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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Waste management > General
As we enter the nineties, there is worldwide awareness that the future of all mankind is inexorably linked by the world we share, and its response to man's activities. Lasers and the optical sciences have brought powerful tools to measure and understand our environment. LIDAR (laser radar) and laser fluorescence allow us to measure atmospheric and oceanic pollutants, as well as industrial emissions, from many kilometers distance. And a variety of sensitive laser-based spectroscopic techniques permit the accurate analysis of heavy metals and other trace elements in the environment. In September 1989, an international group of scientists me.t in Erice, Sicily, for the 14th Course of the International School of Quant~ Electronics. This Course was devoted to "Optoelectronics for Envi~onmental Science", and was ably directed by Prof. V. S. Letokhov of the USSR Institute of Spectroscopy and Prof. A. M. Scheggi of the C.N.R. Electro magnetic Waves Institute, Florence, Italy. This book gives the proceedings of that conference, which covered not only basic tutorial papers but also reports on the latest research results. The first half of this volume describes the techniques used for direct "In-Situ Measurements" of the environment. In "Techniques and Programs", four chapters and one extended abstract give tutorial discussions of the most important remote sensing techniques: LIDAR, laser fluorescence, and optical fiber sensors, plus a description of the Italian program in this area.
The Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) established the "Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society" (CCMS) in 1969. The CCMS was charged with developing meaningful environmental and social programmes for solving existing problems and developing long-range goals for environmental protection. In 1983, at the Fall Plenary of the CCMS, the Norwegian delegate Dr. H.C. Christensen, proposed a Pilot Study on "Risk Management of Chemicals in the Environment". A draft proposal, written by Dr. Kari Kveseth of the Center for Industrial Research in Oslo, was presented. Dr. Christensen also informed the participants at the meeting that Norway was willing to act as the Pilot Country. The project was initially planned for 3 years, but it was later extended through 1987. The inaugural meeting was held in Oslo in April 1984 with participants from Denmark, Greece, France and Italy, in addition to representatives from several Norwegian institutions. The attendees concluded that a Pilot Study, as delineated in the draft proposal, would be useful, and it was decided to work out a detailed project plan based on the proposal.
As society has become increasingly aware of the potential threats to human health due to exposures to toxic chemicals in the environment and the workplace and in consumer products, it has placed increased demands upon the still-fledgling science of toxicology. As is often the case when science is called upon to supply firm answers when pertinent information and fundamental knowledge are lack ing, both the scientific and the social issues become confused and new tensions develop. One of the major purposes of this book is to focus on those aspects of the science of toxicology that pertain most to social issues-namely, analysis of risk for purposes of human health protection. Although it is apparent that the discipline of toxicology is not yet prepared to provide firm answers to many questions concerning human risk, it is important that the rigorously derived information be used in the most objective and logical way to yield the closest approximation to the truth. This book is designed to sup ply as much guidance for such tasks as is permitted by the current state of our knowledge. Its emphasis is thus placed on interpretation of toxicity data (broadly defined) for assessing risks to human health. In this way, it differs from other basic toxicology texts, most of which emphasize methods for performing studies or describe various toxicological endpoints and classes of toxic agents."
Life is often considered to be a journey. The lifecycle of waste can similarly to be a journey from the cradle (when an item becomes be considered is placed in the dustbin) to the grave (when value valueless and, usually, is restored by creating usable material or energy; or the waste is transformed into emissions to water or air, or into inert material placed in a landfill). of this book This preface provides a route map for the journey the reader will undertake. Who? Who are the intended readers of this book? Waste managers (whether in public service or private companies) will find a holistic approach for improving the environmental quality and the of managing waste. The book contains general principles economic cost based on cutting edge experience being developed across Europe. Detailed data and a computer model will enable operations managers to develop data-based improvements to their systems. oj waste will be better able to understand how their actions can Producers influence the operation of environmentally improved waste management systems. oj products and packages will be better able to understand how Designers their design criteria can improve the compatibility of their product or package with developing, environmentally improved waste management systems. Waste data specialists (whether in laboratories, consultancies or environ mental managers of waste facilities) will see how the scope, quantity and quality of their data can be improved to help their colleagues design more effective waste management systems."
