Dana Adamcová

Mendel University in Brno · Department of Applied and Landscape Ecology

The issue of groundwater contamination is one of several major global concerns, especially in areas exposed to the impact of waste disposal. The present study investigated the potential of combining both direct monitoring activities with computer-based model simulations to predict and describe contamination sources from two landfills and surroundin...

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) for industrial use is often considered as a renewable resource for cultivation in polluted areas, on one hand, for the purpose of possible remediation of soil and, on the other hand, for wide options of the possible use of plant material after the harvest in such areas, namely hemp fiber. This study summarizes the effects...

Synanthropic vegetation occurs at sites of photovoltaic power plants, where vegetation management is typically ignored, and can have adverse effects on photovoltaic panels as they increase fire hazards. Most scientific papers related to the installation and operation of solar power plants do not address the impact of photovoltaic power plants on ve...

Proper management of municipal solid waste (MSW) is crucial to avoid pollution, environmental impacts and threat to public health. The problem of MSW is mainly arising from inadequate landfill site management. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of management practices and environmental risks at two landfill sites. The landfills...

The volume of municipal solid waste (MSW) inputs is rapidly increasing with a growing human population, and its composition is changing due an increased diversity of materials being deposited. There is an associated increase in leachate, a common toxic byproduct of MSW facilities that must be collected and treated prior to its release into the envi...

As a rubber annular coat of rim wheels, tyres are inevitable parts of all vehicles in modern times. As to their composition, however, they represent a risk for the environment. During the use of tyres, tyre tread patterns become abraded, which results in its gradual wear and necessary re- placement. These micro and nano particles are then gradually...

Urban green infrastructure significantly influences the functioning of a city and the comfort of its residents. Lawns are an essential element of public greenery. They represent a live component, and if they are lacking, of low quality, or neglected, this will cause major problems in the urban environment. The vegetation structure of urban grassy a...

The production and management of wastes clearly demonstrates a human influence on the environment. The most frequent method of handling waste worldwide is landfilling, which exerts a range of negative impacts on the environment. This study presents a twenty-year analysis into the vegetation of a closed municipal solid waste landfill in Poland. We a...

Illegal dumps and landfills with disposed of tires are a fact of today, which should not be neglected as they represent a great ecological burden for the environment, affect the surrounding nature and disturb the landscape. This research was focused on testing the phytotoxicity of aqueous leachates from the fractions of tires in two sets of experim...

COVID-19 is proving to be an unprecedented disaster for human health, social contacts, and the economy worldwide. It is evident that the SARS-CoV-2 may spread through municipal solid waste (MSW), if collected, bagged, handled, transported, or disposed of inappropriately. Under the stress placed by the current pandemic on the sanitary performance ac...

Municipal solid waste landfilling, landfilling process and landfill reclamation result in leachate, which may be dangerous to the environment. Municipal solid waste leachate phytotoxicity tests were performed using the toxicity test and a subchronic toxicity pot experiment by direct application of leachate to reference soil in 5, 25, and 50% concen...

Displacements of landfills play an important role in the reclamation process and geotechnical safety improvement of such sites. Landfill settlements are defined as a vertical displacement of waste body due to compression, degradable nature of the waste, and creep phenomenon of the waste particles. Waste composition is more diverse than natural soil...

Energy industry and coal mining produce large amounts of mining waste. The material is accumulated on dumps and heaps which alter the landscape appearance. As the material is waste from mining, there are concerns from possible environmental contamination. On the other hand, some scientific publications mention favorable properties of this material...

Biodegradable packaging materials represent one possible solution for how to reduce the negative environmental impact of plastics.

Landfill leachates are potentially harmful to the environment and to human health. The objective of this study was to characterize leachates in order to analyze whether a relationship exists between the stored waste and the composition of leachates, and to detect possible leakages of pollutants into the environment. To achieve these objectives, fie...

Shopping centres usually occupy large areas of land development. However, their roofs are rarely used for purposes related to rainwater management and introduction of active biological surfaces. In Bielsko-Biała, thanks to the initiative of the originator and architect, an intense green roof was created on the rooftop of a shopping centre. In addit...

