.

The Stiavnicke lakes located in the vicinity of Banska Stiavnica (Slovakia) represent unique, historical engineering works that are part of UNESCO's World Heritage. From the scientific point of view, lake sediments from an area rich in silver, gold, lead, and other metals, which have been mined and processed here for over 1000 years, could become a valuable historical research material. Sediment sampling has been performed according to STN ISO 5667-12. Sediment samples were collected from water reservoirs Bakomi, Rozgrund, and Vindsachta. Potentially toxic elements in sediments were analyzed by AAS spectrometry. The Bakomi water reservoir sediments contained on average (in mg.kg(-1)): Cd 2, Cu 17, Mn 530, Pb 94 and Fe 27,601. Sediments taken from the Vindsachta area contained on average (in mg.kg(-1)): Cd 2, Cu 30, Mn 980, Pb 96 and Fe 26,884. The sediment in Rozgrund differed significantly from the sediments of other lakes. The sediments of the Rozgrund area, whose reservoir has not been drained in 270 years, contained on average (in mg.kg(-1)): Cd 6, Cu 39, Mn 1,471, Pb 205 and Fe 37,786. The concentration profile of sediments was examined to the depth of 42cm, while in one case (Mn in the reservoir sediment) the gradual increase of concentration with depth was observed. Concentration anomalies associated with depth were not detected in the examined metals. Concentration anomalies associated with mining or severe air pollution were not detected in the examined metals.

One encounters many challenges during life which he/she must stand to and solve within a certain timeframe, and the tasks may be simple, difficult, complicated and uninteresting from a subjective point of view, neutral, appealing or attractive. The time of university studies is, in this context, a period during which a young individual must fulfil a variety of tasks related to learning and education. He/she should, for example, attend lectures, seminars and exercises, prepare and present seminar papers at pre-determined times, perform the duties necessary to obtain the individual credits, pass exams from the given subjects, know his/her learning style and, based on that, study in an efficient and independent manner. If a learner cannot comply with the study-related tasks on time, he/she has a problem. The statements described above make it clear that a success in learning is also linked with personal qualities and skills, because many of them determine whether and to what extent a student will have a tendency to put aside the learning duties (procrastinate). The content of the word procrastination is not defined in a uniform way. Where experts agree is the fact that the numbers of procrastinating individuals have been increasing and that university students represent a notable share of this number. The situation regarding procrastination of the students of the VSB - Technical University of Ostrava and the Slovak Agricultural University in Nitra has been investigated using a questionnaire.

This study quantified selected emissions (carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides) that are produced during combustion of beech wood, birch wood and spruce wood charcoal in the combustion tube furnace. The maximum concentration of carbon monoxide and also the nitrogen oxides have been measured in the case of the spruce wood charcoal. The minimum concentration of carbon monoxide and also nitrogen oxides have been measured in the case of the beech wood charcoal. Although the difference between maximum emissions concentration of examined samples has been smooth. The comparison of obtained results with data published by previous studies can be made a suggestion, that the maximum concentrations of measured emissions are higher for wood than for charcoal. The nitrogen oxides yield per weight loss is higher for wood than for charcoal. On the other hand the carbon monoxide yield is higher for charcoal than for wood.

The article deals with energy rehabilitation of a building with damaged waterproofing of its lower structure. The reference construction is made of fired bricks, whose functional properties are perfectly fine, but the thermal insulation properties are insufficient for this time. The most common solution of such a problem is the application of a thermal insulating material based on expanded polystyrene on the building envelope. Unfortunately, these solutions often entail the risk of moisture problems in places that appeared to be dry before. The article compares the current solution with the new one relying on material based on calcium silicate [4] with high moisture transport capabilities as an alternative insulation of these buildings.

This paper deals with the impact of mining on the environment. Coal mining is still among the most widespread and most intense mining activity, which disturbs the landscape around us. For many countries, including the Czech republic, deposits of raw materials play an important role, especially for purposes of producing electricity and thermal energy. Part sof these problem are: the monitoring, environmental impacts assesment of exploration and mining activities and waste disposal mining, which may significantly contribute to the environmental protection in the future.

Mining coal in opencast mining not only brings positive economic benefits, but also serious negative consequences, involving the destruction of biological productivity of the landscape, its hygienic, aesthetic and social values. These socially significant issues to be addressed by corrective measures, which are the remediation and reclamation of mining areas devastated. Their task is to modify and restore the landscape to suit the system of reclamation measures not only the economic interests of human society, but also ecologically, it is in favor of newly created nature.

The study area has been greatly affected by mining activities and other anthropogenic activities since it falls within the so-called Ostrava-Karvina Coal District. Morphological variations in time by temporal variations in subsidence basins by underground mining activities in the Moravia-Silesian Region in the north-east of the Czech Republic was investigated in this article. Subsidence was observed in the four time intervals of 1983-1990, 1983-1995, 1983-2000, and 1983-2005. Relationships between estimated subsidence during time period of 2003-2010 and municipality land use plans were identified by overlay analyses. There is a clear impact on the land use plans caused by varying thoroughness of the urban planners. As the result of the observations in these periods, underground mining activities considerably had a negative impact on the current built-up area. Despite this, the built-up area erected on the most affected subsidence interval of "500-1200 cm" during the last time period of 1983-2005 is only 1%. According to the Land Use Plan Categorization, development planned for the most impacted subsidence interval of "500-1200 cm" is in the U_V_0 category of Unspecified Production Zone and also in the U_DL_2 zone of mining interest. This development area covers 1.54% of the overall planned development. Analyses related with slope deformation in the study area imply that there are three active areal shaped slide areas, one so-called other areal shaped slide area (55.6 ha) and three active very small slide areas. A possible risk is posed by the active areal shaped slide areas which have an overall surface area of 12.05 ha. As the main results of this study; it was found that the subsidence distribution implies trends which confirm that the area unaffected by subsidence impacts decreased over time due to the expansion of the subsidence basin, and thus a re-distribution of impacts occurred in the study area. These impacts were caused by black coal mining in the Karvina Mine, the CSA Plant and in allotments of Karvina-Doly I, Doubrava and Darkov. As another result; the analyses showed that impacts of subsidence in the area had not properly considered in the planning of future development.