1 2 J. H. SCHROEDER and B. H. PURSER 1 Introduction A symposium convened during the Vth International Coral Reef Congress in Papeete, Tahiti, 1985, encouraged the editors to assemble this volume of case studies by participating and, especially, by nonparticipating scientists. An attempt was made to include case studies from various regions and geological periods, carried out on various scales from regional to ultrastructural. We hope to present an overall view of reef diagenesis. Although the volume focuses on reef diagenesis, fields also to be considered are biology, paleontology, and sedimentary facies distribution, as they provide the context and, to some extent, encompass the determinants of diagenetic processes. The scope has been limited to reef diagenesis because we feel that reefs have relatively clearly defined geometries, which facilitate the evaluation of diagenetic trends and the definition of diagenetic models. On the other hand, their many different components make reefs somewhat more complex than other deposits, and this creates difficulties in deciphering diagenetic histories; the study of reefs, therefore, is not the simplest manner of solving the many problems relating to carbonate diagenesis. An additional reason for evaluating reef diagenesis is the reservoir potential of these carbonate bodies. To illustrate the point, in the recent collection of 35 case studies of carbonate reservoirs (Roehl and Choquette 1985), reefs were involved in 15. The emphasis on porosity development in many studies of the present volume is therefore not of mere academic interest.
Biofilms -- Science and Technology covers the main topics of biofilm formation and activity, from basic science to applied aspects in engineering and medicine. The book presents a masterly discussion of microbial adhesion, the metabolism of microorganisms in biofilms, modelling of mass transfer and biological reaction within biofilms, as well as the behaviour of these microbial communities in industry (waste water treatment, heat exchanger biofouling, membranes, food processing) and in medicine (teeth, implants, prosthetic devices). Laboratory techniques and industrial monitoring methods are also presented. The book is directed at readers at the postgraduate level and is organised as a textbook, containing 11 chapters, a glossary, and a detailed subject index.
During late 1978, a symposium entitled "Science Underlying Radioactive Waste Management" was one component of the Annual Meet ing of the Materials Research Society held in Boston, Massachusetts. The purpose of this Symposium was to bring together for the first time the entire range of sciences that form the basis for the treatment, solidification and isolation of radioactive wastes. Some 79 papers were presented to an international audience of over 300. The Symposium was such an impressive success that another will be held at the 1979 Annual Meeting of the Materials Research Society. The proceedings of the forthcoming symposium will also be published and it is for this reason that the present volume has been desig nated Volume 1. The scope of the Symposium was defined by the following steer ing committee: Rustum Roy, The Pennsylvania State University (Chairman) Richard S. Claassen, Sandia Laboratories Don Ferguson, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Victor I. Spitsyn, U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences, Moscow David B. Stewart, United States Geological Survey Torbjorn Westermark, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. The program was organized by the following committee: Gregory J. McCarthy, The Pennsylvania State University (Cha- man) Harry C. Burkholder, Battelle Memorial Institute Arnold M. Friedman Argonne National Laboratory Werner Lutze, Hahn-Meitner Institut, Berlin John G. Moore, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Robert W. Potter, II, United States Geological Survey Richard L. Schwoebe1, Sandia Laboratories Roger W. Staehle, Ohio State University."
This book is the Proceedings of the International Conference on Trans portation, Storage, and Disposal of Hazardous Materials, which was held at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), 1-5 July 1985. The Conference brought together representatives of academia, business, and government from East and West to discuss the nature of current problems in the area of hazardous materials. An important objective of the Conference was to suggest steps that could be undertaken by industrial firms, the insurance industry, and govern ment agencies to improve the safety and efficiency with which hazar dous materials are produced and controlled in industrialized societies. Conference sponsors were IIASA, the Geneva Association, and the Center for Risk and Decision Processes of the University of Pennsyl vania. Additional financial support was received from the US Environ mental Protection Agency, the Monsanto Corporation, the Center for Organizational Innovation at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Canadian IIASA Committee. We are grateful to all of these institutions for their generous support of this Conference. Within IIASA, a long history of research in risk activities is evi dent. This owes much to the vision of IIASA's founding Director, Howard Raiffa, and program leaders who have promoted risk research at IIASA. The present Conference continued this tradition with the strong support of IIASA's current Director, Thomas H. Lee, and Deputy Director, Vitali Kaftanov."
