Fertilizers have been used extensively around the globe since the Green Revolution, due to the high subsidies. However, extensive fertilizer use exacerbates soil degradation and causes yield stagnation, and as a result threatens food security and soil sustainability, especially in developing countries. This means that sustainable soil and environmental management are vital to provide food and nutritional security for present and future generations. This has led to the International Union of Soil Science (IUSS) declaring 2015-2024 the International Decade of Soils. This book focuses on the impact of sustainable management of soil and environment on improving the functioning of soil-ecosystems and agronomic productivity, and also discusses food security, nutrient cycling, recent advances in INM technologies, eco-friendly cultivation, agricultural practices to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as well as conservation agriculture and its effects, and strategies for soil sustainability. Offering a comprehensive overview of management in the context of the sustainability of soil and the agroecosystems that it supports, it demonstrates the options available and provides insights into restoring soil health and matching soil nutrient supply with crop demand to ensure nutritional security in an eco-friendly environment.

Improved knowledge in the field of technical objects operation and control helps manufacturers to decrease energy consumption and keep construction costs low. Moreover, it helps dealing effectively with environmental problems and switching to renewable forms of energy on the path of sustainable development of the society. The methods and technologies presented in this book will allow to improve the effectiveness of technical objects control and helps achieving safe, economical, high-quality usage of power engineering and information technologies. The book presents recent advances in power engineering, electric drives, transport systems, power electronics, cybersecurity and others. Vital issues of innovative small vehicles with using hydrogen fuel as well as boring rigs and underwater hydraulic transport pipelines are considered. The book offers a fresh look at energy-saving and energy efficiency in industry, new ideas in information technologies, paying much attention to interdisciplinary specification of the results obtained.

Coast lines have been and still are the centre lines of civilization around the world with still increasing pressure from both sides, the hinterland and the sea, with all its foreseeable and unforeseeable impacts given by nature or mankind. While response of nature to such impacts is flexible in the way that all morphological changes with all the consequences are tolerated as part of the system, man cannot tolerate short-term or long-term changes without being threatened in its physical and economical existence. The objectives of this Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on Environmentally Friendly Coastal Structures were:

- to contribute to the critical assessment of existing knowledge in the field of coastal and environmental protection;

- to identify directions for future research in that area;

- to promote close working relationships between scientists from different countries and with different professional experience.

Latest trends in research in coastal and environmental protection have been summarized and developed during the meeting. Seventeen papers are presented in this book, attempting to cover as completely as possible all related aspects a" coast, engineering structures, water, sediments, ecosystems in their complicated interaction.

Emission inventory is basic for the understanding of environmental behaviors and potential effects of compounds, however, current inventories are often associated with relatively high uncertainties. One important reason is the lack of emission factors (EFs), especially for the residential solid fuel combustion in developing countries. In the present study, emission factors of a group of pollutants including particulate matter, organic carbon, elemental carbon (sometimes known as black carbon) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were measured for a variety of residential solid fuels including coal, crop straw, wood, and biomass pellets in rural China. The study provided a large number of emission factors that can be further used in emission estimation. Composition profiles and isomer ratios were investigated and compared so as to be used in source apportionment. In addition, the present study identified and quantified the influence of factors like fuel moisture, volatile matter on emission performance. The publication of the study will be of interest and helpful to the readers in the field of air pollution, human health, fuel saving and energy consumption etc. Guofeng Shen works at the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, Jiangsu Academy of Environmental Sciences, China.

The Congress "Arsenic in the Environment" offers an international, multi- and interdisciplinary discussion platform for research and innovation aimed towards a holistic solution to the problem posed by the environmental toxin arsenic, with considerable societal impact. The congress has focused on cutting edge and breakthrough research in physical, chemical, toxicological, medical, agricultural and other specific issues on arsenic across a broader environmental realm. The Congress "Arsenic in the Environment" was first organized in Mexico City (As2006) followed by As2008 in Valencia, Spain, As2010 in Tainan, Taiwan, As2012 in Cairns, Australia and As2014 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The 6th International Congress As2016 was held June 19-23, 2016 in Stockholm, Sweden and was entitled Arsenic Research and Global Sustainability. The Congress addressed the broader context of arsenic research along the following themes: Theme 1: Arsenic in Environmental Matrices and Interactions (Air, Water, Soil and Biological Matrices) Theme 2: Arsenic in Food Chain Theme 3: Arsenic and Health Theme 4: Clean Water Technology for Control of Arsenic Theme 5: Societal issues, Policy Studies, Mitigation and Management Long term exposure to low-to-medium levels of arsenic via contaminated food and drinking water can have a serious impact on human health and globally, more than 100 million people are at risk. Since the end of the 20th century, arsenic in drinking water (mainly groundwater) has emerged as a global health concern. In the past decade, the presence of arsenic in plant foods - especially rice - has gained increasing attention. In the Nordic countries in particular, the use of water-soluble inorganic arsenic chemicals (e.g. chromated copper arsenate, CCA) as wood preservatives and the mining of sulfidic ores have been flagged as health concern. The issue has been accentuated by discoveries of naturally occurring arsenic in groundwater, primarily in the private wells, in parts of the Fennoscandian Shield and in sedimentary formations, with potentially detrimental effects on public health. Sweden has been at the forefront of research on the health effects of arsenic, technological solutions for arsenic removal, and sustainable mitigation measures for developing countries. Hosting this Congress in Sweden was also relevant because historically Sweden has been one of the leading producer of As2O3 and its emission from the smelting industries in northern Sweden and has successfully implemented actions to reduce the industrial emissions of arsenic as well as minimizing the use of materials and products containing arsenic in since 1977. The Congress has gathered professionals involved in different segments of interdisciplinary research in an open forum, and strengthened relations between academia, industry, research laboratories, government agencies and the private sector to share an optimal atmosphere for exchange of knowledge, discoveries and discussions about the problem of arsenic in the environment and catalyze the knowledge generation and innovations at a policy context to achieve the goals for post 2015 Sustainable Development.

