Waste Management Policies and Practices in BRICS Nations explores recent developments in waste management. BRICS nations are the emerging economies of the world. Increasing populations, urbanization, industrialization and uses of chemical fertilizer and pesticide in agriculture for enhanced productivity of food, especially in India and China, to support the large populations harm the natural environment. The rise in the living standards of the human population has increased environmental pollution manifold, resulting in the huge generation of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste simultaneously, which has contaminated natural resources such as soil, water and air. It has led to undesirable effects on the environment and human health. The book offers comprehensive coverage of the most essential topics, including: Waste management problems with special reference to MSW in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa Solid waste management in BRICS nations Hazardous waste management in BRICS nations Policies and laws in BRICS nations This book contains both policies and methods used for the management of waste in BRICS nations. The chapters incorporate both policies and practical aspects.

Environmental Sustainability and Economy contains the latest practical and theoretical concepts of sustainability science and economic growth. It includes the latest research on sustainable development, the impact of pollution due to economic activities, energy policies and consumption influencing growth and environment, waste management and recycling, circular economy, and climate change impacts on both the environment and the economy. The 21st century has seen the rise of complex and multi-dimensional pathways between different aspects of sustainability. Due to globalization, these relationships now work at varying spatiotemporal scales resulting in global and regional dynamics. This book explores the complex relationship between sustainable development and economic growth, linking the environmental and social aspects with the economic pillar of sustainable development. Utilizing global case studies and interdisciplinary perspectives, Environmental Sustainability and Economy provides a comprehensive account of sustainable development and the economics of environmental protection studies with a focus on the environmental, geographical, economic, anthropogenic and social-ecological environment.

Urban Ecology covers the latest theoretical and applied concepts in urban ecological research. This book covers the key environmental issues of urban ecosystems as well as the human-centric issues, particularly those of governance, economics, sociology and human health. The goal of Urban Ecology is to challenge readers' thinking around urban ecology from a resource-based approach to a holistic and applied field for sustainable development. There are seven major themes of the book: emerging urban concepts and urbanization, land use/land cover change, urban social-ecological systems, urban environment, urban material balance, smart, healthy and sustainable cities and sustainable urban design. Within each section, key concepts such as monitoring the urbanization phenomena, land use cover, urban soil fluxes, urban metabolism, pollution and human health and sustainable cities are covered. Urban Ecology serves as a comprehensive and advanced book for students, researchers, practitioners and policymakers in urban ecology and urban environmental research, planning and practice.

Waste Management and Resource Recycling in the Developing World provides a unique perspective on the state of waste management and resource recycling in the developing world, offering practical solutions based on innovative tools and technologies, along with examples and case studies. The book is organized by waste type, including electronic, industrial and biomedical/hazardous, with each section covering advanced techniques, such as remote sensing and GIS, as well as socioeconomic factors, transnational transport and policy implications. Waste managers, environmental scientists, sustainability practitioners, and engineers will find this a valuable resource for addressing the challenges of waste management in the developing world. There is high potential for waste management to produce energy and value-added products. Sustainable waste management based on a circular economy not only improves sanitation, it also provides economic and environmental benefits. In addition to waste minimization, waste-to-economy and waste-to-energy have become integral parts of waste management practices. A proper waste management strategy not only leads to reduction in environmental pollution but also moves toward generating sufficient energy for improving environmental sustainability in coming decades.

The book is unique in highlighting the issue of wastewater as one of the important environmental issues. The uniqueness also lies in exploring the concepts of converting waste into resources in the form of bioenergy, biofertilizers through various biological methods. Given the international scenario, the chapters of this book are designed to include both anaerobic and aerobic methods of resource recovery from the industrial wastewater. The book is a step toward design with nature and the concept of green chemistry. Waste menace is one of the most voiced and unsolved problems in the entire world. The whole world is facing the threat of water pollution, soil pollution/ land pollution, odour pollution from the growing waste. Though we find many missions and programs at international, national, and regional level to solve the waste associated issues, this is mostly in context with the solid fraction of the waste. Very little is being done to manage the liquid part of the waste or what we call the wastewater. The conversion of wastewater has the potential to be converted to energy in the form bioenergy, bio-fertilizers, electricity, nutrient recovery, etc. The use of sludge as biofertilizers solves the problem of sludge management on the one hand and production of organic crops on the other. The biological treatment methods like sludge treatment gives the farmers the source of biofertilizers and organic manure for the plants. In the present scenario, energy crisis is also one of the issues that we are facing particularly in context with the thermal power plants which are environmentally highly polluting. Through various techniques like microbial fuel cells or biohydrogen, we get a source of cleaner energy. So, through this book, we try to produce the content and information to give the audience an understanding of the waste water as one of the environmental and health issues and mitigation strategies. The book gives a sufficient understanding of how waste can be turned into a resource.

This book presents a collection of cross-disciplinary research, with contributions addressing all key features of the plant/microbe/ENP nexus in agro-ecosystems. The uptake, transport and transformation of nanoparticles in plants have attracted more and more attention in the past several years. Especially, the impact of Engineered Nanoparticles (ENPs) on bioprocesses; low-, medium- and high-level dose responses in the microbial community of soil; and long-, medium- and short-term exposure responses, particularly microbial nitrogen transformations, are just a few of the aspects involved. Since ENPs are used in many industries, including cosmetics, agriculture, medicine, food technology and waste management, their transport through biogeochemical cycles is an important focus of many studies today. Specifically, ENP-microbe interaction has been analysed with regard to disease treatment for plants; it plays a vital role in disease inhibition by releasing metal ions that act through many pathways - e.g. reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, DNA transformation and disruption of the cell cycle - to stop cell growth in the pathogen. Due to these properties, ENPs are also used as slow release or delayed release pesticides and fungicides, and as carrier systems for growth-promoting hormones. Despite their multiple uses in various industries, the negative effects of ENPs are still a major concern for the scientific community and consumers alike. For example, their transport to various food chains has been reported to have adverse effects. This raises a degree of doubt concerning a rapidly growing scientific field with major applications in many industries. From a sustainable development perspective and particularly to ensure food security in light of the uncertainty accompanying climate change, it is imperative to address this divergence by focusing on the plant/microbe/ENP nexus.