In order to validate predictive models of the very long-term processes which affect the performance of radioactive waste repositories, there has been an increased interest in the information and understanding which can be obtained from studying similar mechanisms in natural systems. These "natural analogues," as they are known in the jargon of waste management, have been studied sporadically for many years, but there has been a considerable rejuvenation of interest in the last four years, possibly owing to the fact that performance assessment methodolo gy is gradually maturing to the point where it needs the kind of support which analogues can offer. Since 1982, the Commission of the European Communities has been involved in specific work on natural analogues in the framework of its activities on radioactive waste management, principally within the MIRAGE project which concerns migration of radionuclides in the geosphere. As a consequence, the Commission took the initiative, in 1985, of establish ing a Natural Analogue Working Group (NAWG) whose members can benefit from the overall expertise available for managing their own natural analogue research programmes. In this group, modeller' s requirements and the results of field research are exchanged at regular intervals. A number of wide-ranging investigation programmes, both on national and international scales. are currently underway or being initiated, and several of these have been discussed recently at the NAWG."
The elements in group 17 (VIlA) of the periodic table of elements-fluorine (F), chlorine (CI), bromine (Br), and iodine (I)-were designated by Berzelius as "halogens" (Greek hals, sea salt; gennao, I beget) because of their propensity to form salts. In this first of the two volumes of Bio chemistry of the Halogens, the biochemistry of the elemental halogens and inorganic halides is reviewed. Discovery, properties, and biochemistry of the elemental halogens are reviewed first (Chapter 1). This is followed by a review of the developments in the various areas of inorganic halide biochemistry (Chapters 2 through 5). The biochemistry of thyroid hor mones is considered in Chapter 6, while biohalogenation, an important link between inorganic and organic halogen biochemistry, is reviewed in Chapter 7. Chapter 8 covers the biochemistry of products produced by human-inspired halogenation, in particular, poly halogenated compounds that present environmental problems. In Chapter 9, the process is reversed and biodehalogenation is reviewed. In each subject, the attempt has been made to find an appropriate balance between depth and breadth of treatment, since a thorough, in depth review of this field would not be possible in a single volume. To provide readers not familiar with subjects with the necessary background to place subsequent discussions in perspective, brief historical develop ments of many of the topics are given."
Contained in this volume are the proceedings of the international conference on the "Genetic Toxicology of Complex Mixtures," held from July 4-7, 1989, in Washington, DC. This meeting was a satellite of the "Fifth International Conference on Environmental Mutagens" and the seventh in a biennial series of conferences on "Short-term Bioassays in the Analysis of Complex Environmental Mixtures. " Our central objective in calling together key researchers from around the world was to extend our knowledge of the application of the methods of genetic toxicology and analytical chemistry in the evaluation of chemical mixtures as they exist in the environment. This conference emphasized the study of genotoxicants in air and water, and the assessment of human exposure and cancer risk. The latest strategies and methodologies for biomonitoring of genotoxicants (including transformation products) were described in the context of the ambient environment. Source character ization and source apportionment were discussed as an aid to understand ing the origin and relative contribution of various kinds of complex mix tures to the ambient environment. Similarly, investigations of genotoxi cants found in the indoor environment (sidestream cigarette smoke) and in drinking water (chlorohydroxyfuranones) were given special attention in terms of their potential health impacts. New molecular techniques were described to enable more precise quantitation of internal dose and dose to-target tissues. The emphasis of presentations on exposures/effects assessment was on integrated quantitative evaluation of human exposure and potential health effects.
Bioremediation is a rapidly advancing field and the technology has been applied successfully to remediate many contaminated sites. The goal of every soil remediation method is to enhance the degradation, transformation, or detoxification of pollutants and to protect, maintain and sustain environmental quality. Advances in our understanding of the ecology of microbial communities capable of breaking down various pollutants and the molecular and biochemical mechanisms by which biodegradation occurs have helped us in developing practical soil bioremediation strategies. Chapters dealing with the application of biological methods to soil remediation are contributed from experts authorities in the area of environmental science including microbiology and molecular biology from academic institutions and industry."
