This book presents an up-to-date overview of the characterization, risk assessment and remediation of mercury-contaminated sites. Many industrial activities, including the mining of gold, silver, and mercury itself, have caused mercury contamination of terrestrial and aquatic systems. Unlike other metals, which are generally not very volatile, mercury from contaminated sites can have a significant impact on remote ecosystems via the atmospheric pathway. Thus, mercury contamination is not only a local issue, but also has global dimensions.This book summarizes, for the first time, works from Europe, Russia and the American continent. Review chapters are supplemented by detailed, international case studies.

Drawing on contributions from more than thirty scholars and experts in the field, this book examines the role of business as an enabler, as an inhibitor, and ultimately as a co-actor in global sustainability transformations expected over the next few decades. The Role of Business in Global Sustainability Transformations employs several theoretical perspectives and provides abundant examples and cases to discuss a variety of emerging concepts, phenomena, and trends shaping business sustainability. Weaving through the chapters, the editors present core tensions and sources of inertia towards transformative change, and acknowledge that envisioning multiple solutions and pathways are possible and desirable. They advocate for the need to align visions, actions and time horizons between policy, society and business in addressing the interlinked socio-ecological challenges that our society currently faces. This book will be an important resource for scholars and professionals working in the field of sustainability and sustainable business, and a vital educational text for students interested in this discipline.

In the past 13 years since the publication of Longwall Mining, 2nd edition in 2006, although there have been no major changes in longwall mining technology and operations, many incremental developments in the whole system as well as various subsystems of the existing longwall mining operational technologies as detailed in the 2nd edition have been added to this edition. Major developments are automation, and health and safety technology, as well as equipment reliability, thereby greatly increasing productivity and cutting cost. In particular, the longwall system can now run automatically cut by cut forever without operators' intervention provided that the geology allows it. Other health and safety features such as LASC, personal proximity detection, color lighting, automatic shield water sprays and remote shearer control are fully operational. There are more than 7000 sensors installed in current longwall mining systems. The big data obtained and fast communication technology have been fully utilized to improve and solve operational problems in real time. Those features are fully documented in the new edition. In pursuit of high productivity and cutting cost, life cycle management that increases equipment reliability has been implemented by OEM. Automation improvement such as tail-end automatic chain tensioner greatly extends AFC chain's service life. Other incremental improvements including dust and methane controls, entry development, panel design and face move are addressed. Additional operational issues such as extension of panel width and compatibility test are also discussed. Since the last plow longwall mine was closed in 2018, the chapter on plow longwalling has been dropped and in its place Automation of Longwall Components and System is added. Also, a new chapter Longwall Top Coal Caving Mining (LTCC) is added due to its successful application in Australia since 2005. Longwall Mining, 3rd edition will be of interest to professionals and academics in the field of mining engineering specifically, serving both as a reference work and an (under)graduate textbook, but will also interest civil, geomechanical and geological engineers and rock mechanics professionals, as well as coal operators, mining consultants, researchers, equipment manufacturers, and government regulators.

This book describes emerging and established industrial processes of biomining technologies used for the recovery of metals of economic interest from, e.g. mineral ores, mining and electronic wastes using microbiological technologies. Multiple chapters focus on engineering design and operation of biomining systems. Several industrial case studies from China, Chile, Peru, Russia/Kazakhstan and Finland are included, which emphasises the practical approach of the book. The reader not only learns more about the biology, diversity and ecology of microorganisms involved in biomining processes, but also about microbial biomolecular and cultivation tools used in the biomining industry. Special emphasis is put on emerging biotechnologies enabling the use of biomining for recycling metals from e-wastes, waste streams and process waters. Finally, the future impacts and direction of biomining towards sustainability in a metal-demanding world are also highlighted. The book is aimed at an interdisciplinary audience involving operators and researchers working across disciplines including geology, chemical engineering, microbiology and molecular biology. This is reflected by the content of this book, as well as by its authors, who are all leading practitioners and authorities in their fields.

This book, along with its companion volume, discusses the research needs, institutional modifications, and legislative changes that must be addressed to deal more effectively with the risks of hazardous materials. Prominent among the research needs is the necessity to assess the health effects of low-level exposure to toxicants. For none of these agents (lead, mercury, radiation, PCDDs, dioxins, PCBs, pesticides) is the existing toxicological data sufficient to define unambiguously the dose-effect relationship in the low-dose domain. Another uncertainty is our ignorance of how individuals within the human population may vary in susceptibility to the agents because of differences in genetic background, age, sex, diet, health status, and exposure to extraneous environmental influences. Also identified among the research needs are methods for improving the technology of waste disposal, waste reduction, and waste recycling. Institutional changes necessary are the commitment to long-term, pro-active, prevention-oriented objectives; institutional mechanisms to achieve better consistency and coordination among different agencies; improvement in the reliability, credibility, and effectiveness with which institutions communicate risk-assessments and risk-management policies; and provision for more adequate education and training of all who must be involved. Finally, the need for certain legislative changes is considered, including better use of incentives, such as taxation and price support mechanisms; better use of enforcement provisions; statutes that address cross-media patterns of human exposure; and greater federal-state-local coordination in risk-assessment and risk-management activities.

