The university's activities for Sustainable Development and Goal 15 presented in the reports for 2021-2022 and 2020-2021 "Lodz University of Technology on the path of sustainable development".
For several years, the Idea Box campaign has been organized at Lodz University of Technology, under which employees and students of TUL can submit their ideas for the development of the university.
In this way, a flower meadow was created – a place for bees, butterflies and other insects. Establishing meadows of this type brings many benefits, e.g. it creates a better microclimate in urban areas, filters rainwater and air, including stopping dust, creating smog. In addition, flower meadows lower the air temperature and prevent the soil surface from heating up – they support the fight against the socalled urban heat island, especially on hot days. They are also a refuge for up to 300 species of animals: small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects and pollinators, including bees, which, collecting pollen, perform a useful function in the ecosystem.
Another project implemented as part of the Idea Box are hedgehog houses – an endangered species that remains under strict protection in Poland. Without human help, hedgehogs may soon become scarce. The houses are to help them safely survive the winter, but also – located away from the paths, in a less accessible corner of the park – they will be a shelter for them all year round.
For several years, an intensification of the phenomenon of the so-called mass extinction syndrome of the honeybee has
been observed. The main cause is bee diseases caused by various types of microorganisms, as well as pesticides used on a massive scale. The reduction of the population of these insects has a very negative impact on agricultural production and natural ecosystems.
To prevent this, the project carried out by scientists from the Department of Environmental Biotechnology at TUL envisages the production of an ecological preparation containing strains of lactic bacteria with pro-health potential for bees.
The project is funded by the Voivodship Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Lodz.
Over the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic decline in the population of the honey bee (Apis Mellifera). Although the main reason for this situation is seen in intensive agriculture and the mass use of pesticides, it is not entirely clear what this phenomenon is caused by.
At the Faculty of Electrical, Electronic, Computer and Control Engineering at TUL, a team was formed that developed and offers as a start-up a device for remote monitoring of hives.
Smart Hives support beekeepers in running the apiary and provide an easyto-use hive monitoring system. The beeHUB device created by the team performs precise measurements of among others weight, sound, temperature and humidity.
They allow the beekeeper to check whether the hive is well insulated, whether there is no moisture in it through which the frames
could rot, and allows for controlling the tabernacles and cavities in the hive.
The apiaries are looked after by the mobile application "Intelligent Hives". It can be mounted on a smartphone, tablet or computer and track what is happening to the hive from anywhere at any time. The application facilitates the detection of diseases, swarms, conducting inspections of the hive, planning tasks, as well as keeping disease records of bee colonies. It analyses the collected data and presents conclusions that allow for a quick response. Thanks to this, experienced beekeepers are able to take actions crucial for the health and life of bees. On one of the roofs of the Department, hives equipped with the developed system were installed.
One of the main threats to civilization is the depletion of fossil fuel resources and increasing environmental pollution. A way to prevent this situation is to use renewable raw materials such as plant biomass for the production of chemical compounds. However, selective catalysts are necessary here and scientists from the Faculty of Chemistry at TUL are working on them.
The research is carried out in cooperation with partners from France (University of Strasbourg, Ecole Normale Superieure in Lyon), from Germany (University of Aachen, among others), from Japan (Shibaura Institute of Technology).
The stable catalysts based on base metals developed in the project enable efficient biomass conversion and obtain chemical compounds with a wide range of industrial applications. A new method of catalyst synthesis focuses on the use of sunlight.
Freshwater scarcity is a global problem. The increase in demand for water, and at the same time the deterioration of its quality, results from the intensive development of agriculture and industry. Poland is a country particularly threatened by water scarcity, therefore, in addition to the rational use of water resources, it is also necessary to constantly control the quality of surface water.
As part of the project conducted by the Faculty of Chemistry at Lodz University of Technology, systematic monitoring of surface water in the Lodz region made it possible to identify the main sources of pollution and determine the dynamics of changes in water composition in temporal and spatial terms in selected rivers.
The results of the research can be used by local authorities and other entities responsible for the development of environmental protection and water management plans in the Lodz Voivodeship. The analyses carried out should contribute to the improvement of the status of surface waters.
Protective masks, which have become widespread around the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, are becoming garbage after consumption, which increasingly threatens the environment.
Scientists from the Institute of Material Science of Textile and Polymer Composites of the Lodz University of Technology together with partners – the Central Institute for Labour Protection and the Institute of Biopolymers and Chemical Fibres – have developed biodegradable masks that will disappear in the compost environment after 6 weeks after discarding. Already patented masks have bactericidal properties. Currently, scientists are working on antiviral properties and modifying filters so that the surface of the mask can destroy viruses attached to it.
