Chapter 4: Poland
(continued)
Overall, high demand was identified for technologies related to the energy sector, and water and wastewater treatment, followed by waste management technologies. This is closely related to current Polish environmental policy and regulations, where the major priority areas are air pollution control and protection of water resources (for more details, see the discussion in Section 4.3).
Demand in the air sector was moderate. High demand was identified for technologies relating to abatement of air emissions and cleaner production. Growing demand was expected for air pollution control and flue gas purification technologies. Most frequently noted were state-of-the-art systems to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, dust and particulates, nitrogen monoxides, and hazardous chemicals. Growing demand was also identified for instrumentation and process control technologies.
High demand was identified for energy-related technologies. Specific technologies included new/efficient energy and heat generation systems, equipment for retrofitting/rehabilitation of existing systems, technologies related to heat recovery and energy savings, and process management and control equipment. Technologies related to the use of alternative/renewable energy sources were in high demand in the power and energy generation sector.
Among technologies in the municipal and industrial wastewater sector, high demand was identified for those technologies related to sludge treatment and disposal (very high demand); technologies for pollution prevention and waste minimization; monitoring equipment; advanced (tertiary) wastewater treatment technologies; and instrumentation, process control and software. Technologies for clean-up, quality restoration, and decontamination of surface and groundwater were also in high demand.
In the waste management sector, high demand in all waste categories was expected for technologies related to pollution prevention and waste minimization, and recycling and resource recovery. For municipal waste, composting and biomass conversion technologies were identified as high demand areas. Technologies for collection, transportation, and storage of hazardous waste, and equipment for decontamination, site remediation, and clean-up of contaminated land for radioactive waste were also in high demand.
Demand for technologies related to noise, vibration and occupational health and safety was moderate.
The following section discusses the expected demand in more detail. The analysis of the responses in Tables 4.25-4.29 is followed by a short commentary comparing the conclusions with the objectives of national environmental policy.
Technologies in Demand by Sector
The following tables summarize and discuss expert responses to the question on demand for specific environmental technologies.
The following scale was used in ranking: 5 - highest, and with rapidly growing demand, 4 - high demand, likely to grow, 3 - moderate, slowly growing demand, 2 - low demand, will not grow, 1 - very low and decreasing demand, blank - no opinion.
Figures in cells show the average score, while those in brackets represent the number of responses.
| TABLE 4.25: DEMAND FOR ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES - AIR | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ambient air | Gaseous emissions | |
| Air sampling/laboratory analysis | 3.4 (10) | 3.3 (12) |
| Continuous-basis monitoring | 3.3 (12) | 3.3 (13) |
| Air pollution control/flue gas purification equipment (e.g. filters, scrubbers) | 3.7 (7) | 3.7 (14) |
| Gas detection/warning devices | 3.2 (7) | 3.5 (9) |
| Emission abatement/cleaner production (e.g. low emission burners) | 3.8 (7) | 4.2 (13) |
| Instrumentation and process control | 3.4 (7) | 3.5 (13) |
| Technologies in demand: #1 Emission abatement/cleaner production (gaseous emissions) Technologies where demand is expected to rise: #2 Air pollution control/flue gas purification equipment (gaseous emissions); #3 Instrumentation and process control (gaseous emissions) |
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High demand was expected for technologies related to the abatement of air emissions and cleaner production (such as low-emission burners, etc.). Growing demand was expected for air pollution control and flue gas purification technologies. Most frequently noted were state-of-the-art systems to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, dust and particulates, nitrogen monoxides, and hazardous chemicals. This situation is determined by the national environmental policy, targeting two main types of air pollution:
It is worth noting that many respondents from the targeted industrial sectors mentioned above, also indicated high demand for technologies in the energy category.
Finally, growing demand was identified for instrumentation and process control technologies. This seems to result from the growing approach to reduce emissions by improving process control rather than by expensive retrofitting or changing technological lines. Finally, growing demand was also identified for gas detection and warning devices.
Based on the priorities in national environmental policy, demand for some environmental technologies is expected to increase as the following planned projects are implemented across the country:
New air emission standards will be enforced in Poland from Jan. 1, 1998 (the Ordinance Act was issued in 1990). As the majority of large heat and energy generating plants (and most medium-sized boiler houses at industrial plants and municipalities) are coal-fired, reducing SO2 and NOx emissions is, and will remain, one of the most important project areas in Poland.
