Short Conference Report
The Conference ECOpole’09 was held in hotel Uroczysko (near Szklarska Poreba, Poland), from Oct. 14th, 2009 to Oct. 17th, 2009. It was the eighteenth ecological conference of the series of meetings organised by the Society of Ecological Chemistry and Engineering, Opole, PL.
126 participants, including delegates representing 10 countries (from Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Greace, Great Britain, Latvia, Poland, Russian Federation, Slovakia and Ukraine) took part in the event and presented 16 oral contributions and 118 posters.
The Abstracts of the Conference contributions were available on the Conference website
ecopole.uni.opole.pl
before and during the conference.
The Conference issue of the quarterly Ecological Chemistry and Engineering S containing among others keynote speakers papers, was distributed at the Conference Reception desk together with a CD-ROM (containing short info on Keynote Speakers, Abstracts of the Conference presentations as well as ECOpole’09 Conference Programme).
The Conference Agenda was divided into 5 sections:
* SI Ecological Chemistry and Engineering – 15.10.2009 (Thursday)
* SII Risk, Crisis and Security Management 15.10.2009 (Thursday)
* SIII Environment Friendly Production and Use of Energy – 16.10.2008 (Friday)
* SIV Forum of Young Scientists and Environmental Education – 16.10.2009 (Friday)
* SV Health, Ecology and Agriculture – 17.10.2009 (Saturday)
The Conference was opened by prof. Maria Wacławek, Chairperson of the Organising Committee and prof. Witold Wacławek, Chairman of the Scientific Board and President of the Society of Ecological Chemistry and Engineering.
Prof. Magnuss VIRCAVS (University of Latvia, Rīga, LT)initiated the Plenary Session with the invited lecture: “Chemical composition and assessment of Latvia drinking water quality”. During the conference the plenary lectures were delivered also by other invited lecturers: prof. Waldemar WARDENCKI(Gdansk University of Technology, Gdańsk, PL): “Application of gas chromatography, mass spectrometry and olfactometry for quality assessment of selected food products”, prof. Edward BORODZICZ (Portsmouth Business School, UK): “Risk, crisis and resilience”, prof. Elena MASAROVIČOVÁ(Comenius University Bratislava, SK): “Cost and benefit of energetic plants – challenges for environment friendly management”, prof. Marina V. FRONTASYEVA (Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Moscow, RF): “Accumulation of trace elements by biological matrice of Spirulina platensis” and dr Hagen SCHERB (Helmholtz Zentrum München – German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, DE): “Increased reproductive health risks after Chernobyl across Europe”.
Very interesting presentations were also given by prof. S. FRÄNZLE (IHI Zittau, DE): “Environmental chemistry on activated interfaces”, prof. R. TSITOURIDOU (University
of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GR): “Nanoparticle air pollution a case study of Thessaloniki, Greece”, dr Z.A. SZYDŁO(Highgate School, London, UK): “Environmental chemistry in English schools” and prof. Manfred SAGER (Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Wien, AT): „Potassium chlorate – nitric acid reagent for the analysis of trace metals and selected non-metals in food and agricultural products”.
Thursday, a day of hard work, was finished by the Poster Session of the Section Chemical Pollution of Natural Environment and its Monitoring. Many of the discussions begun at the posters, lasted until the evening hours.
The next point of Thursday Conference Programme was the one-hour-long concert
of „Tadeusz Pabisiak Trio”. Classical and contemporary compositions were played.
The audience applauded the musiciens and claimed for bis.
At 19.30 the Conference participants were invited for a Conference Dinner.
On Friday morning, the day started with an ecological excursion to Kostrzyca Forest Gene Bank in Miłków. This is one of the five existing gene banks around the world, the first to set up in Central Europe.
As usually during the ECOpole Conference, the second day included the Session of the Young Scientists (a forum of young scientists that present and discuss local ecological problems of their countries). During the Young Scientists’, Environmental Education and Renewable Energy Poster Session 37 posters were presented. The Scientific Board (consisting of prof. Elena Masarovičová(Comenius University Bratislava, SK),
prof. Bohumil Vybiral (University of Hradec Králové, Hradec Králové, CZ)
and prof. Witold Wacławek (Society of Ecological Chemistry and Engineering, Opole, PL) granted awards (sponsored by the Society of Ecological Chemistry and Engineering) for the best presentations. The awards for poster presentations were given toN. Baljinnyam for the poster: N. Baljinnyam,Sh. Gerbish, G. Ganbold, S. Lodoysamba, M.V. Frontasyeva and S.S. Pavlov (Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, RU): “Heavy metals in the environmental objects of non-ferrous industrial region of Mongolia, the town of Erdenet”, to P. Ostrowski for the poster: E. Radziemska, P. Ostrowski, A. Cenian and M. Sawczak (Gdansk University of Technology, Gdańsk, PL): “Chemical, thermal and laser treatment in recycling of photovoltaic solar cells and modules from crystalline silicon”
and to L. Trnková for the poster:L. Trnková, I. Boušová, I. Ortová and J. Dršata (University of Hradec Kralove, Hradec Králové, CZ): “Damage to proteins caused by free radicals from environment: effect of natural antioxidants”. The Scientific Board awarded also honourable mentions for two oral presentations and two posters presented during Forum of Young Scientists. They were given to K. Nawrotek for the oral: K. Nawrotek,
R. ZarzyckiandZ. Modrzejewska (Lodz University of Technology, Łódź, PL): “Kinetics
of adsorption and release from chitosan hydrogels” and to M. Worłowska for the oral:
M. Worłowska and M. Marko-Worłowska (Jagiellonian University, Kraków, PL): “Can works of art shape respectful attitude towards nature? – ecological art in Poland” as well as to F. Donigiewicz and M. Wadowski for the poster: F. Donigiewicz, M. Wadowski,
K. Hoffmann and J. Hoffmann (Wroclaw University of Technology, Wrocław, PL): “Study on the concentration of extractive phosphoric acid and for fodder phosphates receiving requirements” and to G. Łagód and Z. Suchorab for the poster: G. Łagód, Z. Suchorab, H. Sobczuk, J. Malicki, M. Chomczyńska and A. Montusiewicz (Lublin University
of Technology, Lublin, PL): “Methodical aspects of bioreactor modeling in water and wastewater management”.
After the conclusion of the Friday scientific agenda, the Conference participants were invited for a Grill Party.
The third day was dedicated to the impact of environment food and pollution on human health.
After very interesting plenary lectures delivered among others by Keynote Speakers Marina V. Frontasyeva and Hagen Scherb the last Conference Poster Session came up.
Closing the conference, prof., prof. Maria and Witold Wacławek made short recapitulation. In general, ECOpole’09 was focused on monitoring the quality of natural environment, its effects on human life, environmental education as well as application
of renewable sources of energy.
They expressed gratitude to all participants for coming and taking active part in the Conference and thanked all Chairpersons of Sessions.
They announced, that full text of the presented papers will be published (after obtaining reviewers’ positive opinions) in the successive issues of the journals Ecological Chemistry and Engineering A and S and they will be distributed to all participants.
The Extended Abstracts of the presentations will be published in two subsequent issues of semi-annual Proceedings of the ECOpole.
Thanks to the financial support of the Polish Ministry of Scientific Research and Higher Education, it was possible, among others to publish Extended Abstracts and full Conference contributions as well as to help to pay the fees of the young scientists taking part in the Conference.
At the end they invited all Colleagues to attend the ECOpole’10 conference, which will be held also in Piechowice in next October.
Maria Wacławek
