Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have transformed the Earth's atmosphere, committing our planet to more extreme weather, rising sea levels, melting polar ice caps, and mass extinction. This period of observable human impact on the Earth's ecosystems has been called the Anthropocene Age. The anthropogenic climate change that has impacted the Earth has also affected our literature, but criticism of the contemporary novel has not adequately recognized the literary response to this level of environmental crisis. Ecocriticism's theories of place and planet, meanwhile, are troubled by a climate that is neither natural nor under human control. Anthropocene Fictions is the first systematic examination of the hundreds of novels that have been written about anthropogenic climate change. Drawing on climatology, the sociology and philosophy of science, geography, and environmental economics, Adam Trexler argues that the novel has become an essential tool to construct meaning in an age of climate change. The novel expands the reach of climate science beyond the laboratory or model, turning abstract predictions into subjectively tangible experiences of place, identity, and culture. Political and economic organizations are also being transformed by their struggle for sustainability. In turn, the novel has been forced to adapt to new boundaries between truth and fabrication, nature and economies, and individual choice and larger systems of natural phenomena. Anthropocene Fictions argues that new modes of inhabiting climate are of the utmost critical and political importance, when unprecedented scientific consensus has failed to lead to action.

This book introduces the theory and applications of nanometer photocatalysis, and it briefly presents the concept of photocatalysts, photocatalytic reaction mechanisms and kinetics, and photocatalytic reactor design. In addition, the use of photocatalysis in the control of flue-gas pollutants is discussed in detail. The book also describes how a photocatalytic reactor is designed and implemented to evaluate the photocatalytic oxidation capacity of different photocatalysts on elemental mercury in a simulated flue gas. After that, the effect of photocatalysts on the SO2, NOx and Hg removal in the flue gas is studied. Photocatalytic cleaning technology can be applied not only in gas pollutant cleaning at power plants, but also in wastewater purification. Readers gain a comprehensive understanding of possible mercury emission control methods and the industrial applications of these technologies.

This book offers an overview of the recent studies and advances in environmental catalysis by nanomaterials, considering both the fundamental and the technological aspects. It offers contributions in different areas of environmental catalysis, including the catalytic and photocatalytic abatement of environmentally hazardous effluents from stationary or mobile sources, the valorization of waste and the production of sustainable energy. In other words, this monograph provides an overview of modern environmental and energy related applications with a particular emphasis to nano-sized catalytic materials. Recent concepts, experimental data and advanced theories are reported in this book to give evidence of the environmental and sustainable applications that can be found in the highly interdisciplinary field of catalysis.

This book covers edge-point applications in science and engineering. The chapters discuss the functional properties of advanced engineering materials and biomolecules, improving the comprehension of their chemical physical properties and potential for new technological and medicinal applications. The book presents a small number of experimental techniques and computational simulation models from basic concepts of classical/quantum mechanics, physics, chemistry, biology, statistical methods that can predict important applications and properties of these materials/biomolecules. The content shows how improving design of new systems helps in addressing future world problems (health, energy, food, environment, transportation, housing, clothing, etc.), i.e., almost every aspects of our daily lives.

Waters in Peril presents the most recent scientific evidence produced by internationally renowned ocean scientists on the current state of ocean ecosystems, globally. Covering over seventy percent of the earth's surface, the ocean is the world's largest common property resource, jointly owned by over six billion humans. It is the foundation for life on earth as we know it. The content ranges from the movement of essential nutrients in the sea to the loss of diversity as a consequence of overharvesting practices and habitat loss. Essential to the maintenance of complex ecosystems is the proper functioning of biogeochemical cycles within the oceans. Waters in Peril addresses this topic by detailing behavior of the essential nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus, and discussing how these cycles are being altered so as to compromise the function of ocean ecosystems. Issues regarding how man-made activities are further altering the structure of oceanic systems are also discussed. In addition, the mechanism for and consequences of the loss of biodiversity are described, with issues such as overfishing, the invasion of exotic species, and the loss of ocean habitat being presented in such a way that the average reader can readily grasp the concepts. Rather than end on a negative Doomsday' note, the final chapters provide recommendations and directions for solutions as to how to reverse these human-induced trends.

