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Elsevier Science

  • Bioaccumulation in Marine Organisms

    Effect of Contaminants from Oil Well Produced Water
    • 1st Edition
    • J.M. Neff
    • English
    Large volumes of produced water are generated and discharged to the coastal and ocean waters worldwide from offshore oil and gas production facilities. There is concern that the chemicals in the produced water may harm marine ecosystems. This book summarizes the bioavailability and marine ecotoxicology of metal and organic contaminants that may occur in oil well produced water at concentrations significantly higher than those in ambient seawater. The contaminants of concern include arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, radium isotopes, zinc, monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phenols, and bis(2-ethylhexyl)pht... first part of the book is a detailed discussion of the chemical composition of produced water from offshore oil wells worldwide and its fates following discharge to the ocean. The remaining chapters of the book summarize the current scientific literature on the sources and distributions in the ocean of each of the contaminants of concern and their bioaccumulation and toxicity to marine organisms.This book will be of value to: environmental scientists in the oil and gas industry; marine toxicologists and ecological risk assessors in academia, government, and industry; government regulatory agencies concerned with marine environmental protection.The book advances the concept that bioavailability evaluation must be included in all ecological risk assessments and other environmental assessments of chemical contaminants in marine and freshwater ecosystems.
  • Nano-Physics and Bio-Electronics

    A New Odyssey
    • 1st Edition
    • T. Chakraborty + 2 more
    • English
    This book is a collection of some of the invited talks presented at the international meeting held at the Max Planck Institut fuer Physik Komplexer Systeme, Dresden, Germany during August 6-30, 2001, on the rapidly developing field of nanoscale science in science and bio-electronics Semiconductor physics has experienced unprecedented developments over the second half of the twentieth century. The exponential growth in microelectronic processing power and the size of dynamic memorie has been achieved by significant downscaling of the minimum feature size. Smaller feature sizes result in increased functional density, faster speed, and lower costs. In this process one is reaching the limits where quantum effects and fluctuations are beginning to play an important role. This book reflects the achievements of the present times and future directions of research on nanoscopic dimensions.
  • Large Marine Ecosystems of the North Atlantic

    Changing States and Sustainability
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 10
    • H.R. Skjoldal + 1 more
    • English
    This is the first book to provide assessments of multidecadal changes in resources and environments of the Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) of the North Atlantic. Using the case study method, researchers examine the forces driving the changes and actions underway aimed at turning the corner from declining trends in biomass yields, toward recovery of depleted species populations and improvements in ecosystem integrity.Recently a distinguished group of 24 scientists argued eloquently that a new Sustainability Science was emerging that was focused on "meeting fundamental human needs while preserving the life support systems of planet Earth". The contributions contained in this volume are at the cutting edge of Sustainability Science and the results presented by the contributors are pertinent to one of the core questions: "How are long-term trends in environment and development, including consumption and population, reshaping nature-society interactions in ways relevant to sustainability?" (Science Vol. 292, 27 April 2001). The case studies demonstrate the utility of an ecosystem-based approach to the assessment and management of biomass yields and species sustainability.Movem... toward ecosystem-based management have emerged from the case studies on the initiation of recoveries of several depleted groundfish stocks of the US Northeast Shelf LME; the collapse of the Newfoundland-Labrado... Shelf cod; the assessment of physical and biological changes on the Scotian Shelf, West Greenland Shelf, Iceland Shelf LME, and the Faroe Plateau, the North Sea, and the Barents Sea LMEs. Uncertainties, with regard to environmental and human-generated forcing, are addressed in assessment of the states of the Iberian Coastal and Biscay-Celtic LMEs, and in broad-scale studies of the influences at the base of the food chain of climatic variability on the productivity and biodiversity of plankton communities of the North Atlantic. The volume concludes with an insightful perspective on the approaches used and the results reported by the eminent marine scientist and former President of ICES, Professor Gotthilf Hempel.
  • Agriculture and Food Production