According to the researcher's best knowledge, highly effective technologies for SOx and NOx removal are not widely used in Poland, and generally, desulfurization installations are based on imported products. It was often noted by respondents that there are many foreign companies active on the Polish market which offer various air protection technologies, but the prices of the available systems are very often prohibitively high.
| TABLE 4.26: DEMAND FOR ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES - WATER AND WASTEWATER | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface and Ground Water | Potable (Drinking) Water | Municipal Wastewater | Industrial Wastewater | |
| Monitoring | 3.5 (14) | 3.4 (10) | 4.2 (9) | 4.1 (15) |
| Sampling/laboratory analysis | 3.2 (12) | 3.0 (11) | 3.7 (9) | 3.3 (13) |
| Construction of collection/supply networks | 3.1 (6) | 3.5 (9) | 3.4 (10) | 3.3 (12) |
| Inspection and reconditioning of existing supply and collection network | 3.2 (4) | 3.7 (7) | 3.4 (9) | 3.5 (10) |
| Standard physical, chemical and biological treatment processes | 3.4 (10) | 3.2 (7) | 3.7 (13) | 3.7 (16) |
| Advanced (tertiary) treatment processes (e.g. UV/ozonation, activated carbon, phosphate removal, reverse osmosis) | 3.6 (5) | 3.8 (6) | 4.2 (9) | 4.0 (13) |
| Sludge treatment and disposal | 3.6 (5) | 3.6 (3) | 4.7 (11) | 4.3 (16) |
| Pollution prevention/waste minimization | 3.5 (4) | 3.2 (4) | 4.3 (10) | 4.2 (14) |
| Water recycling and reuse | 3.0 (9) | 3.6 (5) | 3.8 (5) | 3.9 (12) |
| Spill control and containment/clean-up | 4.1 (7) | 3.8 (5) | 3.6 (6) | 3.7 (14) |
| Quality restoration and decontamination | 3.8 (9) | 3.0 (1) | 3.0 (2) | 3.4 (5) |
| Instrumentation/process control/software | 3.1 (7) | 3.3 (6) | 4.2 (4) | 4.0 (8) |
| Technologies in high demand: #1 Sludge treatment and disposal (municipal and industrial wastewater); #2 Pollution prevention/waste minimization (municipal and industrial wastewater); #3 Monitoring (municipal and industrial wastewater); #4 AdvancedÊ(tertiary) treatment processes (municipal and industrial wastewater); #5 Instrumentation/process control/software (municipal and industrial wastewater); #6ÊClean-up, quality restoration, and decontamination (surface and groundwater). Technologies where demand is expected to rise: #7 Water recycling and re-use (municipal and industrial wastewater); #8 Advanced (tertiary) drinking water treatment; #9 Spill control and containment (municipal and industrial wastewater); #10 standard wastewater treatment processes (municipal and industrial wastewater); #11 Inspection and reconditioning of existing water supply networks |
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Overall, demand was higher for technologies related to municipal and industrial wastewater than for those used in drinking water treatment, and the protection of surface and groundwater resources.
Among those technologies in the municipal and industrial wastewater sector, high demand was identified for those related to sludge treatment and disposal; pollution prevention and waste minimization; monitoring equipment; advanced (tertiary) wastewater treatment technologies; and instrumentation, process control and software. Technologies for clean-up, quality restoration, and decontamination of surface and groundwater were also in high demand.
Increasing demand in the municipal and industrial wastewater sector was expected for technologies related to water recycling and reuse; spill control and containment equipment; and standard wastewater treatment technologies. Other areas where significant growth in demand is expected include equipment for inspection and reconditioning of existing water supply networks, and technologies related to advanced (tertiary) drinking water treatment.
It should be noted that conventional wastewater treatment technologies are readily available on the Polish market, and, therefore, those most demanded are advanced and specialized wastewater treatment technologies (e.g. tertiary treatment, industrial wastewater treatment, manure treatment etc.)
High demand was frequently noted for technologies related to wastewater sludge management, which is still a major unresolved issue in Poland. Several respondents mentioned the need to provide adequate wastewater management in rural areas.
Demand for drinking water technologies was generally moderate. Two areas in somewhat higher demand were identified in this group: inspection and reconditioning of existing supply networks, and advanced water treatment methods (e.g. UV/ozonation, activated carbon). The demand was driven by the generally poor technical state of the existing water distribution infrastructure, and by the widespread use of surface water for drinking water supply. Most of the municipal water supply in Poland is based on the use of water from heavily polluted rivers, and standard water treatment technologies are often unable to remove many of the pollutants.
