Bioremediation and Sustainability: Research and Applications

Bioremediation and Sustainability is an up–to–date andcomprehensive treatment of research and applications for some ofthe most important low–cost, "green," emerging technologies inchemical and environmental engineering

Sustainable development requires the development and promotionof environmental management and a constant search for greentechnologies to treat a wide range of aquatic and terrestrialhabitats contaminated by increasing anthropogenic activities withthe main sources of contaminants being the chemical industries.Bioremediation is a technique that uses living organisms in orderto degrade or transform contaminants into their less toxic forms.It is based on the existence of microorganisms with the capacity toattack the compounds on the enzymatic level.

Bioremediation is an increasingly popular low–cost alternativeto conventional methods for treating wastes and contaminated mediawith the possibility to degrade these contaminants using naturalmicrobial activity mediated by different consortia of microbes.Over the last few years, the scientific literature has revealed theprogressive emergence of various bioremediation techniques.Bioremediation and Sustainability presents an up–to–date andcomprehensive collection of chapters prepared in bioremediationtechnology research and applications.

The strategies covered in this volume can be applied in situ orex situ, depending on the site in which they will be applied. Insitu is the treatment done in the site of the contamination, and exsitu involves the removal of soil or water to subsequent treatment.There is a wide variety of techniques that have been developed inthe past and are covered in this volume, such as naturalattenuation, bioaugmentation, biostimulation, biosorption,composting, phytoremediation, rhizoremediation, andbioleaching.

This groundbreaking new volume:

Covers the most cost–effective techniques in bioremediationtechnologies and the most cutting–edge research on bioremediationand its applications

Discusses the sustainability paradigm and the role of "green"bioremediation technologies in environmental science

Presents the most important emerging areas dealing withbioremediation, such as anaerobic digestion biotechnology,air–sparging, vermistabilization, bioleaching, biobleaching, andmany others is useful as a textbook, or as a volume for theexperienced engineer or scientist working in the field

Preface

Acknowledgements

Editor

List of Contributors

Chapter 1. Elements of Sustainability and Bioremediation
Ackmez Mudhoo and Romeela Mohee

Chapter 2. Natural Attenuation
R. Ryan Dupont

Chapter 3. Anaerobic Digestion Processes
Steven I. Safferman, Dana M. Kirk Louis L. Faivor, WeiWu–Haan

Chapter 4. Biosurfactants: Synthesis, Properties andApplications in Environmental Bioremediation
Ramkrishna Sen, Ackmez Mudhoo and Gunaseelan, D.

Chapter 5. Phytoremediation: An Efficient Approach forBioremediation of Organic and Metallic Ions Pollutants
Divya Gupta, Lalit Kumar Singh, Ashish Deep Gupta and VikashBabu

Chapter 6. Bioleaching
Leo G. Leduc and Garry D. Ferroni

Chapter 7. Biosorption of Heavy Metals NewPerspectives
Teresa Taveres and Hugo Figueiredo

Chapter 8. Biofiltration: Essentials, Research andApplications
Smita Raghuvanshi, Subhajit Majumder and Suresh Gupta

Chapter 9. Modeling and Implementation of SustainableRemediation Based on Bioventing
Hillel Rubin, Eran Rubin, and Holger Schüttrumpf

Chapter 10. Bioremediation of Xenobiotics
Kamal Saxena, Gajendra Kumar Aseri, Ashish Deep Gupta and VikashBabu

Index

Romeela Mohee, PhD, is Professor of Environmental Engineering inthe Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at theUniversity of Mauritius. She obtained her PhD at the University ofMauritius in 1998, and her primary research interests are in wastecontainment, solid waste management and treatment by anaerobicdigestion and composting, beneficial reuse of waste materials, andheat and mass transfer modeling. An eminent internationalconsultant in environmental science and energy issues, Dr. Moheehas authored or contributed to over 70 international publicationson waste biotreatment, including four books and numerous conferencepapers and consultancy reports.

Ackmez Mudhoo, MPhil, is Lecturer in the Department of Chemicaland Environmental Engineering at the University of Mauritius. Hismain research interests encompass the design of composting systems,analysis of composting processes, and the biological treatment ofsolid wastes and wastewater. He has dozens of international journalpublications and conference papers to his credit. He is also a peerreviewer on numerous journals, and is the editor–in–chief for twointernational research journals.