Suchergebnisse

It is known for milleniums, that water is forming the principle base for the total biosphere including human beings ('Thales [of Milet] says that it [the nature of things] is water' Aristoteles, Metaph. 983 b20), Nevertheless, basically the anthropogenic activities and human requirements, in particular our enormous consume of chemicals, are affecting worldwide the aquatic environment on a rapidly increasing level. Consequently, huge scientific efforts, worldwide, focussed intensively on increasing the knowlegde about the state of pollution and on the most important processes harming the aquatic systems. The overall aim is the rehabilitation and protection of this unique and essential compartment. Environmental studies on riverine and groundwater systems are base research activities at the Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Petroleum and Coal, RWTH Aachen University. This book summarizes the analytical and organic-geochemical work performed between 1998 and 2003 at this institute. All the individual studies and the corresponding results were separately published in various scientific journals. However, I felt the substantial need to combine these individual parts in order to reveal a comprehensive overview on all the different and novel aspects concerning the organic contamination of rivers and groundwater.

This third volume focusses on anthropogenic organic pollutants harming the environment. Their structural diversity and fate in the environment, their effects and relevance are presented. For such a flexible usage this textbook series 'Fundamentals in Organic Geochemistry' consists of different volumes with clear defined aspects and with manageable length. Organic Geochemistry is a modern scientific subject characterized by a high transdisciplinarity and located at the edge of chemistry, environmental sciences, geology and biology. Therefore, there is a need for a flexible offer of appropriate academic teaching material on an undergraduate level addressed to the variety of students coming originally from different study disciplines

This second volume in the series 'Fundamentals in Organic Geochemistry' focusses on molecular chemical aspects introducing the structural diversity of natural products, their fate in the sedimentary systems and the consequences of the corresponding alterations for geoscientific questions. Organic Geochemistry is a modern scientific subject characterized by a high transdisciplinarity and located at the edge of chemistry, environmental sciences, geology and biology. Therefore, there is a need for a flexible offer of appropriate academic teaching material on an undergraduate level addressed to the variety of students coming originally from different study disciplines. For such a flexible usage this textbook series consists of different volumes with clear defined aspects and with manageable length

This book presents advanced methods to analyse and clean pollutants, such as nanotechnology to treat water, techniques to remediate building materials, and bioindicators. It is very important that the understanding of these methods are brought to the attention of scientists, as cities and ecosystems are still polluted by toxic compounds despite efforts to clean the planet

This book details first the chemistry of hydrogen production from biomass. Solutions to the CO2issue are given in three chapters, which describe CO2 photo catalytic reduction, CO2 sequestration in terrestrial biomass, and plants as renewable fuels. Further chapters review the selenium cycle in ecosystems, advanced processes to treat water and ecological ways to dye textiles. Society growth during the last century has almost entirely relied on the carbon economy, which is the use of fossil fuels for energy and materials. The carbon economy has provided and will still provide many benefits. However, the increasing use of fossil fuels is partly responsible for the increase of atmospheric CO2concentrations and in turn, global warming. There is therefore an urgent need for cleaner fuels such as hydrogen, as well as a need for a carbon neutral economy where each emitted CO2molecule is fast sequestered in plants, algae, soils, sub soils and sediments. Dr. Eric Lichtfouse is Editor of scholarly journals and series in environmental chemistry and agriculture. He teaching scientific writing in Europe and the USA and is heading publication assistance services. He has done research in organic geochemistry, soil carbon dynamics and phytoremediation. He is the author of the book 'Scientific Writing for Impact Factor Journals'.Dr. Jan Schwarzbauer is Editor of the journal 'Environmental Earth Sciences' and Subject Editor of 'Journal of Soils and Sediments'. After studying chemistry at the University of Hamburg, he is working since 1998 at the RWTH Aachen University leading as full professor the group 'Environmental Organic Geochemistry'.Dr. Didier Robert is professor in organic chemistry and green chemistry at the University of Lorraine-Metz (France). He is associate editor of the Journal of Photocatalysis Sciencesand its research activities are devoted to the decontamination of air and water by photochemical processes, especially by photocatalysis.

Pollution has no borders. This popular 70's saying from early ecologists is surprisingly still true nowadays despite overwhelming scientific evidence and public awareness of the occurrence of artificial toxic substances in water, food, air, living organisms and the environment. This book presents advanced reviews on pollutant occurrence, transfer, toxicity and remediation. The chapter on school air quality by Dambruoso et al. highlights the overlooked health issue of airborne pollutants in buildings. Children are particularly threatened because they spend 90% of their time indoors, even in summer. The chapter on industrial wastewater pollutants by Dsikowitzky and Schwarzbauer reviews pollutants from textile, petrochemical, paper, tire, chemical and pharmaceutical plants. The authors describe advanced analytical methods and ecotoxicity tests. Industrial pollutants include dioxins and furans that are also reviewed in the chapter by Mudhoo et al. The chapter on fly ash by Gianoncelli et al. presents many techniques to treat fly ash and, in turn, decrease pollutant concentrations. The authors also explain that fly ash can be recycled in agriculture, buildings and geopolymers. The chapter on antifouling paints used for ship protection, by Sousa et al., highlights the occurrence of toxic organotins in human organs such as heart, liver and breast milk. The chapter on surfactants by Rebello et al. focuses on safety concerns for humans and the ecosystems. Remediation techniques and green surfactants are presented. The chapters on toxic metals by Nava-Ruiz and Mendez-Armenta, Abarikwu and Risti? et al. describe sources, monitoring and diseases induced by lead, mercury, cadmium and thallium. The chapter on carcinogenic nitrosamines by Li et al. presents techniques and materials such as zeolites to remediate liquids and smoke containing nitrosamines.

