Goal 13. Climate action

Inhibiting the increase in the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere coming mainly from the combustion of fuels is a challenge for the modern world. The question arises of what to do to reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. It seems that 
the best way to solve this problem is to use carbon dioxide as a raw material for the production of useful compounds such as methane, methanol, dimethyl ether, formic acid and others. This approach will reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere and include it in the process of industrial recirculation. The Department of Molecular Engineering at TUL (Faculty of Process and Environmental Engineering) conducts research on the design at the molecular level and production using plasma of thin-film catalytic systems with high stability and activity, the purpose of which is to be used in industrial modern structural reactors intended for CO2 hydrogenation processes leading to the production of useful products.

Currently, in Poland, 95% of energy comes from coal combustion, while Poland and Germany jointly emit about 25% of carbon dioxide produced throughout Europe for the needs of the power industry. Before alternative energy generation methods are
sufficiently developed, it is necessary to improve the technology for removing CO2 from waste gases.

The INVITES project developed two potentially most effective gas absorption technologies, i.e. stationary fillings dedicated to the purification of gas streams from CO2 and RPB (Rotating Packed Bed) technology. The INVITES project was carried out as part of the Polish-German cooperation for sustainable development "STAIR".

A consortium was established to implement the project, including the German company ENVIMAC, while the Polish side is represented by employees of the Department of Environmental Engineering at TUL (Faculty of Process and Environmental Engineering ) and OMNIKON.

Transparent elements of external partitions, in terms of physical parameters, are one of the weakest elements of the building's housing. The value of the heat transfer coefficient of glazing is on average four times higher than that of opaque partitions, which causes a significant increase in heat loss in winter. In addition, in summer, their relatively high solar permeability is a source of undesirable heat gains, causing overheating of rooms and entire buildings.

The implementation of the project assumes the development, implementation and testing of an innovative system that allows to improve the energy efficiency of the building and its functional properties, promote environmentally friendly technologies and sustainable and effective use of solar radiation energy.

In this way, the energy efficiency of buildings is improved and thus significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the energy consumption of the building. The project was carried out at the Department of Environmental Engineering at TUL (Faculty of Process and Environmental Engineering ).

The TEAC calculation programme developed at Lodz University of Technology is used to analyse Energy Clusters. It will facilitate: the definition of an urban area considered as an Energy Cluster, carry out an analysis of thermo-modernisation of the analysed area, check the possibility of using renewable energy sources, carry out an economic analysis (financial viability) and an ecological analysis (environmental viability) of the indicated area.

This type of analysis can be useful for the development of distributed energy (popularisation of renewable energy sources in residential buildings), the development of smart-grid areas and the improvement of energy security, as well as for the planning of sustainable urban areas. 

One of the effects of climate change is the occurrence of weather anomalies, including heavy rains. Drainage systems
in cities, generally built about 100 years ago, now pose many problems. Popular difficulties include, among others, hydraulic overload, flooding and so-called urban floods (resulting, among others, from the increase in sealed surfaces and climate change, manifested by more frequent occurrence of intense rainfall), emission of pollutants into the aquatic environment, disruption of the natural water cycle.

For this reason, it is necessary to analyse the functioning, modelling and modernization of sewage systems. Among the activities undertaken to get rid of obstacles, it is worth mentioning the need to manage rainwater, among others, with the use of green infrastructure and systems for their collection and economic use, as well as optimization of the operation of sewage treatment plants and the study of pollutant emissions to the aquatic environment and the possibility of reducing it. It is also important to monitor precipitation and the quantity and quality of sewage in the sewage system (also online).

Systemy odwodnień w miastach, budowane na ogół ok. 100 lat temu, stwarzają obecnie wiele problemów. Wśród popularnych utrudnień wyróżnić należy m.in. przeciążenie hydrauliczne, wylania i tzw. powodzie miejskie (wynikające m.in. ze wzrostu powierzchni uszczelnionych i zmian klimatycznych, przejawiających się częstszym występowaniem intensywnych opadów), emisję zanieczyszczeń do środowiska wodnego, zakłócenie naturalnego obiegu wody. Z tego powodu konieczna jest analiza funkcjonowania, modelowanie i modernizacja systemów kanalizacyjnych. Wśród podejmowanych czynności, mających na celu pozbycie się utrudnień, wspomnieć warto o potrzebie zagospodarowania wód opadowych, m.in. z zastosowaniem zielonej infrastruktury i systemów do ich gromadzenia i gospodarczego wykorzystania, jak również o optymalizacji pracy oczyszczalni ścieków oraz badaniu emisji zanieczyszczeń do środowiska wodnego i możliwości jej ograniczania. Ważny jest także monitoring opadów atmosferycznych oraz ilości i jakości ścieków w systemie kanalizacyjnym (również online).

Lodz University of Technology, together with Embassy of Switzerland in Poland, was the organiser of the exhibition ‘CLEANTECH - technology for a green future.’ This unique mobile presentation presented innovative technological solutions developed by Swiss researchers and entrepreneurs in areas such as water management, agriculture, electromobility, recycling and energy. It was attended by the staff and students of TUL, for whom the event was an inspiration to collaborate on a sustainable future. The exhibition was accompanied by two seminars: 'The importance of new technologies in sustainable development' and a student seminar on sustainability projects.