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 2
    • English
    This volume of Applied Mycology and Biotechnology completes the set of two volumes dedicated to the coverage of recent developments on the theme "Agriculture and Food Production". The first volume provided overview on fungal physiology, metabolism, genetics and biotechnology and highlighted their connection with particular applications to food production. The second volume examines various specific applications of mycology and fungal biotechnology to food production and processing. In the second volume coverage on two remaining areas of the theme, food crop production and applications in the foods and beverages sector, is presented.The interdisciplinary and complex nature of the subject area, combined with the need to consider the sustainability of agri-food practices, its economics and industrial perspectives, requires a certain focus and selectivity of subjects. In this context the recent literature contained in this work will help readers arrive at comprehensive, in depth information on the role of fungi in agricultural food and feed technology.As a professional reference this book is targeted towards agri-food producer research establishments, government and academic units. Teachers and students, both in undergraduate and graduate studies, in departments of food science, food technology, food engineering, microbiology, applied molecular genetics and biotechnology will also find this work useful.
  • Environmental Foresight and Models

    A Manifesto
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 22
    • M.B. Beck
    • English
    Policy-makers and the public, it has famously been said, are more interested in the possibility of non-linear dislocations and surprises in the behaviour of the environment than in smooth extrapolations of current trends. The International Task Force in Forecasting Environmental Change (1993-1998) dedicated its work to developing procedures of model building capable of addressing our palpable concerns for substantial change in the future. This volume discusses the immense challenges that such structural change presents - that the behaviour of the environment may become radically different from that observed in the past - and investigates the potentially profound implications for model development.Drawing upon case histories from the Great Lakes, acidic atmospheric deposition and, among others, the urban ozone problem, this discourse responds to a new agenda of questions. For example: "What system of 'radar' might we design to detect threats to the environment lying just beyond the 'horizon'?" and "Are the seeds of structural change identifiable within the record of the recent past?"Meticulously researched by leading environmental modellers, this milestone volume engages vigorously with its subject and offers an animated account of how models can begin to take into consideration the significant threats and uncertainties posed by structural change.
  • Fundamentals of Salt Water Desalination

    • 1st Edition
    • H.T. El-Dessouky + 1 more
    • English
    Industrial desalination of sea and brackish water is becoming an essential part in providing sustainable sources of fresh water for a larger number of communities around the world. Desalination is a main source of fresh water in the Gulf countries, a number of the Caribbean and Mediterranean Islands, and several municipalities in a large number of countries. As the industry expands there is a pressing need to have a clear and well-written textbook that focuses on desalination fundamentals and other industrial aspects.This book focuses on the processes widely used in industry, which include multistage flash desalination and reverse osmosis. Also, other desalination processes with attractive features and high potential are featured. It includes a large number of solved examples, which are explained in simple and careful matter that allow the reader to follow and understand the development. The data used in the development of the examples and case studies are extracted from existing desalination plants.This title also includes comparisons of model predictions against results reported in literature as well as available experimental and industrial data. Several industries include similar unit operation processes, i.e., evaporators, condensers, flashing units, membrane separation, and chemical treatment. Examples of such industries include wastewater treatment, food, petroleum, petrochemical, power generation, and pulp and paper. Process fundamentals and design procedures of such unit processes follow the same procedures given in this textbook.
  • Absorbent Technology

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 13
    • P.K. Chatterjee + 1 more
    • English
    This publication discusses the theoretical aspects of absorbency as well as the structure, properties and performance of materials. The chapters are arranged in an approach for the reader to advance progressively through fundamental theories of absorbency to more practical aspects of the technology. Topics covered include scientific principles of absorbency and structure property relationships; material technology including super absorbents, non-woven, natural and synthetic fibres and surfactants; absorbency measurement techniques and technology perspective. The reader is provided with current status information on technology and is also informed on important developments within the field.
  • Chemical Test Methods of Analysis

