This book comprehensively reviews the key topics in the area of nanocomposites and hybrid materials used for waste water treatment and purification. It covers materials chemistry, various synthesis approaches and properties of these nanomaterials for the different water purification techniques. It provides new direction to the readers to better understand the chemistry behind these materials and the methods to improve their properties. This book will be a very valuable reference source for graduates and postgraduates, engineers, research scholars (primarily in the field of material science, water, nanoscience and nanotechnology), material scientists, researchers in the water-related area, scientists working in water treatment plans and pollution mitigation industries.

This edited volume sheds new light on the impact of rapid Land Use/Cover Changes (LU/CC) on greenhouse gases (GHG's) and aerosol emissions in South and Southeast Asia. Several countries in South/Southeast Asia have the highest population growth rates in the world, which is the main cause for LU/CC. Conversion of dense forests to agricultural areas and then to residential and urban areas is most commonly observed in South/Southeast Asian countries with a significant release of GHG's and aerosols. The book showcases several case studies on the use of remote sensing and geospatial technologies to quantify biomass burning and air pollution impacts, aerosol pollution, LU/CC, and impacts on ecosystem services. The book also includes articles on regional initiatives in research, capacity building, and training. The authors of this book are international experts in the field, and their contributions highlight significant drivers and impacts of air pollution in South/Southeast Asia. Readers will discover the latest tools and techniques, in particular, the use of satellite remote sensing and geospatial technologies for quantifying GHG's, aerosols and pollution episodes in this region.

Although there are some biological processes that are supported by UV radiation, most organisms are stressed by it in various ways, e.g. through DNA damage.Top international experts present an integrated overview of UV radiation and its effects on terrestrial, freshwater and marine Arctic biota. Increased stratospheric ozone depletion and the corresponding increase in ground levels of UV radiation as well as ambient, "natural" UV radiation as a key ecological factor in the Arctic spring and summer are discussed in detail. Additionally, basic information on Arctic ecosystems is given. The volume provides not only an excellent account of present-day knowledge of the subject, but also describes the state of the art on which future research can be built.

This volume addresses hospital effluents in terms of their composition and the management and treatment strategies currently (being) adopted around the globe. In this context, one major focus is on pharmaceutical compounds: their observed concentration range, ecotoxicological effects, and the removal efficiency achieved by the different technologies. Another focus is on management strategies (dedicated hospital wastewater treatment, or a combined approach also involving urban wastewater) and currently adopted treatments to reduce the released pollutant load. Innovative and promising technologies under investigation at the lab and pilot scale are presented. A discussion of remaining knowledge gaps and future research requirements rounds out the coverage. The respective chapters, written by experts in the different fields, provide useful information for a broad audience: scientists involved in the management and treatment of hospital effluents and wastewater containing micropollutants, administrators and decision-makers, legislators involved in the authorization and management of healthcare structure effluents, and environmental engineers involved in the design of wastewater treatment plants, as well as newcomers and students interested in these issues.

This volume contains a selection of fourteen papers presented at the Red Sea VI conference held at Tabuk University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2013. It sheds light on many aspects related to the environmental and biological perspectives, history, archaeology and human culture of the Red Sea, opening the door to more interdisciplinary research in the region.

This book integrates 30 years of mercury research in the Florida Everglades to inform scientists and policy makers. The Everglades is an iconic ecosystem by virtue of its expanse; diversity of biota; and multiple international designations. Despite this, the Everglades has been subjected to multiple threats including: habitat loss, hydrologic alterations, invasive species and altered water quality. Less well recognized as a threat to Everglades human use and wildlife populations is the toxic metal, mercury. The first half of Volume II focuses on biogeochemistry and factors unique to the Everglades that make it extraordinarily susceptible to mercury methylation following its deposition: warm subtropical climate, shallow depth, high levels of dissolved organic matter, sulfate contamination, nutrient enrichment and sediment redox conditions (for review of atmospheric mercury deposition significance, see Vol. I). The second half of Volume II answers the "so what" question - why biomagnification of the methylmercury produced in the Everglades is a threat to the health of top predators including humans. The results of the synthesis presented in Volume II suggest that the mercury problem in the Florida Everglades is one of the worst in the world due to its areal extent and the degree of risk to ecological receptors and humans.

