Books in Environmental chemistry substances and processes

Air Pollution, Global Change and Forests in the New Millennium

1st Edition
Volume 3
December 18, 2003
D.F. Karnosky + 4 more
English
Hardback
9 7 8 0 0 8 0 4 4 3 1 7 1
eBook
9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 2 6 9 1 1

The chapters in this book present a snapshot of the state of knowledge of air pollution effects at the beginning of the 21st century. From their different disciplines, a distinguished collection of authors document their understanding of how leaves, trees, and forests respond to air pollutants and climate change. Scenarios of global change and air pollution are described. The authors describe responses of forests to climate variability, tropospheric ozone, rising atmospheric CO2, the combination of CO2 and ozone, and deposition of acidic compounds and heavy metals. The responses to ozone receive particular attention because of increasing concern about its damaging effects and increasing concentrations in rural areas. Scaling issues are addressed - from leaves to trees, from juvenile trees to mature trees, from short-term responses to long-term responses, and from small-scale experiments and observations to large-scale forest ecosystems. This book is one major product of a conference sponsored by the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations, the USDA Forest Service Global Change Northern Stations Program, the Arthur Ross Foundation, NCASI, the Canadian Forest Service, and Michigan Technological University. The conference, held in May 2000 in Houghton, Michigan, USA, was appropriately titled "Air Pollution, Global Change, and Forests in the New Millennium". The Editors, David Karnosky, Kevin Percy, Art Chappelka, Caroline Simpson, and Janet Pikkarainen organized the conference and edited this book.

Analysis and Fate of Surfactants in the Aquatic Environment

1st Edition
Volume 40
August 22, 2003
Thomas P. Knepper + 2 more
English
Hardback
9 7 8 0 4 4 4 5 0 9 3 5 2
eBook
9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 4 8 3 3 3

An understanding of the fate and behaviour of organic chemicals, such as surfactants, in the environment is a prerequisite for the sustainable development of human health and ecosystems. As surfactants are being produced in huge amounts, it is important to have a detailed knowledge about their lifetime in the environment, their biodegradability in wastewater treatment plants and in natural waters, and their ecotoxicity. Parameters relevant for the assessment of long-term behaviour, such as interactions with hormonal systems need to be understood to avoid unexpected adverse effects to future generations of people and the environment. However, the identification and quantification of commercial surfactants in the environment is made more complicated and cumbersome because they comprise of tens to hundreds of homologues, oligomers and isomers of anionic, nonionic, cationic and amphoteric compounds.The EU-funded PRISTINE project (Priority surfactants and their toxic metabolites in wastewater effluents: An integrated study; ENV4-CT97-0494) provides the basis for the content of this title. It provides policy makers and industry with detailed information on analysis and concentrations of surfactants and their degradation products in the environment.In addition to a general introduction to surfactants, this book comprises a comprehensive variety of analytical techniques, including sample handling, for the analysis of surfactants in the aquatic environment. Readers will find all the necessary information for analyzing the different groups of surfactants, with special emphasis on transformation products. Quality assurance is also reported on in detail. Chapters on toxicity and risk assessment are also included and give a complete perspective on the surfactants problem in the aquatic environment.

Modelling Radioactivity in the Environment

1st Edition
Volume 4
May 22, 2003
E.M. Scott
English
eBook
9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 3 6 6 5 1

Just as an environmental model typically will be composed of a number of linked sub-models, representing physical, chemical or biological processes understood to varying degrees, this volume includes a series of linked chapters exemplifying the fundamental nature of environmental radioactivity models in all compartments of the environment.Why is a book on modelling environmental radioactivity necessary? There are many reasons why such a boook is necessary, perhaps the most important that:- modelling is an often misunderstood and maligned activity and this book can provide, to a broad audience, a greater understanding of modelling power but also some of the limitations.- modellers and experimentalists often do not understand and mistrust each other's work yet they are mutually dependent, in the sense that good experimental science can direct good modelling work and vice-versa; we hope that this book can dispel mistrust and engender improved understanding.- there is an increasing reliance on model results in environmental management, yet there is also often misuse and misrepresentation of these results. This book can help to bridge the gap between unrealistic expectations of model power and the realisation of what is possible, practicable and feasible in modelling of environmental radioactivity; and finally,- modelling tools, capacity and power have increased many-fold in a relatively short period of time. Much of this is due to the much-heralded computer revolution, but much is also due to better science. It is useful to consider what gap if any still remains between what is possible and what is necessary.

