Success Stories

MicroAlgal development under Thermal Stress: mechanisms on self-heating coal-waste dumps

User experience by Anna Abramowicz

Post-mining regions face many environmental challenges, including the large amounts of waste left behind by coal mining. Stored in many waste dumps, this material can undergo a range of physical, chemical, and biological changes that continue to shape these sites long after mining has ended.

At the same time, these areas provide researchers with valuable outdoor laboratories for studying how the environment responds to changing conditions. The coal-waste dumps of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin in Poland provide one such example. Some of these dumps remain thermally active due to self-heating and spontaneous combustion, with subsurface temperatures that can reach very high levels and vary considerably across the site. Despite these difficult conditions, a variety of living organisms are able to colonise and survive in these harsh environments.

Photo: Algal crusts on one of the coal-waste dumps in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin.

After several years of studying plant colonisation on thermally active coal-waste dumps, our attention turned to the microorganisms. We began to notice microalgae and other microbial communities on some of the sites, which made us curious about how they survive in such an unusual environment and how they tolerate the high temperatures. However, the possibilities to check it at my home institution were quite limited. This is where IRISCC and the ACOI – Coimbra Collection of Algae in Portugal became very important for our research.

Installation

ACOI

Research Infrastructure

EMBRC – European Marine Biological Resource Centre

Provider

EMBRC – European Marine Biological Resource Centre

Link

Duration

Access

Transnational Access, Physical

From Poland to Portugal

The first step of the project took place in Poland, where I collected algal samples from thermally active coal-waste dumps, with the support of the team from the University of Silesia in Katowice: Prof. Justyna Ciesielczuk, Prof. Monika Fabiańska, and Prof. Oimahmad Rahmonov. We collected samples from different parts of the dumps, including areas with different internal temperatures, in order to capture the diversity of organisms living under different conditions. The samples were then taken to ACOI in Coimbra (part of the EMBRC – European Marine Biological Resource Centre), where I visited the collection twice in 2026.

Photo: Collecting samples from a thermally active coal-waste dump by Prof. Oimahmad Rahmonov.

My first stay at ACOI focused on getting to know the samples and the organisms living in them. Microscopic observations revealed a surprisingly diverse community, including filamentous and single-celled algae, cyanobacteria and diatoms. I then began isolating individual organisms from the mixed samples so that they could be grown and studied separately. This was a careful and time-consuming process, requiring patience and repeated work with very small amounts of material. The selected isolates were then cultivated for several months to produce enough biomass for the next stages of the research.

During the second stay, which was co-financed by the Research Excellence Initiative of the University of Silesia in Katowice, I returned to the cultures established during the first visit. I followed their development, documented their appearance and selected cultures for further study. We then carried out molecular and biochemical analyses to more precisely identify the organisms and better understand their ability to live in such an unusual environment.

Photo: One of the algal cultures grown during the research.

Why This Research Matters?

Coal waste dumps are unusual environments, but they can tell us much more broadly about how living organisms respond to extreme conditions. The microalgae found on thermally active sites are exposed not only to high and fluctuating temperatures but also to elevated pollution levels, making them interesting examples of life adapting to multiple environmental stresses.

Investigating which organisms can survive under these conditions, and how they do it, can contribute to a better understanding of biological responses to environmental stress. This is particularly relevant as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of extreme conditions, posing growing risks to ecosystems and their resilience. Exploring how organisms respond to such conditions is therefore increasingly important and closely aligns with the broader aims of IRISCC.

Photo: Microscopic image of algal filaments cultivated at ACOI from samples collected in Poland.

Would I Recommend IRISCC?

The IRISCC Transnational Access programme enabled me to take this research beyond what I could do at my home institution. Through my TA visit to ACOI, I gained access to specialised equipment, an extensive algal collection, and the expertise of experienced researchers. I also had the opportunity to learn new techniques, discuss my results, and work in an international research environment with a friendly and enthusiastic team. For me, this combination was very valuable. I was able to follow the project from collecting samples in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin to studying the organisms in a specialised laboratory in Portugal. Seeing the first isolates grow and gradually learning more about them was one of the most satisfying parts of the whole experience. It was especially rewarding to see how samples collected in the field could become the starting point for further research.

For these reasons, I would recommend IRISCC to early-career researchers who are building their experience and developing their research skills. An opportunity like this can be an important step in expanding professional networks, and opening new possibilities. For me, IRISCC was not only about access to facilities, but also about the people I met, the knowledge I gained, and the experience I can carry forward into my future research.

Photo: With the ACOI team in front of the algal collection in Coimbra.

MicroAlgal development under Thermal Stress: mechanisms on self-heating coal-waste dumps

User experience by Anna Abramowicz

Photo: Algal crusts on one of the coal-waste dumps in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin.