Abstract:The aim of this study was to assess the mercury concentration in bottom sediments, collected from eight reservoirs located in south-eastern Poland. A DMA-80 Mercury Analyser was used for the analysis of the concentration of mercury in bottom sediments. Concentration of mercury in sediments was between 0.01-0.18 mg•kg −1 . The research results show that 13 samples are above the Polish Hg background level. Only 9 samples are below the background level. Generally, the sediments belonged to class I and II (unpolluted and moderately polluted sediments). The concentration of mercury in bottom sediments follows the order: Rybnik (highest) > Bagna Rzeszowskie > Rzeszów > Ożanna > Brzóza Stadnicka > Brzóza Królewska > Głuchów > Narożniki (lowest). The low mercury content in sediments is related to absent or limited anthropogenic sources of this metal. Elevated concentrations of Hg in bottom sediments of the reservoirs in Rybnik and Bagna Rzeszowskie are related to their proximity to large agglomerations and industrial plants. Organic matter was likely to be the most important factors controlling the concentration and distribution of mercury in the studied sediments.

Abstract. The aim of the study is to estimate the theoretical capacity of coal deposits in terms of carbon dioxide storage and methane recovery estimate during the injection of carbon dioxide. The Multiple Sorption Model was used for this purpose. The range of sorption measurement data on which the simulations were based does not exceed the critical point for both methane and carbon dioxide. The model allows to calculate absorption, adsorption, expansion and total theoretical sorption. For further consideration absorption was used as the process of the percolation of the gas in the bulk of the coal matter as well as the total theoretical sorption, the occurrence of which is possible due to the presence of fractures in the coal seam. Calculated levels of absorption and the total theoretical adsorption were applied to estimate the possible storage capacity of carbon dioxide based on the data associated with the content of coal in the mining fields of individual Polish coal mines. Moreover, MSM development for the gas mixture sorption can be used to roughly assess the recovery of methane naturally occurring in coal deposits during such a process.

Abstract. In the environment, mercury undergoes constant changes and gets into soils or waters through atmospheric precipitation. It is quickly sorbed by mineral and organic colloids which occur in water and transported in the form of a suspension or accumulated in bottom sediment. Quality of sediments is an essential indicator of water pollution with this element. The aim of this paper was to an assessment of mercury content in bottom sediments of retention reservoirs in south-eastern Poland. The sediments were analyzed for mercury content. DMA-80 Mercury Analyzer was used for the analysis. The research results showed that average content of Hg in the majority of the studied bottom sediments did not exceed the geochemical background value, the sediments belonged to class 1 (unpolluted sediments). Evaluation of the state of sediments with the use of the geoaccumulation index and the pollution coefficient revealed moderate pollution of bottom sediments of the reservoirs in Rzeszów, Ożanna, Brzóza Stadnicka, Brzóza Królewska, Narożniki, Głuchów and considerable pollution of sediments from Rybnik and Bagna Rzeszowskie. Low mercury content in the studied sediments is generally related to lack of anthropogenic sources of this metal