The past 30 years have seen the emergence of a growing desire worldwide to take positive actions to restore and protect the environment from the degrading effects of all forms of pollution: air, noise, solid waste, and water. Because pollution is a direct or indirect consequence of waste, the seemingly idealistic demand for "zero discharge" can be construed as an unrealistic demand for zero waste. However, as long as waste exists, we can only attempt to abate the subsequent pollution by converting it to a less noxious form. Three major questions usually arise when a particular type of pollution has been identified: (1) How serious is the pollution? (2) Is the technology to abate it available? and (3) Do the costs of abatement justify the degree of abatement achieved? The principal intention of the Handbook of Environmental Engineering series is to help readers formulate answers to the last two questions. The traditional approach of applying tried-and-true solutions to specific pollution pr- lems has been a major contributing factor to the success of environmental engineering, and has accounted in large measure for the establishment of a "methodology of pollution c- trol. " However, realization of the ever-increasing complexity and interrelated nature of current environmental problems makes it imperative that intelligent planning of pollution abatement systems be undertaken.

With remarkable vision, Prof. Otto Hutzinger initiated The Handbook of Envir- mental Chemistry in 1980 and became the founding Editor-in-Chief. At that time, environmental chemistry was an emerging ?eld, aiming at a complete description of the Earth's environment, encompassing the physical, chemical, biological, and geological transformations of chemical substances occurring on a local as well as a global scale. Environmental chemistry was intended to provide an account of the impact of man's activities on the natural environment by describing observed changes. While a considerable amount of knowledge has been accumulated over the last three decades, as re?ected in the more than 70 volumes of The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, there are still many scienti?c and policy challenges ahead due to the complexity and interdisciplinary nature of the ?eld. The series will therefore continue to provide compilations of current knowledge. Contri- tions are written by leading experts with practical experience in their ?elds. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry grows with the increases in our scienti?c understanding, and provides a valuable source not only for scientists but also for environmental managers and decision-makers. Today, the series covers a broad range of environmental topics from a chemical perspective, including methodol- ical advances in environmental analytical chemistry.

A compelling look at the challenges of freshwater conservation and management issues facing the United States at the start of the new millennium. Battles have been fought, lives have been lost, countries divided-and all for one reason-water. Freshwater Issues provides a quick education in the basics and essential issues of freshwater management. From water supply and resource information to the role of water in ecosystems, the coverage also provides global water data, examines uncertainties about future water supplies, and addresses technological advances in the development of water resources and environmental safeguards. Thorough treatment is given to water rights, allocation issues, and U.S. water laws and their many regional variations. This is followed by an explanation of the economics of water, from ownership and pricing to social impact and discussions of often-conflicting public, environmental, and private interests. The war over water has just begun.

This book explores a new framework of Adaptive Water Management (AWM) for evaluating existing approaches in urban water management. It highlights the need to adopt multidisciplinary strategies in water management while providing an in-depth understanding of institutional interactions amongst different water related sectors. The key characteristics of AWM i.e. polycentric governance, organisational flexibility and public participation are investigated and described through a critical review of the relevant literature. The book presents an empirical case study undertaken in a selected developing-country city to investigate the potential gaps between the current water management approaches and possible implementation of AWM. Feasibility of AWM operations is examined in an environment surrounded by established water management structure with centralised governance and an institutional process based on technical flexibility. The key elements of AWM performance are (re)structured and transformed into decision support systems. Multi criteria decision models are developed to facilitate quantification and visualization of the elements derived from the case study, which is involved with water companies and water consumers. The book describes how the concept of AWM, along with structuring suitable decision support systems, can be developed and applied to developing-country cities. The book highlights the barriers for applying the AWM strategies that include established centralised decision making, bureaucratic interactions with external organisations, lack of organisational flexibility within the institutions, and lack of recognition of public role in water management. The findings outline that despite the lack of adaptability in the current water management in the case study, as an example of developing countries, there are positive attitudes among water professionals and the public towards adaptability through public-institutional participation.