One of crucial waste management problems is the management of organic waste. This activity employs the composting. In case of green waste, its application seems reasonable, whereas the use of selected mixed waste raises problems related to the compost quality. Across countries, the non-sterile organic fraction of municipal solid waste is being sepa...

The research was focused on evaluating phytotoxicity of sewage sludge from two selected wastewater treatment plants in Czech Republic. Laboratory experiments were carried out with samples of sewage sludge, which were focused on the evaluation of their phytotoxicity by using the Phytotoxkit TM testing set. Specifically, the inhibitory/stimulating ef...

The influence of landfill leachate on selected growth parameters in two varieties (‘Bialobrzeskie’ and ‘Monoica’) of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) was studied to evaluate phytoremediation potential of these varieties. The plants were cultivated in hydroponic culture in Knop's nutrient solution. Landfill leachate was added to nutrient solution in concen...

When the landfill use comes to end, important subsequent steps include aftercare, safety assurance, and ecological regeneration. Landfill revegetation is cost-effective and eco-friendly approach in the management of landfill areas, which serves the purpose of stabilization and provides a pleasant landscape. There are various vegetation types that c...

Landfills and/or open dumpsites have been the common practice for municipal solid waste disposal all over the world. Landfilling is one of the oldest and still most frequently used waste disposal methods. The purpose of this work is to compare technical methods of securing landfills that are being closed in the Czech Republic and Poland. The Polish...

Landfilling of municipal solid waste (MSW) and waste handling in the landfill may be risk of pollution to the environment. Rainwater which does not fall into the open landfill body should not be contaminated with pollutants from waste and therefore, it is stored in a separate rainwater pond. There is however a risk that the precipitation water will...

This research was focused onto food waste composting with some additives. It studies the impact of additive on the process of food waste composting. Additives used were sawdust and biochar. Composting samples were cooked potatoes, cooked rice and vegetables. The objective of this study was to compare 6 composts of different compositions. A-100% foo...

Municipal solid waste landfills represent sources of anthropogenic pollution of the environment. Waste degradation gives rise to leachates, which are source of pollutants. Landfill leachate are processed by using various methods. One of them being return of leachates into the landfill body, other methods include purification of leachates in the was...

The manuscript presents results of the evaluation of compost from fish waste (FW) as a fertilizer for agricultural use. A pot experiment was conducted to compare the effects of compost from FW on the yield and macro and microelemental composition of ice lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). In addition, the phytotoxicity degree of the compost and compost ef...

This study provides information about behaviour of selected polymeric materials in laboratory and home composting conditions. Polymeric samples certified as compostable have degraded in laboratory conditions. Selected samples showed low decomposition of material in real composting conditions. Polymeric sample labelled by the producer as “100% degra...

Landfilling is the most used and worldwide spread method of municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal. The disposal of MSW in landfills entails a number of environmental risks and raises concerns about harmful impacts on human health. The presence and number of contaminants should be monitored in each study assessing the impact of anthropogenic activiti...

Landfilling is the most used and worldwide spread method of municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal. The disposal of MSW in landfills entails a number of environmental risks and raises concerns about harmful impacts on human health. The presence and number of contaminants should be monitored in each study assessing the impact of anthropogenic activiti...

Landfill leachate is one of the major sources of pollutions discharged into the environment. It is composed from a complex mixture of chemicals and handling typically involves treatment either on-site or at a wastewater treatment plants but phytoremediation is a promising method. The aim of this work was to evaluate the potential of agronomic plant...

Urban soil areas can be contaminated with potentially dangerous heavy metals (HM), which might have got there by means of the human activity. The aim of the present study was to determine the contamination level of the city park soils and its impact on urban ecosystem. The indices assessing soil contamination such as Enrichment Factor (EF), Geoaccu...

Landfilling is one of the most common methods of waste management (WM). Landfilling of municipal solid waste (MSW) can pose a risk to the environment. During the disposal of waste, many physical, chemical and biological reactions occur in the landfill body, and pollutants (e.g. heavy metals) are generated that pose contamination of water present. T...