The use of biotechnical processes in control of environmental pollution and in haz ardous waste treatment is viewed as an advantageous alternative or adduct to phys ical chemical treatment technologies. Yet, the development and implementation of both conventional and advanced biotechnologies in predictable and efficacious field applications suffer from numerous technical, regulatory, and societal uncertainties. With the application of modern molecular biology and genetic engineering, there is clear potential for biotechnical developments that will lead to breakthroughs in controlled and optimized hazardous waste treatment for in situ and unit process use. There is, however, great concern that the development of these technologies may be needlessly hindered in their applications and that the fundamental research base may not be able to sustain continued technology development. Some of these issues have been discussed in a fragmented fashion within the research and development community. A basic research agenda has been established to promote a sustainable cross-disciplinary technology base. This agenda includes developing new and improved strains for biodegradation, improving bioanalytical methods to measure strain and biodegradation performance, and providing an in tegrated environmental and reactor systems analysis approach for process control and optimization."
The complex topic of in-situ subsurface remediation technologies has been ad dressed at an international symposium at the Universitat Stuttgart on September 26 and 27, 1995, on the occasion of the inauguration of the research facility VEGAS (Versuchseinrichtung zur Grundwasser- und Altlastensanierung). The results are contained in this book with 22 contributions from leading experts in the field from Europe and North America. The book illustrates the role of large-scale experiments in groundwater and subsurface remediation research. The subtopics address the various links between conventional laboratory experiments, technology-scale experiments and field-site studies, showing the contribution of large-scale experiments to bridging the gap between small-scale investigations and large-scale field investigations (upscaling). The interdisciplinary nature of the problems requires a multidisciplinary approach. Therefore, the idea has been followed to bring together the various disciplines in volved in the different aspects and facets of subsurface flow, transport and trans as hydraulics and hydrology, physics, formation, involving such diverse disciplines chemistry, microbiology, geology, industrial, chemical and hydraulic engineering, mathematics and hydroinformatics. The individual contributions from these di versified fields address the subject from different angles in an attempt to form a coherent picture of the various aspects of the complex problems of subsurface remediation. The focus is on research approaches and strategies with respect to the development of new and improved technologies and to the role of large-scale experiments in research and application.
The volume contains the main papers presented at the 1994 EUROTOX Congress, Basel, Switzerland, August 21-24, 1994. Toxicology has become a less descriptive science because more importance has been placed on the mechanisms underlying toxic effects. This is reflected in symposia and workshops devoted to species differences in organ toxicity, receptor-mediated toxicity and stereochemical effects of xenobiotics. Recent progress in the fields of immunotoxicology, ecotoxicology, and neurotoxicology is highlighted and documented together with the present discussion on harmonized regulatory guidelines.
Solid waste is one of the newest fields to achieve recognition as a sub-discipline in environmental engineering. As such, one is hard-pressed to find thorough coverage of related topics in academic curricula. Many graduate programs in environmental engineering have one introductory course in waste control. A handful of texts, some excellent, exist to serve this need. Recent purported crises in solid waste management have forced the understanding that something beyond the traditional control methods may be appropriate. Resource recovery is the correct nomenclature for the longest standing alternative approach seeking to extract materials from the waste stream for eventual re-use in one or another beneficial fashion. Several books have evolved, covering various approaches. Design approaches therein have borrowed heavily from other disciplines, ceasing where solid waste differs from the feeds to be processed. These books were oriented towards knowledgeable practitioners. This work attempts to present waste processing as a study in unit operations appropriate to university study at the graduate level. The study of unit operations is typical in environmental engineering. These unit operations are different. A variety of student backgrounds are suitable. However, a familiarity with the basics of waste control, such as would be gained from one of the introductory courses mentioned above, is assumed, as is a sound quantitative background. It is hoped that this work fills an empty niche. Contents 1 Waste as a Resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 1 . . . . ."
This book provides a basis by which instruments and transducers can be selected, assembled and integrated with a computer to measure and control physical processes in an accurate and predictable manner. It consists of two parts, the first of which lays the theoretical foundation for the second. First the Fourier analysis of signals are summarized. Then, from a systems point of view, the following chapters introduce the important aspects of filters, amplifiers and analog-to-digital converters. The second half of the book first discusses in depth the importance of the timing of the computer with its instruments, transducers and actuators. It then summarizes the physical and functional aspects of transducers and actuators and gives numerous detailed examples of how they can be integrated into computer controlled experiments and processes.
