This book describes green photocatalysts and their diverse applications in the fields of environmental sciences and energy. It especially takes a closer look at the removal of air and water pollutants, the generation of hydrogen, photo fuel cells, electrophotocatalysts, solar energy conversions, and green biophotocatalysts. Furthermore it also discusses on the role of catalysts along with their chemical reactions, challenges, past developments and directions for further research on photocatalysts. It includes recent developments of quantum dots (QDs) and photocatalytic applications of QDs such as carbon materials like carbon and graphene based QDs, metal, metal sulfide and metal oxide based QDs as well as a detailed review on various types of templates used for the preparation of porous g-C3N4 and its applications in detail. This is done with special reference to dye degradation, reduction of hexavalent Cr, and reduction of CO2 and for the evolution of H2 photocatalytically. This book offers an intriguing and useful guide for a broad readership in various fields of catalysis, material sciences, environment and energy.

The book focuses on the management of the aquatic environment. It is aimed at scientists, students, governmental officials and specialists dealing with groundwater and environment. Its main goal is to inform the reader of ideas, knowledge and experience in terms of a sustainable aquatic environment. The main topics are as follows: Water Bodies and Ecosystems; Climate Change and Water Bodies; Water quality and agriculture; Interaction of Surface and ground waters; Karst Hydrogeology; Continuous Media Hydrogeology; Fissured Rocks Hydrogeology; Hydrochemistry; Geothermics and thermal waters; The role of water in construction projects; Hydrology

This book introduces carbon nanotubes as a matrix for efficient nanohybrid catalysis. The preparation and use of such materials in ultra-grade water purification is described. Simple chemical methods for purification and functionalization of carbon nanotubes prior to their use is also detailed. The author also discusses the potential use of nanotube-based nanobiohybrid catalysts in the removal of organic pollutants.

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.

In this day and age, it is unfortunate that the economic prosperity and development leads to disruption of the dynamic balance of the environment. The philosophy of sustainable development has been presented for a long period of time but it has not been able to bring about a substantial change in our society. The transformation of this philosophy into a practical reality seems to be far away - at least in the foreseeable future. In my opinion, the only way I see the revolution taking place is for us to incorporate 'sustainability' in our daily living and to keep pushing for a sustainable society. Meanwhile, we also need scientists to work on technologies that would lead us to that goal at a faster pace. Technologies that are 'completely' environmentally friendly are needed urgently. And if such technologies or ideas of one exists, a platform is required that showcases such ideas to the scientific and non-scientific audience. Through this book, I am happy to present the thoughts of seven different research groups whose work may lead us to the doorsteps of sustainable society. As scientists, most of us specialize in a sub-topic that may be related to one of the three environmental components - air, land, or water. Over a period of time, we become so engrossed with the sub-discipline of our specialization that we only have glimpses of what is happening in other disciplines.

A prime concern in contemporary environmental science is the proper management of water supply and usage. It is critical to develop effective processes to manage these resources and decrease negative impacts on the ecosystem. Hydrology and Water Resource Management: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice is an innovative source of scholarly research on the latest technologies and techniques in optimizing current processes in managing water resources. Highlighting a range of pertinent topics such as climate change, sustainability, and water treatment, this book is an ideal reference source for engineers, professionals, researchers, students, and academics interested in emerging trends within environmental science.

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.

It is difficult to imagine anything more important to the human population than safe drinking water. Lack of clean drinking water is still the major cause of illness and death in young children in developing countries. In more fortunate communities, where water treatment is practiced, the primary aim of water authorities is to provide water that is free from pathogens and toxins. Most countries now have water quality regulations, or guidelines, which are driving water authorities to produce purer water, with the minimum of contamination from natural or man-made origin. At the same time, consumers are demanding that chemicals added during the treatment of drinking water be kept to a minimum. As a consequence, conventional clarification methods are being challenged to comply with the new regulations and restrictions and our understanding of the mechanisms involved is being tested as never before.
Interface Science in Drinking Water Treatment contains a rigorous review of water treatment practices from a fundamental viewpoint. The book includes material from leading experts in the field of water treatment, reviewing their specific fields of expertise against a background of colloid and surface chemistry, and examines each step of the journey from source to consumer tap. It therefore permits the reader to develop a deep understanding of the complex processes taking place and of the necessary treatments which are vital for the provision of safe and palatable drinking water. The book is aimed at researchers, educators and practitioners in science and engineering, particularly those involved in water treatment and colloidal chemistry.
- Covers all existing water treatment processes, approached from a fundamental surface and colloid science viewpoint
- Unique collection of R&D authors, all experts in water treatment processes
- Comprehensive review of water treatment with a complete list of references

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.

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.

