Fot. Martin Huć (26)
Author: Martin Huć     Published At: 09.12.2024
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Excellent numbers and important talks at the EPAE 2024 conference

Behind us is the XII International Conference on Environmental Protection & Energy 2024, which took place on December 6 at the Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering of the Silesian University of Technology. This year it was a record-breaking one - it was attended by over 300 participants and presented almost 250 presentations and 60 posters.

Participants from many countries around the world. Representatives of the world of science and business. Lots of young people interested in the topic of the conference. Interesting conversations, innovative ideas, and important debates. Research results, presentations, and posters. The 12th EPAE International Conference 2024 has already made history, but it has certainly left an important mark.

- “This is a conference created by young scientists for young scientists. We look forward to their fresh look. We want our students and doctoral students and other young researchers to have the opportunity to present the results of their work on the one hand, but also to participate in the preparation of a large event “– explains Prof. Eng. Krzysztof Pikoń, Chairman of the organizing Committee of the conference. – “We cover thematic areas related to environmental protection, energy transformation. We are also talking about achieving our climate goals and a circular economy. Since the first edition, our conference has grown and become more professional. This year we also invited experienced researchers, which allows for a greater exchange of experiences. In addition, the presentations of young scientists will be published not only in the traditionally published book, but also in prestigious, high-scoring journals."

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The event was attended by, among others: the Rector of the Silesian University of Technology Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Marek Pawełczyk and Vice-Rector for Science and International Cooperation Prof. Dr Hab.Eng. Sebastian Werle.

"We must not be afraid of changes in energy, region and social transformation. We are currently educating students who will take appropriate positions in the coming years and will decide about these changes or advise the right people. We have the opportunity that we can benefit from the experience of universities that co-create the European University EURECA-PRO with the Silesian University of Technology. These universities are based in countries that are currently undergoing the transformation process or are already behind them. So, we are facing similar issues, and we find solutions together “. – said the Rector.

In addition to numerous presentations, the organizers invited the participants to listen to two discussion panels on the most current topics related to environmental protection. The first of them concerned the deposit system as an element of the circular economy, which will be introduced in our country on the 1st October 2025.

“We are expecting a small revolution in educating the public not to crush plastic bottles anymore, as we have promoted for many years Customers will be able to obtain a deposit by returning the bottle at the right point” - says Lukasz Tekeli, investment director at MASTER, a company dealing with waste management, recycling and renewable energy production. “We have a long transition period ahead of us to introduce the whole system, which is very expensive. You have to bring a lot of machines to the shops and keep them later. But I think it works well in the West”.

Fot. Martin Huć (34)

The second debate was about how the healthcare sector could contribute to environmental protection. The moderator of this panel was the President of the Board of the Institute of Innovation and responsible Development, Dr Agnieszka Sznyk, who previously talked during a lecture about the idea of the Green Coalition for Health.

This is a platform that brings together different stakeholder groups to implement sustainable solutions in the healthcare sector. This is extremely important because it turns out that this sector is a fairly large emitter of carbon dioxide and affects global warming. It causes even more emissions than shipping or transport - explains Dr Agnieszka Sznyk, who also referred to the subject of the debate. "There are many ways in which the health system can contribute to environmental protection, for example by properly managing medical waste or building hospitals in accordance with the principles of sustainable circular construction.

Fot. Martin Huć (9)

Among the participants of the event were graduates of the Silesian University of Technology, among others, the general director of WAAM, Dr Eng. Artur Czachor, who during the introductory session delivered a short lecture “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in waste recognition – a new era of recycling”.

“We built a tool that consists of three applications – an AI-based desktop app that monitors shelves in stores or warehouses and recognizes products with an expiry date, an app for a retailer that creates its virtual warehouse, and an app for the user to know if a product that has an expiring expiration date is in their favourite store. I hope that the first tests of the application will be carried out in the first quarter of the new year” – explains Dr Eng. Artur Czachor.

The record attendance and involvement of young scientists in the introduction of innovative ideas is extremely encouraging for the organizers who plan further development of the event.

- “EPAE is a growing group of recipients, speakers, but also topics. We are proud, especially of students who at the beginning of their scientific career presented their first presentations at this event, and now are doing doctorates or developing a career in business” – explains Dr Eng. Nikolina Poranek, assistant professor at the Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering.

“We would like this conference to be fully circular in the future. We have already taken the first steps, among other things, we have got rid of plastic – for example, instead of plastic cups, they are cardboard ones. We will then subject them to composting processes and create fertilizer for our oxytree that we planted near our campus. In this symbolic way, we want to show that closing circuits at different levels is possible “- explains Professor Krzysztof Pikon.

- "This year's edition of the EPAE conference was a big challenge, requiring the involvement of many people at various stages of the organization. I would like to thank everyone who put in a lot of work, energy and time to make such a unique and inspiring event possible. Thanks to the joint effort, we managed to achieve a great effect," emphasizes Prof. Ewa Brągoszewska, Vice-President of the Organizing Committee.

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