This book mainly focuses on ecological approaches for preventing and controlling non-point source (NPS) pollution on the basis of forestry measures. In addition to the effects of ecological control, it introduces readers to the characteristics of NPS pollution in Taihu Lake watershed, water eutrophication evaluation methods, and potential countermeasures. Given the crucial role of surface runoff and soil erosion in producing water pollution, the book presents forestry measures to combat them, such as the creation of public welfare forests, urban forestry, planting techniques for hedgerows on slope land, the establishment of shelter belts, nitrogen and phosphorus absorption by hydrophytes, and sustainable management for wetlands. Moreover, the results are supplemented by a wealth of numerical calculations, tables, figures and photographs. The book offers a valuable guide for researchers, educators and professionals working in the areas of water environment, water security and ecological construction. Prof. Jianfeng Zhang works at the Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Fuyang, China.

The Nirma University International Conference on Engineering NUiCONE is a flagship event of the Institute of Technology, Nirma University, Ahmedabad. NUiCONE-2015 is focussed on events/themes in the current trends in Engineering and its research issues. Practicing engineers, technologists and technopreneurs from the industry will engage in special knowledge sharing sessions using applied technical papers by industry participants on case-study applications, white-papers, panel discussions, industrial exhibitions of innovations and technology products etc. This proceedings book includes peer reviewed and presented research papers by research scholars and professionals from academia, industry and government R&D organizations. The papers included in this proceedings volume present unpublished research of participating researchers related to some specific multi-disciplinary themes addressing sustainable engineering fields like Sustainable Manufacturing Processes; Design and Analysis of Machine & Mechanisms; Energy Conservation and Management; Concrete and Structural Engineering; Infrastructure Project Planning and Management; Chemical Process Development and Design; and Technologies for Green Environment.

Due to their unparalleled effectiveness and efficiency, polyfluorinated chemicals (PFC") "have become essential in numerous technical applications. However, many PFCs brought to market show limited biodegradability, and their environmental persistence combined with toxic and bioaccumulative potential have become a matter of concern in some instances. This volume highlights the synthesis of PFCs, focusing on substances with improved application and environmental properties, which are a challenge for synthetic chemists. Further, modern mass spectrometric techniques for the detection and identification of biotransformation products of PFCs are described. The sorption and leaching behavior of PFC in soil is also addressed in order to predict their fate in the environment. Several contributions discuss the monitoring of PFCs in European surface, ground and drinking waters, treatment options for PFC removal from drinking water, occurrence in food, and the human biomonitoring of PFCs.

Central Asia is vulnerable to water scarcity because it is located in semiarid and arid vegetation zones and large parts of its economy depend on water for irrigation and energy. Climate-change scenarios predict temperature increases and a rising number of extreme weather events, which will exacerbate water shortages in the future. In addition, the population of Central Asia is growing more rapidly than the rate of food production which is resulting in food insecurity in many parts of the region too. This volume reports the deliberations of politicians, scientists and representatives of water management organizations from throughout Central Asia. Their contributions not only highlight areas of concern, but also propose numerous ideas for improving the long-term water- and food security in the region.

The majority of the world's population live in environments with artificially weakened wind as buildings in urban areas form wind-breaks and reduce wind speeds. Anthropogenic heat is also generated and during the summer dense urban areas suffer from the urban heat island effect, a known urban climate problem. This book discusses how to evaluate the urban wind environment, including ventilation performance and thermal comfort. This book is organized in two parts; Wind Environment and the Urban Environment and Criteria for Assessing Breeze Environments. It includes chapters on sea breeze in urban areas; thermal adaptation and the effect of wind on thermal comfort; health risk of exposures; pollutant transport in dense urban areas; legal regulations for urban ventilation and new criteria for assessing the local wind environment. Keywords: urban wind environments, urban heat island, urban climate, land use change, thermal comfort, risk assessment, urban air pollution, urban ventilation

This book presents new concepts as well as practical applications and experiences in the field of information technology for environmental engineering. The book has three main focus areas: firstly, it shows how information technologies can be employed to support natural resource management and conservation, environmental engineering, scientific simulation and integrated assessment studies. Secondly, it demonstrates the application of computing in the everyday practices of environmental engineers, natural scientists, economists and social scientists. And thirdly, it demonstrates how the complexity of natural phenomena can be approached using interdisciplinary methods, where computer science offers the infrastructure needed for environmental data collection and management, scientific simulations, decision support documentation and reporting.The book collects selected papers presented at the 7th International Symposium on Environmental Engineering, held in Port Elizabeth, South Africa in July 2015. It discusses recent success stories in eco-informatics, promising ideas and new challenges from the interdisciplinary viewpoints of computer scientists, environmental engineers, economists and social scientists, demonstrating new paradigms for problem-solving and decision-making.

