Für Lebensmittel, Kleidung, Medizin, Papier, Chemieprodukte sind und bleiben wir auf kohlenstoffhaltige Rohstoffe angewiesen. Um fossile Rohstoffe abzulösen, muss die Industrie auf nachhaltige Kohlenstoffquellen umsteigen. Infrage kommt Biomasse aus der Land- und Forstwirtschaft, die aber selbst begrenzt ist. Das Konzept der zirkulären Bioökonomie sieht deshalb die verstärkte Nutzung von Reststoffen, Bio-Abfällen und CO2 vor. Um die Umstellung der Wirtschaft bis zum Jahr 2045 zu erreichen, müssen Infrastruktur und Rahmenbedingungen zügig angepasst werden.

This book reviews the recent scientific developments on mining and metallurgical wastes-based alkali-activated materials (MMWAAMs). Enormous quantities of solid wastes are generated during the exploitation of ore deposits and the subsequent processing for materials, causing serious environmental problems. Alkali activation is one of the robust technologies that converts mining and metallurgical wastes into value-added materials and offers technological solutions for efficient stabilization of toxic components in mining and metallurgical wastes. Herein, this book presents the development of the design, processing routes, and performances of mining and metallurgical waste-based alkali-activated materials. It highlights in detail the relationships between the physicochemical characteristics of the source materials and the properties of synthesized binders. From the durability perspective, both the applicability of testing protocols and degradation mechanisms are also reviewed with significant experimental and modeling work presented. Furthermore, the transformation paths of initially toxic components during alkali activation, partitioning characteristics, as well as the assemblages of solubility-controlling mineral phases are discussed for detailed environmental compatibility evaluation. In addition, applications and perspectives for future directions of mining and metallurgical wastes-based alkali-activated materials are illustrated. By bringing state-of-the-art knowledge, this book appeals to a broad readership, particularly researchers engaged in material and environmental science, mining and metallurgical engineering, and other related fields.

This book reviews the latest research on innovative and sustainable biotechnologies for metal recovery from various process streams, emphasising the fundamentals and applications of biosystems. Divided into 7 chapters, it clarifies many topics including biological iron and aluminum recovery from wastewaters, precious metal recovery (Pt, Pd, Au, Ag), algal-based metal recovery, selenium and tellurium recovery, phytoextraction options, and arsenic removal by sulfate-reducing bacteria. Expert contributors explore microbial metabolisms such as iron oxidation, sulfate/sulfur reduction, and selenite reduction through the lens of environmental sustainability. In this book, readers will discover various case studies and commercial applications of these biotechnologies. Particular attention is given to combinations of biological systems with electrochemistry to enhance metal recycling from complex and diluted streams.

Now in its 3rd edition, this extensively revised and significantly expanded handbook addresses important new research findings and the global need for action.

This book reviews the recent scientific developments on mining and metallurgical wastes-based alkali-activated materials (MMWAAMs). Enormous quantities of solid wastes are generated during the exploitation of ore deposits and the subsequent processing for materials, causing serious environmental problems. Alkali activation is one of the robust technologies that converts mining and metallurgical wastes into value-added materials and offers technological solutions for efficient stabilization of toxic components in mining and metallurgical wastes. Herein, this book presents the development of the design, processing routes, and performances of mining and metallurgical waste-based alkali-activated materials. It highlights in detail the relationships between the physicochemical characteristics of the source materials and the properties of synthesized binders. From the durability perspective, both the applicability of testing protocols and degradation mechanisms are also reviewed with significant experimental and modeling work presented. Furthermore, the transformation paths of initially toxic components during alkali activation, partitioning characteristics, as well as the assemblages of solubility-controlling mineral phases are discussed for detailed environmental compatibility evaluation. In addition, applications and perspectives for future directions of mining and metallurgical wastes-based alkali-activated materials are illustrated. By bringing state-of-the-art knowledge, this book appeals to a broad readership, particularly researchers engaged in material and environmental science, mining and metallurgical engineering, and other related fields.

