Antimicrobial resistance is arguably the greatest threat to worldwide human health. This book evaluates the roles of human water use, treatment and conservation in the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. Designed as a companion volume to Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment (Wiley-Blackwell, 2012), this book is a multi-disciplinary synthesis of topics related to antimicrobial resistance and wastewater treatment processes. Antimicrobial Resistance in Wastewater Treatment Processes assembles detailed discussions written by many of the world's best-known experts in microbiology, civil engineering, chemistry, environmental science, public health and related fields. The book presents a collection of subjects that includes: Current knowledge of the role of the environment in development and spread of antimicrobial resistance Chemical analysis of antibiotics in environmental samples Molecular methods for analysis of antimicrobial resistance genes Advanced wastewater treatment processes and antimicrobial resistance effects Public perception of risk related to health consequences of antimicrobial resistance Public health implications of antimicrobial resistance with focus on wastewater treatment processes Antimicrobial resistance has gained a foothold in the global consciousness as a serious public health threat. There is a much greater appreciation for the role of the environment in the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance and the effects of pollutants that can potentially promote development of resistance in bacteria. Contaminants released from wastewater treatment plants are a concern. In Antimicrobial Resistance in Wastewater Treatment Processes, readers will be guided through examinations of the current science related to this important health issue.

Aerobic Granular Sludge has recently received growing attention by researchers and technology developers, worldwide. Laboratory studies and preliminary field tests led to the conclusion that granular activated sludge can be readily established and profitably used in activated sludge plants, provided 'correct' process conditions are chosen. But what makes process conditions 'correct'? And what makes granules different from activated sludge flocs? Answers to these question are offered in Aerobic Granular Sludge. Major topics covered in this book include: Reasons and mechanism of aerobic granule formation Structure of the microbial population of aerobic granules Role, composition and physical properties of EPS Diffuse limitation and microbial activity within granules Physio-chemical characteristics Operation and application of granule reactors Scale-up aspects of granular sludge reactors, and case studies Aerobic Granular Sludge provides up-to-date information about a rapidly emerging new technology of biological treatment.

Rivers, lakes and the ocean receive antibiotic resistance genes from human environments. The aquatic environments are a huge reservoir and exchange stage of antibiotic resistance genes.

Examines effects of the environmental distribution of antimicrobial resistance genes on human health and the ecosystem Resistance genes are everywhere in nature—in pathogens, commensals, and environmental microorganisms. This contributed work shows how the environment plays a pivotal role in the development of antimicrobial resistance traits in bacteria and the distribution of resistant microbial species, resistant genetic material, and antibiotic compounds. Readers will discover the impact of the distribution in the environment of antimicrobial resistance genes and antibiotics on both the ecosystem and human and animal health. Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment is divided into four parts: Part I, Sources, including ecological and clinical consequences of antibiotic resistance by environmental microbes Part II, Fate, including strategies to assess and minimize the biological risk of antibiotic resistance in the environment Part III, Antimicrobial Substances and Resistance, including antibiotics in the aquatic environment Part IV, Effects and Risks, including the effect of antimicrobials used for non-human purposes on human health Recognizing the intricate links among overlapping complex systems, this book examines antimicrobial resistance using a comprehensive ecosystem approach. Moreover, the book's multidisciplinary framework applies principles of microbiology, environmental toxicology, and chemistry to assess the human and ecological risks associated with exposure to antibiotics or antibiotic resistance genes that are environmental contaminants. Each chapter has been written by one or more leading researchers in such fields as microbiology, environmental science, ecology, and toxicology. Comprehensive reference lists at the end of all chapters serve as a gateway to the primary research in the field. Presenting and analyzing the latest findings in a field of growing importance to human and environmental health, this text offers readers new insights into the role of the environment in antimicrobial resistance development, the dissemination of antimicrobial resistant genetic elements, and the transport of antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotics.

Even though ozone has been applied for a long time for disinfection and oxidation in water treatment, there is lack of critical information related to transformation of organic compounds. This has become more important in recent years, because there is considerable concern about the formation of potentially harmful degradation products as well as oxidation products from the reaction with the matrix components. In recent years, a wealth of information on the products that are formed has accumulated, and substantial progress in understanding mechanistic details of ozone reactions in aqueous solution has been made. Based on the latter, this may allow us to predict the products of as yet not studied systems and assist in evaluating toxic potentials in case certain classes are known to show such effects. Keeping this in mind, Chemistry of Ozone in Water and Wastewater Treatment: From Basic Principles to Applications discusses mechanistic details of ozone reactions as much as they are known to date and applies them to the large body of studies on micropollutant degradation (such as pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors) that is already available. Extensively quoting the literature and updating the available compilation of ozone rate constants gives the reader a text at hand on which his research can be based. Moreover, those that are responsible for planning or operation of ozonation steps in drinking water and wastewater treatment plants will find salient information in a compact form that otherwise is quite disperse. A critical compilation of rate constants for the various classes of compounds is given in each chapter, including all the recent publications. This is a very useful source of information for researchers and practitioners who need kinetic information on emerging contaminants. Furthermore, each chapter contains a large selection of examples of reaction mechanisms for the transformation of micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, fuel additives, solvents, taste and odor compounds, cyanotoxins. Authors: Prof. Dr. Clemens von Sonntag, Max-Planck-Institut für Bioanorganische Chemie, Mülheim an der Ruhr, and Instrumentelle Analytische Chemie, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany and Prof. Dr. Urs von Gunten, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, and Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Chemical Degradation Methods for Wastes and Pollutants focuses on established and emerging chemical procedures for the management of pollutants in industrial wastewater and the environment. This reference offers an in-depth explanation of the degradation process, mechanisms, and control factors affecting each method, as well as issues crucial to th

This book provides a multidisciplinary review of antibiotic resistance and unravels the complex and interrelated roles of environmental sources, including pharmaceutical industry effluents, hospital and domestic effluents, wildlife and drinking water. Antibiotic resistance is a global public health issue in which the interface between humans, animals and the environment is particularly relevant. The contrasts seen across different environmental compartments and world regions, which are due to climate, social and policy differences, mean that this problem needs to be analyzed from a multi-geographic and multi-cultural angle. Bringing together contributions from researchers on different continents with expertise in antibiotic resistance in a range of different environmental compartments, the book offers a detailed reflection on the paths that make antibiotic resistance a global threat, and the state-of- the-art in antibiotic resistance surveillance and risk assessment in complex environmental matrices.