Environmental Soil Chemistry

2nd Edition
November 1, 2002
Donald L. Sparks
English
eBook
9 7 8 0 0 8 0 4 9 4 8 0 7

Environmental Soil Chemistry illustrates fundamental principles of soil chemistry with respect to environmental reactions between soils and other natural materials and heavy metals, pesticides, industrial contaminants, acid rain, and salts. Timely and comprehensive discussions of applications to real-world environmental concerns are a central focus of this established text.

Handbook of Groundwater Remediation using Permeable Reactive Barriers

1st Edition
September 23, 2002
David Naftz + 3 more
English
eBook
9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 3 3 0 5 6

Over the last century and a half, groundwaters have become contaminated by a growing number of organic and inorganic substances ranging from petroleum-derived hydrocarbons to radioactive compounds, to cancer-causing hexavalent chromium. The importance of uncontaminated groundwater for agriculture, human consumption, and the environmental health of ecosystems is paramount to the health and productivity of industrial society. Water scientists and managers are focused on developing cost-effective methods to reverse this trend.Several methodologies have been developed, however few are as cost-effective as the use of readily available materials, such as iron and organic compost, for absorbing and isolating contaminants within the matrix of a permeable barrier. The Handbook of Groundwater Remediation using Permeable Reactive Barriers presents readers with this latest technology and developments within four main sections:1. Innovations in Design, Construction, and Evaluation of PRBs2. Development of Reactive Materials3. Evaluations of Chemical and Biological Processes4. Case Studies of Permeable Reactive Barrier InstallationsThe Handbook is one of the first references specifically on this topic. It is an excellent fit for graduate students entering this emerging field as well as professionals conducting research or implementing this technology.

Handbook of Air Pollution Prevention and Control

1st Edition
July 31, 2002
Nicholas P Cheremisinoff
English
Hardback
9 7 8 0 7 5 0 6 7 4 9 9 7
eBook
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The Handbook of Air Pollution Prevention and Control provides a concise overview of the latest technologies for managing industrial air pollution in petrochemical, oil and gas, and allied industries. Detailed material on equipment selection, sizing, and troubleshooting operations is provided along with practical design methodology. Unique to this volume are discussions and information on energy-efficient technologies and approaches to implementing environmental cost accounting measures.Included in the text are sidebar discussions, questions for thinking and discussing, recommended resources for the reader (including Web sites), and a comprehensive glossary.The Handbook of Air Pollution Prevention and Control also includes free access to US EPA's air dispersion model SCREEN3. Detailed examples on the application of this important software to analyzing air dispersion from industrial processes and point sources are provided in the Handbook, along with approaches to applying this important tool in developing approaches to pollution prevention and in selecting control technologies. By applying SCREEN3, along with the examples given in the Handbook, the user can: evaluate the impact of processes and operations to air quality, and apply the model to assess emergency scenarios to help in planning, to develop environmental impact assessments, to select pollution control technologies, and to develop strategies for pollution prevention. Two companion books by Cheremisinoff are available:Handbook of Water and Wastewater Treatment Technologies, and Handbook of Solid Waste Management and Waste Minimization Technologies.

Radioactive Fallout after Nuclear Explosions and Accidents

1st Edition
Volume 3
June 20, 2002
Y.A. Izrael
English
eBook
9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 4 0 2 3 8

To achieve successful solutions to the problems resulting from local, distant and global radioactive fallout after nuclear explosions and accidents and to achieve successful retrospective analyses of the radiation conditions from recent observations, certain information is needed: the distribution of the exposure dose rate in the atmosphere and in a country; the distribution of radionuclides in natural environments and the nuclide composition of the radioactive fallout; the features of formation of the aerosol particle-carriers of the radioactivity and of the nuclide distribution of the particles of different sizes formed under different conditions; the processes involved in the migration of radioactive products in different zones and environments; the external and internal effects of nuclear radiation on human beings.This monograph is devoted to a number of these problems, namely, to studies of the radioactive fallout composition, the formation of the aerosol particles that transport the radioactive products and to the analysis of the external radiation doses resulting from nuclear explosions and/or accidents. Problems of restoration and rehabilitation of contaminated land areas are also touched upon in the monograph. To solve such problems one requires knowledge of the mobility of radionuclides, an understanding of their uptake by plants, their transportation within the food chain and finally their uptake by animal and/or human organisms.The results of many years of study of radioactive fallout from atmospheric and underground nuclear explosions and accidents are summarized in this book. It is intended for various specialists - geophysicists, ecologists, health experts and inspectors, as well as those who are concerned with radioactive contamination of natural environments.