This second volume on ''Inorganic-Organic Composites for Water and Wastewater Treatment'' reviews research findings on advanced materials and methods for purification. Considering the fact that new emerging pollutants are released into the environment and water bodies, it is necessary to develop more advanced techniques in order to treat them. The utilization of metal - organic framework in view of applications, synthesis, properties like adsorption, characterization of the electronic and geometric aspects, and hybrid systems is reiewed in this book, and the advantages/disadvantages, shortcomings including future prospects associated with metal-based nanoparticles and nanocomposites for water decontamination are discussed. In addition, the use of carbon quantum dots, supramolecular ion-exchange resins, multifunctional composite aerogels, algal biomass valorization and titania-containing composites in treatment processes are also presented.

Medicinal plants are accumulating impurities from increasing environmental pollution. Pollutants have altered growth features, gas exchange parameters, biochemical attributes, bioactive substances, antioxidant activity, and gene expression. This book brings to light these conditions and a need to alter them. Plants are the natural source of medicines mainly due to the presence of secondary metabolites and have been used as medicine in crude extract form. They have been used to isolate the bioactive compounds in modern medicine as well as in herbal medicine systems and are used worldwide as a valuable source for new drug formulations. This book focuses on secondary metabolites, phytochemicals, and bioactive compounds associated with medicinal plants growing in contamination conditions. There is no existing book on this topic.

Comprehensive coverage, state-of-the-art methods

This groundbreaking volume describes the statistical theory that underlies the detection and quantification of environmental pollution both in the laboratory and in the field. It presents the foundation of relating measured concentrations to true concentrations and the development of intervals of uncertainty for true concentrations, and it presents a comprehensive review of the problem of estimating thresholds at which detection and quantification decisions can be made reliably.

The authors demonstrate the use of analytical measurements in making environmental impact decisions and in comparing environmental data to regulatory standards and naturally occurring background concentrations. Taking the next step in a major evolution in the way environmental impact decisions are made, Statistical Methods for Detection and Quantification of Environmental Contamination:

• Presents statistical methods that allow the earliest possible detection and quantification of contaminants
• Describes procedures applicable to all environmental constituents
• Covers numerous state-of-the-art approaches
• Includes case studies demonstrating practical applications of these approaches

An indispensable handbook for scientists and engineers involved in environmental monitoring programs, this book is also an important resource for public health officials, waste facility managers, regulators, statisticians, and analytical chemists.

This compilation of techniques, methodologies and scientific data arises from a four-year Italian research project, which took place at university research stations in Turin, Piacenza, Naples and Potenza. Soil Organic Matter (SOM) represents an active and essential pool of the total organic carbon on the planet. Consequently, even small changes in this SOM carbon pool may have a significant impact on the concentration of atmospheric CO2. Recent new understanding of the chemical nature of SOM indicates that innovative and sustainable technologies may be applied to sequester carbon in agricultural soils. Overall results of the project have been applied to develop an innovative model for the prediction and description, both quantitatively and qualitatively, of carbon sequestration in agricultural soils. This book provides experts in different areas of soil science with a complete picture of the effects of new soil management methods and their potentials for practical application in farm management.

This book reviews the unique ecosystem of the Lake Skadar/Shkodra and its basin, and discusses the latest advances made in this region to face the impact of climate change. Divided into 23 chapters, the book gathers leading expertise from various scientific and engineering communities and provides readers with extensive discussions of core issues, including the water and sediment chemistry of Lake Skadar/Shkodra and the metal pollution that is evident in plants, aquatic invertebrates and fish. Readers will discover how a sustainable science-based management approach can be applied to the Lake Skadar/Shkodra region, and will learn about the environment prospects for the region. This book is intended as an essential tool for all scientists interested in the Lake Skadar/Shkodra environment - in particular those investigating the interactions between land and water, between limnology and biota, and between natural and cultural resources.

