In this collection, the authors report on the pretreatment methods for waste activated sludge based on pulsed electric field and corona discharge techniques. The effects of pulse magnitude, frequency, temperature and pretreatment time are demonstrated on the basis of cell membrane electroporation. The influence of voltage polarity, frequency, magnitude, treating time and temperature has also been demonstrated. A description of fundamental techniques in molecular biology for the analysis of the microbiota of activated sludge is provided. Activated sludge is a heterogeneous system of organisms, organic and inorganic material, and therefore giving a specific protocol for each molecular technique would be imprudent. The authors go on to discuss the Monod model, which provides a functional relationship between specific growth rate and substrate concentration in the bulk. Important research efforts dedicated to adequate use of the Monod model are presented, consolidating knowledge from activated sludge and biofilm modelling, identifying misdirections, and setting parameters for further research. In one study, different microwave power outputs and times were optimised for sludge solubilisation without evaporation loss in waste activated sludge from two different sources. The variable effects of pre-treatments on extracellular polymeric substances fraction, cellular oxidative stress and solubilisation of both sludges were evaluated to understand the impact of sludge complexity. The penultimate chapter examines how toxic carbon sources can cause higher residual effluent dissolved organic carbon than easily biodegraded carbon sources in the activated sludge process. Based on the variations of chemical components of activated sludge, mainly intracellular storage materials, extracellular polymeric substances and soluble microbial products, the performance and mechanism of toxic carbon on the activated sludge process can be clarified. The purpose of the final study is to research the supplementation of different concentrations of substrate on the degradation rate of xenobiotics, and to determine the optimal concentrations of auxiliary substrates that are most beneficial. The results show that sugar and peptone can affect 2,4-D degradation rate by several different degrees at different concentrations.

Preface Organising Committe Scientific and Technical Committee Collaborating Institutions Sponsoring Organisation With Exhibitions Supporting Institutions Symposium opening paper THEME 1 Global and International Commitments THEME 2 European Waste Directives and Priorities THEME 3 National Government Policy THEME 4 Local.

This book focuses on exciting new research in polymer science. The first section of the book deals with new advancements in polymer technology, which includes polymers that are responsible for progress in the field of energy, electronics, and medical sciences. It focuses on the most promising polymer nanocomposites and nanomaterials. Composites are becoming more important because they can help to improve quality of life. The second section of the book highlights this aspect of macromolecules, while the third section emphasizes biopolymers, their development, and applications.

The notion of a lifestyle system leading to zero waste is obviously appealing, and a strategy of total reuse and recycling of: waste material is often advocated. However, there is a growing realization that the recycling process itself produces waste, and the environmental and economic cost of recycling and reusing certain materials invalidates the zero waste approach as a universally viable solution. Thus, solutions must be found to deal with the part of waste that it is not practicable to recycle or reuse. The energy content of municipal waste (whether raw or classified) is about 10MJ kg-1. If the total amount of waste material in any region is around 30 million tons per year or about 1000 kg/ s, the total energy is thus 10,000MJ /s = 10,000 MW. At an electricity generation efficiency of 20%, this could provide 2000 MW plus about 6000MWof district heating. This energy source is largely biomass, which is carbon dioxide neutral, and thus does not contribute to the total atmospheric greenhouse gases. The present work includes many aspects of municipal solid waste combustion, such as the effects of moisture, particle size and ash content effects on solid particle during process rates (moisture evaporation, volatile release, and char burning rate). The COMMENT code has developed to reveal much detailed information on the combustion processes. Through experimental and numerical investigations, the combustion process of simulated MSW in bed can be better understood and the experiment results can be used to amend the mathematics model and be consulted by the application in the project. The results from modeling can show the combustion process, and make us deeply know how the heat transfers in the fuel and gas yields from fuel. At the same time, the simulation can predict the maximum temperature of waste incineration and the trend concerning combustion.

Under the Superfund program, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) places some of the most seriously contaminated sites on the National Priorities List (NPL). At the end of fiscal year 2013, nonfederal sites made up about 90 percent of these sites. At these sites, EPA undertakes remedial action projects to permanently and significantly reduce contamination. Remedial action projects can take a considerable amount of time and money, depending on the nature of the contamination and other site-specific factors. This book examines, for fiscal years 1999 through 2013, the trends in the annual federal appropriations to the Superfund program and EPA expenditures for remedial cleanup activities at nonfederal sites on the NPL; and the number of nonfederal sites on the NPL, the number of remedial action project completions, and the number of construction completions at nonfederal NPL sites. Furthermore, the book examines how EPA addresses the cleanup of sites it has identified as eligible for the NPL; how the processes for implementing the Superfund Alternative (SA) and NPL approaches compare; and how SA agreement sites compare with similar NPL sites in completing the cleanup process.