Effective application of phytoremediation practices requires understanding of physiological responses of various plant species to heavy metal contamination in different environments. Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) as a multipurpose crop is a good model to study these processes thanks to it's economical value and sturdiness. Two cultivars of industrial h...

This research was aimed at determining the compost phytotoxicity that was based on waste from catering, restaurants and similar facilities. Selected raw materials were rice, potatoes and vegetables, which were composted in an electric composter for 4 weeks. After this time the compost was tested for the Phytotoxkit test. The compost was tested at v...

Municipal solid waste (MSW) has become a matter of increasing global concern. Biological conversion is considered to be the most applicable disposal method, especially for the organic fraction of MSW. The aim of this study was to evaluate composting as a treatment method for the sustainable management and recycling of MSW and to test the ecotoxicit...

Waste disposal in landfills is one of most frequently used methods of municipal solid waste (MSW) management. Landfills disturb to a certain extent the landscape character and disposal of waste in landfills represents one of human activities that may impair natural ecosystems. Due to waste decomposition, numerous chemical, physical and biological r...

As the final disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW), landfill, is the oldest and the most common form of removal and disposal of waste. It is well known that the impact of MSW landfills can cause pollution of all environmental components. The negative environmental impact of landfills can be reduced by applying protection technologies and appropri...

Effective and efficient assessments of the site conditions are required for the sustainable management of landfills. In this study we propose an evaluation method to determine the degree of environmental contamination by the contest of heavy metals (HM) concentrations in soil and plants (Tanacetum vulgare L., Carduus L., Plantago major L.). We comp...

The plants are perceived like a positive element in landscape. However, many of this plants produce pollen, which cause allergic reaction. The goal of this work is to establish and determine the species composition of plants that are able to sustain themselves in an active landfill and determine the share of allergenic species. The field observatio...

The vegetation at a recultivated landfill should create a continuous string of vegetation in order to prevent the erosion of the soil brought, and the roots of the vegetation must not grow into the body of the landfill itself. However, vegetation has also its aesthetic value and affects perception of man. The aim of this work was to determine the s...

Recently, various materials have begun to be marketed that claim to be biodegradable or compostable. Terms such as “degradable”, “oxo-biodegradable”, “biological”, “compostable” and “green” are often used to describe and promote different plastics. Commercial bioplastics and a petrochemical plastic (claim to be degradable) were used for this study....

The authors in the article presented information on the possibility of separating rainwater from municipal sewage and the possibilities of its re-use. They based their considerations on the experience of municipalities in the European Union (EU), the Dutch one in particular. The choice of the Dutch municipality of Apeldoorn was not coincidental. Ap...

CASE STUDY OF LANDFILL RECLAMATION AT CZECH LANDFILL SITE

Landfilling is a common waste disposal method worldwide, especially for municipal solid waste. Landfill leachate is a potentially polluting liquid, which may cause toxic effects on the water near landfill sites. The present study explores the potential of Pleurotus ostreatus (a macro-fungus) to remove heavy metals from landfill leachate. The object...

The landfill reclamation project took place in the period from 2008 to 2009. Forestry reclamation was carried out in 2009. The aim of this project was to establish the growth of particular plant species, quantify plant species survival and changes in species properties over time. A phased approach was utilized to evaluate the technical and economic...

The authors presented information on green roofs in the European Union (EU) based on the experience of construction companies in the Netherlands and Poland. The choice of these countries was related to the fact that Dutch land planners are interested in cooperating and sharing their experience with Polish specialists. The article also presents a br...

Waste disposal in landfill sites causes a potentialhazard for the human health, as they release substantial amounts of gas, odours and pollutants to the environment. There have been vast reductions in the volume of waste being landfilledin many European countries and a reduction in the number of illegal landfills The European Parliament’s laws obli...