Microbial granules have practical importance in anaerobic and aerobic biological wastewater treatment. Advantages of granules are retention of biomass in reactor, diversity of microorganisms, complex structure, and resistance to unfavorable conditions. Microbial granules can be used to treat municipal and industrial wastewater for removal of organic matter, xenobiotics, nutrients, and heavy metals.
The book covers almost all aspects of formation and use of microbial granules in wastewater treatment. The data on aerobic microbial granulation are related mostly to laboratory systems due to few pilot systems in the world using aerobic microbial granules. However, by the analogy with anaerobic granulation, which is now used worldwide, it is possible to predict wide applications of aerobic granulation. This book will help researchers and engineers develop these new biotechnologies of wastewater treatment based on aerobic granulation.

* Covers all aspects of formation, organization, and use of microbial granules in wastewater treatment
* Integrates engineering, microbiology, and biotechnology of microbial granules
* Comprises of deep fundamental data as well as practical information for applications of microbial granules in wastewater treatment

This book presents the latest developments and recent research trends in the field of plankton, highlighting the potential ecological and biotechnological applications. It critically and comprehensively discusses strain selection, growth characteristics, large-scale culturing, and biomass harvesting, focusing on the screening and production of high-value products from algae, and evaluating carbon dioxide sequestration from fuel gas as a climate change mitigation strategy. The latter areas of research are clearly central to the sustainable development approach that is currently attracting global attention. Over the decades, much of the literature on has focused on the biological and ecological aspects of phytoplankton found in freshwater, marine and brackish water environments. However, these organisms are known to also inhabit various other environments. More recently, there has been a substantial shift toward the concept of sustainable development and the "green economy" with emphasis on exploiting biological systems for the benefit of mankind. The significance of these plankton cannot be underestimated as they contribute approximately 40% of the oxygen in the atmosphere. Therefore, there is potential for exploitation of this invaluable biomass source that could lead to significant environmental and economic benefits for man. Providing a comprehensive outline of the most recent developments and advances in the field of industrial applications of these plankton, this book is an excellent reference resource for researchers and practitioners.

This book focuses on nanotechnology in electrocatalysis for energy applications. In particular the book covers nanostructured electrocatalysts for low temperature fuel cells, low temperature electrolyzers and electrochemical valorization. The function of this book is to provide an introduction to basic principles of electrocatalysis, together with a review of the main classes of materials and electrode architectures. This book will illustrate the basic ideas behind material design and provide an introductory sketch of current research focuses. The easy-to-follow three part book focuses on major formulas, concepts and philosophies. This book is ideal for professionals and researchers interested in the field of electrochemistry, renewable energy and electrocatalysis.

Solid/fluid separation is a major element in the processes performed in pharmaceutical, food, beverage, water, pulp and paper industries. Several books now exist on the more esoteric aspects of the techniques, but accounts of the fundemental principles involved are few.
Written by two well-known chemical engineers, this book reviews the scientific and engineering bases for solid/fluid separation processes in an approachable style. Coverage focuses on fluid dynamics, gravity, centrifugal and membrane separations, filter cake formation, de-liquoring and washing. Complete with an extensive bibliography to allow readers to pursue topics in greater depth.
This book will...
*Help readers to understand how filtration processes work
*Facilitate the application of knowledge to start-up and existing processes, helping readers to improve process performance
*Help ensure your equipment is appropriate for its purpose and is working optimally, saving time and money
Another volume currently available from the set is: Wakeman & Tarleton: Solid/ Fluid Separation Processes: Equipment Scale-up for Liquid Filtration ISBN: 185617 4204
This book will...
*Help readers to understand how filtration processes work
*Facilitate the application of knowledge to start-up and existing processes, helping readers to improve process performance
*Help ensure your equipment is appropriate for its purpose and is working optimally, saving time and money

This book is about the consequences of the Fukushima disaster in light of their technological, societal, political, cultural and environmental origins. The magnitude of the nuclear accident is investigated in this book in the contexts of politics, economy, and society. The authors scrutinize the relationships between science, technology and society leading to this accident. Further, the authors reveal how these relationships were constructed historically. This book provides a case analysis on the Fukushima disaster in political, societal, economic and cultural dimensions. In addition, analyses for historically grown relationships between different societal spheres mouthing into disasters are presented using examples of the Minamata disease (Mercury pollution), Itai-Itai Disease (Cadmium pollution), BSE, and GMOs. With this book, Yuko Fujigaki achieves to connect local and cultural peculiarities with generalized scientific information and practices in a coherent, logical fashion to a comprehensive volume on a very actual topic of global significance. In light of a globally increasing energy gap, this book has a distinct global relevance, providing an honest account on different triggers mouthing into the nuclear disaster. This book not only gives a scientific account. It also can also contribute to prevent future disasters starting from similar vectors.

This study presents for the first time an independent and authoritative analysis of water quality management in North and South America, and discusses the practices and future implications of the impacts of the current practices in the different countries of the hemisphere. Includes in-depth case studies analyzing water quality management practices at country and state levels, especially in terms of their effectiveness and overall impact.

