The little-known story of the systems that bring us our drinking water, how they were developed, the problems they are facing, and how they will be reinvented in the near future
This work provides those involved in water purification research and administration with a comprehensive resource of methods for analyzing water to assure its safety from contaminants, both natural and human caused. The book first provides an overview of major water-related issues in developing and developed countries, followed by a review of issues of sampling for water analysis, regulatory considerations and forensics in water quality and purity investigations. The subsequent chapters cover microbial as well chemical contaminations from inorganic compounds, radionuclides, volatile and semi-volatile compounds, disinfectants, herbicides, and pharmaceuticals, including endocrine disruptors, as well as potential terrorist-related contamination. The last chapter describes the Grainger prize-winning filter that can remove arsenic from water sources and sufficiently protect the health of a large number of people. - Covers the scope of water contamination problems on a worldwide scale - Provides a rich source of methods for analyzing water to assure its safety from natural and deliberate contaminants - Describes the filter that won the $1 million Grainger prize and thereby highlighting an important approach to remediation
A review of the nation’s new coverages serves as a ready reminder that drinking water safety is more than regional of local concern. In recent times, the print media alone has drawn attention to barium, bacteria, heavy metals, and increasingly organic contaminants, in public water supplies located in Florida, Rhode Island, Texas, Oregon, Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina, Michigan, and California, to name a few. In an effort to address one of the major issues confronting the future of the nation’s drinking water supplies, chemical contamination, the Drinking Water Research Foundation and the American Chemical Society presented the symposium, "Safe Drinking Water: the Impact of Chemicals on a Limited Resource." To add balance to the total presentation, two papers were included that were not part of the symposium. Many questions as to the public significance of hundreds of organic chemicals known to be present in the national drinking water supply are waiting to be answered. In some areas of the country, aid rain-induced alterations of the natural leaching process represent an unexplored potential source of toxic pollutants. Finding workable ways to clean up the water supply will be an ongoing task. Addressing these questions, as well as investigating how other countries are responding to these problems, the alternate sources available, such as bottled water, and point of use devices, the presenters in this symposium have attempted to explain the problems, situation, and alternatives. As progress is made in one area, setbacks will occur in another. As we eliminate problems thought chemical technology, we often create others, such as contamination of our waters. While all the situations, problems, and alternatives are not discussed in these proceedings, it is hoped that some attention will be brought to the public, government, and private sectors so that future work will be done to assure the nation of safe drinking water resources.
Water Purification, a volume in the Nanotechnology in the Food Industry series, provides an in-depth review of the current technologies and emerging application of nanotechnology in drinking water purification, also presenting an overview of the common drinking water contaminants, such as heavy metals, organics, microorganisms, pharmaceuticals, and their occurrences in drinking water sources. As the global water crisis has motivated the industry to look for alternative water supplies, nanotechnology presents significant potential for utilizing previously unacceptable water sources. This books explores the practical methodologies for transforming water using nanotechnologies, and is a comprehensive reference to a wide audience of food science research professionals, professors, and students who are doing research in this field. - Includes the most up-to-date information on nanotechnology applications and research methods for water purification and treatment - Presents applications of nanotechnology and engineered nanomaterials in drinking water purification to improve efficiency and reduce cost - Provides water purification research methods that are important to water quality, including precipitation, adsorption, membrane separation, and ion exchange - Covers the potential risks of nanotechnology, such as the toxicological effects of engineered nanomaterials in water and how to minimize risks based on research studies
The Institute of Medicine's Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine was established in 1988 as a mechanism for bringing the various stakeholders together to discuss environmental health issues in a neutral setting. The members of the Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine come from academia, industry, and government. Their perspectives range widely and represent the diverse viewpoints of researchers, federal officials, and consumers. They meet, discuss environmental health issues that are of mutual interest, and bring others together to discuss these issues as well. For example, they regularly convene workshops to help facilitate discussion of a particular topic. The Rountable's fifth national workshop entitled From Source Water to Drinking Water: Ongoing and Emerging Challenges for Public Health continued the theme established by previous Roundtable workshops, looking at rebuilding the unity of health and the environment. This workshop summary captures the discussions and presentations by the speakers and participants, who identified the areas in which additional research was needed, the processes by which changes could occur, and the gaps in our knowledge.
Expanding water reuse-the use of treated wastewater for beneficial purposes including irrigation, industrial uses, and drinking water augmentation-could significantly increase the nation's total available water resources. Water Reuse presents a portfolio of treatment options available to mitigate water quality issues in reclaimed water along with new analysis suggesting that the risk of exposure to certain microbial and chemical contaminants from drinking reclaimed water does not appear to be any higher than the risk experienced in at least some current drinking water treatment systems, and may be orders of magnitude lower. This report recommends adjustments to the federal regulatory framework that could enhance public health protection for both planned and unplanned (or de facto) reuse and increase public confidence in water reuse.
How much water does the world need to support growing human populations? What factors influence water quality, droughts, floods, and waterborne diseases? What are the potential effects of climate change on the world's water resources? These questions and more are discussed in this thorough introduction to the complex world of water resources. The strength of the book is its coverage of the fundamentals of the science of water, aquatic ecology, geomorphology and hydrology, supplemented by internet resources and examples from water resource issues in the news to engage the student. The book begins with a short history of human use and influence on water, followed by chapters on the geomorphology, hydrology, chemistry, and biology of lakes, rivers, and wetlands. Major disease issues, worldwide water quality and quantity problems, and potential solutions are addressed. Water laws, water allocation, and the conflicts involved are discussed using US and international examples. Students in departments of environmental studies, life science, Earth science, and engineering will benefit from this broad survey of these crucial issues.
In the quest to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of water and wastewater services, many communities in the United States are exploring the potential advantages of privatization of those services. Unlike other utility services, local governments have generally assumed responsibility for providing water services. Privatization of such services can include the outright sale of system assets, or various forms of public-private partnershipsâ€"from the simple provision of supplies and services, to private design construction and operation of treatment plants and distribution systems. Many factors are contributing to the growing interest in the privatization of water services. Higher operating costs, more stringent federal water quality and waste effluent standards, greater customer demands for quality and reliability, and an aging water delivery and wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure are all challenging municipalities that may be short of funds or technical capabilities. For municipalities with limited capacities to meet these challenges, privatization can be a viable alternative. Privatization of Water Services evaluates the fiscal and policy implications of privatization, scenarios in which privatization works best, and the efficiencies that may be gained by contracting with private water utilities.
Coagulation and Flocculation in Water and Wastewater Treatment provides a comprehensive account of coagulation and flocculation techniques and technologies in a single volume covering theoretical principles to practical applications. Thoroughly revised and updated since the 1st Edition it has been progressively modified and increased in scope to cater for the requirements of practitioners involved with water and wastewater treatment. A thorough gamut of treatment scenarios is attempted, including turbidity, color and organics removal, including the technical aspects of enhanced coagulation. The effects of temperature and ionic content are described as well as the removal of specific substances such as arsenic and phosphorus. Chemical phosphorus removal is dealt with in detail, Rapid mixing for efficient coagulant utilization, and flocculation are dealt with in specific chapters. Water treatment plant waste sludge disposal is dealt with in considerable detail, in an Appendix devoted to this subject. Invaluble for water scientists, engineers and students of this field, Coagulation and Flocculation in Water and Wastewater Treatment is a convenient reference handbook in the form of numerous examples and appended information.