It is generally acknowledged today that the most effective strategy for toxic and hazardous waste management is: reduction, reuse and recycle. However, to date most of the activity has been in treatment technologies. This book focuses on recent technological issues commercially available or in various stages of implementation. Developments in the U.S. and Europe in the area of waste management policy and regulation are also examined since management and remediation have usually been conducted in response to regulatory requirements. This book serves as a state of the art resource on technologies and methodologies for the environmental protection manager involved in decisions concerning the management of toxic and hazardous waste.
Environmental Treatment Technologies for Municipal, Industrial and Medical Wastes will provide the reader with a simple and clear path to analyze the full range of options to manage/treat any solid, hazardous, or medical waste problems/issues at hand. This book aims to disseminate information on available remediation treatment technologies to developing and developed countries. It also includes adequate information on all available treatment technologies for different types and categories of waste (hazardous, non-hazardous municipal solid waste, and medical waste). The technologies are grouped into the following categories: Containment technology; Soil washing; Thermal treatment; Vapor extraction; Bioremediation including Phytoremediation; Plasma/Incineration; Other Physical/Chemical treatments. It enlightens the effect of emissions during remediation activities on climate change and suggests measures to identify and control such emissions. It also covers the application of remote sensing technologies with examples and the impending issues of proper disinfection and disposal of COVID-19 related waste pertaining to the current pandemic. It is intended for almost anyone — ranging from college students and early career professionals interested in environmental pollution control, to graduate students, researchers and experienced professionals. This book will: cover several recent developments on various treatment technologies, including in situ applications and their emission/migration control methods including remote sensing technologies; deal with municipal solid waste, their treatment/disposal methods, recycling, and reuse in addition to the hazardous and medical waste management program; assist civil/environmental engineering students and local community organizations in evaluating the impact of an industry and its associated waste produced on-site; and cover how best to treat/manage the waste to arrive at a safe operation without impacting human health and the local environment.
Rapid industrialization is a serious concern in the context of a healthy environment. With the growth in the number of industries, the waste generated is also growing exponentially. The various chemical processes operating in the manufacturing industry generate a large number of by-products, which are largely harmful and toxic pollutants and are generally discharged into the natural water bodies. Once the pollutants enter the environment, they are taken up by different life forms, and because of bio-magnification, they affect the entire food chain and have severe adverse effects on all life forms, including on human health. Although, various physico-chemical and biological approaches are available for the removal of toxic pollutants, unfortunately these are often ineffective and traditional clean up practices are inefficient. Biological approaches utilizing microorganisms (bacterial/fungi/algae), green plants or their enzymes to degrade or detoxify environmental pollutants such as endocrine disruptors, toxic metals, pesticides, dyes, petroleum hydrocarbons and phenolic compounds, offer eco- friendly approaches. Such eco-friendly approaches are often more effective than traditional practices, and are safe for both industry workers as well as environment. This book provides a comprehensive overview of various toxic environmental pollutants from a variety natural and anthropogenic sources, their toxicological effects on the environment, humans, animals and plants as well as their biodegradation and bioremediation using emerging and eco-friendly approaches (e.g. Anammox technology, advanced oxidation processes, membrane bioreactors, membrane processes, GMOs), microbial degradation (e.g. bacteria, fungi, algae), phytoremediation, biotechnology and nanobiotechnology. Offering fundamental and advanced information on environmental problems, challenges and bioremediation approaches used for the remediation of contaminated sites, it is a valuable resource for students, scientists and researchers engaged in microbiology, biotechnology and environmental sciences.
Hazardous waste management is a complex, interdisciplinary field that continues to grow and change as global conditions change. Mastering this evolving and multifaceted field of study requires knowledge of the sources and generation of hazardous wastes, the scientific and engineering principles necessary to eliminate the threats they pose to people and the environment, the laws regulating their disposal, and the best or most cost-effective methods for dealing with them. Written for students with some background in engineering, this comprehensive, highly acclaimed text does not only provide detailed instructions on how to solve hazardous waste problems but also guides students to think about ways to approach these problems. Each richly detailed, self-contained chapter ends with a set of discussion topics and problems. Case studies, with equations and design examples, are provided throughout the book to give students the chance to evaluate the effectiveness of different treatment and containment technologies.
Prudent Practices in the Laboratory-the book that has served for decades as the standard for chemical laboratory safety practice-now features updates and new topics. This revised edition has an expanded chapter on chemical management and delves into new areas, such as nanotechnology, laboratory security, and emergency planning. Developed by experts from academia and industry, with specialties in such areas as chemical sciences, pollution prevention, and laboratory safety, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory provides guidance on planning procedures for the handling, storage, and disposal of chemicals. The book offers prudent practices designed to promote safety and includes practical information on assessing hazards, managing chemicals, disposing of wastes, and more. Prudent Practices in the Laboratory will continue to serve as the leading source of chemical safety guidelines for people working with laboratory chemicals: research chemists, technicians, safety officers, educators, and students.
Electronic waste contains toxic and carcinogenic compounds, which can pose a risk to the environment. This title discusses the directive and examines legislation in the USA and other parts of the world, considering the opportunities and threats posed by this form of waste.
This is the second edition of the WHO handbook on the safe, sustainable and affordable management of health-care waste--commonly known as "the Blue Book". The original Blue Book was a comprehensive publication used widely in health-care centers and government agencies to assist in the adoption of national guidance. It also provided support to committed medical directors and managers to make improvements and presented practical information on waste-management techniques for medical staff and waste workers. It has been more than ten years since the first edition of the Blue Book. During the intervening period, the requirements on generators of health-care wastes have evolved and new methods have become available. Consequently, WHO recognized that it was an appropriate time to update the original text. The purpose of the second edition is to expand and update the practical information in the original Blue Book. The new Blue Book is designed to continue to be a source of impartial health-care information and guidance on safe waste-management practices. The editors' intention has been to keep the best of the original publication and supplement it with the latest relevant information. The audience for the Blue Book has expanded. Initially, the publication was intended for those directly involved in the creation and handling of health-care wastes: medical staff, health-care facility directors, ancillary health workers, infection-control officers and waste workers. This is no longer the situation. A wider range of people and organizations now have an active interest in the safe management of health-care wastes: regulators, policy-makers, development organizations, voluntary groups, environmental bodies, environmental health practitioners, advisers, researchers and students. They should also find the new Blue Book of benefit to their activities. Chapters 2 and 3 explain the various types of waste produced from health-care facilities, their typical characteristics and the hazards these wastes pose to patients, staff and the general environment. Chapters 4 and 5 introduce the guiding regulatory principles for developing local or national approaches to tackling health-care waste management and transposing these into practical plans for regions and individual health-care facilities. Specific methods and technologies are described for waste minimization, segregation and treatment of health-care wastes in Chapters 6, 7 and 8. These chapters introduce the basic features of each technology and the operational and environmental characteristics required to be achieved, followed by information on the potential advantages and disadvantages of each system. To reflect concerns about the difficulties of handling health-care wastewaters, Chapter 9 is an expanded chapter with new guidance on the various sources of wastewater and wastewater treatment options for places not connected to central sewerage systems. Further chapters address issues on economics (Chapter 10), occupational safety (Chapter 11), hygiene and infection control (Chapter 12), and staff training and public awareness (Chapter 13). A wider range of information has been incorporated into this edition of the Blue Book, with the addition of two new chapters on health-care waste management in emergencies (Chapter 14) and an overview of the emerging issues of pandemics, drug-resistant pathogens, climate change and technology advances in medical techniques that will have to be accommodated by health-care waste systems in the future (Chapter 15).