Waste biomass includes agricultural residues, livestock wastes, municipal wastes and industrial organic wastes. It should be utilised or otherwise, it will cause the pollution of water, soil and even the atmosphere. Gas biofuels have attracted growing attention as a renewable and clean energy carrier. Gas biofuels include biogas, biohydrogen and its mixture i.e. biohythane, which can be produced via anaerobic fermentation or other processes from waste biomass. This book focuses on the principles of gas biofuels in terms of types of biofuels, biomass species, and reactor configuration and production pathway. A number of books focus on the production of biogas or biohydrogen alone. In comparison, this book emphasizes the interactions and common knowledge of both. In addition, the potential of new technologies, such as microbial electrochemical technologies, and two-stage fermentation on gas biofuel production are highlighted and specifically discussed based on the authors' research basis. This book provides a state-of-the-art technological insight into the production of gas biofuels from waste biomass. Specifically, this book consists of three parts. In Part I, the principles for gas biofuels production from waste biomass, including biogas production (Chapter 1) and biohydrogen production (Chapter 2). Part II focuses on the technical advances on gas biofuels production. Pre-treatment of biomass was firstly introduced in Chapter 3, whereas the advances of biogas production from high-solid wastes were discussed in Chapter 4 and Chapter 5. In comparison, biohydrogen production is reviewed not only through dark fermentation (Chapter 6) but also emerging microbial electrochemical technology (Chapter 7). The co-production of biohydrogen and biomethane is reviewed in Chapter 8. In addition to the utilisation of carbon and hydrogen stored in biomass, nutrients recycling through algae technology is discussed in Chapter 9. Part III discusses the scale-up and industrialization of biofuels. An industrial case is introduced to analyse the bottlenecks and perspectives for development of gas biofuels.

USDA and Interior manage over 600 million acres of land, including sites contaminated from prior uses or events, such as mining or toxic spills. These lands are managed by five Interior agencies, including BLM and the National Park Service, and five USDA agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service. These agencies must identify and report to EPA certain facilities that may threaten human health or the environment and, under some circumstances, clean them up. They must also report cost estimates for addressing contamination at certain sites, called environmental liabilities. This book examines USDA's and Interior's efforts to identify these sites, funding to address the sites, reported environmental liabilities, and EPA's role in addressing the sites. Furthermore, this book provides a summary of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act and related provisions of the Act.

Waste-to-Energy is one of the key technologies for sustainable waste management. The book by Laura Mastellone offers a comprehensive overview of the various processes for thermal waste treatment such as incineration, pyrolysis, and gasification. It is instrumental for understanding objectives, functioning, residues, and environmental impacts of thermal processes. This is worthwhile reading for any expert in the field of resources and waste management.

Book & CD. The development of unconventional oil and natural gas resources using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has created new demand for wastewater disposal wells that inject waste fluids into deep geologic strata. An increasing concern in the United States is that injection of these fluids may be responsible for increasing rates of seismic activity. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Underground Injection Control (UIC) program regulates injection of fluids related to oil and gas production as Class II injection wells for the protection of underground sources of drinking water (USDWs). Because seismic events from injection have the potential to cause endangerment of underground sources of drinking water, the UIC program director should be aware of that potential and be prepared with response options should seismic events become a concern. This purpose of this book is to discuss the relationship between deep-well injections and induced seismicity.

The reuse of wastewater in irrigation is being practiced only recently to solve water scarcity problems in agriculture. Management of water, soil, crop, and operational procedures, including precautions to protect farm workers, play an important role in the successful use of sewage effluent for irrigation. Appropriate water management practices must be followed to prevent salinization. If salt is not flushed out of the root zone by leaching and removed from the soil by effective drainage, salinity problems can build up rapidly. Leaching and drainage are, thus, two important water management practices to avoid salinization of soils. One of the options that may be available to farmers is the blending of treated sewage with conventional sources of water to obtain a blended water of acceptable salinity level. This important book focuses on the use of wastewater as a valuable resource for agricultural micro irrigation purposes. It covers effective wastewater management practices in a variety of climates, including semi-arid regions and others; how to perform effective evaluations to gauge the quality of the water on plants, including potatoes, maize, and eggplant; and the cost-benefit of using wastewater. It addresses the sources of wastewater for irrigation and the problems along with challenges, including water quality, clogging, soil quality, and more. The mission of this compendium is to serve as a reference manual for professionals in biological and civil engineering, horticulture, soil and crop science, and agronomy, as well as for graduate and undergraduate students in related fields. It will be a valuable reference for professionals who work with micro irrigation/wastewater and water management, for technical agricultural centers, irrigation centers, agricultural extension services, and other agencies that work with micro irrigation programs.

