Starting with the 2010 Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill incident, Oil Spill Impacts: Taxonomic and Ontological Approaches chronicles a timeline of events that focus on the impact of oil spills and provides an understanding of these incidents using a number of approaches. The book includes an interdisciplinary oil spill taxonomy, an oil spill topic map, and highlights information-organization tools, such as indexes, taxonomies, and topic maps that can be used to connect information resources with concepts of interest. The topic map combines the function of ontology with the function of organized information resources, and contains thousands of concepts and their relationships extracted from approximately 300 documents stemming from various academic conference presentations, journal articles, news reports, and web pages. Divided into four parts, the book begins with a brief introduction of the Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill events followed by a breakdown of the taxonomy concepts distributed into categories and their subcategories. The book then describes the oil spill topic map separated by concepts, relationships, and references. This interdisciplinary reference provides to its readers: The perspective of multiple disciplines instead of just one discipline An indication of the most important topics in the oil spill domain Developed research in the oil spill and oil drilling areas A broad and detailed view of oil spill issues The book serves students, teachers, and researchers interested in oil spill issues, oil spill incidents, and addresses their impacts that involve coastal and marine environmental sciences, biological sciences, chemistry, disaster management, geology, sociology, and government policy.

Household hazardous waste (HHW) is a topic that affects every individual and community given the nearly universal use, storage, and disposal of chemical consumer products. Yet many communities lack the basic information, guidance, and planning support for HHW collection and management so that struggles (e.g., to gain politicians' and residents' support, host a collection, build a facility, affect behavior change, and encourage extended producer responsibility) continue on a regular basis. This book is for professionals, students, government officials and others interested in HHW and accommodating the increasing societal demand for this disposal option. In the evolving field of HHW collection and management, this book: *provides an unparalleled, comprehensive look at household hazardous waste *is a must-have for anyone interested in the solid waste management field, whether novice or experienced, because of the valuable overview and specifics it provides for addressing the ubiquitous issue of HHW *offers perspectives based on many collective years of experts' accrued insight *the chapters are written by leading practitioners and visionaries *is packed with useful information on many aspects of HHW including its definition, mechanisms for collection and creative collection options, tools for behavior change, and product stewardship *offers an extensive resource list for more information. Much has changed in 10 years since the first edition appeared, and each chapter in the Handbook on Household Hazardous Waste, Second Edition, is updated to reflect changes and advances in the field of HHW collection and management. This includes updated appendices and the extensive resource list.

Environmental Science and International Politics features two reacting games in one volume, immersing students in the complex process of negotiating international treaties to control environmental pollution. The issues are similar in all the modules; environmental justice, national sovereignty, and the inherent uncertainty of the costs and benefits of pollution control. Students also must understand the basic science of each problem and possible solutions. Acid Rain in Europe, 19779-1989 covers the negotiation of the Long Range Transport Pollution treaty. This was the first ever international pollution control treaty and remains at the forefront of addressing European pollution. This game can be used in a variety of ways and to examine either sulfur dioxide pollution, nitrogen oxide pollution, or both. This game includes summaries of a number of relevant technical articles to support student arguments. Students must deal with the limitations of national resources as they decide how much of their limited money to spend. Climate Change in Copenhagen, 2009 covers the negotiations at the Conference of Parties 15 meeting that was attended by a large number of national leaders. The game also includes representatives of non-government organizations and the press. Students wrestle with the need to work within conflicting limits set by their governments.

Chemicals are an essential part of everyday life and all too-often taken for granted, yet often portrayed negatively in the media. Concern over the deleterious effects of chemicals to the environment and human health have prompted governments in the developed world to establish screening programmes such as REACH and HPV Challenge to identify chemicals presenting the greatest degree of risk to health and the environment. While such programmes identify chemicals with the greatest risk, there is no ranking system for alternative chemicals, which while being potentially less harmful, still carry a degree of risk. This volume of the Issues in Environmental Science and Technology series investigates how the alternatives can be assessed and their risk determined. With contributions from experts across the globe, this volume addresses some of the key concepts behind risk assessment of alternative chemicals. Some of the current protocols adopted are discussed, and several chapters explore the topic in the context of industry, making this book essential reading for industrialists as well as academics, postgraduate students and policy makers.

