Role Of Interfaces In Environmental Protection

The NATO Advanced Research Workshop "Role of Interfaces in Environmental Protection" has been held on May 27-30, 2002 in Miskolc, Hungary, under leadership of co-directors Prof Sandor Barany from the University ofMiskolc, Hungary, and Prof Nataliya Klymenko, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The objective of the ARW was to highlight colloidal and biocolloidal aspects of environmental pollution and technologies to monitor, remediate, abate and prevent pollution. It is known that the solution of majority of environmental problems is closely connected with phenomena at the interfaces. The behaviour, transport of dispersed particles in the environment, the main phase separation methods in water treatment, purification of liquids, aerosols removal, many soil remediation processes as well as the methods of protection of human organisms from hazardous matters, are based on concepts of colloid chemistry, i.e. properties of interfaces and their behaviour in different media. Examples of these methods are: filtration, ultrafiltration, flotation, coagulation, hetero-coagulation and flocculation, adsorption, adhesion of micro-organisms to surfaces, membrane separation methods, etc. A very important and special aspect of the topic is the human protection using colloid-chemical approaches, i.e. the adsorption, aggregation and adagulation properties of differe~t materials. Examples are: adsorption of hazardous organic materials, drugs, heavy· metals and radionuclides on activated carbon, silica, cellulose derivatives, etc.

This book provides a timely analysis of the role that information-particularly scientific information-plays in the policy-making and decision-making processes in coastal and ocean management. It includes contributions from global experts in marine environmental science, marine policy, fisheries, public policy and administration, resource management

Sustainability is based on a simple and long-recognized factual premise: Everything that humans require for their survival and well-being depends, directly or indirectly, on the natural environment. The environment provides the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. Recognizing the importance of sustainability to its work, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been working to create programs and applications in a variety of areas to better incorporate sustainability into decision-making at the agency. To further strengthen the scientific basis for sustainability as it applies to human health and environmental protection, the EPA asked the National Research Council (NRC) to provide a framework for incorporating sustainability into the EPA's principles and decision-making. This framework, Sustainability and the U.S. EPA, provides recommendations for a sustainability approach that both incorporates and goes beyond an approach based on assessing and managing the risks posed by pollutants that has largely shaped environmental policy since the 1980s. Although risk-based methods have led to many successes and remain important tools, the report concludes that they are not adequate to address many of the complex problems that put current and future generations at risk, such as depletion of natural resources, climate change, and loss of biodiversity. Moreover, sophisticated tools are increasingly available to address cross-cutting, complex, and challenging issues that go beyond risk management. The report recommends that EPA formally adopt as its sustainability paradigm the widely used "three pillars" approach, which means considering the environmental, social, and economic impacts of an action or decision. Health should be expressly included in the "social" pillar. EPA should also articulate its vision for sustainability and develop a set of sustainability principles that would underlie all agency policies and programs.

With distributed generation interconnection power flow becoming bidirectional, culminating in network problems, smart grids aid in electricity generation, transmission, substations, distribution and consumption to achieve a system that is clean, safe (protected), secure, reliable, efficient, and sustainable. This book illustrates fault analysis, fuses, circuit breakers, instrument transformers, relay technology, transmission lines protection setting using DIGsILENT Power Factory. Intended audience is senior undergraduate and graduate students, and researchers in power systems, transmission and distribution, protection system broadly under electrical engineering.

Recent discussions among scientists and policy-makers have highlighted that knowledge generated by many research and demonstration projects is not reaching policymakers in an efficient way. Conversely, the consideration of research results by the policy making community is not straightforward, and difficulties arise in integrating the latest research developments in legislation. The difficulty is enhanced by the fact that the policy-making community is not defining its role as "client" sufficiently well and the dialogue and communication channels are far from ideal to ensure an efficient flow of information. An increasing number of experts consider that improvements could be achieved through the development of a "science-policy interface" so that R&D results are synthesised in a way to efficiently feed policy implementation and that short, medium and long term research needs may be identified. This book examines the issue of integrating science into policy, with an emphasis on water system knowledge and related policies. An important feature of the book is the discussion of science-policy interfacing needs, illustrated by examples from authors from different countries in relation to water system management. This publication is timely in that the science-policy interfacing is now identified as a key challenge worldwide with regard to integrated water resource management, and therefore the book will be of great interest to scientists, water managers and stakeholders. Readers will also benefit from a better understanding of the needs, benefits and drawbacks of an established transfer mechanism of scientific outputs to policies.

Environmental informatics is a field of applied computer science that develops and uses the techniques of information processing for environmental protection, research and engineering. The multidisciplinary nature of environmental problems needs environmental informatics as a bridge and mediator between many disciplines and institutions. The present book presents a wide range of topics currently being pursued in the area, including basic methodological issues and typical applications. A significant number of recognised experts have contributed to the volume, discussing the methodology and application of environmental monitoring, environmental databases and information systems, GIS, modeling software, environmental management systems, knowledge-based systems, and the visualisation of complex environmental data. For scholarly and professional practitioners of environmental management who wish to acquire well-founded knowledge of environmental information processing and specialists in applied computer science who wish to learn more about the contribution of their field to the solution of our urgent environmental problems.

The Role of Colloidal Systems in Environmental Protection describes the importance of colloids in many applications that contribute to environmental protection, including drinking water and wastewater treatment, heavy metal remediation, treatment of radioactive materials, corrosion, and energy conversion. Knowledge of the physical and chemical composition of colloids is important to understand and accurately model the relevant processes. The book familiarizes the reader with the technological features of the application of colloids in environmental protection, and provides chemical engineers, researchers, and scientists in academic and corporate communities with the latest developments in this field. Each chapter covers the whole spectrum of the relevant science, from the fundamentals to applications. Provides the applied technological features of colloids in environmental protection Gives insight into the use of bio-solid colloids as contaminant carriers Covers the natural occurrence of biosurfactants in the environment and their applications Provides information on the use of nanoparticles for environmental applications Chapters written by recognized and respected experts in the field from all over the world

Traditionally the province of chemists, the problem of environmental pollution is increasingly being tackled using methodologies which have a biological basis. This 1998 volume provides a range of examples of how biotechnology can offer sensitive and ecologically relevant new ways of monitoring the presence of biohazards in our environment and, once detected, how these biohazards can be removed in an ecologically safe way through bioremediation. Additional chapters on economic, legislative and policy aspects set the topic in its social context, resulting in a broad-ranging volume of value to all those concerned with the science of ecologically effective environmental protection and management.