Persistent and non-degradable, heavy metals stand as pollutants with the potential for severe ecological repercussions when released into the environment. Municipal and industrial wastewater face a high risk of contamination by these hazardous substances, posing a formidable challenge to water treatment technologies. The imperative is clear: effective and affordable methods for effluent treatment and metal recovery are essential for meeting regulatory standards and unlocking the latent value of valuable metals within the waste. However, new methods of accomplishing this challenge are necessary for increasing the effectiveness in both cost and application Biosorption Processes for Heavy Metal Removal comprehensively explores the imperative to remove heavy metals from waste streams. It provides an insightful overview of biosorbents and biosorption technology, focusing on their underlying biosorption features. The compilation within this book comprises of a series of review articles delving into the current understanding of biosorption mechanisms and biochemistry, the efficacy of bacterial, fungal, and algal biomass, and practical considerations for biosorbent preparation and engineering. The physicochemical evaluations of biosorbents, process optimization, and factors influencing biosorption efficiency are also covered. Furthermore, the book explores biosorption applications for removing nutrients, organic pollutants, and metals in wastewater treatment across diverse contexts. Geared towards administrators, policymakers, consultants, industry professionals, academicians, scientists, researchers, and graduate and post-graduate students in environmental sciences and related fields, this book serves as their comprehensive reference.

Green and sustainable water remediation is a rapidly growing field of interest to governments and corporations alike, with considerable input from academics, environmental consultants and public interest groups.

Microbes and their biosynthetic capabilities have been invaluable in finding solutions for several intractable problems mankind has encountered in maintaining the quality of the environment. They have, for example, been used to positive effect in human and animal health, genetic engineering, environmental protection, and municipal and industrial waste treatment. Microorganisms have enabled feasible and cost-effective responses which would have been impossible via straightforward chemical or physical engineering methods. Microbial technologies have of late been applied to a range of environmental problems, with considerable success. This survey of recent scientific progress in usefully applying microbes to both environmental management and biotechnology is informed by acknowledgement of the polluting effects on the world around us of soil erosion, the unwanted migration of sediments, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and the improper treatment of human and animal wastes. These harmful phenomena have resulted in serious environmental and social problems around the world, problems which require us to look for solutions elsewhere than in established physical and chemical technologies. Often the answer lies in hybrid applications in which microbial methods are combined with physical and chemical ones. When we remember that these highly effective microorganisms, cultured for a variety of applications, are but a tiny fraction of those to be found in the world around us, we realize the vastness of the untapped and beneficial potential of microorganisms. At present, comprehending the diversity of hitherto uncultured microbes involves the application of metagenomics, with several novel microbial species having been discovered using culture-independent approaches. Edited by recognized leaders in the field, this penetrating assessment of our progress to date in deploying microorganisms to the advantage of environmental management and biotechnology will be widely welcomed.

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.

This Springer Handbook provides, for the first time, a complete and consistent overview over the methods, applications, and products in the field of marine biotechnology. A large portion of the surface of the earth (ca. 70%) is covered by the oceans. More than 80% of the living organisms on the earth are found in aquatic ecosystems. The aquatic systems thus constitute a rich reservoir for various chemical materials and (bio-)chemical processes. Edited by a renowned expert with a longstanding experience, and including over 60 contributions from leading international scientists, the Springer Handbook of Marine Biotechnology is a major authoritative desk reference for everyone interested or working in the field of marine biotechnology and bioprocessing - from undergraduate and graduate students, over scientists and teachers, to professionals. Marine biotechnology is concerned with the study of biochemical materials and processes from marine sources, that play a vital role in the isolation of novel drugs, and to bring them to industrial and pharmaceutical development. Today, a multitude of bioprocess techniques is employed to isolate and produce marine natural compounds, novel biomaterials, or proteins and enzymes from marine organisms, and to bring them to applications as pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals or nutraceuticals, or for the production of bioenergy from marine sources. All these topics are addressed by the Springer Handbook of Marine Biotechnology. The book is divided into ten parts. Each part is consistently organized, so that the handbook provides a sound introduction to marine biotechnology - from historical backgrounds and the fundamentals, over the description of the methods and technology, to their applications - but it can also be used as a reference work. Key topics include: - Marine flora and fauna - Tools and methods in marine biotechnology - Marine genomics - Marine microbiology - Bioenergy and biofuels - Marine bioproducts in industrial applications - Marine bioproducts in medical and pharmaceutical applications - and many more...