This book presents innovative research on soil nitrogen cycling and nitrate leaching with a view to improving soil management and fertiliser nitrogen use efficiency and reducing nitrogen leaching losses. In this regard, nitrogen-15 (15N)-labelled fertiliser was used as a biochemical and physical stable isotope tracer in laboratory and field experiments. The major outcome of the research was the development, validation and application of a new compound-specific amino acid 15N stable isotope probing method for assessing the assimilation of fertiliser nitrogen by soil microbial biomass. The novelty of the method lies in its tracing of incorporated nitrogen into newly biosynthesised microbial protein in time-course experiments using gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry. The approach provides previously unattainable insights into the microbial processing of different nitrogen fertilisers in different soils. Further, it identifies the mechanistic link between molecular-scale processes and observations of field-scale fertiliser nitrogen immobilisation studies. The method and the results presented here will have far-reaching implications for the development of enhanced recommendations concerning farm-based soil management practices for increasing soil productivity and reducing nitrogen losses, which is essential to minimising environmental impacts.

Present anxieties about global warming and threats to biodiversity leave no doubts that environmental changes impact upon humans. Perceptions of the environment change as people try to define and shape 'nature' in different ways. The book explores the relationship between environmental change and society from the last Ice Age to the present. The book examines the environmental impact of fluctuations in climate and the demand for energy, and the patters which human societies have imposed on their surroundings, from boundaries to the cultural projections of legends and film. Together they show how insights from the disciplines of geography and geography, history and anthropology, can throw fresh light on the long-term attachment of people to place. The chapters in this book were originally delivered as Linacre Lectures at Linacre College, Oxford University

This unique volume focuses on Egypt's conventional water resources and the main water consumer: Egypt's agriculture. It provides an up-to-date overview and the latest research findings, and covers the following main topics: * History of irrigation and irrigation projects * Key features of agriculture, the administrative and legal framework in Egypt * Land resources for agriculture development * Food insecurity due to water shortages and climate change; resulting challenges and opportunities * Assessment of water resources for irrigation and drinking purposes * Impacts of upstream dams, such as the GERD and Tekeze Dam, on Egypt's water resources and crop yield * Sustainable use of water resources and the future of mega irrigation projects * Quantity and quality of water in Egypt's water resources bank This book and the companion volume Unconventional Water Resources and Agriculture in Egypt offer invaluable reference guides for postgraduates, researchers, professionals, environmental managers and policymakers interested in water resources and their management worldwide.

The introduction of contaminants, due to rapid urbanisation and anthropogenic activities, into the environment causes unsteadiness, distress to the physico-chemical systems including living organisms, which possibly is threatening the dynamics of nature as well as the soil biology by producing certain xenobiotics. Hence, there is an immediate global demand for the diminution of such contaminants and xenobiotics which can otherwise adversely affect the living organisms. Some toxic xenobiotics include synthetic organochlorides such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and some fractions of crude oil and coal. The advancements in microbiology and biotechnology has lead to the launch of microbial biotechnology as a separate area of research and contributed dramatically to the development of the areas like agriculture, environment, biopharmaceutics, fermented foods, etc. The evolution of new metabolic pathways from natural metabolic cycles has enabled the microorganisms to degrade almost all different complex and resistant xenobiotics found on Earth. Hence, microbes stand an imperative, efficient, green and economical alternative to conventional treatment technologies. This book comprises chapters dealing with various bioremediation strategies with the help of different groups of microorganisms along with detailed graphical/ diagrammatical representations. It also focuses on the use of microbial biotechnology and highlights the recent developments in microbial biotechnology in the area of agriculture and environment. Furthermore, it contains a detailed comprehensive account for the microbial treatment technologies from unsustainable to sustainable which includes chapters prepared by professionals, several researchers, scientists, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows across the world with expertise in environmental microbiology, biotechnology, bioremediation, and environmental engineering. The research presented also highlights some of the significantly important microbial species involved in remediation, the physiology, biochemistry and the mechanisms of remediation by various microbes, and suggestions for future improvement of bioremediation technology. This book would serve as a quick reference book for graduate and postgraduate students pursuing their study in any branch of life sciences, microbiology, health sciences and environmental biotechnology as well as researchers and scientists working in laboratories and industries involved in research related to microbiology, environmental biotechnology and allied researches.