This book systematically describes the latest research in low-temperature selective catalytic reduction catalysts, providing a theoretical basis and technical support. It first introduces the characteristics and formation mechanism of NOx and presents the control technology of nitrogen oxides at this stage along with the mechanism of low-temperature selective catalytic reduction reactions. In addition, the preparation methods and characterization techniques of these catalysts have been introduced. From this, readers can master the main technical methods required in low-temperature selective catalytic reduction catalyst research. Furthermore, it also covers the anti-poisoning mechanism of Mn-based, Ce-based, Fe-based, Cu-based and low-temperature selective catalytic reduction catalysts, presenting readers with the latest research achievements. Given its scope, this book appeals to a broad readership, particularly professionals at universities as well as engineers engaged in low-temperature selective catalytic reduction fields. It also can be treated as a valuable reference for scholars studying the field.

This book introduces the concept of 'biological weathering.' Weathering, especially chemical weathering, has been recognized as one of the most important processes on Earth because it influences the circulation of elements, including carbon. Weathering has almost always been considered an abiotic process. The book describes the author’s experiments, proving that plant involvement in weathering is a strategy for plants to ingest nutrients from rocks. It is also shown through cultivation experiments and observation of natural diatoms that diatoms and silica obligate plankton dissolve silicate minerals and incorporate silicon and other elements into their frustules. The weathering reaction has also been successfully applied to the previously unexplained relationship between carbon and silica in the ocean’s interior.

This book offers a comprehensive collection of review and case chapters that cover cadmium toxicity and remediation. It covers sources of cadmium contamination, its impact on human health, and prospective remediation strategies, taking a multi-disciplinary approach a focus on application of recent advanced biological technology. The chapters here bring together a diverse group of environmental science, sustainability and health researchers to address the challenges caused by cadmium contamination, explaining the routes of exposure to environmental cadmium, how cadmium is transported in ecosystems, and the health risks linked to cadmium exposure in food and the environment.

This volume of the series Fundamentals of Organic Geochemistry provides an overview of isotope analysis in organic geochemistry and related fields of applied sciences. It dives deep into the basics of isotopes and isotopic fractioning processes with applications e.g. in environmental biodegradation or correlations of fossil matter. This textbook helps students understanding the geoscientific, analytical, and chemical isotope aspects in complex natural systems. Students learn the importance of isotope organic geochemistry and its relationship to fundamental processes in the geosphere and biosphere, which include e.g. photosynthesis, evaporation/precipitation within the global water cycle, biotic degradation, and biosynthesis.

This book will provide an important source of practical information on the history of toxicology, the ways in which pollutants reach model organisms used in toxicology, sampling methods for research, mechanisms of toxicity and responses of aquatic organisms to toxic agents, as well as the use of therapeutic agents in current approaches. Determining the importance of environmentally friendly substances on antioxidant defense is an obvious area of future research.

This book outlines the development of renewable energies in the Middle East and North Africa, it offers up-to-date information about their variability, availability and utilization, and serves as a guide for understanding the MENA renewable energy potential. Readers will find an authoritative discussion about the implementation of renewable energies, trends and forecast of solar, wind and geothermal systems applications in this region. Case studies from China, Mexico and Vietnam are also included in this book to foster the implementation of renewable energies in the MENA region.

This book addressed an in-depth comprehension of the classifications and characterizations of POPs, which have become global issues due to bioaccumulation, persistency, and toxicity. It represents the milestones of the development of pesticide application, industry, and management. Banned SC-POPs have special investigations. It discusses air-sea exchange, ocean currents, phase distribution, speciation, adsorption, desorption, and degradation as the key processes that control POP's fate. The book explores several aspects of POP chemistry that have a direct influence on their biochemical and toxicological consequences. The book illustrates the dynamic equilibriums influencing the proportion of a POP's gaseous, liquid, and solid phases.

The book discusses the various sustainable approaches to combine agrowaste and nanomaterials into catalysts or nanocatalysts with the objective of enhancing biofuel production. It explores the practical sustainability of agronanocatalysts in bioenergy production at a mass scale, while also addressing the existing challenges and proposes sustainable remedies to overcome these limitations. Additionally, the book dives into the cost considerations, recognizing it as a major concern for the widespread utility of catalysts, and explores viable commercial applications in this context.

This book sheds light on this global environmental issue and proposes solutions to reduce contamination through multi-disciplinary approaches. Water is considered a vital resource because it is necessary for all aspects of human and ecosystem survival. However, due to natural processes and anthropogenic activities, various pollutants have been added to the groundwater system. Among these, heavy metals are some of the most serious pollutants. Cd, a toxic heavy metal used in Ni-Cd batteries, the coloration of plastic and various discarded electronic products released into the water system causes serious health issues. The chronic exposure to Cd produces a wide variety of acute and chronic effects in humans.