Issues associated with biohazardous waste have come into sharp focus in recent years due to public concern over AIDS and the medical waste wash-ups along U.S. beaches and coastal communities in 1988. This comprehensive volume covers all important areas of biohazardous waste management, from regulation to collection to disposal.

Promoting safe, sensible, and ecologically sound solutions throughout, this book

• Discusses risk assessment in terms of human health, persistence of pathogens in the environment, and how these relate to methods of waste disposal
• Deals with questions of policy and environmental regulations that include workplace health and safety and public health issues
• Reviews the medical industry's standards and guidelines for dealing with its waste stream and how they fit in with the EPA's program of medical waste tracking
• Details specific waste management strategies for both major facilities and home healthcare
• Examines the available technologies for dealing with biohazardous waste, particularly incineration and steam sterilization
• Reviews the many alternative treatment technologies, including specifics of newly developed systems and procedures for evaluating their effectiveness and safety
• Lists resources and contacts to help keep up with new technologies and management techniques, and includes appendices with federal and state OSHA contacts and state medical waste contacts
• Provides many illustrations to highlight the text

For professionals in public health, medicine, and waste management; regulatory officials at all levels of government; and environmental scientists and engineers, this volume brings the field of biohazardous waste up-to-date while serving as an excellent guide and reference to some of the more compelling issues of our time.

Activated sludge is the most widely used biological wastewater treatment process globally to date, although its high energy demand makes it a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions. Over recent decades it has been constantly modified and retrofitted to treat ever higher loads or improve effluent standards which have often resulted in even greater carbon emissions. Conventional activated sludge treatment is at a crossroads where new sustainable solutions are required if we are to protect the quality of our rivers and meet net-zero carbon targets.The book details current operation and design with special emphasis on the biological aspects of the process. From the microbial kinetics to the fascinating process of floc formation and development, the book explores the development of our understanding of the process looking at new sustainable designs, including biological nutrient removal and new aeration systems. Sludge separation problems and control options are explained, with a trouble-shooting guide to non-bulking problems. Environmental issues including noise, odor, aerosols, micro-plastics and nanoparticles are all reviewed, as is pathogen removal and the problem of antibiotic resistant genes and bacteria. The development of membrane bioreactors has increased process reliability and effluent quality, while integrated fixed-film activated sludge processes are more efficient and compact. The book concludes by exploring how activated sludge can become more sustainable, for example, by carbon harvesting and byproduct recovery.This interdisciplinary book is essential reading for both engineers and scientists whether training at university or practitioners and consultants in the wastewater industry.Related Link(s)

This edited book discusses the latest advancements in the area of biofuel development. It covers extensive information regarding different aspects and types of biofuels. The book provides a road map of the various kinds of biofuels available for consideration. It focuses on microbial based power generation, applications of nanotechnology in biofuel development, advancements in molecular techniques, economic and life cycle assessments. The book also highlights the commercialization prospects and economics of the various processes and an overview of the life cycle assessment of the various different kinds of biofuels. The contributors are experienced professors, academicians and scientists associated with renowned laboratories and institutes in India and abroad. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, biofuel scientists, capacity builders and policymakers. Also the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students. National and international scientists, policy makers will also find this to be a useful read.

This book critically evaluates recently investigated feedstock for biofuels production. Biofuel sector is rapidly evolving to cater the renewable energy demands. Novel and advanced feedstock are being investigated for their techno-economic feasibility. Environmental concerns, food vs fuel debate, energy security, economic feasibility, and availability are the major drivers for exploring different feedstock for biofuel production. This book explores a wide range of potential biofuels feedstock, their functional concepts, recent advancement, novel technique and critical evaluation with other available biofuel feedstock. This book also discusses future prospects of biofuel production. It is a useful read for students, researchers, faculty, industry and policy makers in the biofuel field.

This book presents an overview of the characterization of electronic waste. In addition, processing techniques for the recovery of metals, polymers and ceramics are described. This book serves as a source of information and as an educational technical reference for practicing scientists and engineers, as well as for students.