Oil Spills First Principles

1st Edition
June 18, 2002
B. Ornitz† + 1 more
English
eBook
9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 3 7 9 6 2

Marine oil spills are no longer considered unavoidable "accidents" resulting from adverse environmental conditions or functions of catastrophic events. More than 80% of all spills are the result of "human error". The focus of the current legal, regulatory, and convention framework affecting the transportation of oil by ship reflects a recent change in public attitude, in which there is an insistence upon protection of the world¿s marine environments, particularly coastal ecosystems. The outcome of such global attention is the creation of significant legal and political motivators for a cultural shift by the oil shipping industry, from an "evasion culture" to a "safety culture". The new safety culture connotes continuous improvement in ship operations and a willingness to adopt the evolving concepts of communication at all levels, better trained and qualified personnel on board ship, emphasis of safety from top down, and proactive institution of safety management systems. Mere compliance with international and national laws is no longer sufficient for future sustainable shipping. These changes and advancements in understanding the science and engineering of oil spills are the focus of this book on Oil Spills First Principles. They are Prevention, based upon adoption of the safety culture, and Best Response, utilizing scientific, technical and environmental data and information.Over the past 30 years, billions of US dollars have been spent in R&D planning, response and clean up of oil spills. All of these efforts have focused on achieving Best Response. The concept of time periods of "Technology Windows-of-Opportuni... for a given response and clean up technology has developed from the leadership and wisdom of researchers and responders from many nations using modeling of the weathering of spilled oil and technology effectiveness. The Windows-of-Opportuni... strategy provides a scientific basis for policy and decision-making in oil spill planning, response, and training.A global paradigm shift is needed to more effectively utilize and expedite the application of lessons learned in both prevention and clean up. Recognition of economic, political, and legal benefits accruing from environmental protection is good for business and critical for sustainable shipping.

Interactions of Microorganisms with Radionuclides

1st Edition
Volume 2
April 22, 2002
M.J. Keith-Roach + 1 more
English
eBook
9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 3 4 9 0 9

Many environmental processes are influenced, if not controlled, by microbial action and it is becoming increasingly important to develop an understanding of microbial roles in geochemistry. This book brings together state of the art research into microbiological processes and the extent to which they affect or can be used to control radioactive elements. The basic principles and fundamental mechanisms by which microbes and radionuclides interact are outlined, the methodology described, potential microbial influences on waste repositories examined, direct and indirect effects on transport both on local and global scales considered and potential technological applications identified.The book is directed towards advanced undergraduate students, postgraduates and researchers in the areas of environmental radioactivity, environmental microbiology, biotechnology and radioactive waste management. It will also be of interest to regulators, policy makers and non-governmental organisations.This novel and timely book offers a fully integrated approach to a topical international issue.

Chemistry of the Environment

2nd Edition
March 21, 2002
Ronald A. Bailey + 4 more
English
Hardback
9 7 8 0 1 2 0 7 3 4 6 1 0
eBook
9 7 8 0 0 8 0 4 8 8 4 7 9

Emphasizing new science essential to the practice of environmental chemistry at the beginning of the new millennium, Chemistry of the Environment describes the atmosphere as a distinct sphere of the environment and the practice of industrial ecology as it applies to chemical science. It includes extensive coverage of nuclear chemistry, covering both natural environmental sources and anthropogenic sources, their impacts on health, and their role in energy production, that goes well beyond the newspaper coverage to discuss nuclear chemistry and disposal in a balanced and scientifically rational way.

Related subjects

Air pollution

Environmental radioactivity

Fate of chemicals

Freshwater pollution

Groundwater pollution and remediation

Heavy metals

Marine pollution

Life Sciences

Physical Sciences & Engineering

Social Sciences & Humanities

Health