The growing quantities of waste sludge generated in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants containing various organics and other contaminants require novel treatment technologies that are capable of achieving significant removal efficiencies and producing reusable sludge products. As a response, a large variety of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have been investigated to remove the present contaminants from wastewaters and limited cases of waste sludge. Multidisciplinary researches have been carried out accordingly. In this regard, electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) have emerged as novel environmental-friendly and effective treatment technologies for the elimination of several organic contaminants. Considerable validation of these methods has been performed at both the bench-scale and pilot-scale. Although a promising new technology, the mechanisms involved in the oxidation of organic compounds during electrochemical advanced oxidation processes and the corresponding environmental impacts have not been completely addressed until now. This book aims at the electrochemical advanced oxidation processes occurrence from different points of view, describing its related technologies, providing an assessment of the development and efficiency, and highlighting various aspects of waste activated sludge stabilisation and reuse accordingly in five chapters. In the first chapter a brief review to waste sludge stabilisation and reuse has been presented. The second chapter provides an overview to advanced oxidation processes. The third chapter describes the various electrochemical advanced oxidation methods. Chapter four presents and discusses the own experimental investigations results employing the Fered-Fenton EAOP. The modeling of the results of the own experimental studies results by means of Taguchi method and artificial neural networks has been performed in the fifth chapter. The main goal of this book is to gather different updated viewpoints according to the electrochemical advanced oxidation processes and to provide the own experimental studies results accordingly in order to present students, researchers, engineers and managers with useful knowledge in this regard.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. The twenty-first century world faces several enormous challenges: how to mitigate climate change, meet a growing energy demand without relying on fossil fuels, and manage the escalating quantities of solid waste generated by cities around the world. This compendium volume offers a viable solution to all three: using solid waste as a renewable resource. Intended for a wide audience ranging from engineers and academics to decision-makers in both the public and private sectors, this volume has gathered together research into a range of technologies and methodologies. The editors, two well-published researchers at the top of their field, have selected articles that lay the foundation for this discussion. They have then included chapters for the following waste management scenarios: anaerobic digestion, composting, pyrolysis and chemical upgrading, incineration and carbonization, and gasification. Research has been included from around the world, representing potential international solutions to what are global challenges, as well as crucial implications for ongoing research in this important field of study.

Efficient Management of Wastewater from Manufacturing is an accessible research compendium, highly useful for anyone involved with the phytosanitaries, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, or textile industries. The editor, Victor Monsalvo, is a well-respected expert in the field who has included many of his own studies. He has also enlisted articles from other researchers from around the world. Together, they offer a range of treatment methodologies for manufacturing wastewater, including anaerobic processes and catalyzation. They focus on advanced treatment processes that would improve current efficiency and reduced energy costs. Feasibility and potential problems are also thoroughly discussed, creating a realistic and practical research collection. Included within the book are chapters on the following topics: An overview of pesticide toxicity More efficient anaerobic treatments for agricultural wastewater Wastewater treatment methodologies for specific sectors of the food-production industry, including slaughterhouses, fish processing plants, dairies, fruit canning factories, and wineries Biological treatment systems for wastewater containing cosmetic and pharmaceutical chemicals and byproducts Improved methodologies for removing dye from textile wastewater The range of topics will be of practical use to chemical, civil, and environmental engineers. Researchers at the graduate level will find here a wealth of studies that will prove fruitful for future investigation.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. The quantity and quality of waste generated and discharged into natural water bodies is a topic of serious concern. Consequently, there is a need for different strategies to address wastewater treatment and subsequent reuse, especially in arid and semi-arid areas where water shortages are the rule. Biological treatment processes constitute crucial tools in the biodegradation of organic matter, transformation of toxic compounds into harmless products, and nutrient removal in wastewater microbiology. Edited by a professor of genetics and microbiology with extensive research, this compendium provides an overview of the most current research into many facets of wastewater bioremediation. The book is broken into three sections: microbial communities for wastewater treatment, environmental factors, and treatments. It provides discussions on biological treatment processes for different types of wastewater, such as municipal wastewater and wastewater from tanneries; how environmental factors such as season dynamics affect the diversity of bacteria; and applications and treatment. The range of topics presented will be valuable for biological engineers and others involved with wastewater management. Researchers will find a wealth of studies that will prove fruitful for future investigation.

Landfills have been targeted by geophysical methods in order to investigate their environmental impacts. In fact, landfills have been the classic way to deposit domestic and industrial waste and have generated a large range of negative environmental impacts in groundwater and soils. These problems often persist even after the effective use of the landfills and subsequent recovery processes. Owing to their characteristics, landfills are difficult to access and because of the general lack of accurate information regarding the shape, nature of the refuse, history and development of the landfill, non-invasive, non-destructive methods and sometimes autonomous data acquisition devices must be used to monitor impacts and to investigate and prevent groundwater and soil contamination. This book discusses processing systems, environmental impacts and adverse health effects of landfills and other recycling centers.

