The field of Environmental Sciences has acquired new dimensions in the last fifty years, due to the changing scenario of population explosion, agricultural activities for food production, rapid industrial development for commercial and household commodities and so on. The upsurge in all these activities has contributed in one way or the other to environmental problems at the local, regional and global levels. Economic growth and the continuing heavy consumption of natural resources and energy are responsible for global environmental crisis like global warming, acid rain and the destruction of the ozone layer. This has resulted in an increased interest in this area and most institutions today have included it as a part of their educational curriculum. Environmental biotechnology is a huge and fast growing field, which continues to revolutinise the understanding of basic life sustaining processes in the environment, by identifying and exploiting the biomolecules and their utilities to provide clean technologies, in order to counter environmental problems.

"The book includes current and emerging concepts in the area of environmental biotechnology like pollution- source, control and measurement, bioremediation, biofuels, biosensors, conservation biotechnology etc. The book includes recent studies and innovations made in this field and incorporates case studies to help in understanding the concepts"--

This book discusses environmental microbiology, phytoremediation, solid waste disposal and management, biological methods of pest management, plant biotechnology, animal biotechnology, sericulture, apiculture, industrial sustainability, and ethical issues of environmental biotechnology. This excellent collection of information is designed both as a basic environmental biotechnology textbook as well as a reference book useful to scientists, researchers and educators and provides cutting-edge illustration of the theories and principles of biotechnologies, systems, processes, and methodologies.

A deeper insight into the complex processes involved in this field, covering the biological, chemical and engineering fundamentals needed to further develop effective methodologies. The book devotes detailed chapters to each of the four main areas of environmental biotechnology -- wastewater treatment, soil treatment, solid waste treatment, and waste gas treatment -- dealing with both the microbiological and process engineering aspects. The result is the combined knowledge contained in the extremely successful volumes 11a through 11c of the "Biotechnology" series in a handy and compact form.

The application of biologically-engineered solutions toenvironmental problems has become far more readily acceptable andwidely understood. However there remains some uncertainty amongstpractitioners regarding how and where the microscopic, functionallevel fits into the macroscopic, practical applications. It isprecisely this gap which the book sets out to fill. Dividing the topic into logical strands covering pollution,waste and manufacturing, the book examines the potential forbiotechnological interventions and current industrial practice,with the underpinning microbial techniques and methods described,in context, against this background. Each chapter is supported by located case studies from a rangeof industries and countries to provide readers with an overview ofthe range of applications for biotechnology. Essential reading for undergraduates and Masters studentstaking modules in Biotechnology or Pollution Control as part ofEnvironmental Science, Environmental Management or EnvironmentalBiology programmes. It is also suitable for professionals involvedwith water, waste management and pollution control.

The book includes current and emerging concepts in the areas of environmental biotechnology such as pollution sources, control and measurement, solid waste management, bioremediation, biofuels, biosensors, bioleaching, conservation biotechnology and more. The book also includes recent innovations made in this field and incorporates case studies to help in understanding the concepts. This book applies principles from multidisciplinary sciences of environmental engineering, metabolic engineering, rDNA technology and omics to study the role of microbes and plants in tackling environmental issues. It also includes content related to risk assessment and environmental management systems. Each chapter provides problems and solutions of different topics with diagrammatic illustrations and tables for students, researchers and other professionals in environmental biotechnology. Explores cutting-edge technologies, including nanotechnology-based bioremediation, value-added products from waste and emerging techniques related to environmental risk assessment and monitoring Reviews the current methods being applied in the environment field for pollution control, waste management, biodegradation of organic and inorganic pollutants and so on Provides in-depth knowledge of the latest advancements in the field of environmental biotechnology such as bioleaching, biomining and advances in biotechnology-based conservation of biodiversity Introduces undergraduate and post-graduate students to basic concepts of environmental biotechnology and allied fields Discusses different products such as biofuels, biopolymers and biosensors that are being produced using biotechnological methods, thus contributing towards the goal of sustainable development Dr. Neetu Sharma is Assistant Professor in the Department of Biotechnology, GGDSD College, Chandigarh, India. The main thrust of her research centers on biotechnology, bioremediation and nanotechnology. Abhinashi Singh Sodhi is Assistant Professor in the Department of Biotechnology, GGDSD College, Chandigarh, India. His current research focuses on waste reduction, valorization and bioproduct formation. Dr. Navneet Batra is Associate Professor and Head, Department of Biotechnology, GGDSD College, Chandigarh, India. He has extensive academic and research experience of over 20 years with specialization in biotechnology and biochemical engineering.

For microbiology and environmental microbiology courses, this leading textbook builds on the academic success of the previous edition by including a comprehensive and up-to-date discussion of environmental microbiology as a discipline that has grown in scope and interest in recent years. From environmental science and microbial ecology to topics in molecular genetics, this edition relates environmental microbiology to the work of a variety of life science, ecology, and environmental science investigators. The authors and editors have taken the care to highlight links between environmental microbiology and topics important to our changing world such as bioterrorism and national security with sections on practical issues such as bioremediation, waterborne pathogens, microbial risk assessment, and environmental biotechnology.WHY ADOPT THIS EDITION? New chapters on: - Urban Environmental Microbiology - Bacterial Communities in Natural Ecosystems - Global Change and Microbial Infectious Disease - Microorganisms and Bioterrorism - Extreme Environments (emphasizing the ecology of these environments) - Aquatic Environments (now devoted to its own chapter- was combined with Extreme Environments) Updates to Methodologies: - Nucleic Acid -Based Methods: microarrays, phyloarrays, real-time PCR, metagomics, and comparative genomics - Physiological Methods: stable isotope fingerprinting and functional genomics and proteomics-based approaches - Microscopic Techniques: FISH (fluorescent in situ hybridization) and atomic force microscopy - Cultural Methods: new approaches to enhanced cultivation of environmental bacteria - Environmental Sample Collection and Processing: added section on air sampling