This book is not designed to be an exhaustive work on mine wastes. It aims to serve undergraduate students who wish to gain an overview and an understanding of wastes produced in the mineral industry. An introductory textbook addressing the science of such wastes is not available to students despite the importance of the mineral industry as a resource, wealth and job provider. Also, the growing imp- tance of the topics mine wastes, mine site pollution and mine site rehabilitation in universities, research organizations and industry requires a textbook suitable for undergraduate students. Until recently, undergraduate earth science courses tended to follow rather classical lines, focused on the teaching of palaeontology, cryst- lography, mineralogy, petrology, stratigraphy, sedimentology, structural geology, and ore deposit geology. However, today and in the future, earth science teachers and students also need to be familiar with other subject areas. In particular, earth science curriculums need to address land and water degradation as well as rehabili- tion issues. These topics are becoming more important to society, and an increasing number of earth science students are pursuing career paths in this sector. Mine site rehabilitation and mine waste science are examples of newly emerging disciplines. This book has arisen out of teaching mine waste science to undergraduate and graduate science students and the frustration at having no appropriate text which documents the scienti?c fundamentals of such wastes.

Waste Management is one of the key problems of modern society due to the ever-expanding volume and complexity of discarded domestic and industrial waste. Society is increasingly aware of the need to establish better practices and safer solutions for waste disposal. This requires further investigation into disposal methods and recycling as well as new technologies to monitor landfills, industrial mining wastes and chemical and nuclear repositories. This creates a need for more research on current disposal methods such as landfills, incineration, chemical and effluent treatment, as well as recycling, clean technologies, waste monitoring, public and corporate awareness and general education. Unfortunately, many of the policies adopted in the past were aimed at short term solutions without due regard to the long term implications on health and the environment, leading in many cases to the need to take difficult and expensive remedial action. The desired direction of Waste Management is towards sustainable strategies. The approach that has emerged as the most promising has been called 4Rs, where reduction, reuse, recycling and recovery are seen as the best actions. This largely decreases the volume of waste that needs final disposal. Recovery refers to the establishment of two new classifications, those of Secondary Raw Materials (SRM) and of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF). They both relate to useful products obtained from waste and make a shift from the mere recycle or reuse - mostly seen as a way to reduce dumping - to the valuable employment of such matter within the production cycle. Another aspect of this revolution is happening subtly and gradually by people buying waste; particularly eWaste and some types of plastic, the so-called technical waste. This is happening due to the strong demand and high price of certain new materials and the possibility of sorting out waste in developing regions of the world. As a result, a market in Secondary Raw Materials (SRM) has developed. Covering various areas under the topic of Waste management, this volume contains a selection of papers presented at the 10th International Conference on Waste Management and the Environment.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology attempts to provide concise, critical reviews of timely advances, philosophy and significant areas of accomplished or needed endeavor in the total field of xenobiotics, in any segment of the environment, as well as toxicological implications.

Despite frequent claims that waste is being reduced, consumer-reliant economies, everyday consumption and the waste industry continue to produce and demand more waste. Combining a lucid style with robust empirical and theoretical research, this book examines the root causes of the global waste problem, rather than simply the symptoms. It challenges existing waste policies, highlighting what needs to change if we are to get serious in tackling this global problem. It concludes with policy implications for shifting waste from an 'end-of-pipe' concern to being at the heart of the debate over decarbonisation.

This book provides an overview of the lastest developments in biobased materials and their applications in food packaging. Written by experts in their respective research domain, its thirteen chapters discuss in detail fundamental knowledge on bio based materials. It is intended as a reference book for researchers, students, research scholars, academicians and scientists seeking biobased materials for food packaging applications.

A guide for screening feasible alternative, innovative, and emerging treatment technologies for contaminated soils and sludges at CERCLA (Superfund) sites. The technology data were selected from individual treatment technology vendors. Indexed by vendor only. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Por

Presenting a comprehensive introduction to the nature of pollution, this text looks at its impacts on the environment, and the practical options and regulatory frameworks for pollution control. Sources of pollution, regulatory controls - including the role of authorities and precautionary and polluter pays principles - technological solutions, management and mitigation techniques and assessment tools, are examined in each key area: air, freshwater and marine pollution, contaminated land and radioactive substances. Illustrated with a range of case examples from the UK, Europe and worldwide, this book offers an up-to-date guide to both the principles and practice of pollution management.