Finally, demand for technologies for the protection of surface and groundwater resources was high and expected to grow in spill control and containment/clean-up, and quality restoration and decontamination.
Perhaps surprisingly, given the current technical condition of the existing infrastructure, expected demand was moderate for technologies for the construction of collection and supply networks and reconditioning of existing systems.
| TABLE 4.27: DEMAND FOR ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES - WASTE MANAGEMENT | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Solid Waste | Industrial Waste | Hazardous Waste | Radioactive Waste | |
| Waste collection/transportation and storage | 3.9 (10) | 3.5 (14) | 4.0 (12) | 2.8 (7) |
| Sample analysis/waste characterization | 3.1 (9) | 3.0 (12) | 3.3 (11) | 2.6 (5) |
| Site monitoring | 3.3 (12) | 3.4 (14) | 3.9 (12) | 3.1 (6) |
| Landfill disposal | 3.7 (10) | 3.4 (12) | 2.6 (9) | 3.2 (5) |
| Incineration | 3.2 (9) | 3.0 (11) | 3.5 (8) | 2.5 (2) |
| Composting/biomass conversion | 4.4 (9) | 3.1 (7) | 2.6 (3) | 4.0 (1) |
| Pollution prevention and waste minimization | 3.9 (10) | 4.5 (13) | 4.3 (11) | 4.2 (4) |
| Recycling/resource recovery | 4.3 (11) | 4.3 (13) | 4.1 (9) | 4.0 (3) |
| Spillage control/decontamination | 3.5 (7) | 3.7 (11) | 3.8 (11) | 4.3 (3) |
| Site remediation/clean-up of contaminated land | 3.5 (7) | 3.4 (11) | 3.7 (10) | 4.3 (3) |
| Technologies in high demand: #1 Pollution prevention and waste minimization (all waste categories); #2 Composting/biomass conversion (municipal solid waste); #3 Recycling/resource recovery (all waste categories); #4 Decontamination, site remediation, and clean-up of contaminated land for radioactive waste; #5 Hazardous waste collection, transportation and storage. Technologies where demand is expected to rise: #6 Hazardous waste site monitoring; #7 Municipal waste collection, transportation, and storage; #8 Site remediation/clean-up (hazardous and industrial waste); #10 Landfill disposal of municipal waste. |
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High demand was also identified for composting/biomass conversion equipment for municipal solid waste; equipment for decontamination, site remediation, and clean-up of land contaminated with radioactive waste; and technologies related to hazardous waste collection, transportation and storage.
Increasing demand was expected for hazardous waste site monitoring equipment; technologies related to municipal waste collection, transportation, and storage; hazardous and industrial waste site remediation/clean-up equipment, and technologies for landfill disposal of municipal waste.
For municipal waste, technologies related to composting and biomass conversion, and recycling and resource recovery were expected to be in high demand, along with technologies for waste collection, transportation and storage. Currently, there are a number of pilot projects under implementation (e.g. Warsaw, Gdansk) to increase the amount of composted municipal waste.
As regards hazardous waste, demand was high for site monitoring equipment, and for waste collection, transportation and storage technologies. Interestingly, hazardous waste was the only category where demand for incineration technologies was relatively high. This largely results from current problems with the disposal of hospital waste. High demand was also identified for technologies related to pollution prevention and waste minimization, and recycling/resource recovery for both hazardous and industrial waste.
Finally, other areas where demand was increasing included technologies for spill control and decontamination, and site remediation and clean-up for industrial, hazardous, and radioactive waste.
As for radioactive waste, the identified demand was generally high, especially equipment for decontamination, and site remediation and clean-up technologies.
The Forthcoming Waste Act
A significant impact on waste management practices (and market opportunities) will result from the pending Waste Act (expected to be passed by Parliament during Spring 1997). The key provisions in the Act maintain that:
The following significant changes in the management of waste packaging are also expected to result from the Waste Act:
| TABLE 4.28: DEMAND FOR ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES - ENERGY | ||
|---|---|---|
| Energy and Power Generation | Other Industrial Sectors (e.g. manufacturing, chemicals) | |
| New/efficient energy and heat generation systems | 4.5 (4) | 4.6 (8) |
| Retrofitting/rehabilitation of existing systems | 4.4 (5) | 4.1 (11) |
| Process management and control (e.g. tune-ups, process optimization) | 4.3 (3) | 4.1 (10) |
| Heat recovery and energy savings (e.g. insulation) | 4.3 (3) | 4.2 (10) |
| Alternative/renewable energy systems (e.g. geothermal, biomass, solar) | 4.0 (3) | 3.3 (8) |
| Alternative (non-CFC) refrigerants | 2.6 (3) | 3.1 (8) |
| Instrumentation | 2.5 (2) | 2.8 (8) |
| Technologies in high demand: #1 New/efficient energy and heat generation systems; #2 Retrofitting/rehabilitation of existing systems; #3 Heat recovery and energy savings; #4 Process management and control; #5 alternative/renewable energy systems for the energy sector. | ||
Specific technologies in high demand included: new/efficient energy and heat generation systems, equipment for retrofitting/rehabilitation of existing systems, technologies related to heat recovery and energy savings, and process management and control equipment. Technologies related to the use of alternative/renewable energy sources were in high demand in the power and energy generation sector.