In Situ Remediation Engineering provides a comprehensive guide to the design and implementation of reactive zone methods for treatment of all major classes of groundwater contamination. It teaches the fundamentals that underlie development of cost-effective reactive zone strategies, guides the selection of cost-effective remedial strategies and provides environmental engineers and scientists with tools to achieve optimal deployment of source area, reactive barrier, and site-wide treatments. It offers extensive coverage of remedial system operation, discussing reagent injection strategies, interpretation of process monitoring results for biological and chemical reactive zone systems, and impacts of treatment processes on aquifer hydraulic characteristics.

This textbook covers the entire spectrum of topics required to completely understand air pollution. It emphasizes the atmospheric processes governing air pollution (emissions, atmospheric dispersion, chemical transformations, deposition on surfaces and ecosystems). Other areas of focus include air pollutant emission control technologies, health and environmental impacts, regulations and public policies, and interactions between climate change and air pollution. Topics are first presented conceptually, and then in terms of their fundamental aspects. Actual case studies are incorporated throughout to illustrate major air pollution phenomena, such as the dispersion of pollutants in the atmosphere, and the development of strategies to reduce urban air pollution, mitigate acid rain, and improve atmospheric visibility. Graduate students, researchers, and air quality professionals will find the full coverage of these important matters to be well suited to their needs.

Transport Modeling for Environmental Engineers and Scientists, Second Edition, builds on integrated transport courses in chemical engineering curricula, demonstrating the underlying unity of mass and momentum transport processes. It describes how these processes underlie the mechanics common to both pollutant transport and pollution control processes.

An in-depth look at what microplastics are, how prevalent they are, and what can be done about them for a professional and academic audience. The first part of the book provides an overview of plastics types, how they are released to the environment, and how they interact with organisms. This part also provides a background for several salient aspects of microplastics hazards (e.g., attachment of toxic chemicals, toxicity to organisms). Special attention will be paid to how microplastics decompose in the environment (which is significant in terms of mobility of toxicity). Subsequent chapters address how to sample and identify microplastics. The second part of the book examines technologies for removal of microplastics from water, wastewater and from soil. Biological, chemical and physical technologies are presented. Theory of operation, practical considerations, and possible environmental impacts of their use are discussed. Key aspects include: * technologies available for removal of microplastics from wastewater and surface water; * how various toxins which are sorbed to microplastics adversely affect wastewater treatment processes; * technologies at the pilot- and field stage for removal of microplastics from sediment; * industrial practices for preventing microplastic losses from manufacturing facilities; and * the distribution of microplastics in the atmosphere. Written by John Pichtel, author of the acclaimed Fundamentals of Site Remediation, and Mathew Simpson.

The Anthropocene has arrived riding a wave of pollution. From "forever chemicals" to oceanic garbage patches, human-made chemical compounds are seemingly everywhere. Concerned about how these compounds disrupt multiple lives and ecologies, environmental scholars, activists, and affected communities have sought to curb the causes of pollution, focusing especially on the extractive industries. In Worlds of Gray and Green, authors Sebastian Ureta and Patricio Flores challenge us to rethink extraction as ecological practice. Adopting an environmental humanities analytic lens, Ureta and Flores offer a rich ethnographic exploration of the waste produced by Chile's El Teniente, the world's largest underground mine. Deposited in a massive dam, the waste-known as tailings-engages with human and non-human entities in multiple ways through a process the authors call geosymbiosis. Some of these geosymbioses result in toxicity and damage, while others become the basis of lively novel ecologies. A particular kind of power emerges in the process, one that is radically indifferent to human beings but that affects them in many ways. Learning to live with geosymbioses offers a tentative path forward amid ongoing environmental devastation.

This book provides a current review of the problem of heavy metal removal. Microorganisms and microbial activity in environments of water and soil are presented in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 covers current knowledge about photoactive materials based on porphyrins. This book reports the manner in which plants interact with heavy metals dependent mainly on the type of contamination, species of plant as well as conditions. The book presents biological strategies for the elimination of heavy metals from polluted habitatsaphytoextraction, phytostabilization, phytodegradation, phytostimulation, phytovolatilization and phytofiltration. Also included are analytical methods to determine heavy metals in water such as atomic absorption spectrometry, electrochemical methods, colorimetric and chromatographic techniques.