Contributors from twenty-two nations address various projects in their native countries to either develop, demonstrate, or facilitate the adoption of cleaner technologies and cleaner products. Reviewing the environmental situation in their respective countries and discussing the development and adoption of pollution prevention technologies, the authors provide thought-provoking and incisive treatments of the subject. An extremely comprehensive index enables the reader to retrieve focus on the information of interest quickly and efficiently.
There is a growing need for cooperation between disciplines, not only to deal with the burning problems of the present, but to study the interaction of societies and their ecosystems in the past. In the 1970s studies in Environmental History were largely confined to North America. Recent years have brought about a vast increase in the "amount, the quality and the scope of scholarship on historical interactions between human (social and economic) de velopment and the biosphere in Europe, both East and West. This broad interest in environmental history may have been heightened and sharpened by the dangers of unbridled technology and unlimited growth, which are becoming more and more manifest. However, for several reasons it is still difficult to become familiar with the different approaches to this new and interdisciplinary of study. Many fields of thought - biology, anthropology, field geography, sociology and history - are involved; the relevant books and articles are hard to find and a coherent theoretical framework is still lacking, because the key issues have yet to be submitted to a thorough scholarly debate. It is hoped that the pre sent volume will make a contribution towards overcoming those shortcomings."
In the USA, Western and Central Europe, there are many large-scale polluted sites that are too large to be cleaned up economically with available technologies. The pollution is caused by heavy industries to soils and sediments in waterways and reservoirs. Since these areas are expected to remain polluted for many years, it is necessary to take a long-term view to insure that the capacity to retain the contaminants is not diminished and to understand the potential for large-scale contaminant mobilization at these sites triggered by changing environmental conditions. This book provides information for predicting long-term changes and making risk assessments and describes the approach of geochemical engineering to handling large-scale polluted sites.
Applied geophysics were developed to explore the raw materials
needed by civilization. Today it is used to investigate the extent
and nature of buried contaminated waste and leachates.
I am pleased to be able to introduce this book by Monsieur lean-Claude Gall, firstly because it is a book, secondly because its author has been a colleague for 15 years, and finally because it is a book which demonstrates the growing importance of Palaeobiology. "Because it is a book." I have already commented else where on the value which the Earth Science community places on a book. And here I am speaking, not of a thesis or a specialised memoir, which are always precious, but of a manual or text, which draws on the experts in the service of all. In the years preceding and following the Second World War, the number of "books" written by French geologists could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Today I am happy to see that the number of geological "books" is increas ing in France, taking the word "geology" in its broadest sense. This I see as a sign of the growth of the Earth Sciences."
It is not long ago that scientists realized, our study and understanding of most environmental problems call for a cross-sectional, more holistic view. In fact, environmental geochemistry became one of the legs to stand on for such a required interdisciplinary approach. Geochemists do not only describe the elemental composition and pro cesses of natural systems, such as soils, ground or surface waters, but they also establish the methodology to quantify material rates and turnover. Today, geochemical expertise has become indispensable when monitoring the fate of noxious chemicals, like-metallic pollu tants released to the environment. To know how trace metals will be have and react in complex systems under changing conditions, might provide us with a more realistic estimate of what is really acceptable in terms of quality standards. This would ease the formulation of ade quate environmental objectives, strategies and criteria to handle emerging pollution situations. Moreover, to take notice of geochemi cal principles will support our endeavor to improve the way we deal with limited and nonrenewable resources. It is exactly here, i. e. at the interface between natural elemental processes and the way we use them, that geochemical approaches meet the demand of technical at tempts to minimize the impact of environmentally relevant activities, like mining, waste handling, or manufacturing. The consideration to include geochemically derived concepts into the search for technical solutions is not really new, but has a long tradition during the evolution of modern societies."
Acidification is a universal problem at all mining sites in which oxygenated water comes in contact with sulfide minerals or other reduced sulfur compounds. An International Workshop was held in September 1995 at the Department for Inland Water Research of the UFZ-Centre for Environmental Research in Magdeburg on the limnology of lakes created by open-cast lignite mining, emphasizing the often observed geogenic acidification after oxidation of pyrite. The volume has 25 chapters including a chapter with results of group discussions about the topics mentioned above and further problems that were identified during the meeting. The monograph gives a baseline of the state of science on the worldwide problem of geogenic acidification of lakes following human mining activities. |
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