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

Adsorption: Fundamental Processes and Applications, Volume 33 in the Interface Science and Technology Series, discusses the great technological importance of adsorption and describes how adsorbents are used on a large scale as desiccants, catalysts, catalyst supports, in the separation of gases, the purification of liquids, pollution control, and in respiratory protection. Finally, it explores how adsorption phenomena play a vital role in many solid-state reactions and biological mechanisms, as well as stressing the importance of the widespread use of adsorption techniques in the characterization of surface properties and the texture of fine powders. - Covers the fundamental aspects of adsorption process engineering - Reviews the environmental impact of key aquatic pollutants - Discusses and analyzes the importance of adsorption processes for water treatment - Highlights opportunity areas for adsorption process intensification - Edited by a world-leading researcher in interface science

Pollution and ways to combat it have become topics of great concern for researchers. One of the most important dimensions of this global crisis is wastewater, which can often become contaminated with heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and arsenic, which are released from different industrial wastes, mines, and agricultural runoff. Bioremediation of such heavy metals has been extensively studied using different groups of bacteria, fungi, and algae, and has been considered as a safer, eco-friendly, and cost-effective option for mitigation of contaminated wasteland. The toxicity of water impacts all of society, and so it is of great importance that we understand the better, cleaner, and more efficient ways of treating water. Recent Advancements in Bioremediation of Metal Contaminants is a pivotal reference source that explores bioremediation of pollutants from industrial wastes and examines the role of diverse forms of microbes in bioremediation of wastewater. Covering a broad range of topics including microorganism tolerance, phytoremediation, and fungi, the role of different extremophiles and biofilms in bioremediation are also discussed. This book is ideally designed for environmentalists, engineers, policymakers, academicians, researchers, and students in the fields of microbiology, toxicology, environmental chemistry, and soil and water science.

The past 30 years have seen the emergence of a growing desire worldwide that positive actions be taken to restore and protect the environment from the degrading effects of all forms of pollution – air, water, soil, and noise. Since pollution is a direct or indirect consequence of waste production, the seemingly idealistic demand for “zero discharge” can be construed as an unrealistic demand for zero waste. However, as long as waste continues to exist, we can only attempt to abate the subsequent pollution by converting it to a less noxious form. Three major questions usually arise when a particular type of pollution has been identi ed: (1) How serious is the pollution? (2) Is the technology to abate it available? and (3) Do the costs of abatement justify the degree of abatement achieved? This book is one of the volumes of the Handbook of Environmental Engineering series. The principal intention of this series is to help readers formulate answers to the above three questions. The traditional approach of applying tried-and-true solutions to speci c pollution problems has been a major contributing factor to the success of environmental engineering, and has accounted in large measure for the establishment of a “methodology of pollution control. ” However, the realization of the ever-increasing complexity and interrelated nature of current environmental problems renders it imperative that intelligent planning of pollution abatement systems be undertaken.

This book focuses on the biologically derived adsorbent with numerous applications in wastewater treatment, metal recovery, biosensor development, and so forth. It initiates with the description of biological sources of biosorbents followed by applications of biosorbents, biosorption isotherms, assessment of biosorbents with various tools, pretreatment of biosorbents, and its mode of action. Some less explored areas like separation of radionuclides, biosorption of volatile organic compounds, and animal-based biosorbents are also explained. Features: Focuses on fundamentals, characteristics of flora and fauna-mediated biosorbents used extensively Describes entire aspects of tools and techniques related to assessment and monitoring of biosorbents Includes adsorption kinetics, adsorption isotherm, and mechanism of action of biosorbents Covers advancements in pretreatment methods to enhance the adsorption process of biosorbents Reviews recent applications which include heavy metal removal, dye remediation, and separation of radionuclides and nano-biosorbents This book is aimed at graduate students and researchers in bioprocess engineering, microbiology, and biotechnology.