The question of "what to do with radioactive waste" has been raised frequently for both fission and fusion power plants. In recent years, fusion designers have become increasingly aware of the large amount of mildly radioactive materials that fusion generates. The search for a suitable solution has stimulated discussions about the origin and nature of fusion radioactive waste. This book discusses the perspectives of managing fusion radioactive materials. It also discusses the canister quandary, and the nuclear security system in Georgia.

Wastewater treatment represents a continuous challenge for engineers, environmental scientists and regulators. Today, an increasing number of new contaminants are being found such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and nanomaterials. In this book, the authors present current research in the study of the biological methods, technology and environmental impact of wastewater treatment processes. Topics include anaerobic membrane bioreactors for wastewater treatment; ecotoxicological approaches to assess wastewater's environmental impact to saltwater; EBPR for wastewater treatment; innovative sequencing batch reactors for industrial wastewater treatment; PAHs in the water environment; and cationic tannins as a coagulatnt/flocculant agent.

The Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future was chartered to recommend a new strategy for managing the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. The Nation's failure to come to grips with the nuclear waste issue has already proved damaging and costly and it will be more damaging and more costly the longer it continues: damaging to prospects for maintaining a potentially important energy supply option for the future, damaging to state-federal relations and public confidence in the federal government's competence, and damaging to America's standing in the world -- not only as a source of nuclear technology and policy expertise but as a leader on global issues of nuclear safety, non-proliferation, and security. This book examines the use of nuclear energy as a low-carbon energy resource with a focus on the management of the nuclear fuel cycle, based on emerging technologies and developments.

Almost 30 years ago, Congress addressed increasing concerns regarding the management of the nation's growing stockpile of nuclear waste by calling for the federal collection of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level nuclear waste (HLW) for safe, permanent disposal. Passed in 1982, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) was an effort to establish an explicit statutory basis for the Department of Energy (DOE) to dispose of the nation's most highly radioactive nuclear waste. The NWPA requires DOE to remove spent nuclear fuel from commercial nuclear power plants, in exchange for a fee, and transport it to a permanent geologic repository or an interim storage facility before permanent disposal. This book explores the effects of a termination of the Yucca Mountain Repository Program with a focus on the need for a comprehensive DOE strategy that supports environmental cleanup decisions.

This book examines the facts and trends in municipal solid waste generation, recycling and disposal in the United States. Our trash, or municipal solid waste (MSW), is made up of the things we commonly use and then throw away. The EPA has collected and reported data on the generation and disposal of waste in the United States for more than thirty years. This information is used to measure the success of waste reduction and recycling programs across the country. In 2008, Americans generated about 250 million tons of trash and recycled and composted 83 million tons of this material, equivalent to a 33.2 percent recycling rate.

Electrochemical water treatment is a simple method to generate disinfecting agents. Several companies offer special cell technologies for water disinfection. It has been found that besides active chlorine for disinfection, by-products such as chlorate and perchlorate may be formed. Systematic studies using laboratory cells, semi-technical and technical cells confirm this. Mixed oxide and boron doped diamond anodes were used in laboratory-scale and semi-technical experiments which were conducted under drinking water conditions at temperatures between 10 and 30 DegreesC and at current densities between 50 and 500 A m-2. The results of these studies show a perchlorate formation potential. This book presents and discusses current research in the study of perchlorate formation in electrochemical water disinfection.

The effort to contain and control the blow-out of the Macondo well was unprecedented. From April 20, 2010, the day the well blew out, until 19 September 2010, when the government finally declared it "dead", BP expended enormous resources to develop and deploy new technologies that eventually captured a substantial amount of oil at the source and, after 87 days, stopped the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. BP had to construct novel devices, and the government had to mobilize personnel on the fly, because neither was ready for a disaster of this nature in deep water. This book examines the efforts to "kill the spill" after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, wherein BP was able to design, build, and use new containment technologies, while the federal government was able to develop effective oversight capacity.

Hazardous materials are any substance which have the potential to cause harm to humans, animals or the environment through direct or indirect interaction. In this book, the authors gather topical research in the study of the types, risks and control of hazardous materials, from across the globe. Topics discussed include antibiotics as environmental contaminants; controlling inorganic and organic contaminants in wastewater; hazardous metal sources and toxicity; surfactant removal in wastewater treatment; fly ash management; a chemical study of sewage sludge from a two phase anaerobic digestion plant and the complete oxidation of volatile organic compounds at moderate temperatures.

This book examines the occurrence of uranium in its natural setting in the United States, as well as its industrial uses and the methods employed over the last century to extract it from ore deposits. In addition, this book explores the nature of solid and liquid wastes generated by extraction methods, and the various reclamation and remediation methods which can environmentally restore the extraction site. The potential radiogenic cancer risks from abandoned uranium mines are also explored, as are the environmental and geographical issues associated with those mines.