Hazardous Pollutants in Biological Treatment Systems: Fundamentals and a Guide to Experimental Research

Hazardous pollutants are a growing concern in treatment engineering. In the

past, biological treatment was mainly used for the removal of bulk organic matter

and the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus. However, relatively recently the

issue of hazardous pollutants, which are present at very low concentrations in

wastewaters and waters but are very harmful to both ecosystems and humans, is

becoming increasingly important. Today, treatment of hazardous pollutants in the

water environment becomes a challenge as the water quality standards become

stricter. Hazardous Pollutants in Biological Treatment Systems focuses entirely on

the hazardous pollutants present in wastewater and water and gives an elaborate

insight into their fate and effects during biological treatment.

Currently, in commercial and industrial products and processes, thousands of

chemicals are used that reach water. Many of those chemicals are carcinogens,

mutagens, endocrine disruptors and toxicants. Therefore, water containing

hazardous pollutants should be treated before discharged to the environment or

consumed by humans.

This book first addresses the characteristics, occurrence and origin of hazardous

organic and inorganic pollutants. Then, it concentrates on the fate and effects

of these pollutants in biological wastewater and drinking water treatment units.

It also provides details about analysis of hazardous pollutants, experimental

methodologies, computational tools used to assist experiments, evaluation

of experimental data and examination of microbial ecology by molecular

microbiology and genetic tools.

Hazardous Pollutants in Biological Treatment Systems is an essential resource

to the researcher or the practitioner who is already involved with hazardous

pollutants and biological processes or intending to do so. The text will also be

useful for professionals working in the field of water and wastewater treatment.