Food and Agricultural Wastewater Utilization and Treatment

Wastes, whether solids or wastewater, are resources from which economic value may be derived. Almost all components of agricultural and food wastewater can be and should be utilized or recovered. The stumbling block to achieving this aspiration is economical, not technical. The last one–and–a–half decades have seen a surge in agricultural and non–agricultural commodity prices across the board as well as increased public consciousness of environmental impact of industrial wastewater discharge and treatment. The confluence of these developments has generated new interests and applications in agricultural and food wastewater and treatment residuals in diverse fields and industries. Food and Agricultural Wastewater Utilization and Treatment Second Edition focuses on cost–effective treatment technologies specific to food and agriculture wastewater, and the potentially economic recovery of valuable substances from wastewater during common food processing and postharvest operations. Special consideration has been given to those technologies that can not only solve the environmental problem of wastewater disposal but also reduce wastewater management costs in the long run for food and agriculture industries. This new edition follows up on decades of research on food and agricultural wastewater explored in the first edition by expanding topics related to wastewater utilizations and new uses of treatment residuals. It also provides up–to–date information on new treatment technologies and practices across the globe. Food and Agricultural Wastewater Utilization and Treatment, Second edition is for anyone who has the responsibility of dealing with the effluents of agricultural and food processing plants. It will prove invaluable to waste management personnel responsible for managing major waste effluents from agro and food industries. It will also be an important reference for anyone studying in the fields of environmental science and waste management.

Dr Sean X. Liu is Research Leader, Functional Foods Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, Illinois, USA