Most of the world s mountains are rich in water and, as such, play a pivotal role in the global water cycle. They provide water for diverse human uses and ecosystems. Growing water demands as well as climate change will lead to ever-increasing pressure on mountain waters. Overcoming water-use conflicts and maintaining the ecological functioning of mountain waters presents a highly challenging task and is indispensable for sustainable development.
This book extensively portrays the highly diverse attributes of mountain waters and demonstrates their paramount importance for ecological and societal development. The extensive summaries on the scientific basics of mountain waters are supplemented with considerations on the diverse water uses, needs for management actions, and challenges regarding sustainable water management. This overview concerns not only the mountain areas themselves but also downriver reaches and their surrounding lowlands, and, therefore, the relationship between mountain and lowland water issues."

Biomonitoring of water quality is very much essential for assessing the overall health of water bodies and safe supply of drinking water. The chemical nature of toxicant is highly dynamic in environment with time and space whereas biological system can integrate all environmental variables over a large period of time in terms of effect that can be easily measured and quantified. In view of the above, there is a pressing need to determine the water quality of natural resources as well as drinking water based on the standard protocols and guidelines from regulatory agencies. It is clear that the synthetic chemicals are essential for our society to maintain the health and well being of the people. However, there has been a range of detrimental effects on human health and natural environment. In general, we need to improve our management of waste chemicals discharged into the air, water and soil environments. New techniques are needed to predict adverse effects before they occur and for the treatment of wastes. In addition, a range of social, political and economic factors will be needed to be taken into account in order to achieve success.

Integrated Water Resources Management and Security in the Middle East brings together diverse voices relating to the critical issue of water management in one of the world's most politically volatile areas: the Middle East. The book brings together Palestinian, Israeli, Jordanian and international expert opinions on creating a holistic and comprehensive view of water management challenges and strategies in an area of conflict and resource scarcity. The book takes security studies to the next level beyond military preparedness to address the security implications of the most fundamental of resources, that of water. Indeed, the book delves deeply into the underlying ideological underpinnings of various water regimes and possible opportunities for new decision-making models and regional cooperation. This book serves an important place in the scholarly literature on this topic for its breadth of participants and perspectives and its concrete steps forward.

This is the first interdisciplinary book on the mobilization of nutrients and pollutants in the water phase due to hydrodynamic processes. Coverage includes the formation of aggregates in turbulent water; flocks and biofilms from organic reactions; and the formation of new surfaces for re-adsorption of dissolved pollutants. The book gathers papers resulting from an International Symposium on Sediment Dynamics and Pollutant Mobility in River Basins in Hamburg, Germany, March, 2006.

This book takes stock of micro irrigation systems (MIS), the technological intervention in India's agricultural and water management sectors, over the past couple of decades. Based on empirical research from the major agriculturally dynamic states, viz., Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, the book provides a nuanced understanding and objective assessment of the implementation and adoption of MIS across these states. It addresses several of the questions related to adoption and impacts of MIS in India. On the adoption side, the key question that the book addresses is which segment of the farming community adopts MIS across states? The impacts analysed include those on physical, agronomic and economic aspects. At the macro level, the question being asked is about the future potential of MIS in terms of saving water from agriculture and making more water available for environment. The book also addresses the question of the positive/negative externalities and real social benefits and costs from the use of MIS, a major justification for heavy capital subsidies for its purchase by farmers. It also brings out certain critical concerns pertaining to MIS adoption, which need to be addressed through more empirical research based on longitudinal panel/ cross sectional data. The book would be of great use to researchers (agricultural water management, irrigation economics), students of water resource engineering, irrigation engineering and water resources management, as well as to policy makers and agricultural water management experts - national and international.

Water scarcity affects hydrologic resources, systems connectivity, biodiversity, water quality, and river ecosystem functioning. It has direct impacts on economic sectors that use and depend on water, such as agriculture, tourism, industry, energy and transport. The Mediterranean Basin is one of the regions in the world most vulnerable to climate changes, as well as one of the most impacted by human water demand. This volume provides an in-depth view of the water quality and quantity implications of water scarcity. It highlights its possible causes and describes the effects in regions under Mediterranean climate. The topics covered include climate effects, water resources (use, storage and new sources), water quality (chemical and microbiological), and the effects on ecosystems suffering from water scarcity. This book is addressed to scientists and students, but also to managers involved in the necessary decision making process to face future periods of drought.

This book reflects the use of cyanobacteria for the bioremediation of wastewater through different mechanisms and pathways of transformation and transfer of hazardous substances from one medium to another. The application of microorganisms for bioremediation is determined by their ubiquity, small size, high rate of reproduction and large surface-to-volume cell ratio. Mechanisms of interaction of cyanobacteria with inorganic pollutants include biosorption, bioaccumulation with an opportunity to obtain metal nanoparticles both on the cell surface and inside the cells as well as chelation and inclusion of metals in the composition of certain organic structures. Data presented in the book provides specialists in the field with useful information for bioremediation technologies as well as for obtaining valuable preparations using cyanobacteria.