ZLOCH JAN, VAVERKOVÁ MAGDALENA DARIA, ADAMCOVÁ DANA, RADZIEMSKA MAJA, VYHNÁNEK TOMÁŠ, TROJAN1 VÁCLAV, ĐORĐEVIĆ BILJANA, BRTNICKÝ MARTIN. 2018. Seasonal Changes and Toxic Potency of Landfill Leachate for White Mustard (Sinapis Alba L.). Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 66(1): 235-242. Landfills are the most bro...

Municipal solid waste landfills are considered to be important sources of groundwater contami- nation due to the leakage of leachate. Landfill leachate is undoubtedly one of the most challenging wastewaters in terms of treatment. Fungi can be used to treat a landfill leachate. Therefore, the aims of this research were to evaluate the biosorption po...

The authors presented information on green roofs in the European Union (EU) based on the experience of construction companies in the Netherlands and Poland. The choice of these countries was related to the fact that Dutch land planners are interested in cooperating and sharing their experience with Polish specialists. The article also presents a...

The aim of the paper is to establish and determine the species composition of plants that are able to sustain themselves in an active landfill in cadastral area. Two areas were selected within the land with the actively used part of the landfill. Municipal waste is deposited in the first area, and biowaste is deposited in the second area. The evalu...

Cannabis sativa L. is a fast-growing annual herbaceous plant which is cultivated due to its multi-purpose applications. The ain of this work was to adapt the cultivation protocol for micropropagation of two hemp varieties Bialobrzeskie a Monoica. Endogenously applied different concetrations of phytohormones were tested in order to observe the highe...

To investigate the effects of wastewater on seed germination and phytotoxicity a laboratory experiment was designed on hemp cultivars (Cannabis sativa L.). Seeds were germinated in 100% distilled water, 100% wastewater, 50% wastewater. We analyzed the percentage of seed germination and heavy metal accumulation in the germinated seeds. The concentra...

Heavy metal contamination of soil is a persistent environmental problem. One of the solution is soil phytoremediation - the ability of several plant species to clean the soil from contaminants. Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) for industrial use is a good candidate for this pupuse due to multiple.use and tolerance to heavy metals. Ths experiment is focuse...

The vegetation at a recultivated landfill create a continuous succession of vegetation in order to prevent the erosion of the soil brought. And the roots of the vegetation must not grow into the body of the landfill itself and should form a limited amount of biomass so that it is not demanding in terms of maintenance. The aim of the thesis was to d...

Municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills constitute one of the largest sources of anthropogenic pollutions. Landfill sites act as biological reactors, in which waste undergoes physical, chemical and biological transformation. Significant problem associated to landfills is the production of leachates. Leachate is an emergent source of pollutants. Leach...

The aim of this article was to present the rules governing the waste management system (WMS) and identify the changes emerging as a result of new regulations being introduced by example of Wołomin commune. European, Polish and Czech regulations clearly indicate the value of the hierarchy of waste management (WM). A response to the amended law was t...

This study focuses on the impact of a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill on the environment. Phytotoxicity test was determined to assess ecotoxicity of landfill soil (Zdounky- Kuchyňky). White mustard (Sinapis alba L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) plants were allowed to grow in earthen pots, treated with soil samples to study the potential eff...

The objective of this study was to determine the biodegradability of bioplastic materials – sponge cloths – available on the European market. They are labeled as 100 % biodegradable but not certified as compostable. The test was carried out in real composting environment. The project duration was 12 weeks. The emphasis was put on discovering w...

Landfills are the dominant method for the waste disposal due to the most economical and simple means globally. Landfills accumulate great amounts of waste and these sites are an important source of liquid efflu-ents, named leachates, which can have an adverse impact on the envi-ronment when released in an uncontrolled manner. The main objective of...

Rsearch was carried out in order to assess biodegradability of degradable/biodegradable materials made of HDPE and mixed with totally degradable plastic additive (TDPA additive) or made of polyethylene (PE) with the addition of pro-oxidant additive (d2w additive), advertised as 100% degradable or certifi ed as compostable within various types of en...