Using renewable fuels and materials, drinking clean water and food, and breathing safe air are major issues for a sustainable world. This book reviews biodiesel production from microalgae, a promising energy source that does not compete with food production. Several advanced techniques to clean polluted waters, such as electrochemistry, ferrites photocatalysis and low-cost filtration are presented. Chapters also show various living organisms used as bioindicators of toxic metals. Decreasing ecotoxicity of pesticides using suitable surfactants is reviewed. The last chapter evidences new pollutants in urban soils, halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Environmental chemistry is a new, fast developing science aimed at deciphering fundamental mechanisms ruling the behaviour of pollutants in ecosystems. Applying this knowledge to current environmental issues leads to the remediation of environmental media, and to new, low energy, low emission, sustainable processes. This book describes the state-of-the-art advances regarding the pollution of water, soils, atmosphere, food and living organisms by toxic metals, fossil fuels, pesticides and other organic pollutants. Furthermore, the eco-toxicology section presents novel bio-assays to assess the toxicity of various pollutants such as dioxins and endocrine disrupters within complex media. The green chemistry section highlights novel chemical reactions based upon environmentally friendly conditions. The analytical chemistry section describes very sensitive methods which trace the fate of pollutants in complex ecosystems. TOC:From the contents: Analytical Chemistry.- Toxic Metals.- Organic Pollutants.- Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds.- Pesticides.- Green Chemistry.- Ecotoxicology

Abstract
Background
The reconstruction of the pollution history using aquatic sedimentary archives is of major relevance not only for the present and past, but also for future actions. The extent and influence of past anthropogenic emissions can be correlated with site-specific (e.g., industrial) developments as well as political actions, regulations, and initiatives. Finally, the need for further restrictions, specific monitoring or other countermeasures can be defined. Accordingly, within the scope of this study, a drilling core of subaquatic sediment was comprehensively analyzed to reconstruct the pollution history of the Urft reservoir and to understand the linkage between introduction, fate, and behavior of different organic pollutants.

Results
The Urft reservoir is well suitable for pollution reconstruction as the investigated interval covered a period of nearly 60 years of undisturbed sedimentation of fine-grained material. Additionally, specific input factors and their development (e.g., in industrial production) could be easily correlated with the emission profile detected for the reservoir. Overall, quantitative data of more than 60 lipophilic organic compounds were obtained and traced back to urban and industrial emissions. Concentrations were mainly in the range of ng/gTOC–µg/gTOC showing a decreasing tendency toward the surface and, thus, the effectiveness of political regulations. In addition, a clear maximum was detected for almost all substances at the end of the 1970s/beginning of the 1980s, probably related to an exceptional event such as a flood or a malfunction affecting wastewater-related compounds of both urban and industrial origin.

Conclusions
Based on the organic-geochemical investigation and the associated dating, it was possible to reconstruct the pollution history of the Urft catchment in the northern Eifel mountains. Overall, organic indicators have proven to be very useful to obtain information on distribution patterns and the influence of industrial as well as governmental actions. For instance, catchment-specific developments such as the closure of ironworks were recognizable in the identified emission patterns. Generally, in the last 50 years, the pollution of the reservoir sediment has decreased clearly showing the efficiency of increasing environmental awareness and corresponding regulations.

Abstract
Background
Extreme weather events and natural disasters such as floods can cause severe damage and impacts on catchment systems covering natural as well as urban, industrial or agricultural areas. Thus, floods often lead to the acute and unusual release of organic pollutants, as well as the remobilization of legacy contaminations or old burdens. Floodplains are then of major relevance for the accumulation of pollutants. Accordingly, various floodplains distributed throughout the course of the Rur River were sampled immediately after two flood events in January/February and July 2021. The main objective was to address the general lack of knowledge on indirect effects of flooding and the corresponding distribution and accumulation of organic pollutants regarding different dimensions and dynamics of flood events.

Results
Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) based non-target screenings revealed the presence of several lipophilic to moderate polar organic pollutant groups, including PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), hopanes, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), LABs (linear alkylbenzenes) and various other industrial substances. These substances are indicators of petrogenic pollution, historical and current industry in the catchment area, and of wastewater and urban pollution, respectively. In general, concentrations detected after the extreme summer flood were higher than in winter. This points to additional emission sources due to substantially higher discharges and consequently more severe flooding in July. The main tributaries also had a major influence on the input and concentrations of organic pollutants at the receiving Rur River. Further on, structural features such as dams and reservoirs, but also (re)naturalized areas were clearly recognizable in the flood-related dispersion of organic pollutants. Interestingly, LAB contamination was similar after both flood events regardless of the specific dimension.

Conclusions
Flood dimension and frequency are of great relevance for the distribution, remobilization and accumulation of organic contaminants. However, special attention should be given to the introduction of wastewater pollutants for any flood extent. Overall, organic indicators are therefore very useful to obtain information on specific distribution patterns and the influence of tributaries or structural measures, providing an important basis for the assessment of short- and long-term environmental risks and hazards.