Biodegradation and toxicological evaluation of lubricant oils
The aim of this work was to compare different toxicity levels of lubricant oils. The tests were performed using the earthworm (Eisenia andrei), arugula seeds (Eruca sativa) and lettuce seeds (Lactuca sativa), with three types of contaminants (mineral lubricant oil, synthetic lubricant oil and used lubricant oil) for various biodegradation periods in the soil. The toxicity tests indirectly measured the biodegradation of the contaminants. The samples were analyzed at t0, t60, t120 and t180 days of biodegradation. The used lubricant oil was proved very toxic in all the tests and even after biodegradation its toxicity was high. The mineral and synthetic oils were biodegraded efficiently in the soil although their toxicity did not disappear completely after 180 days.
Photo-polishing of POME into CH4-lean biogas over the UV-responsive ZnO photocatalyst
We report here the photo-polishing of POME with a concomitant production of CH4-lean biogas over UV/ZnO photocatalysis system. The photoreaction results showed that the optimum ZnO loading for POME photomineralization was 1.0 g/L, with about 50% of COD removal after just 
240 min of UV irradiation. It is found that all the photomineralization kinetics can be modelled to the 1st-order reaction order, with specific reaction rates (k)ranging from 1.022 × 10-3 to 3.118 × 10-3 min-1. The highest amount of gaseous products, viz. 36,172 µmol of CO2and 333 µmol of CH4, were produced at this optimum loading. Significantly, the organic removal efficiency was 
further enhanced when the UV exposure was prolonged to 22 h, attaining final readings of 44 ppm, 26 ppm and 20 mg/L, respectively, for chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical 
oxygen demand (BOD) and oil and grease (O&G). Furthermore, our scavenging study suggests that the photomineralization of organic pollutants in the POME occurred via attack by the highly reactive OH• radical. In addition, we posit that the reaction took place on the surface of ZnO2 upon the adsorption of the organic pollutants. Our proposition was further confirmed by the presence of carbonaceous species on the surface of ZnO through a combination of spectroscopic 
probes, i.e. FTIR, SEM-EDX, as well as the deterioration in the BET specific surface area for the used ZnO photocatalyst. The plunge of ZnO’s photodegradation performance was observed in the recyclability test. The performance has plummeted from 50% to 35% in second cycle before stabilizing at 38% in the third cycle. This can be attributed to the blockage of surface area of ZnO by the deposited organic species.
Neotectonic rotations in the Orava-Nowy Targ Intramontane Basin (Western Carpathians): An integrated palaeomagnetic and fractured clasts study
Abstract The objectives of this contribution are: (1) to promote the application of fractured clasts analysis in conglomerates for regional stress reconstructions and (2) to advance reconstruction of the Western Carpathians structural development. Our results show that the Neogene fill of the Orava-Nowy Targ Intramontane Basin underwent CCW rotation of about 30°. We infer that the rotation terminated after 8 Ma and was related to shift along NW-SE to NNW-SSE trending faults at the NE termination of the sinistral Mur-Žilina Fault Zone. Our results show that, fractured clasts analysis can be good tool for regional tectonic reconstructions. The tool is especially useful when other tectonic tools are scarce or absent. Results of our palaeomagnetic study and fractured clasts analysis verify and supplement each others. In the studied case, palaeomagnetic results allow to distinguish between regional stress field rotation and rotation of the Orava-Nowy Targ Basin Neogene fill, whereas, results of fractured clast analysis help to constrain the age of rotation.