This text details the plant-assisted remediation method, "phytoremediation", which involves the interaction of plant roots and associated rhizospheric microorganisms for the remediation of soil contaminated with high levels of metals, pesticides, solvents, radionuclides, explosives, crude oil, organic compounds and various other contaminants. Many chapters highlight and compare the efficiency and economic advantages of phytoremediation to currently practiced soil and water treatment practices. Volume 5 of Phytoremediation: Management of Environmental Contaminants provides the capstone of the series. Taken together, the five volumes provide a broad-based global synopsis of the current applications of phytoremediation using plants and the microbial communities associated with their roots to decontaminate terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

At the UN Climate Negotiations in Copenhagen, 117 heads of state concluded that low-carbon development is necessary in order to combat climate change. However, they also understood that transition to a low-carbon economy requires the implementation of a portfolio of policies and programs - a challenging endeavour for any nation. This book addresses the need for information about factors impacting climate policy implementation, using as a case study one effort that is at the heart of attempts to create a low-carbon future: the European Emission Trading Scheme. It explores problems surrounding the implementation of the ETS, including the role of vested interests, the impact of design details and opportunities to attract long-term investments. It also shows how international climate cooperation can be designed to support the domestic implementation of low-carbon policies. This timely analysis of carbon pricing contains important lessons for all those concerned with the development of post-Copenhagen climate policy.

The book presents the latest advances in research into health effects of air pollution, with heavy motor vehicle traffic or cigarette smoke as the exemplar of pollution. The airways are the first-line defense system against pollution. The book focuses on respiratory ailments underlain by inflammation, increased susceptibility to infection, particularly acquired during harsh environmental conditions and exposures to particulate matter or pathogens. The importance of astute analysis of lung function for early diagnosis of disorders is underscored. A knowledge deficit concerning the aerosolized drug delivery through the airways also is addressed. Recent developments and viewpoints in the field of environmental health hazards as well as methodological advances in their assessment are provided. The book will be of interest to pulmonologists, healthcare providers, researchers and clinicians engaged in environment-related respiratory diseases, but also to policy makers concerned with clean ambient air quality.

Commensal rodents pose health risks and cause substantial damage to property and food supplies. Rats have also invaded islands and pose a serious threat to native wildlife, particularly raptors and seabirds. Estimates of total damage from introduced rats range into the billions of dollars in developed countries. This book aims to provide a state-of-the-art overview of the scientific advancements in the assessment of exposure, effects and risks that currently used rodenticides may pose to non-target organisms in the environment, along with practical guidance for characterization of hazards. This will be discussed in relation to their efficacy, and the societal needs for rodent control, and discussion of risk mitigation and development of alternatives. The flow in the book is planned as: a. introduction and setting the scene b. problem description (risks and effects on non-targets and secondary poisoning, development of resistance) c. ; alternatives, regulation and risk mitigation d. conclusions and recommendations

This book presents the proceedings of the International Conference on Health, Safety, Fire, Environment, and Allied Sciences (HSFEA 2018). The book highlights the latest developments in the field of science and technology aimed at improving health and safety in the workplace. The volume comprises content from leading scientists, engineers, and policy makers, discussing the effect of vehicular pollution, process, engineering, construction and other industrial activities on air quality and the impact these have on health and the environment. The contents of this volume will be of interest to researchers, practitioners, and policy makers alike.

This book describes the role and fundamental aspects of the diverse ranges of nanostructured materials for energy applications in a comprehensive manner. Advanced nanomaterial is an important and interdisciplinary field which includes science and technology. This work thus gives the reader an in depth analysis focussed on particular nanomaterials and systems applicable for technologies such as clean fuel, hydrogen generation, absorption and storage, supercapacitors, battery applications and more. Furthermore, it not only aims to exploit certain nanomaterials for technology transfer, but also exploits a wide knowledge on avenues such as biomass-derived nanomaterials, carbon dioxide conversions into renewable fuel chemicals using nanomaterials. These are the areas with lacunae that demand more research and application.

