The basket willow, commonly known as wicker, has for ages been used as raw material for weaving baskets, as a filtrating medium or for pharmaceutical needs. One of the most important uses of the plant are the hydraulic engineering and - present on larger scale for several years in Poland - as energetic raw material. Among the unquestionable advantages of the willow are fast biomass growth, relatively high immunity from diseases and pests, and the possibility to use its sticks and rods, which are cut off for caring purposes, for power generation. Due to such qualities, the willow should be more frequently used in economical development of the environment, also as a substitute for other plants. The plant-derived-fuels are undoubtedly the energetic future the World. This decided not only by the finite nature of traditional, mining energy resources, but also due to the cost of production and generation of power from biomass, and first of all due to ecological aspects. The present paper focuses on the alternative cultivation of energetic plants (natural cultivation), which - in the author's opinion - will largely contribute to propagation of clean energy production and consequently improve the condition of natural environment. According to analysis ...
Water plays an important role in the processes present in ecosystems, and constitutes the essential abiotical part of the environment. As a resource which is renewable and changeable in time, the water performs numerous management functions. The nature of those particular functions requires that water is not only protected from contamination, but also economically managed as well. The qualitative and quantitative protection of water resources constitutes and integral part of environmental protection. The present paper describes water-sewage management in Drwinia Commune in Krakow Region (Bochnia Powiat). Particular emphasis is laid on correct management of the water resources available, the quality of surface and underground water resources and the sewage management. The assessment of water management is preceded by the description of the commune itself, in terms of its local development, demography, usage and climate. By analysing the data, it has become possible to state that, although Drwinia Commune possesses sufficient water resources (except for drought periods), the quality of such resources allows them neither to be used for drinking purposes - without prior treatment - nor for farm use. The water resources available include in first row flowing surface waters and underground quaternary waters. The lack of sufficiently developed water ...