The new masks will have the same barrier properties as those commonly used to protect against aerosols.
However, they differ in material. Classic masks are made of olefins, the degradation time of which reaches hundreds of years. The new masks are made of biodegradable polylactide, obtained as a result of the synthesis of lactic acid, while lactic acid is, for example, a product of the fermentation of starch from corn.
Polylactide kept in compost conditions after 6 weeks breaks down into chemical compounds accepted by the natural environment, that is, it simply disappears. Masks must still have an anti-virus function. Scientists will use chemical compounds in them and modify the surface of the filters in such a way that viruses, after sticking to the mask, are destroyed by it.
As an academic community, TUL is actively involved in activities for the benefit of the natural environment, which is why this year, as in previous years, the university takes part in the World Cleanup Day, the next edition of which is organized in cities
around the world.
During this year's campaign, TUL again took part in the #TrashChallenge – a competition with teams from Lodz companies and institutions, which consists in collecting as many bags full of waste as possible.
The BIOREM project "Modern technology of bioremediation of soils contaminated with creosote oil in the area of Nasycalnia Podkładów S.A in Koźmin Wielkopolski" is financed by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR)
as part of the Regional Scientific and Research Agendas.
One of the main objectives of biotechnology in relation to environmental protection is the use of biological processes to effectively clean the environment. The most important here is the technology of bioremediation. It is the use of the degradation activity of microorganisms to convert toxic organic compounds into less toxic or completely harmless components for the environment, such as carbon dioxide and water. The aim of the BIOREM project is to develop a modern technology for bioremediation of soil contaminated with creosote oil in the area of the Railway Sleepers Saturation Plant.
The project is implemented in a consortium consisting of the Institute of Wood Technology in Poznań (leader), Poznan University of Technology, Lodz University of Technology and Nasycalnia Podkładów Kolejowych S.A. in Koźmin Wielkopolski.
Creosote oil is a product of coal tar distillation, used for wood impregnation. It is classified as a nonindifferent agent for the environment, and its removal is considered very complicated. The IBMiP Industrial Biotechnology team at the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences has extensive experience in developing microbiological and enzymatic biopreparations effective in removing hydrocarbons, as well as in optimizing and implementing bioremediation technologies on an industrial scale. One of the tasks of the TUL team is to select microorganisms effective in the degradation of creosote oil components.
For more than five years, the TUL community has been able to have a real impact on the quality of the workplace and its surroundings through successive editions of the IDEA BOX initiative, in which students and employees can participate. Proposals that they submit are often strictly related to the environment and a significant part of the projects are pro-environmental in nature. Among the ideas implemented in previous editions were, for example, a floral meadow (for bees, butterflies and other insects), houses for hedgehogs (an endangered species in Poland, remaining under strict protection) or mini apiaries. Among the winners of the last edition of the IDEA BOX, were the projects Ptasi kampus- swift boxes on the wall of the Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning, and houses for insects in Klepacz Park.
Swifts are very useful birds that help get rid of mosquitoes and flies (one feeding young pair of swifts kills up to 20, 000 mosquitoes a day). They are very clean birds- they remove their droppings from the nest, so they do not dirty the building façade. Swifts have lived in Polish cities for a long time, but unfortunately, renovations and thermal modernizations of buildings have significantly reduced the number of places where they can live. As part of the project, nesting boxes will be purchased and installed on campus on the building tops. Following in the footsteps of the winning projects from the previous edition i.e. hedgehog houses and a flower meadow, in order to emphasize the university’s care for the surrounding ecosystem, it was proposed to set up several insect houses in Klepacz Park. Blooming flowers, trees, shrubs are a lure for pollinating insects, so it is good to invite them for a longer period of time by providing friendly houses where they can find shelter and breed. IDEA BOX is getting more and more popular as the number of submitted ideas is increasing all the time and our university is becoming a more planet-friendly place.
One of the main threats to our civilization is the depletion of fossil fuels and the increase of environmental pollution. A way to prevent it is to use renewable raw materials such as plant biomass for the production of chemical compounds. Selective catalysts are needed here, and it is on them that the scientists from TUL are working on now. Research is conducted in cooperation with partners from France (University in Strasbourg, Ecole Normale Superiere in Lyon), Germany (University in Aachen), Japan (Shibaura Institute of Technology). The stable common metal-based catalysts developed in the project enable efficient conversion of biomass and obtaining chemical compounds with a wide range of industrial applications. The new catalyst synthesis method focuses on the use of sunlight.
