Waste Water / Evaluation and Management

VARIOS AUTORES

InTech

Lugar: Rijeka; Año: 2011 p. 470

978-953-307-233-3

Wastes are materials generated as a result of numerous anthropic activities and should be disposed to prevent environmental pollution which affects human health and contributes ecosystem degradation. Most of the environmental problems, which we are dealing with, are a result of improper management of wastes. In particular, fresh water resources are under serious stress throughout the globe. Water supply and water quality degradation are global concerns. Anthropogenic pollution of natural waters constitutes of many substances and many water bodies receive a varied range of waste water from point and/or non point sources. Hence there is an increasing need for better tools to asses the effects of pollution sources and prevent the contamination of aquatic ecosystems. The reduction of risks to the aquatic systems requires the characterization of waste waters, the analysis of the impact of waste water on freshwaters and the reduction of contaminants through the application of appropriate policies and measures. Therefore, the development of improved monitoring tools, impact evaluation approaches and treatment technologies are active research fields. The major sources of wastewater can be classified as municipal, industrial and agricultural. In order to evaluate the impact of these types of waste waters on the aquatic ecosystem, monitoring is necessary because wastewater is discharged back into surface. To ensure the effluent water quality, some global parameters such as biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC) and total suspended solids (TSS) are usually measured. In addition to the latter indicators, toxicological assessment of environmental samples is necessary for a proper monitoring of wastewater quality. On the other hand, the use of models for predicting effluent indicators can provide effective guidance for the operation of waste water treatment plants. This multi-authored book takes a look at various aspects concerning the evaluation and management of waste water. The book chapters, heterogeneous in nature, were invited by the publisher and the authors are responsible for their statements. The accuracy of each chapter was checked by the authors through proof reading stages. The book covers a wide spectrum of issues related to waste water monitoring, the evaluation of waste water effect on different natural environments and the management of water resources. The reader will find current information and data obtained in studies undertaken to assess the quality of waste waters and the impact of pollution sources on natural water bodies. The chapters are basically organized in three sections. In the first section, chapters are mainly focused on methods for monitoring parameters of waste water quality. The second section includes several case studies dealing with the evaluation of the effects of waste water on different regions in the world. The final section covers topics related to waste water management and environmental policies. We hope that this publication will be a useful document for students, professionals and researchers of various disciplines related to waste water evaluation and management. The book is a result of efforts by many experts from different fields. I would like to acknowledge the authors, who are from different countries, for their contribution to the book. I wish to offer special thanks to Prof. Katarina Lovrecic for her exceptional help throughout the preparation process. Fernando García Einschlag La Plata University Argentina