Environmental Biotechnology : Commercial Applications

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Industrial wastewater sources and treatment strategies. 3. Activated sludge process. 4. Modeling of aerobic wastewater treatment processes. 5. Highrate anaerobic wastewater treatment. 6. Modeling of biogas reactors. 7. Aerobic degradation of recalcitrant organic compounds by microorgansisms. 8. Soil remediation and disposal. 9. Bioremediation by the heap technique. 10. In-situ remediation. 11. Composting of organic waste. 12. Landfill systems sanitary and landfilling of solid water. 13. Long term problems with Leachate. 14. Commercial applications of biological waste gas purification. Bibliography. Index.

Environmental bio-technology are part of the core industrial sectors, which drives the transition of the main body of manufacturing sectors towards more sustainable and greener economic and environmental models. Environmental biotechnology is when biotechnology is applied to and used to study the natural environment. Environmental biotechnology could also imply that one try to harness biological process for commercial uses and exploitation.

There are different approaches to environmental biotechnology from other sectors of biology. Agricultural biotechnology is developing plant varieties that either requires lower levels of artificial fertilizers or that have increased resistance to viruses, fungi and other disease agents. Animal biotechnology is aiming towards higher levels of production from fewer animals, especially important in regions where waste from intensive animal rearing is leading to serious soil and water pollution. Microbial biotechnology is developing the genetic modification of naturally occurring organisms enabling them to degrade pollutants that previously they could not or only inefficiently deal with.