This volume focuses on modelling the fate of chemicals in the environment and the human body to arrive at an integrated exposure assessment. It covers five broad topics, namely: future challenges in exposure assessment; the evolution of human health and environmental risk assessment; standard documentation for exposure models; modelling different environmental components (i.e. surface waters, atmosphere, soil, groundwater, plants, aquatic organisms and mammals); and the fate of contaminants in humans. This work draws on the authors' and editors' extensive experience and a range of different research activities, including case studies, that have led to the development of MERLIN-Expo, a standardised software package for simulating the fate of chemicals in the main environmental systems and in the human body in an integrated manner. It will be of considerable interest to researchers and students, risk managers, and policy- and decision-makers whose work involves environmental protection and human health.

This volume contains selected contributions from geoENV III - the Third European Conference on Geostatistics for Environmental Sciences, held in Avignon, France in November 2000. This third book of the geoENV series illustrates the new methodological developments in geostatistics, as applied to environmental sciences, which have occurred during the last two years. It also presents a wide variety of practical environmental applications which will be of interest to both researchers and practitioners. The book starts with two keynote papers on hydrogeology and on climatology and atmospheric pollution, followed by forty contributions. The content of this book is foremost practical. The editors have endeavored to compile a set of papers in which the readers could perceive how geostatistics is applied within environmental sciences. A few selected methodological and theoretical contributions are also included. The papers are organised in the following sections: Air Pollution / Climate; Environment; Health / Ecology; Hydrology; Methods; Soil Science / Site Remediation. presenting applications varying from delineation of hazardous areas, monitoring water quality, space-time modeling of sand beaches, areal rainfall estimation, air pollution monitoring, multivariate conditional simulation, soil texture analysis, fish abundance analysis, tree productivity index estimation, radionuclide migration analysis, wombling procedure, tracer tests modeling, direct sequential co-simulation to stochastic modeling of flow and transport. Audience: This publication will be of great interest and practical value to geostatisticians working both in academia and in industry.

This book summarizes recent progress in cellulose chemistry. The last 10 years have witnessed important developments, because sustainability is a major concern. Biodegradable cellulose derivatives, in particular esters and ethers, are employed on a large scale. The recent developments in cellulose chemistry include unconventional methods for the synthesis of derivatives, introduction of novel solvents, e.g. ionic liquids, novel approaches to regioselective derivatization of cellulose, preparation of nano-particles and nano-composites for specific applications. These new developments are discussed comprehensively. This book is aimed at researchers and professionals working on cellulose and its derivatives. It fills an important gap in teaching, because most organic chemistry textbooks concentrate on the relatively simple chemistry of mono- and disaccharides. The chemistry and, more importantly, the applications of cellulose are only concisely mentioned.

An excellent, concise, and interdisciplinary overview of different classes of emerging pollutants arising, for example, from pharmaceuticals, pesticides, personal care products, and industrial chemicals and their impact on water, soil, and air. Following an introduction to chemical pollutants, with special attention focused on organic compounds and their properties, the book goes on to describe major emerging pollutants grouped according to their applications in different sectors of industrial or economic activity. For each type of compound, the chemical structure, main properties, and source are presented, along with their fate in the environment as pollutants, the latest analytical methods for detection, possible health or ecology consequences, as well as current regulatory laws. New developments, such as nanotechnology as a pollution source, are also included. The book closes with a chapter devoted to conclusions and future perspectives.

