Biosorption For Wastewater Contaminants

Pollution due to various anthropogenic activities continues to increase. In terms of water pollutants, organic and inorganic pollutants are the most problematic. Although several measures have been proposed and implemented to prevent or reduce contamination, their increased concentration in water bodies has created serious concerns. Over the years, the problem has been aggravated by industrialization, urbanization and the exploitation of natural resources. The direct discharge of wastewater contaminants and their geographical mobilization have caused an increase in concentration in ground, surface, fluvial and residual waters. Extensive information about detection and disposal methods is needed in order to develop technological solutions for a variety of environments, both urban and rural. This book provides up-to-date information on wastewater contaminants, aimed at researchers, engineers and technologists working in this field. Conventional physicochemical techniques used to remove contaminants from wastewater include ion exchange, precipitation, degradation, coagulation, coating, membrane processes and adsorption. However, these applications have technological and economic limitations, and involve the release of large amounts of chemical reagents and by-products that are themselves difficult to remove. Biosorption - the use of organically generated material as an adsorbent – is attracting new research and scholarship. Thermally-treated calcined biomaterials may be treated to remove heavy metals from wastewater. To ensure the elimination of these contaminants, existing solutions must be integrated with intelligent biosorption functions. Biosorption for Wastewater Contaminants will find an appreciative audience among academics and postgraduates working in the fields of environmental biotechnology, environmental engineering, wastewater treatment technology and environmental chemistry.

Municipal and industrial wastewaters contain a wide spectrum of pollutants. Their effective removal presents a challenge for water treatment technology. Biosorption of nutrients and pollutants has been used in sewage treatment since the discovery of the activated sludge process. It is a passive uptake process by which pollutants are adsorbed on the surface of cell walls and/or dissolved in structures of microorganism cells that are present in sludge. Sorbed pollutants remain in the sludge and can be potentially released back into the environment depending on their condition and the reversibility of the pollutant-sludge interaction. An overview of typical biosorption applications for the removal of nutrients, organic pollutants, and metals in wastewater treatment is provided in different areas of their use for the protection of aquatic ecosystems and human health. This book will be of interest to operators of wastewater treatment plants and sludge treatment and disposal facilities as well as to researchers and university students in the field of environmental engineering.

This state-of-the-art volume represents the first comprehensively written book which focuses on the new field of biosorption. This fascinating work conveys essential fundamental information and outlines the perspectives of biosorption. It summarizes the metal-sorbing properties of nonliving bacterial, fungal, and algal biomass, plus highlights relevant metal-binding mechanisms. This volume also discusses the aspects of obtaining and processing microbial biomass and metal-chelating chemicals into industrially applicable biosorbent products. Microbiologists, chemists, and engineers with an interest in new technological and scientific horizons will find this reference indispensable.

New Trends in Removal of Heavy Metals from Industrial Wastewater covers the applicable technologies relating to the removal of heavy metals from wastewater and new and emerging trends in the field, both at the laboratory and industrial scale. Sections explore new environmentally friendly technologies, the principles of sustainable development, the main factors contributing to heavy metal removal from wastewater, methods and procedures, materials (especially low-cost materials originated from industrial and agricultural waste), management of wastewater containing heavy metals and wastewater valorization, recycling, environmental impact, and wastewater policies for post heavy metal removal. This book is an advanced and updated vision of existing heavy metal removal technologies with their limitations and challenges and their potential application to remove heavy metals/environmental pollutants through advancements in bioremediation. Finally, sections also cover new trends and advances in environmental bioremediation with recent developments in this field by an application of chemical/biochemical and environmental biotechnology. Outlines the fate and occurrence of heavy metals in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) and potential approaches for their removal Describes the techniques currently available for removing heavy metals from wastewater Discusses the emerging technologies in heavy metal removal Covers biological treatments to remove heavy metals Includes the valorization of heavy metal containing wastewater

The abundance of organic pollutants found in wastewater affect urban surface waters. Traditional wastewater management technologies focus on the removal of suspended solids, nutrients and bacteria, however, new pollutants such as synthetic or naturally occurring chemicals are often not monitored in the environment despite having the potential to enter the environment and cause adverse ecological and human health effects. Collectively referred to as "emerging contaminants," they are mostly derived from domestic activities and occur in trace concentrations ranging from pico to micrograms per liter. Environmental contaminants are resistant to conventional wastewater treatment processes and most of them remain unaffected, causing contamination of receiving water. This in turn leads to the need for advanced wastewater treatment processes capable of removing environmental contaminants to ensure safe fresh water sources. This book provides an up-to-date overview of the current bioremediation strategies, including their limitations, challenges and their potential application to remove environmental pollutants. It also introduces the latest trends and advances in environmental bioremediation, and presents the state-of-the-art in biological and chemical wastewater treatment processes. As such, it will appeal to researchers and policy-makers, as well as undergraduate and graduate environmental sciences students.

Municipal and industrial wastewaters contain a wide spectrum of pollutants. Their effective removal presents a challenge for water treatment technology. Biosorption of nutrients and pollutants has been used in sewage treatment since the discovery of the activated sludge process. It is a passive uptake process by which pollutants are adsorbed on the surface of cell walls and/or dissolved in structures of microorganism cells that are present in sludge. Sorbed pollutants remain in the sludge and can be potentially released back into the environment depending on their condition and the reversibility of the pollutant-sludge interaction. An overview of typical biosorption applications for the removal of nutrients, organic pollutants, and metals in wastewater treatment is provided in different areas of their use for the protection of aquatic ecosystems and human health. This book will be of interest to operators of wastewater treatment plants and sludge treatment and disposal facilities as well as to researchers and university students in the field of environmental engineering.

In the last years the release of emerging pollutants such as Endocrine Disruptors (EDCs), Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) into the environment has raised great concern. While investigating how to treat emerging pollutants from water and wastewater, researchers have drawn attention on the implementation of more environmentally friendly technologies able to achieve high removal efficiency at low costs. Emerging Compounds Removal from Wastewater by Green Technologies: Natural and Solar Based Treatments introduces green chemistry in relation to these treatment technologies. More specifically, this volume: • Reviews the suitability of alternative adsorption processes that use natural adsorbents natural materials or agricultural waste in light of the inefficiency of conventional wastewater treatment plants; • Evaluates the potential of constructed wetlands for the removal of some categories of trace contaminant of worldwide relevance in view of their application as decentralized systems; • Highlights the promising role of a special class of oxidation techniques defined as Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) supported by sunlight. This volume will be of great interest to students, technicians, and academics alike who are interested in evaluating and selecting the technologies that lead to better and more sustainable treatment of this huge class of pollutants.