As discussed in the section on air protection technologies, national environmental policy currently targets two main categories of air pollution: flue gases from coal-fired heat and energy generation plants, and process emissions from industrial plants, mainly from different types of chemical processing plants. The most important issues which need be solved in the near future include:
Technologies for heat recovery and energy savings were often indicated as a priority area by respondents from "other industrial sectors," particularly by the chemical industry. The production of high-efficiency technologies for the energy sector, and technologies for energy and heat recovery are priority areas for funding from the National Environment Protection Fund.
The use of alternative sources of energy was not perceived as a high demand area by respondents from "other industrial sectors." Finally, demand was low for non-CFC refrigerants and instrumentation.
It is worth noting that in April '97, the Polish Parliament passed the new Energy Law. The Act focuses mainly on power utilities and fuel and energy supplies, but incorporated also are provisions related to the protection of the environment, including development of conventional energy sources, and rationalization of fuel and energy use. The Energy Law also established a new central administration body - the so-called Energy Regulation Authority, charged with controlling the fuel and energy economy, and promoting market competitiveness.
| TABLE 4.29: DEMAND FOR ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES - NOISE, VIBRATION AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY | ||
|---|---|---|
| Noise and Vibration | Occupational Health & Safety | |
| Instrumentation/measuring and control devices | 3.6 (9) | 3.1 (12) |
| Protection equipment | 3.0 (7) | 3.2 (12) |
| Abatement (insulation, absorbtion) | 3.6 (10) | 3.4 (13) |
| Electromagnetic field exposure and other | - | - |
| Technologies where demand is expected to rise: Noise and vibration abatement (insulation, absorbtion), and Instrumentation/measuring and control devices (noise and vibration) | ||
On the other hand, many respondents observed that occupational health and safety issues are treated seriously, and growing demand for modern OHS technologies can be expected. It appears likely that with the introduction of stricter OHS regulations comparable with those in the EU, and with the increased direct liability of employers for workers' safety (replacing the key role of the Social Security Office), the demand for OHS equipment will indeed grow.
Not a single interviewed expert commented on the level of demand for technologies related to electromagnetic field exposure. This indicates that the problem is practically an unknown issue in Poland.
| TABLE 4.30: MAJOR END-USERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES | |
|---|---|
| Category | End-users |
| Air | Energy and power generation sector (7); Chemical industry (3); Various types of manufacturing (3); Transport (2); Municipalities/municipal services (1) |
| Water and Wastewater | Municipalities/municipal services (6); Chemical industry (4); Various types of manufacturing (2); Energy and power generation sector (1); Mining (1) |
| Waste | Municipalities/municipal services (6); Chemical industry (3); Energy and power generation sector (2); Various types of manufacturing (2); Mining (2); Research institutes (1) |
| Energy | Energy and power generation sector (3); Chemical industry (3); Municipalities/municipal services (2); Mining (2); Transport (2) |
| Noise and Vibration and OHS | Manufacturing (3); Heavy industry (2); Mining (2); Transport (2); Energy generation sector (2); Chemical industry (2) |
| Note: Figures in brackets represent number of responses | |
Municipalities (or privatized companies providing municipal services) are the main end-users of water, wastewater and waste management technologies. Notably, wastewater treatment is a field where a significant increase in spending is expected in the coming years.
The energy and power generation sector is the main end-user of air quality protection technologies, and energy-related technologies. In addition, other industrial branches with high energy consumption, such as the chemical industry and various manufacturing industries, are significant end-users in this group. The current situation is expected to continue, partly due to the priorities of the national environmental policy, and partly due to stricter air emission standards effective from Jan. 1, 1998.