Soil is an element of the environment where contaminants remain much longer than in water or atmosphere. To reduce its degradation means to control the level of contaminants. A risk to the biosphere is the presence in the soil of mobile metal forms that migrate easily and are assimilated by the plants. Metals of anthropogenic origin tend to be more easily mobile and pose a greater threat to living organisms as compared to metals of natural origin. The scientists from the Institute of General and Ecological Chemistry, TUL, studied the quality of soils in Lodz and adjacent regions. They used the statistical methods, as well as unit and aggregate indices and thus identified sites subject to strong anthropopression. The results of the study make it possible to identify sites particularly vulnerable to pollution, also historical pollution. The results also provide the source data necessary for compiling geochemical maps to show the quality of soils. The results of agricultural soil analysis are used by institutions responsible for environmental protection, as well as agricultural consulting. They help ensure food safety.
One of the main goals of biotechnology with respect to environment protection is to use biological processes to effectively clean up the environment. Bioremediation technology is of greatest importance. It means that the degradative activity of microorganisms to convert toxic organic compounds into less toxic or completely harmless components, such as carbon dioxide and water, is used. Researchers from the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, TUL, are implementing the BIOREM project ‘Modern technology for bioremediation of soil contaminated with creosote oil on the site of the Sleeper Treatment Plant S.A.in Koźmin financed by NCBR under the Regional Science and Research Agendas. Its purpose is to develop a modern technology for bioremediation of soil contaminated with creosote oil on the site of the Sleeper Treatment Plant. Creosote oil is a product of distillation of coal tar, used to impregnate wood. It is classified as environmentally inert, and its disposal is considered as very complicated. The team of researchers from the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science has an extensive experience in developing microbial and enzymatic biopreparations effective in removing hydrocarbons, as well as optimizing and implementing bioremediation technologies on an industrial scale. One of the team’s tasks is to select microorganisms effective in degrading the components of the creosote oil. The project is being carried out in a consortium that includes the Institute of Wood Technology, Poznan(leader), the Technical University of Poznan, TUL and Sleeper Treatment Plant S.A. in Koźmin Wielkopolski.
Employees and students of TUL actively engaged in environmental activities, this time as part of the celebration of the International Earth Day. The university eco-team consisted of several people, both employees and students who worked to collect waste. Altogether over twenty bags of various types of garbage were collected, including bottles, hairdryers, plastic pipes of considerable dimensions. The organizer of the action Galante sprzątanie as part of the International Earth Day was the Department of Ecology and Climate of the city of Lodz.
The scientists and students from TUL are regularly awarded by the Council for the Higher Education and Science under the Lodz Mayor’s Office for achievements that promote the development of Lodz with the statues ‘Lodz Eureka’. In the academic year 2021/22 the award in the technology category went to the interdisciplinary team of scientists from TUL for their innovative use of sugar factory waste to produce feed protein and eco-preparations to improve the soil quality. The team closely cooperates with the sugar factory Dobrzelin, which is one of the largest sugar processing plants in the northern part of Lodz province. Over the sugar campaign months of September-January the plant processes 520,000ton of sugar beets, which brings with it a number of technological problems related to the environmental protection. The scientists have developed a new technology for recovering soil, the so-called float blot, received in the process of cleaning and washing beets, so that this soil can be used by farmers to improve the soil quality. Physico-chemical studies of the elemental composition of silt, carried out by scientists, have shown a high content of organic compounds, which makes it an excellent material to enrich soils with valuable fertilizing substances for plants. The National Union of Sugar Beet Growers has declared its willingness to take back this reclaimed earth and use it as a natural material to improve the soil quality. The scientists think that the theory they developed is groundbreaking. Its applications may bring considerable savings in a year. The advantages of this technology have been noticed and appreciated by the Management Board of the National Sugar Company and it was recommended for the industrial use.
The university educates students in the field of architecture, where they participate in classes like Pro-ecological architecture and Landscape architecture (I cycle studies), and Landscape and Environment (II cycle studies). The subjects are aimed at students who in the future will be responsible for planning, design and implementation of landscape architecture objects, like woods, gardens, parks, boulevards and nature reserves.
The Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environmental Engineering together with the Group Sewage Treatment Plant S.A. carry out research aimed at developing monitoring and early system warning for the sewage treatment plant to minimize the emission of pollutants from the urban area. The system will be based on measurement data of the precipitation and flows in the sewage network and online measurements of the wastewater composition. The IT system will forecast the flow, concentrations and loads of pollutants at the inlet to the treatment to early warning against the inflow of toxic substances and hydraulic overload during rainfall. The system will enable optimal process control and in consequence sustainable management of the plant. The main recipients of the project’s work will be the municipal companies responsible for the collection, transport and treatment of municipal sewage. The project will be a significant innovation in the sewage disposal and treatment system with considerable progress towards its fully sustainable operation for the protection of the environment and optimization of related expenditure.