Handbook of Environmental Engineering: Vol. 11 Environmental Bioengineering

Citation

Llaurado, J.G. (2011), "Handbook of Environmental Engineering: Vol. 11 Environmental Bioengineering", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 22 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/meq.2011.08322daa.009

Handbook of Environmental Engineering: Vol. 11 Environmental Bioengineering

Handbook of Environmental Engineering: Vol. 11 Environmental Bioengineering

Article Type: Books and resources From: Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, Volume 22, Issue 4

Lawrence K. Wang, Joo-Hwa Tay, Stephen Tiong-Lee Tay and Yung-Tse HungHumana Press, Springer Science + Business Media, LLCNew York, NYSeptember 2010870 pp.ISBN 978-1-58829-493-7US$ 199

This book is the 11th from the Handbook of Environmental Engineering series intended by the editors/authors to prompt readers to formulate answers to the following questions:

1. 1.

   How serious is the worldwide pollution in its multiform manifestations: air, water, soil and noise?

2. 2.

   Is the technology to reduce or neutralize available?

3. 3.

   Does the cost of reduction justify the degree of reduction achieved?

In this series of Handbooks a detailed examination is made of a broad spectrum of engineering systems (processes, operations and methods) currently used, or of potential usefulness, for pollution abatement. The engineering pillars of environmental engineering flow imperceptibly “from the fundamental principles and theories of chemistry, microbiology, physics, and mathematics”. This recognizes that engineering practice has since a few years ago become “more firmly based on scientific principles rather than on its early dependency on empirical accumulation of facts”. However, it is to be noted that “certain engineering systems are not really amenable to fundamental scientific analyses, and in these instances we have resorted to less science in favor of more art and empiricism”.

Present Volume 11 contains 23 chapters of unequal extension (with an extensive appendix on units and converting factors) written by a group of 55 authors from the five continents and numerous countries, though with a predominance of articles by Asian writers.

Owing to its length it is impossible to comment in detail on the contents of each chapter in this volume; hence I shall record the chapter’s title to give a notion of the topics covered, to which I shall add a few comments when the occasion may arise. It begins with:

1. 1.

   Treatment and disposal of biosolids.

2. 2.

   Ultrasound pretreatment of sludge for anaerobic digestion.

3. 3.

   Solubilization of sewage sludge to improve anaerobic digestion.

4. 4.

   Application of composted solid wastes for farmland amendment and nutrient balance in soils.

5. 5.

   Biotreatment of sludge and reuse.

6. 6.

   Kitchen refuse fermentation.

7. 7.

   Heavy metal removal by crops from land application of sludge.

8. 8.

   Phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soils and water using Vetiver grass.

9. 9.

   Bioremediation.

10. 10.

    Wetlands for wastewater treatment.

11. 11.

    Modeling of biosorption processes.

12. 12.

    Heavy metal removal of microbial biosorbents.

13. 13.

    Simultaneous removal of carbon and nitrogen from domestic wastewater in an aerobic RBC (RBC=Rotating Biological Contactor).

14. 14.

    Anaerobic treatment of low-strength wastewaters by a biofilm reactor.

15. 15.

    Biological phosphorus removal processes.

16. 16.

    Total treatment of black and grey water for rural communities.

17. 17.

    Anaerobic treatment of milk-processing wastewater.

18. 18.

    Biological wastewater treatment of nutrient-deficient tomato-processing and bean-processing wastewater.

19. 19.

    Animal glue production from skin wastes.

20. 20.

    An integrated biotechnological process for fungal biomass protein production and wastewater reclamation.

21. 21.

    Algae harvest energy conversion.

22. 22.

    Living machines.

23. 23.

    Global perspectives of anaerobic treatment of industrial wastewater.

In Chapter 4 the discussion is focused on the stabilization of domestic wastewater sludge as a liquid in anaerobic digesters. General procedures such as ultrasound pretreatment and solubilization of sewage are tested. Emphasis is made on the promising options for farmland applications by composts where a good understanding of the nutrient balance in the environment is of great benefit to the sustainable reuses of biosolid wastes. Treated sludge is also known as biosolids, a slightly more attractive name used as a soil additive. Often local conditions dictate the adoption of a variety of treatments and reuse methods, that is why composting has been practiced extensively in Malaya, where palm oil industry plays a major role in this country’s economic development; this Chapter 5 is extremely well illustrated with regard both to the selection of rotary drums and the inocula of fungi, and to the results on examples of vegetables growing in different compost products.

Chapter 8 expands the subject of phytoremediation already began in Chapter 7 on account of the heavy metals: As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb, Tl and U. Phytoremediation deals with utilization of plants to improve polluted soils. “It is an emerging technology that should be considered for remediation of contaminated sites because of the cost effectiveness, aesthetic advantages, and long-term applicability”. Further, it discusses how “[t]he success of phytoremedial effects is depending largely upon the choice of plant species … [the] Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides L (Roberty), formerly Vetiveria zizanioides L. (Nash)) … Vetiver is a fast growing, perennial grass native to the South and South-East Asian regions. It will grow to approximately 1-2 m in height and has long been used in Asia for slope stabilization in agricultural lands because of a deep (up to 3 m), strong root system … woven into mats, fans and fragrant screens … Vetiver grass is both a xerophyte and a hydrophyte and, once established, is not affected by droughts or floods”. It “is regarded as a tool for environmental engineering and as one of the most versatile crops of the third millennium”.

