This new volume provides a timely study on the environmental challenges from a specific class of perfluorinated chemical compounds (PFCs) that are now being recognized as a worldwide health threat. Recent studies report that levels of classes of PFCs known as polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl (PFASs) exceed federally recommended safety levels in public drinking-water supplies for 6 million people in the United States and that as many as 100 million people could be at risk from exposure to these chemicals. These chemicals occur globally in wildlife and humans. Both PFCAs and PFSAs have been produced for more than 50 years, but have only become of interest to regulators and environmentalists since the late 1990s. Recent advances in analytical methodology has enabled widespread detection in the environment and humans at trace levels. These toxic chemicals have been found in outdoor and indoor air, surface and drinking water, house dust, animal tissue, human blood serum, and human breast milk. Of great concern to communities is the presence of these compounds in a number of drinking water supplies in the U.S. and other countries. This new volume provides a timely explanation of the chemicals, provides a detailed review of the regulations both in the US and European Community, explains the health risk literature, and then explores in great detail available treatment technologies. The volume is a must for public water supply facilities, industrial operations that have historically used these chemicals and face legacy pollution issues, policy makers and the general public.

Written by one of the world's foremost authorities on the subject, this is the most comprehensive and in-depth treatment available to environmental engineers and scientists for the remediation of groundwater, one of the earth's most precious resources. Groundwater is one of the Earth's most precious resources. We use it for drinking, bathing, and many other purposes. Without clean water, humans would cease to exist. Unfortunately, because of ignorance or lack of caring, groundwater is often contaminated through industrialization, construction or any number of other ways. It is the job of the environmental engineer to remediate the contaminated groundwater and make what has been tainted safe again.Selecting the proper remediation strategy and process is the key to moving forward, and, once this process has been selected, it must be executed properly, taking into consideration the costs, the type of contaminants that are involved, time frames, and many other factors. This volume provides a broad overview of the current and most widely applied remedial strategies. Instead of discussing these strategies in a generic way, the volume is organized by focusing on major contaminants that are of prime focus to industry and municipal water suppliers. The specific technologies that are applicable to the chemical contaminants discussed in different chapters are presented, but then cross-referenced to other chemical classes or contaminants that are also candidates for the technologies. The reader will also find extensive cost guidance in this volume to assist in developing preliminary cost estimates for capital equipment and operations & maintenance costs, which should be useful in screening strategies. The eight chapters cover all of the major various types of contaminants and their industrial applications, providing a valuable context to each scenario of contamination. This is the most thorough and up-to-date volume available on this important subject, and it is a must-have for any environmental engineer or scientist working in groundwater remediation.

Up-to-date and thorough coverage of the causes, repercussions, and prevention of dust explosions and fires by one of the most well-respected environmental scientists and worker safety litigation specialists in the world This handy volume is a ready go to reference for the chemical engineer, plant manager, process engineer, or chemist working in industrial settings where dust explosions could be a concern, such as the process industries, coal industry, metal industry, and others. Though dust explosions have been around since the Earth first formed, and they have been studied and written about since the 1500s, they are still an ongoing concern and occur almost daily somewhere in the world, from bakeries to fertilizer plants. Dust explosions can have devastating consequences, and, recently, there have been new industrial standards and guidelines that reflect safer, more reasonable methods for dealing with materials to prevent dust explosions and resultant fires. This book not only presents these new developments for engineers and managers, it offers in-depth coverage of the subject, starting with a complete overview of dust how it forms, when it is in danger of exploding, and how this risk can be mitigated as well as a general overview of explosions and the environments that foster them. Dust Explosion and Fire Prevention Handbook covers individual industries, such as metal and coal; offers an appendix that outlines best practices for preventing dust explosions and fire and how these risks can be systematically mitigated by these implementations; and incorporates a handy glossary of terms for easy access, not only for the veteran engineer or chemist, but for the student or new hire. This ready reference is one of the most useful texts that an engineer or chemist could have at their side. With so many accidents still occurring in industry today, this must-have volume pinpoints the most common, sure-fire ways for engineers, scientists, and chemists working with these hazardous materials to go about their daily business safely, efficiently, and profitably, with no extraneous tables or theoretical treatises. Dust Explosion and Fire Prevention Handbook: * Provides a general overview of the characteristics and parameters that can be the cause of dust explosions * Features discussions on the various factors that influence dust explosibility, including but not limited to particle size and particle size distribution, dust concentration, oxidant concentration, ignition temperature, turbulence of the dust cloud, maximum rate of pressure rise, admixed inert dust concentration, and the presence of flammable gases * Contains chapters on specific industrial settings for potential dust explosions and how to manage the risks, including the coal industry, metals, and the process industries * Covers the most up-to-date information and safety guidelines as well as a glossary of terms for easy reference and an appendix outlining the best practices for industrial applications

Hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as "fracking," is a technique used by the oil and gas industry to mine hydrocarbons trapped deep beneath the Earth's surface. The principles underlying the technology are not new. Fracking was first applied at the commercial level in the United States as early as 1947, and over the decades it has been applied in various countries including Canada, the UK, and Russia. The author worked with engineering teams as early as the mid-1970s in evaluating ways to improve oil recovery from this practice. By and large fracking was not an economically competitive process and had limited applications until the early 2000s. Several factors altered the importance of this technology, among them being significant technological innovations in drilling practices with impressive high tech tools for exploration, well construction and integrity, and recovery along with discoveries of massive natural gas reserves in the United States and other parts of the world. These factors have catapulted the application of the technology to what is best described as the gold rush of the 21st century, with exploration and natural gas plays proceeding at a pace that seemingly is unrivaled by any historical industrial endeavor. But this level of activity has invoked widespread criticism from concerned citizens and environmental groups in almost every nation across the Globe. This outstanding new volume offers the industry a handbook of environmental management practices that can mitigate risks to the environment and, through best practices and current technologies, to conform to the current standards and regulations that are in place to provide the world with the energy it needs while avoiding environmental damage. For the new hire, veteran engineer, and student alike, this is a one-of-a-kind volume, a must-have for anyone working in hydraulic fracturing.

The Deepwater Horizon catastrophe is shaping up to be the largest offshore oil spill in history and an ecological nightmare of epic proportions. "Emergency Response Management of Offshore Oil Spills" is intended to aid in the response of this tragic disaster by providing, in one volume, information to rapidly orient response workers. It outlines the toxic nature of crude oil, covering properties of crude oil, chemical composition, toxicity to humans and marine life, and investigates the impact of oil spills from historical case studies. The current arsenals available to address oil spills, such as dispersants, absorbing booms, skinning, and other methods are also discussed. Technologies which are rapidly being developed to address the Gulf Oil Spill are considered, alongside with extensive information on chemical protective clothing, air monitoring, respiratory protection, management of waste, and much more. The book concludes with a chapter discussing responsible care and takes a critical look at the reasons why the Deepwater Horizon Rig catastrophe happened and the failure of British Petroleum to act in a responsible manner.