Environmental Chemistry for a Sustainable World: Volume 2: Remediation of Air and Water Pollution (Environmental Chemistry for a Sustainable World, 2)

Environmental chemistry is a fast developing science aimed at deciphering fundamental mechanisms ruling the behaviour of pollutants in ecosystems. Applying this knowledge to current environmental issues leads to the remediation of environmental media, and to new, low energy, low emission, sustainable processes. Chapters review analysis and remediation of pollutants such as greenhouse gases, chiral pharmaceuticals, dyes, chlorinated organics, arsenic, toxic metals and pathogen in air, water, plant and soil. Several highlights include the overlooked impact of air pollutants from buildings for health risk, innovative remediation techniques such as bioreactors for gas treatment, electrochemical cleaning of pharmaceuticals, sequestration on Fe-Mn nodules, phytoremediation and photocatalytical inactivation of microbial pathogens. This book will be a valuable source of information for engineers and students developing novel applied techniques to monitor and clean pollutants in air, wastewater, soils and sediments. Environmental chemistry is a fast developing science aimed at deciphering fundamental mechanisms ruling the behaviour of pollutants in ecosystems. Applying this knowledge to current environmental issues leads to the remediation of environmental media, and to new, low energy, low emission, sustainable processes. Nanotechnology applications for alternative energies such as solar power, fuel cells, hydrogen and lithium batteries are reviewed in the first section. Recent investigations on carbon nanotubes, nanocatalysts and cyclodextrins disclose unprecedented techniques to monitor and clean pollutants such as greenhouse gases, heavy metals, pesticides, pathogens occurring in water, air and soil. The second section reviews the risks for human health of critical pollutants such as endocrine disruptors, dioxins and heavy metals contaminating seafood and sediments. An exhaustive review of DDT isomers reveals unexpected mechanisms of DDT transfer to fishes. A chapter on pollutant geochronology using river sedimentary archives provides novel insights on pollution history since the beginning of the anthropocene. This book will be a valuable source of information for engineers and students developing novel applied techniques to monitor and clean pollutants in air, wastewater, soils and sediments Front Matter....Pages i-xx Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Environmental Fate of Chiral Pharmaceuticals: Determination, Degradation and Toxicity....Pages 3-45 Pollutant-Induced Decay of Building Materials....Pages 47-120 Novel Bioreactors for Waste Gas Treatment....Pages 121-170 Extraction Procedures for Organic Pollutants Determination in Water....Pages 171-235 Oxidation of Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins by Chlorine Dioxide. Implications for Water Treatment....Pages 237-254 Biodegradation of Azo Dyes from Wastewater....Pages 255-275 Air Quality Monitoring with Lichens in India. Heavy Metals and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons....Pages 277-294 Front Matter....Pages 295-295 Electrochemical Remediation Technologies for Waters Contaminated by Pharmaceutical Residues....Pages 297-346 Biogas Technologies and Cleaning Techniques....Pages 347-377 Heavy Metals: Toxicity and Removal by Biosorption....Pages 379-442 Fe–Mn Concretions and Nodules to Sequester Heavy Metals in Soils....Pages 443-474 Bioremediation of Arsenic in Contaminated Terrestrial and Aquatic Environments....Pages 475-509 Microbial Pathogen Inactivation Using Heterogeneous Photocatalysis....Pages 511-541 Back Matter....Pages 543-546 Annotation Reflecting the speed at which this discipline is developing, this volume provides comprehensive coverage of the latest innovative methods of cleaning water, soil and air that have been polluted by heavy metals, endocrine disruptors and pharmaceuticals Focusing on making good the pollution of air and water that today's environment suffers, this volume sets out novel nanotechnological methods of tackling these problems, including visionary material on subjects such as chiral pharmaceuticals and DDT.