Focusing on Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Mainland China, the contributors to this book analyze various cases of air pollution within East Asia. Air pollution in East Asia is a major health risk, which also has damaging impacts on the environment leading to impacts on society, economic growth, and welfare. While existing laws and policies have made progress in alleviating air pollution in each country in the region, the protection of favorable environments and the resolution of transboundary air pollution problems have become major targets of regional cooperation. Combining perspectives from social sciences and science, technology, and society studies, the contributors to this book examine both the technical and socioeconomic-political aspects of these challenges through a range of case studies from around the region. The book is a valuable read for researchers and policymakers looking at air pollution and transboundary governance challenges within and beyond East Asia.

This comprehensive book contains contributions from specialists who provide a complete status update along with outstanding issues encompassing different topics related to deep-sea mining. Interest in exploration and exploitation of deep-sea minerals is seeing a revival due to diminishing grades and increasing costs of processing of terrestrial minerals as well as availability of several strategic metals in seabed mineral resources; it therefore becomes imperative to take stock of various issues related to deep-sea mining. The authors are experienced scientists and engineers from around the globe developing advanced technologies for mining and metallurgical extraction as well as performing deep sea exploration for several decades. They invite readers to learn about the resource potential of different deep-sea minerals, design considerations and development of mining systems, and the potential environmental impacts of mining in international waters.

Names like Love Canal, Chernobyl, and the Exxon Valdez have come to symbolize our anxiety over toxic substances in the environment and their effects on human health and the ecology. Yet, as toxins continue to accumulate rapidly in our air, water, and soil, major environmental disasters are only the most obvious manifestation of a complex and growing problem - the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. The need for scientists and nonscientists who are well versed in the fundamentals of environmental toxicology has never been greater, so too, the need for introductory texts in the field. Based on a groundbreaking course given at the University of Illinois for the past two decades, Toxic Substances in the Environment is a superb introduction to the field of environmental toxicology. While the majority of texts and references on toxins in the environment suffer from either a dearth of careful examination or an overabundance of ponderous detail, this book offers just the right balance of accessibility and scientific rigor. It is basic enough to serve as an advanced undergraduate introduction to environmental toxicology and its two most prominent subgroups - the ecological impact of pollutants, and the effect of pollutants on human health. Yet, at the same time, it is unstinting in scientific detail. While the range of topics is broad, this book offers concise and engaging discussions of diverse subjects such as air pollution and global ecosystems; neurotoxicity; genetic toxicology; social issues associated with environmental toxins; and many others. Supported by more than 100 tables and illustrations, the text is organized around a series of case studies that illustrate the hazards associated withparticular substances and demonstrate the multidisciplinary approach that is essential to any effective effort to clean up or prevent contamination. This case study orientation, along with an annotated bibliography and a unique chapter on policy and policy issues, in which the author offers a rundown of the major public and civic environment action groups, makes Toxic Substances in the Environment a useful professional reference. Reflecting a number of the major concerns and interests voiced by students majoring in a variety of disciplines, including biology, chemistry, agriculture, economics, and engineering, this superb didactic tool is destined to become the environmental toxicological bible of future generations.

As government and community leaders, private companies, citizens, and applied scientists search for low-cost methods to cleanup environmental pollution, phytotechnologies can contribute to the solution by utilizing natural processes to reduce environmental risk. Phytotechnologies use vegetation to manage environmental contaminants in soil, surface water, and groundwater based on site-specific design considerations that can save 50 to 75 percent of the capital and operating costs compared to conventional remediation and containment technologies. Successful phytotechnology applications are based on scientific knowledge of plant physiology, chemical contaminants, climate, and soil conditions. This book presents current research findings that address soil and water contamination with obsolete pesticides, radionuclides and other inorganic and organic contaminants. This book documents international sharing of information by scientists and stakeholders seeking to use the best available information: to disseminate existing knowledge on phytotechnologies and exchange experience of field-scale applications for cleanup of industrial, agricultural, and wastewater contamination, to assess existing knowledge and identify research needs and directions for future work especially in regard to environmental management in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and to promote collaboration between different countries in preparing applications for environmental remediation and restoration.

Agricultural pollution (with nitrates and pesticides) is one of the biggest threats to drinking water resources. At many places regional and local water authorities, together with the water supply industry, are involved in preventive action aimed at farming practices. Three national case studies (Germany, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) analyse these efforts within the context of problematical national agricultural policy and the need to implement EU directives on water quality. Additional case studies cover the role of the European Union, while the same problem in a different setting is analysed for the United States. The central question of how national and European governments can reinforce the control capacity of the actors at the regional and local level, is treated from the theoretical perspective of the policy network approach.