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 36
    • Y.A. Zolotov + 2 more
    • English
    Chemical analysis moves from laboratory to places where samples to be analysed are located. This trend is aptly termed "on-site analysis". As the dictum says: "from sample transfer to information transfer". Owing to the ever increasing number of samples to be analysed, preliminary screening and selection of samples seems to be necessary, even in the laboratory. Rapid test methods of chemical analysis can solve both these tasks. This book is devoted to test methods that are widely used in environmental, industrial, clinical, forensic, medical, and other areas allowing a rapid, simple and cost-effective analysis - qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative to be performed by trained as well as non-trained personnel. Some general characteristic features of test methods and test systems are described in the book, e.g. definitions, advantages and limitations, chemical and physical principles of operation, procedures and protocols, and methodological aspects. Application of test methods in various areas is extensively overviewed, and the test means and test tools pertinent for solving each concrete analytical task are discussed, e.g. paper strips, indicator powders and tubes, tablets, etc. The most important applications of test methods, evidently, are: testing for inorganic and organic components in water (mostly for purposes of environmental control), monitoring of toxic gases and alcohol vapours, detection of narcotics and explosives, determination of glucose, cholesterol, and other components of medical importance.
  • Complex Wave Dynamics on Thin Films

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 14
    • Hen-hong Chang + 1 more
    • English
    Wave evolution on a falling film is a classical hydrodynamic instability whose rich wave dynamics have been carefully recorded in the last fifty years. Such waves are known to profoundly affect the mass and heat transfer of multi-phase industrial units.This book describes the collective effort of both authors and their students in constructing a comprehensive theory to describe the complex wave evolution from nearly harmonic waves at the inlet to complex spatio-temporal patterns involving solitary waves downstream. The mathematical theory represents a significant breakthrough from classical linear stability theories, which can only describe the inlet harmonic waves and also extends classical soliton theory for integrable systems to real solitrary wave dynamics with dissipation. One unique feature of falling-film solitary wave dynamics, which drives much of the spatio-temporal wave evolution, is the irreversible coalescence of such localized wave structures. It represents the first full description of a hydrodynamic instability from inception to developed chaos. This approach should prove useful for other complex hydrodynamic instabilities and would allow industrial engineers to better design their multi-phase apparati by exploiting the deciphered wave dynamics. This publication gives a comprehensive review of all experimental records and existing theories and significantly advances state of the art on the subject and are complimented by complex and attractive graphics from computational fluid mechanics.
  • Biotransformations: Bioremediation Technology for Health and Environmental Protection

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 36
    • R.D. Stapleton Jr. + 1 more
    • English
    This volume provides a clear understanding of how microbes, following their degradative processes, contribute maximally to the benefit of mankind through biotransformations of waste materials as well as a wide variety of health-risk compounds.The book contains twenty four chapters contributed by leading scientists from different parts of the world, covering various aspects of bioremediation of xenobiotics such as toxic, carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic compounds, which include halogenated aromatics, derivatives of heavy metals, microbial toxins, tannins, dyes, sulfur compounds of coal and petroleum and pesticides. The bioremediation of agricultural residue, industrial as well as municipal wastes, fuel oils, lubricants, natural rubber products, and other synthetic polymers, which pollute the environment substantially, also constitutes an important component of the book. All biotechnological aspects of microbial transformations pertaining to biodegradation/biore... of hazardous wastes, ranging from screening methods for microbes with degradative potential, processes of degradation, strain improvement for enhanced biodegradation and elimination of xenobiotics of health and environmental concern have been dealt with. The book intends to widen the scope of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology in general and biotransformations in particular. It will provide an opportunity for scientists in the areas of biochemistry, food industry, environmental science and engineering and their implications in technologically feasible, environment friendly and economically viable bioremediation options. Also, it forms an interface between agro-industrial establishments and the academic world and will generate new thought provoking ideas for scientists of future generations for the safeguard of both human and animal health as well as the environment.