Natural resources are resources that exist without actions of humankind. This includes all valued characteristics such as magnetic, gravitational, electrical properties and forces etc. On earth it includes: sunlight, atmosphere, water, land (includes all minerals) along with all vegetation, crops and animal life that naturally subsists upon or within the heretofore identified characteristics and substances. Particular areas such as the rainforest in Fatu-Hiva are often characterized by the biodiversity and geodiversity existent in their ecosystems. Natural resources may be further classified in different ways. Natural resources are materials and components (something that can be used) that can be found within the environment. Every man-made product is composed of natural resources (at its fundamental level). A natural resource may exist as a separate entity such as fresh water, air, and as well as a living organism such as a fish, or it may exist in an alternate form that must be processed to obtain the resource such as metal ores, rare earth metals, petroleum, and most forms of energy. There is much debate worldwide over natural resource allocations, this is particularly true during periods of increasing scarcity and shortages (depletion and overconsumption of resources) but also because the exportation of natural resources is the basis .

This volume has been designed to serve as a natural resources engineering reference book as well as a supplemental textbook. This volume is part of the Handbook of Environmental Engineering series, an incredible collection of methodologies that study the effects of resources and wastes in their three basic forms: gas, solid, and liquid. It complements two other books in the series including "Natural Resources and Control Processes" and "Advances in Natural Resources Management". Together they serve as a basis for advanced study or specialized investigation of the theory and analysis of various natural resources systems. This book covers many aspects of resources conservation, treatment, recycling, and education including agricultural, industrial, municipal and natural sources. The purpose of this book is to thoroughly prepare the reader for understanding the available resources, protection, treatment and control methods, such as bee protection, water reclamation, environmental conservation, biological and natural processes, endocrine disruptor removal, thermal pollution control, thermal energy reuse, lake restoration, industrial waste treatment, agricultural waste treatment, pest and vector control, and environmental engineering education. The chapters provide information on some of the most innovative and ground-breaking advances in environmental and natural resources engineering from a panel of esteemed experts.

This volume of conference proceedings included two major themes: Natural Resource Engineering and Management as well as Agro- Environmental Engineering. 108 abstracts from contributors from Asia, North America, Europe and Africa.

Contributed papers presented at the conference, held at IIT, Kharagpur, on December 14-17, 2004.

Natural resources support all human productivity. The sustainable management of natural resources is among the preeminent problems of the current century. Sustainability and the implied professional responsibility start here. This book uses applied mathematics familiar to undergraduate engineers and scientists to examine natural resource management and its role in framing sustainability. Renewable and nonrenewable resources are covered, along with living and sterile resources. Examples and applications are drawn from petroleum, fisheries, and water resources. Each chapter contains problems illustrating the material. Simple programs in commonly available packages (Excel, MATLAB) support the text. The material is a natural prelude to more advanced study in ecology, conservation, and population dynamics, as well as engineering and science. The mathematical description is kept within what an undergraduate student in the sciences or engineering would normally be expected to master for natural systems. The purpose is to allow students to confront natural resource problems early in their preparation.

This book is a sister volume to Volume 20 of the Handbook of Environmental Engineering Series, "Integrated Natural Resources Management", and expands on the themes of that volume by addressing the conservation and protection of natural resources in an environmental engineering context through state-of-the-art research methodologies and technologies. With a focus on water and wastewater treatment, the book takes a multidisciplinary approach to provide readers with an understanding of developments in natural resources technology over the last few decades, and how technology and industry methods will progress to ensure cleaner and sustainable methods of natural resources management. The key topics covered include biological activated carbon treatment for recycling biotreated wastewater, composting for food processing wastes, treatment of wastewater from chemical industries, agricultural waste as a low-cost adsorbent, and the invention, design and construction of potable water dissolved air flotation and filtration plants. The book will be useful to environmental resources engineers, researchers, water treatment plant managers, chemical engineers, industrial plant managers, and environmental conservation agencies.

This edited book has been designed to serve as a natural resources engineering reference book as well as a supplemental textbook. This volume is part of the Handbook of Environmental Engineering series, an incredible collection of methodologies that study the effects of pollution and waste in their three basic forms: gas, solid, and liquid. It complements two other books in the series including Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering and Integrated Natural Resources Management that serve as a basis for advanced study or specialized investigation of the theory and analysis of various natural resources systems. This book covers the management of many waste sources including those from agricultural livestock, deep-wells, industries manufacturing dyes, and municipal solid waste incinerators. The purpose of this book is to thoroughly prepare the reader for understanding the sources, treatment and control methods of toxic wastes shown to have harmful effects on the environment. Chapters provide information on some of the most innovative and ground-breaking advances in waste characterization, control, treatment and management from a panel of esteemed experts.