In "When Smoke Ran Like Water," the world-renowned epidemiologist Devra Davis confronts the public triumphs and private failures of her lifelong battle against environmental pollution. She documents the shocking toll of a public-health disaster-300,000 deaths a year in the U.S. and Europe from the effects of pollution-and asks why we remain silent. For Davis, the issue is personal: Pollution is what killed many in her family and forced some of the others, survivors of the 1948 smog emergency in Donora, Pennsylvania, to live out their lives with impaired health. She describes that episode and also makes startling revelations about how the deaths from the London smog of 1952 were falsely attributed to influenza; how the oil companies and auto manufacturers fought for decades to keep lead in gasoline, while knowing it caused brain damage; and many other battles. "When Smoke Ran Like Water" makes a devastating case for change.

Within all areas of transportation, solutions for economical and environmentally friendly technology are being examined. Fuel consumption, combustion processes, control and limitation of pollutants in the exhaust gas are technological problems, for which guidelines like 98/69/EC and 99/96 determine the processes for the reduction of fuel consumption and exhaust gas emissions. Apart from technological solutions, the consequences of international legislation and their effects on environmental and climate protection in the area of the transportation are discussed.

This book discusses contamination of water, air, and soil media. The book covers health effects of such contamination and discusses remedial measures to improve the situation. Contributions by experts provide a comprehensive discussion on the latest developments in the detection and analysis of contaminants, enabling researchers to understand the evolution of these pollutants in real time and develop more accurate source apportionment of these pollutants. The contents of this book will be of interest to researchers, professionals, and policy makers alike.

Forensic and Environmental Detection of Explosives is the first comprehensive book on the detection of explosives. It combines the two main fields of application:

• Forensic detection of explosives — the detection of hidden explosives in airfreight, luggage, vehicles, and on suspects.
• Environmental detection of explosives — detecting on-site explosives in soil and water of contaminated areas and the detection of landmines.

• Classifications of explosives
• Explanations of the basic terms related to the detection of explosives
• Vapor detection methods
• Probing radiation methods
• Tagging of explosives
• Systems integration and performance testing
• Detection of explosives in contaminated areas
• Detection of landmines.

This book is devoted to sewage sludge, its sustainable management, and its use and implications on soil fertility and crop production. The book traces the main chemical and biological properties of sewage sludge, and covers topics such as sewage sludge biostabilization and detoxification, biological and thermochemical treatment technologies, emerging nutrient recovery technologies, the role of microorganisms in sewage sludge management, and the sustainable use of sewage sludge as fertilizer in agriculture. The book offers a valuable asset for researchers, scholars and policymakers alike.

Today more than 5 million chemicals are known and roughly 100,000 of them are frequently used, with both numbers rising. Many of these chemicals are ultimately released into the environment and may cause adverse effects to ecosystems and human health. Effect-directed analysis (EDA) is a promising tool for identifying predominant toxicants in complex, mostly environmental mixtures combining effect testing, fractionation and chemical analysis. In the present book leading experts in the field provide an overview of relevant approaches and tools used in EDA. This includes diagnostic biological tools, separation techniques and advanced analytical and computer tools for toxicant identification and structure elucidation. Examples of the successful application of EDA are discussed such as the identification of mutagens in airborne particles and sediments, of endocrine disruptors in aquatic ecosystems and of major toxicants in pulp and paper mill effluents. This book is a valuable, comprehensive and interdisciplinary source of information for environmental scientists and environmental agencies dealing with the analysis, monitoring and assessment of environmental contamination.