The present work is aimed on the study of degradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate-co-lactate) copolyesters, prepared by chemical modification of PET waste beverage bottles using l-lactic acid, under laboratory (bioreactor) and natural (Central Composting Plant in Brno, Czech Republic) composting conditions. The structure of solid residues after...

An investigation was carried out on the effect of inoculation methods on the compost of an organic fraction of municipal solid waste. Three types of white-rot fungi (Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Trametes versicolor and Fomes fomentarius), and a consortium of these fungi, were used. The study assessed their influence on microbial enzymatic activitie...

Degradability of degradable /biodegradable polymers was investigated under landfill conditions. Real conditions experiment was conducted to study the biodegradability. The research was conducted from 2012 to present. Research samples were bags commonly available in Europe recovered directly from the market (biodegradable, degradable or other design...

Monitoring of various enzymes' production throughout the process provides useful information on the dynamics of composting and is beneficial for understanding the transformations occurring during composting. In this study, aliphatic–aromatic copolyesters with different polyethylene terephthalate/poly(lactic) acid ratios were subjected to laboratory...

We have obtained eight degradable/biodegradable materials based on starch (certified compostable), sample 4–7, HDPE mixed with totally degradable plastic additive (TDPA), sample 2 and polyethylene with the addition of pro-oxidant additive (d2w), sample 1. Composition of sample 3 has not been reported. The materials have been tested as to the rate a...

The study was conducted to measure the emission from landfill in the years 2005– 2011. The results are used to diagnose the emissions of CH4. The mean value of CH4 in vol. % in the collection wells ranged from 0 to 2.14 vol. % the mean concentration of CH4 in mg/m3 ranged from 0 to 25 251 mg/m3, the average concentration of CH4 in mg/Nm3 at the mea...

Modern agriculture faces to new challenges and problems. Application of organic waste compost (Cp) and Jatropha seed cake (JSC) represents new possibilities to improve soil organic matter (SOM) and thus reduce the risk of soil degradation. Our paper presents results of laboratory experiment. Based on these results, we conclude that the application...

The aim of the present study was the estimation of the phytotoxicity of soils amended with sewage sludge with relation to Sinapis alba L. The study was realized in the system of a plot experiment. Two kinds of sewage sludge: dewatered and anaerobically stabilized sludge with dry matter content of about 24%, and dewatered sludge "Palikal" with dry m...

Internationally, almost 70% of municipal solid waste is disposed of in landfills and may contain hazardous substances in the form of paints, vehicle maintenance products, mercury-containing waste, pharmaceuticals, batteries, and many other products. The present study has attempted to address the problem of hazardous waste in the context of municipa...

A phytotoxicity test was determined to assess ecotoxicity of landfill soil. Sinapis alba L. was used as a bioindicator of heavy metals. Soil samples 1–8, which were taken from the landfill body, edge of the landfill body, and its vicinity meet the limits for heavy metals Co, Cd, Pb, and Zn specified in the applicable legislation. Hg and Mn threshol...

In this study white mustard (Sinapis alba) plants were allowed to grow in earthen pots, treated with municipal solid waste compost (MSWC) to study the effect of MSWC on the plant biomass production. Twenty-one days from the establishment of the experiment sprouts and the number of growing plants occurring in the earthen pots were counted. Plants gr...

The investigations aimed to determine a possible application of PhytotoxkitTM biotest for the assessment of soils amended with sewage sludge. The experiment was performed in a laboratory on samples of sewage sludge. The test bases on estimation of germination and early growth inhibition of sweet sorghum (Sorghum saccharatum L.). Two kinds of sewage...

Phytotoxicity test was determined to assess ecotoxicity of landfill soil. Sinapis alba L. was used as heavy metals bioindicator. Soil samples 1 - 8, which were taken from the landfill body, edge of the landfill body and its vicinity meet the limits for heavy metals Co, Cd, Pb, and Zn specified in the applicable legislation. Hg and Mn threshold valu...

The use of CMS as bedding on dairy farms is being implemented by a number of EU farms. On the other hand, the solids can also be applied to arable land. The application of CMS as fertilizer in land pose a good option for farming activities, since it reduces the application of chemical fertilizers. However, the CMS should be analyzed before their fi...

