Cementitious materials are being widely used as solidification/stabilisation and barrier materials for a variety of chemical and radioactive wastes, primarily due to their favourable retention properties for metals, radionuclides and other contaminants. The retention properties result from various mineral phases in hydrated cement that possess a high density and diversity of reactive sites for the fixation of contaminants through a variety of sorption and incorporation reactions.Th...

Fluxes of trace gases, water and energy - the 'breathing of the biosphere' - are controlled by a large number of interacting physical, chemical, biological and ecological processes. In this interdisciplinary book, the authors provide the tools to understand and quantitatively analyse fluxes of energy, organic compounds such as terpenes, and trace gases including carbon dioxide, water vapour and methane. It first introduces the fundamental principles affecting the supply and demand for trac...

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...

This successful textbook undergoes a change of character in the third edition. Where earlier editions covered organic polymer chemistry, the third edition covers both physical and organic chemistry. Thus kinetics and thermodynamics of polymerization reactions are discussed.This edition is also distinct from all other polymer textbooks because of its coverage of such currently hot topics as photonic polymers, electricity conducting polymers, polymeric materials for immobilization of...

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...

Recent years have seen an expansion in speciality uses of activated carbons including medicine, filtration, and the purification of liquids and gaseous media. Much of current research and information surrounding the nature and use of activated carbon is scattered throughout various literature, which has created the need for an up-to-date comprehensive and integrated review reference. In this book, special attention is paid to porosities in all forms of carbon, and to the modern-day materia...

The fascination with gold is a story which spans millennia, however scientists have recently found a new interest for gold when it is divided into miniscule grains, such as gold nanoparticles. This scientific enthusiasm started in various fields of science in the middle of the 1980s and the present book offers a panorama of the major scientific achievements obtained with gold nanoparticles.Various topics are reviewed such as: gold nanoparticle preparation methods, their plasmon resonance a...

This thesis presents studies on the interaction of soft materials like surfactants and proteins with hard silica nanomaterials. Due to its interdisciplinary nature it combines concepts from the fields of physical chemistry, nanoscience and materials science, yielding to fundamental insights into the structure-directing forces operating at the nano-scale. It is shown that the morphology of surfactant micellar aggregates adsorbed at the surface of nanoparticles and inside tubular nanopores c...

Coal Science, Volume 2 presents and evaluates the fundamental scientific areas involved with the structure, reactivity, and utilization of coal. This book reviews the coal's inorganic structure and reactivity and the role that ionic bonding plays in coal's chemical and physical structure and reactivity. Organized into four chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the area of mineral matter in coal and a critical survey of many specific aspects that are most intriguing scientificall...

It is difficult to imagine anything more important to the human population than safe drinking water. Lack of clean drinking water is still the major cause of illness and death in young children in developing countries. In more fortunate communities, where water treatment is practiced, the primary aim of water authorities is to provide water that is free from pathogens and toxins. Most countries now have water quality regulations, or guidelines, which are driving water authorities to produc...

In the last decade, numerous studies have demonstrated the existence of alternative pathways to nucleation and crystallisation that oppose the classical view. Such proposed scenarios include multistage reactions proceeding via various precursor species and/or intermediate phases. The aim of this book is to review and discuss these recent advances in our understanding of the early stages of mineralisation through a series of contributions that address both experimental and theoretical studi...

Understanding radionuclide behaviour in the natural environment is essential to the sustainable development of the nuclear industry and key to assessing potential environmental risks reliably. Minimising those risks is essential to enhancing public confidence in nuclear technology. Scientific knowledge in this field has developed greatly over the last decade.Radionuclide behaviour in the natural environment provides a comprehensive overview of the key processes and parameters affecting rad...