This volume provides case studies conducted in Malaysia based on environmental management and the sustainable development of human and ecological systems. The first chapter discusses awareness studies in environmental management in Terengganu, Malaysia. The second chapter is about human health risk assessment of heavy metals exposure due to freshwater fish ingestion from Sungai Kuantan, Malaysia. The third chapter discusses nickel and cadmium pollution in freshwater fishes in Kuantan River and Riau River. Chapter four discusses tourism sustainability. Chapters five and six provide an overview on particulate matter emissions at construction sites, and municipal solid waste (MSW) management approaches. In chapter seven, the book provides a general overview on cellulose and cellulose nanocrystals extraction. Finally, chapters eight and nine discuss legal measures for wildlife protection in Malaysia, and how improved environmental management practices are needed to achieve this. The book is intended for environmental managers, wildlife organizations, and students and researchers studying sustainable development, waste management, and corporate impacts on the environment.

The practice of performing and managing regulatory air toxic risk assessments requires an exceptionally broadbase of understanding. The information and hands-on skills needed to evaluate the effects of air toxic emissions on human health derive from a broad range of disciplines: engineering, the physical and biological sciences, probability, statistics, and medicine. Dr. Lawrence Gratt's Air Toxic Risk Assessment and Management provides a comprehensive study of the subject of risk assessment, showing how the various disciplines are integrated to carry out this complex process. No other resource combines the basic science underlying risk assessment with the techniques needed to perform the analyses.

The European Union (EU) has emerged as a leading governing body in the international struggle to govern climate change. The transformation that has occurred in its policies and institutions has profoundly affected climate change politics at the international level and within its 27 Member States. But how has this been achieved when the EU comprises so many levels of governance, when political leadership in Europe is so dispersed and the policy choices are especially difficult? Drawing on a variety of detailed case studies spanning the interlinked challenges of mitigation and adaptation, this volume offers an unrivalled account of how different actors wrestled with the complex governance dilemmas associated with climate policy making. Opening up the EU's inner workings to non-specialists, it provides a perspective on the way that the EU governs, as well as exploring its ability to maintain a leading position in international climate change politics.

This book focuses on the recent trends in carbon management and up-to-date information on different carbon management strategies that lead to manage increasing concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The growing evidence of climate change resulting from the continued increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration has made it a high profile political-social and trade issue. The mean global average earth temperature rose by 0.6+/- 2 DegreesC during the second half of the century with the rate of 0.17 DegreesC/decade. As per GISS data in the year of 2017, it rose 0.9 DegreesC (1.62 DegreesF) above the 1951-1980 mean global temperature. Recently World Meteorological Organization analyzes the past record temperature and found the past 10 years were the warmest years about 1.1 DegreesC above preindustrial level. Over the past decade, carbon management by various techniques has to come to fore as a way to manage carbon dioxide emissions contributing to climate change. The proposed book addresses the need for an understanding of sustainable carbon dioxide management technologies mainly focused on (a) minimizing carbon dioxide emission from sources; (b) maximizing environmentally sound recuse, reduce and recycling; (c)emerging technology toward carbon dioxide mitigation and d) converting carbon dioxide into valuable products form sustainable use. Other books related to carbon management attempt to cover the carbon capture and sequestration, carbon mineralization, utilization and storage but the topic of CO2 management strategies is not discussed in detail for sustainable development. Furthermore, this book also covers all physical, chemical and biological process for long-term capture, removal and sequestration of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for sustainable management which is not described in other carbon management books. In order to meet CO2 emissions reduction target, a range of technological approaches, including development of clean fuels and clean coal technologies, adopting cleaner and more energy efficiency and conservation, developing renewable energy and implementing CCS technologies, will also be considered for sustainable future.

Isotope Geochemistry: The Origin and Formation of Manganese Rocks and Ores is a comprehensive reference on global manganese deposits, including their origins and formations. Manganese is both a significant industrial chemical, critical for steel-making, and a strategic mineral, occurring in abundance only in certain countries. Furthermore, it is used effectively in CO2 sequestration, helping to mitigate greenhouse gas emission challenges around the world. For these reasons, exploration for manganese is very active, yet access to the primary academic literature can be a challenge, especially in field operations. Isotope Geochemistry brings this material together in a single source, making it the ideal all-in-one reference that presents the supporting data, analytics, and interpretation from known manganese deposits. This book is an essential resource for researchers and scientists in multiple fields, including exploration and economic geologists, mineralogists, geochemists, and environmental scientists alike.