Presents an introduction to the nature of pollution, its impacts on the environment, and the practical options and regulatory frameworks for pollution control. Sources of pollution, regulatory controls - including the role of authorities and precautionary and polluter pays principles - technological solutions, management and mitigation techniques and assessment tools, are examined in each key area: air, freshwater, and marine pollution, contaminated land and radioactive substances. Illustrated with a wide range of case examples from the UK, Europe and worldwide, this book offers an up-to-date guide to both the principles and practice of pollution management.

Now in its second edition, Nuclear Forensic Analysis provides a multidisciplinary reference for forensic scientists, analytical and nuclear chemists, and nuclear physicists in one convenient source. The authors focus particularly on the chemical, physical, and nuclear aspects associated with the production or interrogation of a radioactive sample. They consolidate fundamental principles of nuclear forensic analysis, all pertinent protocols and procedures, computer modeling development, interpretational insights, and attribution considerations. The principles and techniques detailed are then demonstrated and discussed in their applications to real-world investigations and casework conducted over the past several years. Highlights of the Second Edition include: A new section on sample analysis considerations and interpretation following a post-detonation nuclear forensic collection New case studies, including the most wide-ranging and multidisciplinary nuclear forensic investigation conducted by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to date Expanded treatments of radiologic dispersal devices (RDDs) and statistical analysis methodologies The material is presented with minimal mathematical formality, using consistent terminology with limited jargon, making it a reliable, accessible reference. The broad-based coverage provides important insight into the multifaceted changes facing this recently developed science.

This book addresses a complex issue - water sustainability - that requires a combined approach to manage both water and energy. It highlights several technologies that have been introduced to study the water-energy linkage. It also discusses the need to develop effective laws for water management. In turn, the book assesses hybrid biological systems and demonstrates why they are better for the wastewater treatment process. Lastly, it reviews wastewater quality requirements, which have been the primary driver of industrial wastewater treatment programs in India. Gathering selected, high-quality research papers presented at the IconSWM 2018 conference, the book offers a valuable asset, not only for researchers and academics, but also for industrial practitioners and policymakers.

This book is the third volume in a three-volume set on Solid Waste Engineering and Management. It focuses on tourism industry waste, rubber tire recycling, electrical and electronic wastes, health-care waste, landfill leachate, bioreactor landfill, energy recovery, innovative composting, biodrying, and health and safety considerations pertaining to solid waste management.. The volumes comprehensively discuss various contemporary issues associated with solid waste pollution management, impacts on theenvironmental and vulnerable human populations, and solutions to these problems.

Controversies concerning the siting of facilities for the disposal and treatment of hazardous but also domestic waste are widespread in all of the industrialized countries. The paradoxical situation of projects that are needed for environmental reasons and are opposed on environmental grounds has been addressed by scholars and by policy-makers searching for solutions. However, only in a few cases have waste disposal facilities actually been built and made operational. The aim of the book (which illustrates the results of a research project financed by the EU-DGXII) is to investigate the decision-making processes for the siting and creation of waste facilities, in order to identify the factors for predicting success. Adopting a Public Policy Analysis approach the book presents six cases of successful decision-making on waste facilities siting in France, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and Slovenia, drawing lessons for the redefinition of public policy-making in the field of waste treatment. The conclusions of this book are interesting for all fields of public policy where conflict is a relevant problem. This book is also of interest to scholars in the environmental field, as well as in public policy analysis, and to practitioners and (public or private) actors involved in environmental policy.

Landfilling of waste is an international issues of environmental and political concern and should be viewed as part of an integrated waste management system. Landfilling of Waste: Biogas is the third in a series of reference books which provide a comprehensive overview of the state of the art and identify new directions in landfill technology and research. The editors have collected contributions from authors of international repute in landfill. The book begins with a description of gas generation and composition, covers the environmental aspects, discusses gas production, extraction and transportation, treatment and utilization, emissions and safety, and ends with a selection of case studies.

This book is a compilation of the papers presented at the Twenty-Eighth Mid-Atlantic Industrial and Hazardous Waste Conference. It aims to provide a forum for those who are interested in the advancement and applications of technologies and methods for managing industrial and hazardous waste.

This book summarizes recent research and development in the field of nanostructured ceramics and their composites. It presents selected examples of ceramic materials with special electronic, catalytic and optical properties and exceptional mechanical characteristics. A special focus is on sol-gel based and organic-inorganic hybrid nanoceramic materials. The book highlights examples for preparation techniques including scale-up, properties of smart ceramic composites, and applications including e.g. waste water treatment, heavy metal removal, sensors, electronic devices and fuel cells. Recent challenges are addressed and potential solutions are suggested for these. This book hence addresses chemists, materials scientists, and engineers, working with nanoceramic materials and on their applications.