The soil is the medium through which pollutants originating from human activities, both in agriculture and industry, move from the land surfaces to groundwater. Polluting substances are subject to complex physical, chemical and biological transformations during their movement through the soil. Their displacement depends on the transport properties of the water-air-soil system and on the molecular properties of the pollutants. Prediction of soil pollution and restoration of polluted soils r...

The second edition of The Biomarker Guide is a fully updated and expanded version of this essential reference. Now in two volumes, it provides a comprehensive account of the role that biomarker technology plays both in petroleum exploration and in understanding Earth history and processes. Biomarkers and Isotopes in the Environment and Human History details the origins of biomarkers and introduces basic chemical principles relevant to their study. It discusses analytical techniques, and ap...

Soil and Environmental Chemistry emphasizes the problem-solving skills students will need when they enter their chosen field. This revised reprint links valuable soil chemical concepts to the "big picture" by discussing how other soil and environmental factors affect soil chemistry. This broader environmental approach makes the text relevant to today's soil science curriculums. This book uses computer modeling for water and soil chemistry, providing students with the models used by practic...

The world is facing a drinking water crisis. Besides continuous population growth, uneven distribution of water resources and periodic droughts have forced scientists to search for new and effective water treatment, remediation and recycling technologies. Therefore, there is a great need for the development of suitable, inexpensive and rapid wastewater treatment and reuse or conservation methods. This title discusses different types of wastewater treatment, remediation and recycling techni...

Interest in biochar among soil and environment researchers has increased dramatically over the past decade. Biochar initially attracted attention for its potential to improve soil fertility and to uncouple the carbon cycle, by storing carbon from the atmosphere in a form that can remain stable for hundreds to thousands of years. Later it was found that biochar had applications in environmental and water science, mining, microbial ecology and other fields. Beneficial effects of biochar and its...

Separation and purification processes play a critical role in biorefineries and their optimal selection, design and operation to maximise product yields and improve overall process efficiency. Separations and purifications are necessary for upstream processes as well as in maximising and improving product recovery in downstream processes. These processes account for a significant fraction of the total capital and operating costs and also are highly energy intensive. Consequently, a better ...

With increasing demand for hygienic, self-disinfecting and contamination free surfaces, interest in developing self-cleaning protective materials and surfaces has grown rapidly in recent times. This new title comprises of invited chapters from renowned researchers in the area of self-cleaning nano-coatings and the result is a comprehensive review of current research on both hydrophobic and hydrophilic (photocatalytic effect) self-cleaning materials.

This technical book explores current and future applications of solar power as an unlimited source of energy that earth receives every day. Photosynthetic organisms have learned to utilize this abundant source of energy by converting it into high-energy biochemical compounds. Inspired by the efficient conversion of solar energy into an electron flow, attempts have been made to construct artificial photosynthetic systems capable of establishing a charge separation state for generating elect...

The production of textile materials comprises a very large and complex global industry that utilises a diverse range of fibre types and creates a variety of textile products. As the great majority of such products are coloured, predominantly using aqueous dyeing processes, the coloration of textiles is a large-scale global business in which complex procedures are used to apply different types of dye to the various types of textile material. The development of such dyeing processes is the r...

Air pollution, a major concern at the end of the 20th century, still remains a significant problem to be solved today. Traditionally, industrial waste gases have primarily been treated through physical or chemical methods. The search for new, efficient, and cost-effective alternative technologies has led to the development and, more recently, the improvement of gas phase bioreactors.This book is the first single text to provide a complete, comprehensive picture of all major biologic...

This book provides a detailed examination of the concentration, form and cycling of trace metals and metalloids through the aquatic biosphere, and has sections dealing with the atmosphere, the ocean, lakes and rivers. It discusses exchanges at the water interface (air/water and sediment/water) and the major drivers of the cycling, concentration and form of trace metals in aquatic systems. The initial chapters focus on the fundamental principles and modelling approaches needed to understand...

This monograph provides comprehensive coverage of technologies which integrate adsorption and biological processes in water and wastewater treatment. The authors provide both an introduction to the topic as well as a detailed discussion of theoretical and practical considerations.After a review of the basics involved in the chemistry, biology and technology of integrated adsorption and biological removal, they discuss the setup of pilot- and full-scale treatment facilities, coverin...