The key novelty of this book is first of all in the successful attempt to conduct jointly modeling of environment in terms of physical environment related parameters and measuring similar parameters by means of multispectral remote sensing, primarily by means of passive microwave remote sensing technology. Another new step is in the development and utilization of a multilevel approach which includes remote sensing of the land and water parameters like soil moisture, depth to water table, biomass of vegetation, temperature and salinity of water, in situ measurements of similar parameters and incorporation of GIS and data sets into the models of typical environments. The part of book, which contains remote sensing is focused on multipurpose observations from aircraft obtained in many soil-climatic zones in different countries and is reach of the examples of practical application. Applied mathematicians, geophysics, hydrologists, socio-economists, statesmans and other researchers of environmental changes will find a wealth of information and ideas in this book.

This book addresses the synthesis of photosensitizers, the main emphasis being on the new methods of synthesis such as microwave, sonochemistry and the use of ionic liquids. It also addresses the photochemistry and photophysics of the photosensitizers alone and in combination with nanoparticles, the use of the photosensitizers in environmental control, safety and medicine. It discusses the common structures of the photosensitizers which are beneficial to these applications.

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This book focuses on the low-carbon technologies presented at the Expo 2010 in Shanghai, covering the utilization and application of renewable energy, new-type low-carbon technologies, low-carbon construction, water treatment, waste disposal and low-carbon transportation, etc. It brings together and analyzes data collected from the Expo site in connection with several aspects ranging from the initial planning and design, pavilion construction, and operational management, to concept demonstrations, with selected sample businesses and a summary at the end of each section. The author hopes that people around the world who long for an even better urban life will lend their support to the future development of low-carbon technologies. This book offers a valuable resource for researchers, professionals and graduates in the fields of low-carbon and environmental protection. Wenhua Xi is currently the Director-General of UNIDO International Solar Energy Center, Director-General of the Asia-Pacific Research and Training Center for Solar Energy, and Director-General of Gansu Natural Energy Research Institute.

This book provides a comprehensive overview on mechanochemistry including its history, high-energy ball milling process, equipment used and fundamentals behind the observed scientific phenomena. It also shows that mechanochemistry is highly applicable in the field of waste treatment. The text reviews 1017 studies utilizing mostly high-energy ball milling for the treatment of various types of consumer, technogenic and agricultural waste. The text is divided into chapters based on individual waste types. The book presents an Appendix compiling all studies arranged according to the application that the recycled waste is meant for. In this way, readers from both academia and companies interested either in the treatment of a particular waste, or particular application might easily locate sections of interest.

This edited volume presents new data and insights from the most internationally respected PGE experts, representing a variety of disciplines ranging from chemistry, geochemistry, biology, environmental science to toxicology and environmental health. It builds upon three previous co-edited books published by Springer, Zereini and Alt (Eds.) (1999, 2000 and 2006), incorporating the most recent advances on the topic. The book covers the following topical areas related to PGE: sources and applications, analytical methods, environmental fate, bioavailability and chemical behaviour, use of bioindicators and human exposures and health risk potential. Highly interdisciplinary in orientation, this book is a comprehensive guide to academics, students and professionals working in a number of different scientific fields, who are interested in topics related to platinum metal emissions in the environment.

This book presents selected contributions of the 34th International School of Hydraulics that was held in May 2015 in Zelechow, Poland. It gives an overview about the state of the art in environmental hydraulics. A special emphasis is put upon physical, biochemical and ecological processes that act at interfaces in natural surface water bodies but also other important hydraulic problems are considered. The achievements of well-known researchers from all over the world as well as the results obtained by young researchers, among others within a Marie Curie funded Initial Training Network, led by the University of Padua (HYTECH - HYdrodynamic Transport at Ecologically Critical Heterogeneous Interfaces) are gathered in this volume.

Freezing and thawing of soils is a common phenomenon in the winter-cold zone. The thesis titled "Material Cycling of Wetland Soils Driven by Freeze-Thaw Effects" systematically explores the freeze-thaw effects on the accumulation and release processes of carbon and nitrogen in wetland soils, which is a good step toward the investigation of biogeochemical processes in wetlands in seasonal freeze-thaw areas. It is also developing strategies aimed at global warming effects on the accumulation and release of carbon and nitrogen in wetlands. Dr. Xiaofei Yu works at the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.