Main description:

The history of chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences is an impressive success story. The products of chemical and pharmaceutical industries are present eve- where in our everyday life. They help to pursue the modern way of living and they contribute to our high standard of living and safety, mobility, communication te- nologies, food, health, textiles and drinking water treatment, among many others. These products are labeled under the categories: pharmaceuticals, pesticides, det- gents, fertilizers, dyes, paints, preservatives, food additives and personal care pr- ucts, to name a few. Within these categories, groups of chemicals with similar structures can be found. However, often groups of chemicals with very different structures belong to the same category. For a long time the production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals, their usage and application was connected with the heavy pollution of the environment and serious health effects. At the end of the last century, it was realised that the products of che- cal and pharmaceutical industries are presenting a new type of environmental pol- tion that may also pose a health risk to the consumer. Most chemicals are used in so-called open applications in excessive amounts e. g. for personal care, hygiene, plant protection, health and in textiles. In many cases such as scents, detergents, textile chemicals, surface disinfectants, pesticides and others it is unavoidable that these chemicals are released into the environment according to their intended use.

Feature:

Includes discussion on compounds that have only recently been investigated, such as illicit drugs

Stimulates the discussion on the causes and solutions to the problem

Includes 25 chapters by international experts

Back cover:

The presence of xenobiotics in the aquatic environment is seen as one of the biggest challenges for a sustainable water future.   Thus, there is a need to understand, in an integrated manner, the sources, flow paths, fate and effects of xenobiotics in the urban water cycle.

 This book is an authoritative and comprehensive reference source covering:

-occurrence, sources and fluxes of xenobiotics in urban waters  

-processes concerning the fate and transport of xenobiotics, mass flows and transformation products 

-mitigation, treatment methods and systems for the removal of xenobiotics

-risk assessment methodologies and risk management 

-information on source control and mitigation measures

The book contains a wealth of information on some of the compounds most frequently found in urban water systems, and of special interest will be the chapters dealing with compounds that have only recently been investigated, such as illicit drugs, scents, and toxins.

The book will be of interest to researchers, practitioners, municipal authorities, and international policy-makers.

Contents:

Foreword.- Scope Of The Book.- Part 1: Occurrence Concentrations, Sources And Fluxes Of Xenobiotics In Urban Waters.- Quantitative Mass Flows Of Selected Xenobiotics In Urban Waters And Waste Water Treatment Plants.- Identifying And Classifying The Sources And Uses Of Xenobiotics In Urban Environments.- Illicit Drugs In The Urban Water Cycle.- Precious Metals In Urban Aquatic Systems: Platinum, Palladium And Rhodium-Sources, Occurrence, Bioavailability And Effects.- Fate And Effects Of Little Investigated Scents In The Aquatic Environment.- Sources And Occurrence Of Cyanotoxins Worldwide.- Occurrence And Measurements Of Organic Xenobiotic Compounds In Harbor And Coastal Sediments.-Determination Of Sources And Emissions Of Persistent Organic Contaminants By Means Of Sewage Sludge From A Monitoring Network.- Part 2: Fate, Effects And Risks Of Xenobiotics In Urban Waters.- Metabolic And Cometabolic Degradation Of Industrially Important Chlorinated Organics Under Aerobic Conditions.- Photochemical Transformation Of Pharmaceuticals In The Aquatic Environment: Reaction Pathways And Intermediates.- The Challenge Of The Identification And Quantification Of Transformation Products In The Aquatic Environment Using High Resolution Mass Spectrometry.- Transport And Fate Of Xenobiotics In The Urban Water Cycle: Studies In Halle/Saale And Leipzig (Germany).- Pharmaceutical Contaminants In Urban Water Cycles-A Discussion Of Novel Concepts For Environmental Risk Assessment.- Hydroxy Benzoate Preservatives (Parabens) In The Environment: Data For Environmental Toxicity Assessment.- Part 3: Treatment Methods.- Efficiency Of Removal Of Compounds With Estrogenic Activity During Wastewater Treatment – Effects Of Various Removal Techniques.- Criteria For Designing Sewage Treatment Plants For Enhanced Removal Of Organic Micropollutants.- Xenobiotics Removal By Membrane Technology: An Overview.- Membrane Bioreactors: A Cost-Effective Solution To Enhance The Removal Of Xenobiotics FromUrban Wastewaters?.- Removal Of Xenobiotics From Wastewater In Sequencing Batch Reactors: Conventional And Two-Phase Configurations.- Fate And Occurrence Of Surfactants-Derived Alkylphenolic Compounds In Conventional And Membrane Bioreactor Wastewater Treatment Plants.- Removal Of Xenobiotic Compounds From Water And Wastewater By Advanced Oxidation Processes.- Commercially Important Aryl Sulphonates In The Environment: Fate, Treatability And Identification Of Degradation Products.- Uptake Of Xenobiotics From Polluted Waters By Plants.- Treatment Techniques And Analysis Of Stormwater Runoff From Roads In Hamburg, Germany.- Part 4: Mitigation Measures – Technical And Socioeconomic Instruments.- Options For Mitigation-An Overview Of Measures.- Part 5: Outlook.-Index.