TUL, as one of two Polish universities, has joined the Race-to-Zero initiative, which is carried out in collaboration with the EAUC (the Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education), Second Nature and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The aim of the initiative is to develop a plan and take action to halve greenhouse gases by 2030. There are 1118 universities in total from around the world participating in the initiative.

In 2021 Lodz University of Technology signed an agreement with the State Treasury - Podlasie Voivodeship Office in Białystok and Warsaw School of Economics - for the free use of the Electronic Documentation Management System (EZD PUW). A test version of the system was prepared and launched by the appointed team for EZD implementation at TUL. Ultimately, paper correspondence will be replaced by electronic communication.

The elimination of paper will improve the exchange of correspondence and management of processes, reduce the costs of the university's operation and, above all, protect the forests. Particular hope in the smooth introduction of EZD PUW system lies in the involvement of the coordinators of this system in the university units. Since autumn, they have been the first line support in organising and conducting training courses.

Lodz University of Technology, in a consortium with business partners from Poland and Turkey, will develop a backyard wind turbine capable of cooperation and integration with other Renewable Energy Sources. The consortium, in which TUL is the leader, includes two Polish companies: Enerwis and Ergos related to energy, and a Turkish start-up Devecitech, developer of the Enlil smart turbine. As part of the project, TUL will design a generator and test a prototype turbine under urban conditions. The starting point for the research is the Turkish Enlil wind turbine, and the aim is to develop an innovative and highly efficient wind turbine with a vertical axis of rotation. The turbine will be suitable for urban and suburban applications, generating energy not only from natural wind, but also from wind generated by vehicle traffic, for example. Ergos will develop the control and automation systems tailored to the needs of the machine under development, and Enerwis will be responsible for ensuring that the developed prototype meets the requirements of the renewable energy market and for working with external partners.

TUL was a content partner of the Third Business and Sustainable Development Forum - Lodz 2022, an event organised by the Lodz Voivodeship. Discussions and lectures focused, among other things, on building and promoting an innovative economy with sustainable development principles. The programme of the event included panel discussions, talks with specialists representing various industries, speeches by experts and a debate in the area of transformation and the challenges it entails. The wide spectrum of topics made it possible for the Forum to look at the challenges of the modern economy from various perspectives that set the desired directions for the development of the region and companies. As part of the Forum, TUL researchers led two panel discussions: ‘Challenges in the area of carbon footprint reduction in organisations’ and ‘Technologies of Tomorrow - a TUL debate: RES + Intelligent Energy Management + Energy Independence?’

Climate change resulting from global warming is one of the greatest challenges facing science today, so it is fundamental to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, primarily carbon dioxide. Researchers from the Faculty of Process and Environmental Engineering at TUL are coming up with an answer to this problem. A Polish-Czech team of researchers is working on optimising a modern technology for capturing carbon dioxide from flue gases discharged into the atmosphere. The research is being conducted in RPB (Rotating Packed Bed) reactors which make it possible to achieve a higher efficiency of the absorption process thanks to the use of centrifugal force. The innovation of the project lies in the fact that this type of reactor is currently very rarely used in industry. The project will develop numerical CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) process design methods, the validation of which in individual areas of the RPB reactor will be the task of the project partners.

TUL researchers participate in the European FLEXIndustries consortium, which brings together 36 European institutions. Experts from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at TUL and the company K-FLEX Łódź - Uniejów are among the members from Poland. As part of the Horizon Europe project, more than €17 million will be allocated for solutions supporting smart energy transformation in large industrial plants. The project will result in the development of demonstration installations in large industrial plants producing insulation materials, steel, cement, paper, biofuels, as well as from the automotive and pharmaceutical industries. Over a period of four years, the consortium partners will implement intelligent systems to ensure reduced energy consumption, use of renewable energy sources, recovery of waste heat and reduction of CO2 emissions. Each of the demonstration plants will be equipped with advanced monitoring systems to adapt to changing operating conditions. It is estimated that the project could directly save 154 GWh of electricity and €6.0 million each year. Participants in the consortium hope that the good practices developed in the project will pave the way for similar transformations in other European industrial plants.

Researchers from the Department of Environmental Biotechnology at TUL together with the National Sugar Company, have received PLN 19 million from the National Centre for Research and Development to develop an innovative process for drying pulp using waste heat and obtaining functional feed components, as part of the circular economy of sugar factories. The focus is on developing a new way of drying wet pulp, which is the residue of sugar beet after sugar extraction. An innovative belt dryer will be designed and built, using the excess heat that accompanies sugar production. The role of the TUL researchers is to develop bio-components to enrich the dried pulp used for feed purposes. Measurable effects from the implementation of the technology developed by TUL researchers will include: the provision of a product with a lower level of contamination and an improvement in roughage parameters, through the introduction of bio-components enriched in protein and other nutrients in the production process. An important aspect of the project is the efficient use of products from domestic GMO-free crops. The AGROTECH project fits in very well with the policy of sustainable development. Thanks to the innovative technology, there will be a reduction in CO2 emissions and other compounds into the atmosphere, as well as a reduction in the use of fossil fuels. The project is scheduled to run for 32 months. The innovative technology will be implemented at Krasnystaw sugar factory and will enable the management of waste heat from the sugar and pulp production process.