To arrive at a design equation which predicts the amount of biosorbent per unit volume of solution, V_m/V, use is made of Langmuir’s isotherm parameters for homogeneous adsorption, but Chapter 12 involves also the Freundlich isotherm that “describes equilibrium on heterogeneous surfaces”. Quite sophisticated kinetic models are presented, but the solutions are also worked out and detailed examples given. No need to be afraid to tackle these chapters!

Chapter 14 offers a brief historical development of the understanding of the anaerobic process which splits organic matter to CH₄ and CO₂. Incidentally, in 1776 Volta was first to describe the release of CH₄ from silt in marshes. The chapter ends with the presentation with their complete solution of ten design examples.

In Chapter 16 the readers are informed that “[g]rey water is composed of all domestic household water that does not come form toilets or does not include sewage. This includes wastewater that flows from bath/showers, clothes washing, and dishwashers and kitchen sinks. Toilet wastewater, often garbage disposal waste, is called blackwater. Treated greywater reuse for non-potable purposes such as irrigation, laundry and toilet flushing is being adopted in Australia and worldwide. Greywater contains far less nitrogen, fewer pathogens and breaks down much faster than blackwater. Thus, simpler treatment may be applied to purify the water to reusable standard”. It should be recalled that sewage treatment systems date back to 1700 BC in palaces where treated wastewater was used for irrigation.

Chapters 17, 18 and 19 deal correspondingly with the problems derived from milk processing industries, fruit/vegetables and animal glue. Liquid effluents from industrial milk processing plants contain high concentrations of organic matter, nutrients and acid and alkaline products. Although some as milk sugars (basically lactose) are biodegradable and consumed in the receiving medium, others such as proteins and, especially fats are difficult to degrade. Procedures to deal with these situations are discussed in detail. “Specifically, milk processing effluents have the potential to provide a carbon source in a form that may be converted to methane by anaerobic microorganismsms, opening a possibility for a clean energy source together with pollution control”.

Animal glue is the most important protein adhesive obtained from animal hides, skins and bones through hydrolysis from the collagen. Extraction methods such as denaturation and thermal treatment are dealt with at length. The application of microbubble technique for glue production from cow skin is also introduced.

In Chapter 21 the theme is: “Algae harvesting energy conversion to biofuel technology is a promising alternative to fossil fuel that has inherent pollution attachment”. This chapter is most interesting as present resources are available for microalgae mass production and, hence, high oil yield; thus, microalgae source may be a kind of reusable energy to replace the fossil fuels in terms of quantity and cost. In this chapter algae description, cultivation, conversion to biofuel, and commercial prospects and problems are presented.

Chapter 23 carries an intriguing title: “Living Machines”, by which it is understood the characteristic that nature has an in-built system to restore itself, thereby sustaining its continuity. The biological communities – microbes, plants and animals – serve as the driving force of several living technological innovations: constructed wetlands, Lake Restores, Eco-Restorers and Reedbeds. The principles underlying the construction of Living Machines are enumerated. Examples of already functioning Living Machines are described: South Burlington, Vermont; Flex Pond, Harwich, Massachusetts, etc.

Consonant with previous sisters of the series, this volume – like previous ones – is voluminous [pun intended!!] and heavy. It is handsomely printed with superior quality paper and good binding. It abounds in illustrations, both pictorial and tabular. There are numerous references at the end of each chapter listing complete titles and all authors for each publication including some for 2010. The appendix for units’ conversion takes 47 pages and, to the best of my ability to distinguish, is the same as in preceding volumes of the series; thus there is duplication (inadvertently, I suppose, written as “duplicity” [?!] by the Editors, a perpetuation from earlier volumes) in units’ usage in the sense that both the Imperial/American system and the metric system are generally employed.

The book is extremely valuable for its exposition of theory as for praxis. For practically each procedure or modality treatment the purpose of a system, the listed specifications, the theoretical considerations, the necessary equipment, the operation and maintenance, the costs in power sources and number of staff, and the advantages and limitations of the procedure are discussed at length and in easy language. Where and when there is a mathematical analysis it is always done with extreme clarity and step by step.

The Editors desire that this book will serve as a comprehensive environmental biotechnology and bioengineering textbook as well as wide-ranging reference book. They hope and expect that it “will prove of equal high value to advanced undergraduate and graduate students, to designers of biotechnology and bioengineering systems, and to scientists and researches [and this reviewer wishes to add that lawyers working in this field may find it useful too]. The editors welcome comments from readers in all of these categories”.

J.G. LlauradoDeputy Editor, MEQ