Carbon capture and sequestration (or storage), known as CCS, has attracted congressional interest as a measure for mitigating global climate change because large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from fossil fuel use in the United States are potentially available to be captured and stored underground and prevented from reaching the atmosphere. Large, industrial sources of CO2, such as electricity-generating plants, are likely candidates for CCS because they are predominantly stationary, single-point sources. Electricity generation contributes over 40% of U.S. CO2 emissions from fossil fuels. Currently, U.S. power plants do not capture large volumes of CO2 for CCS. This book provides an overview of what CCS is, how it is supposed to work, why it has gained the interest and support of some members of Congress, and what some of the challenges are to its implementation and deployment across the United States.

Indoor air quality and human health are of continuously growing importance. Indoor air quality may be affected by many factors excluding, but not limited to, more loosely sealed buildings, the use of air purifiers and other pollutant sources (for example, room air fresheners), the use of various chemicals for pesticide management and cleaning, and finally, the use of synthetic building materials and furnishings. In recent years, people have become more aware of potential health and comfort problems that may be associated with poor indoor air quality. It is partly due to the move to more tightly sealed buildings, the implementation of energy conservation programs, and the growing use of laser printers, photocopiers, and other sources of indoor air contamination. Greater general awareness of environmental issues may also play a part. Most IAQ complaints from building occupants are related to a respiratory headache, irritation, odours, or fatigue. These concerns may be associated with chemical vapours, dust generated in the work environment, contaminants associated with fungal growth (mould), materials infiltrating from outside sources (such as pollen or engine exhaust), or other factors such as elevated carbon dioxide levels. This handbook aims to turn the attention to these subjects and to promote methods and technologies to reduce poor indoor air quality and to distribute outdoor air throughout the building, remove contaminants and odours, and control the indoor temperature and humidity. The information in this guide will help to maintain good indoor air quality in a building, prevent indoor air quality problems, and correct issues that may arise. It will also help to understand the indoor air quality requirements. The structure of this text allows for flexibility in course content and design. It may be used equally well either as a textbook for students or a handbook for environmental consultants, mechanical engineers, building occupants, labour unions and suppliers. Furthermore, this text may be useful data for either the undergraduate or the graduate level. The author wishes to acknowledge Nova Science Publishers with special mentions to Nadya S Gotsiridze-Columbus and Carra Feagaiga for their editorial support.

This book being with an introduction into natural ventilation applications in buildings. It defines the concept of natural ventilation in buildings, and compares natural and mechanical ventilation strategies. It continues by discussing commercial win towers, which is a passive ventilation technology based on traditional vernacular wind towers of the Middle East, particularly in climates of hot, arid conditions. Furthermore, this book evaluates indoor air quality in school buildings; thermal comfort conditions in spaces equipped with radiant floor systems; and differential ventilation strategies in building spaces.

Four million tons of uranium ore were extracted from mines on the Navajo reservation primarily for developing the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. For over 30 years, the Navajo people have lived with the environmental and health effects of uranium contamination from this mining. In 2008, five federal agencies adopted a 5-year plan that identified targets for addressing contaminated abandoned mines, structures, water sources, former processing sites, and other sites. Federal agencies also provide funding to Navajo Nation agencies to assist with the cleanup work. This book examines the extent to which the agencies achieved the targets set in the 5-year plan and the reasons why or why not; what is known about the future scope of work, time frames, and costs; and any key challenges faced by the agencies in completing this work and any opportunities to overcome them.

Lake Tahoe lies in the centre of the Basin, and receives flows of melting water from snow caps of the surrounding mountain peaks. The Tahoe Basin contains wetlands, swamps, deep-water habitats, aspen stands, conifer forests, and meadows which harbour over 1,300 species of plants and animals. Environmental problems in the Tahoe Basin have led to federal, state, local, and private investments in ecosystem restoration. This book elaborates on the management and restoration activities in the Lake Tahoe Basin. It also discusses restoration of several other ecosystems that include the Salton Sea in California, the Great Lakes, and the Everglades in Florida.

The Fukushima Nuclear Power Station Accident in March 2011 significantly impacted Japan and the Japanese People, contaminating large areas of Fukushima Prefecture with radiation. Japan's nuclear incident has engendered much public and congressional concern about the possible impact of radiation on the Japanese public, as well as possible fallout on U.S. citizens. This book provides observation and commentary on remediation of the lands off-site from the Fukushima Daiichi reactors, and information on technical aspects of the nuclear incident, with reference to human health.