One of four volumes which provides a good understanding of the mode of occurrence, geological setting and phosphogenesis of the world's phosphate resources.
Marine phosphorites, the principal raw material for phosphatic fertilizers, do not occur uniformly through time and space. The origin of these unusual sedimentary rocks appears to be related mainly to marine biological productivity, often associated with upwelling currents during certain intervals of geological time. This book examines the environmental setting and resulting phosphorites which formed during the Miocene, one of the major and most recent phosphogenic periods throughout the geologic record. In addition, an oceanographic perspective is given by investigations of modern oceanic environments where phosphorites are presently forming. Together, the geologic and marine approaches provide a complete outlook on this important mineral resource. This book is the third of four reference volumes which together cover the achievements of the International Geological Correlation Programme Project 156 (Phosphorites) during the ten years of the project's existence.
The Permian was a remarkable time period. It represents the maximum stage of Pangean continental assembly, includes a major global climatic shift from glacial to nonglacial conditions (icehouse-greenhouse transition), and is ter minated by one of the most profound faunal/floral extinction events in the Earth's history. In addition, Permian oceans, although poorly understood, must have had some quite unique characteristics. Permian seas reached the most extreme values of carbon, sulfur, and strontium isotopic ratios ever achieved in Phanerozoic time, and the isotopic ratios of all three elements abruptly returned to more "normal" values at, or very close to, the Permo Triassic boundary. Finally, the Permian is marked by an abundance of important sedimentary mineral resources. It has large fossil fuel concentra tions (coal, oil, and natural gas), enormous phosphate reserves, and very extensive evaporite deposits, including gypsum, anhydrite, and halite, as well as a variety of potash salts. Study of the Permian has been hampered, however, by a number of factors. These include a scattered geologic literature (presented in a variety of languages), a confusing regional and global stratigraphic framework (based, in part, on inadequate type sections), and largely provincial, often poorly correlatable faunas. All have contributed to the sparsity and inadequacy of overviews of this critical geological interval. These two volumes attempt to bring together some of the widely scattered observations about these fascinating rocks, at least for the northern (predominantly nonglacial) parts of Pangea.
The aim of this book is to present in a single volume an up-to-date account of the chemistry and chemical engineering which underlie the major areas of the chemical process industry. This most recent edition includes several new chapters which comprise important threads in the industry's total fabric. These new chapters cover waste minimization, safety considerations in chemical plant design and operation, emergency response planning, and statistical applications in quality control and experimental planning. Together with the chapters on chemical industry economics and wastewater treatment~ they provide a unifying base on which the reader can most effectively apply the information provided in the chapters which describe the various areas of the chemical process industries. The ninth edition of this established reference work contains the contributions of some fifty experts from industry, government, and academe. I have been humbled by the breadth and depth of their knowledge and expertise and by the willingness and enthusiasm with which they shared their knowledge and insights. They have, without exception, been unstinting in their efforts to make their respective chapters as complete and informative as possible within the space available. Errors of omission, duplication, and shortcomings in organization are mine. Grateful acknowledgment is made to the editors of technical journals and publishing houses for permission to reproduce illustrations and other materials and to the many industrial concerns which contributed drawings and photographs. Comments and criticisms by readers will be welcome.