Sustainable development and pollution control are the key factors in the development of strategies for the solution of environmental problems. This book offers an integrated treatment of all aspects of environmental protection and remediation. The presentation encompasses physical and chemical fundamentals, technological approaches as well as ecological, economic, and ethical aspects. The discussion of regulatory issues includes a comparison of environmental legislation in the US, Japan, and Europe. The book addresses students as a comprehensive text and serves as a handy reference for environmental professionals in industry, consulting services, administration, and environmental agencies and associations.

A great deal of research has been directed towards the problem of reduction and control of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The aim of this research is to find a process that is both efficient and inexpensive in comparison with traditional air treatment technologies.Our biofilter (one stage system, 2 m in height) is an aerobic system for waste gases containing VOCs using the degradation properties of microbial flora (assorted cultures of Bacillus, Micrococcus, Acinetobacter and yeast). In this process, polluted gas diffuses across a filter bed into which a microbial culture has previously been introduced. Peat is the medium of choice for inoculation with microorganisms because of its adsorption and absorption properties, ability to retain moisture, and buffering capacity. Furthermore, the peat utilized is spherical in shape; thus, it is possible to avoid problems related to compacting.The objective of this study was to eliminate VOCs emitted from a rotogravure process. We were able to achieve promising results from biofiltration of two types of VOCs (a mixed solvent containing isopropyl acetate and 1-nitropropane, and the solvent: 1-nitropropane). The results obtained indicate that the elimination of nitropropane and the mixed solvent in the biofilter are considered to follow zero-order kinetics with reaction rate limitation and diffusion rate limitation, respectively.

In the practice of soil remediation, organoleptic observations such as the smell or the colour of contaminated soil play an important role when determining well-defined volumes of contaminated soil. A GIS is then used to combine quantitative measurements with such soft data. In this study general procedures concerning how to deal with this type of observations are presented. The procedures were applied to a former gas works site, which was contaminated with cyanide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Netherlands. The volume of contaminated soil was determined. Use of soft data reduced the uncertainty in the volume of contaminated soil with 4 to 16%.

Arsenic, an environmental pollutant, is present in minute but invariable amounts in food, drinking water and ambient air. Izmir is founded on a land of long extinct volcanoes, with vast areas of lava ground suitable for agriculture. It is located at close vicinity to high thermal activity, e.g., hot springs and thermal baths. In the present study, total arsenic level in breast milk was assessed in randomly chosen 35 lactating women of different socioeconomic levels who live downtown in Izmir and in milk of 36 cows grazing on shoulder grass of highways with heavy traffic. Total arsenic was assessed on an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AA-680 Shimadzu). Mean (± SEM) arsenic was found to be 4.219 ± 0.079 µg L⁻¹ in breast milk, and 4.932 ± 0.38 µg L⁻¹ in cow's milk. Conclusion: in Izmir, arsenic contamination of breast milk was not found so as to be considered noxious for suckling infants, whereas was found relatively higher in cow's milk. It would be prudent to remember breast and cow's milk arsenic contamination in breast fed or milk fed babies living in areas with higher thermal activity or in regions where ground water is with high arsenic content.

Acid deposition is considered to be a major environmental problem in China, but information about effects on soils and waters is scarce. To contribute to increased knowledge about the problem a small catchment (about 7 ha) in the outskirts of Guiyang, the provincial capital of Guizhou in south-western China, was instrumented for collection of precipitation, throughfall, soil water and stream water. In addition soil samples have been collected and analyzed for key properties. Median pH in the precipitation is 4.40 (quartiles: 4.19 and 4.77) and the median sulfate concentration 228 µeq/L (quartiles: 147 and 334 µeq/L). The dry deposition of both SO₂ and alkaline dust is considerable. The sum of wet deposition of sulfate and dry deposition of SO₂ has been estimated to about 8.5 gSm⁻²yr⁻¹. The total S-deposition may be somewhat higher due to dry deposition of sulfate and occult deposition. In soil water, SO₄ ²⁻ is the major anion, generally ranging from 300 to 2500 µeq/L in the different plots. Calcium is an important cation, but there is also a considerable contribution of aluminum from the soil. In some of the plots the concentrations of inorganic monomeric aluminum (Ali) are typically between 200 and 400 µm. Potential harmful levels of aluminum and/or high Ali/(Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺) molar ratios occur in the catchment, but damages to vegetation have not yet been reported. In most cases exchangeable aluminum accounts for between 75 and 95% of the total effective cation exchange capacity (CECE) in the mineral soils. The aluminum chemistry cannot easily be explained by conventional models as the Gaines-Thomas ion-exchange equation or equilibrium with an Al(OH)₃ mineral phase. The stream water is generally less acidic and has considerably lower concentrations of aluminum than the soil water, even though quite acid events have been observed (pH < 4.4). The median pH values are 4.9 and 5.0 in the two first order streams and 6.3 in the dam at the lower boarder of the catchment.