The Institute of Environmental Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Zabrze is the oldest Polish scientific institution that conducts comprehensive basic and applied research in the field of environmental protection and engineering. The employees of the Institute laid the foundations for environmental engineering and largely contributed to its definition at the 2nd Congress of Polish Science in 1973 as a new discipline of knowledge.
The facility was established in January 1961 under the name of the Department of Scientific Research of the Upper Silesian Industrial District of the Polish Academy of Sciences (its progenitor was the Scientific Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences for the Upper Silesian Industrial District, operating since 1954). Its founder and first director was Prof. Eugeniusz Zaczyński. In June 1970, the institution was reorganized, changing its organizational structure and name to the Department of Environmental Protection of Industrial Regions of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The research was carried out in six laboratories: Physicochemistry of Waste Gas Treatment Processes, Fundamental Problems of Dust Technology, Scientific Foundations of Water Protection and Water Management, Post-Industrial Land Development, Research on the Impact of Industrialization on the Environment, and Scientific and Technical Documentation with a Library.
The facility was established in January 1961 under the name of the Department of Scientific Research of the Upper Silesian Industrial District of the Polish Academy of Sciences (its progenitor was the Scientific Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences for the Upper Silesian Industrial District, operating since 1954). Its founder and first director was Prof. Eugeniusz Zaczyński. In June 1970, the institution was reorganized, changing its organizational structure and name to the Department of Environmental Protection of Industrial Regions of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The research was carried out in six laboratories: Physicochemistry of Waste Gas Treatment Processes, Fundamental Problems of Dust Technology, Scientific Foundations of Water Protection and Water Management, Post-Industrial Land Development, Research on the Impact of Industrialization on the Environment, and Scientific and Technical Documentation with a Library.
In 1972, the construction of the new seat of the Institute began.
The next directors were: Prof. Jan Paluch (November 1964-November 1974), Stefan Jarzębski Full Professor (December 1974-December 1983), Jan Kapała Full Professor (January 1984-October 2001). Czesława Rosik-Dulewska Full Professor (November 2001-March 2012), Franciszek Pistelok PhD, Assistant Professor (April 2012-March 2016), Marianna Czaplicka Full Professor (IV.2016-III.2024), (IV 2024 - now) Piotr Czechowski PhD.
In the 1970s, the Institute coordinated comprehensive programs for the protection and shaping of the human environment with applications in GOP and other industrial regions, and in the years 1986-1990 - the four-year Central Program of Fundamental Research entitled Biochemical and physical transformations of pollutants and industrial wastes and their interaction with the environment.
The Institute of Environmental Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences actively participates in scientific research as part of the EU framework programs implemented in Poland since 1998, the aim of which is to finance research works by the European Commission and present the results achieved at the European level. He implemented two projects under the EU's 5th Framework Program for Research and Development: Screening and Monitoring of anthropogenic pollution over Central Europe by using magnetic proxies (MAGPROX) (2000-2003) and Integrated Soil and Water Protection: Risk from Diffuse Pollution (SOWA) (2002 -2004), in the 6th EU Framework Program - Safe Management of Mining Waste and Waste Facilities (2007-1008) and participated in the EU E-Ten project entitled Environmental Enterprise Service Provider (2005-2006).