Industrial Disasters, Toxic Waste, and Community Impact focuses on hazardous and toxic wastes releases, industrial disasters, the consequent contamination of communities and the environment, and the subsequent social impacts, including adverse health effects, deaths and property destruction, psychosocial problems, and community disruption. This book explains the emergence of a sociological study of risk and of natural, technological, and hybrid disasters, along with a review of the accumulated body of knowledge in the field. It is unique in its integration of sociological perspectives with perspectives from other disciplines when discussing the problems posed by technological hazards both in advanced industrialized societies and in the underdeveloped world. Francis O. Adeola extends the field through an innovative presentation of topics which up to now have had sparse treatment in sociology texts. This book starts by presenting the sociology of hazardous waste, risk, and disasters as a relatively new development, engendering both a growing passion and an increasing volume of empirical research among scholars. Next, it describes how hazardous and toxic wastes disposal, exposure, remediation, and proximate adverse health consequences have risen to the level of endemic social problem both in the United States and around the world. After discussing these cases in relation to contemporary theories of industrial and organizational disasters, Adeola delves into classifying of hazardous wastes, indicating the characteristics of each type of waste, and identifying what makes them especially dangerous to people and the environment. Other major topics addressed in the rest of the book include electronic waste (e-waste) as a new species of trouble in terms of the volume and toxicity of global e-waste generation and management, the environmental and health risks of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), case studies of contaminated communities within the United States and across the globe, the international flows of toxic waste, analysis of risk and environmental contamination by race and ethnicity in the United States, and the juxtaposition of the issues of environmental justice and human rights. With its many contributions to environmental sociology, Industrial Disasters, Toxic Waste, and Community Impact will be a valuable addition to the libraries of students, scholars, and practitioners interested in the intersection of toxic waste releases, human exposure to contaminants, and public health.

Comprising 12 chapters, this book focuses on volatile methylsiloxanes (VMSs), the shorter-chained organosiloxanes, and reviews the main areas and environmental compartments where they have been found and studied. It opens with a detailed description of the structural and functional properties, toxic risks and possible transformations of VMSs in the environment and their main uses in various activities and products, as well as the identification of the main sources of emission. Further chapters examine the analytical strategies and protocols that have been used to address the quantification of VMSs, including the issue of possible cross-contaminations. The book also discusses the presence of VMSs in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and in water bodies, their atmospheric fate and levels in biota, as well as occurrences of VMSs in remote areas of the world. It closes with a comprehensive conclusion and discussion on future directions for upcoming studies. This book is not intended as a finishing line, but rather as an important step towards improving our understanding of VMSs, to fuel new collaborations between research groups and/or with industry and lastly to convince more researchers to explore the mysteries of these ubiquitous, yet understudied, chemicals.

A fast-paced, gripping insider account of the entrepreneurs and renegades racing to bring lab-grown meat to the world. The trillion-dollar meat industry is one of our greatest environmental hazards; it pollutes more than all the world's fossil-fuel-powered cars. Global animal agriculture is responsible for deforestation, soil erosion and more emissions than air travel, paper mills and coal mining combined. It also depends on the slaughter of more than 60 billion animals per year, a number that is only increasing as the global appetite for meat swells. The whole world seems to be sleepwalking into a food crisis. But a band of doctors, scientists, activists and entrepreneurs have been racing to end animal agriculture as we know it, hoping to fulfill a dream of creating meat without ever having to kill an animal. This is the story of a group of seven vegans quietly working to solve one the most pressing issues we face today, creating the biggest upheaval to the food business in decades along the way. In Billion Dollar Burger, Chase Purdy explores the companies at the cutting edge of the nascent food technology sector, from polarizing activist-turned-tech CEO Josh Tetrick to lobbyists and regulators on both sides of the issue. Billion Dollar Burger follows the people fighting to upend our food system as they butt up against the entrenched interests fighting viciously to stop them. It will take readers on a truly global journey from Silicon Valley to China, by way of Israel and the UK. The stakes are monumentally high: cell-cultured meat is the best hope for sustainable food production, a key to fighting climate change, a gold mine for the companies that make it happen and an existential threat for the farmers and meatpackers that make our meat today.

This is the second of two volumes that together provide an integrated picture of the Montenegrin Adriatic coast, presenting the natural components of the system as well as the chemical composition and chemical processes in the extended area. This book covers all aspects of marine chemistry such as the hydrographic and oceanographic characteristics of seawater, the toxicity of heavy metals in the marine environment, the quality of marinas and maritime areas, and the legal regime for protecting the marine environment from pollution. Given the breadth and depth of its coverage, the book offers an invaluable source of information for researchers, students and environmental managers alike.