In order to assess the environmental exposure from chemicals in various media, you must know the rate at which a chemical will degrade. Handbook of Environmental Degradation Rates saves you the time and money collecting and evaluating this important information. The Handbook provides rate constant and half-life ranges for various processes and combines them into ranges for different media (air, groundwater, surface water, soils), which can be directly entered into various models. Some of the processes the Handbook includes are aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation, direct photolysis, hydrolysis, and reaction with various oxidants or free radicals (e.g., hydroxyl radical and ozone in the atmosphere). Experimental data are used and cited when available, and validated estimation methods are used when no experimental data are available. Researched and organized by leading experts, Handbook of Environmental Degradation Rates is easy-to-use and is well indexed by chemical name and CAS Number.

In order to assess the environmental exposure from chemicals in various media, you must know the rate at which a chemical will degrade. Handbook of Environmental Degradation Rates saves you the time and money collecting and evaluating this important information. The Handbook provides rate constant and half-life ranges for various processes and combines them into ranges for different media (air, groundwater, surface water, soils), which can be directly entered into various models. Some of the processes the Handbook includes are aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation, direct photolysis, hydrolysis, and reaction with various oxidants or free radicals (e.g., hydroxyl radical and ozone in the atmosphere). Experimental data are used and cited when available, and validated estimation methods are used when no experimental data are available. Researched and organized by leading experts, Handbook of Environmental Degradation Rates is easy-to-use and is well indexed by chemical name and CAS Number.

The second edition of this outstanding handbook covers an area that has become increasingly important within global chemical legislation. Environmental degradation rates are vital for assessing environmental exposure from chemicals in various media. This book saves time and effort by providing and evaluating this essential information. Easy to use and well indexed by chemical name as well as by CAS number, the text presents rate constant and half-life ranges for various processes and then combines them into ranges for different media, which can be directly entered into a wide range of models. Figures of chemical structures and physical properties facilitate the interpretation of degradation rates.

Biodegradation is a key phenomen among environmental processes. Low degradation rates lead to the persistence of chemicals in the environment and, as a consequence, to delayed or long-term effects, which may be even unknown by now. In this volume the editor has pulled together the newest results of research in biodegradation and persistence of potential environmentally harmful substances and the complex process involved. The main focus is on the microbial degradation, the evolution and predictability of the respective pathways and their impact on bioremediation. Additional chapters deal with sewage treatment plants, the impact of toxicants on impaired biodegradation, and with the need of a more realistic view on fate and behaviour of chemicals in the environment.

The introduction of synthetic organic chemicals into the environment during the last few decades has given rise to major concern about the ecotoxicological effects and ultimate fate of these compounds. The pollutants that are considered to be most hazardous because of their intrinsic toxicity, high exposure level, or recalcitrant behavior in the environment have been placed on blacklists and other policy priority lists. The fate of synthetic compounds that enter the environment is mainly determined by their rate of biodegradation, which therefore also has a major effect on the degree of bioaccumulation and the risk of ecotoxicological effects. The degree and rate of biodegradation is also of critical importance for the feasibility of biological techniques to clean up contaminated sites and waste streams. The biodegradation of xenobiotics has thus been the subject of numerous studies, which resulted in thousands of publications in scientific journals, books, and conference proceedings. These studies led to a deeper understanding of the diversity of biodegradation processes. As a result, it has become possible to enhance the rate of degradation of recalcitrant pollutants during biological treatment and to design completely new treatment processes. At present, much work is being done to expand the range of pollutants to which biodegradation can be applied, and to make treatment techniques less expensive and better applicable for waste streams which are difficult to handle.

This is a compilation of topics that are at the forefront of many technical advances and practices in air and water control. These include air pollution control, water pollution control, water treatment, wastewater treatment, industrial waste treatment and small scale wastewater treatment.