The objective of this study was to determine the biodegradability of bioplastic materials – sponge cloths – available on the European market that are labeled as 100% biodegradable but not certified as compostable. The test was carried out in a controlled composting environment. The project length was 22 weeks. The emphasis was put on discovering wh...

Emission concentrations from the landfill Štěpánovice have been examined. Measurements were carried out in the years 2004–2011. The results of the study were used to diagnose the emissions of CO2 as important landfill gas components. They indicate that the concentration of CO2 emissions and the annual sum of these emissions do not exceed the report...

The monitoring that was carried out at the landfill specialized in leachate, groundwater and surface water. There were 6 sampling sites. The observed parameters were pH, BOD5, CODCr, conductivity. Leachate reached the high values in all observed parameters. Groundwater samples were collected at two monitoring wells and the sampling site (A, B, C)....

The landfill of municipal solid waste is a waste management equipment that can represent the risks to the environment because it serves a waste disposal, and thus there is a risk of potential leakage of undesirable substances into the surrounding (mainly aquaeous) environment. This risk is minimized when a precise construction and subsequent operat...

This study was conducted to screen plants growing on potentially contaminated areas of landfill body and nearest surrounding to determine their potential for metal accumulation. In addition, enrichment coefficient (EC) for plant/soil system, correlation and principal component analysis were used for determining the environmental contamination from...

The landfill reclamation project took place in the period from 2008 to 2009. Forestry reclamation was carried out in 2009. The aim of this project was to establish the growth of particular plant species, quantify plant species survival and changes in species properties over time. A phased approach was utilized to evaluate the technical and economic...

This study was conducted to investigate heat generation in a landfill on a field scale, including the variation of temperatures. Data were collected at Štěpanovice landfill in southwestern Czech Republic. Temperatures were determined over a monitoring period of 21 months. Mean annual value of the difference between outdoor temperature and temperatu...

The eco-toxicological impact of copolyesters during composting was evaluated by plant growth tests with cress (Lepidium sativum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare). The research was conducted to determine if PET beverage bottles modified by lactic acid (copolyesters) and products of their biodegradation would affect compost. The results demonstrate that...

This work presents the analysis of the influence of compost and reclamation substrate addition and mineral fertilizers application on leaching of mineral nitrogen, microbial activities, soil hydrophobicity and plant biomass production. To demonstrate the effect of compost, reclamation substrate and mineral nitrogen (Nmin) addition on above paramete...

This paper provides information about biodegradability of polymeric (biodegradable/degradable) materials advertised as 100%-degradable or certified as compostable, which may be a part of biodegradable waste, in home composting conditions. It describes an experiment that took place in home wooden compost bins and contained 9 samples that are commonl...

Monitoring leachate, groundwater and surface water aiming to determinate the concentration of heavy metals (Hg, Zn, Ni, Cr6+,Cd, Pb) at the municipal solid waste landfill Štěpánovice took place in the years 2002–2010. The values of heavy metals concentration oscillated as follows: Zn (0.05 – 0.37 μg/dm3), Cr+6 (0.01 – 3.3 μg/dm3), Hg (0.0001 – 0.00...

Biodegradation of plastics bags advertised as 100%-degradable or certified as compostable was tested in composting conditions. Samples were placed into frames and inserted into one clamp within the compost pile to investigate the biodegradation. The plastics bags were obtained from chain stores in the Czech Republic and Poland. The shopping bags we...

This paper provides information about biodegradability of biodegradable/degradable materials advertised as 100%-degradable or certified as compostable in a municipal solid-waste landfill. It describes a 12- month experiment with five samples that took place in a landfill. The results, demonstrated that the polyethylene sample with the additive (sam...

Our paper focused on the determination of heavy metals and nitrates in tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum). Four samples of tomatoes were analyzed by an accredited testing laboratory. The concentrations of heavy metals and nitrates in tomatoes spontaneously occurring on the landfill body meet the limits provided by law. Tomatoes from a chain store a...