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Membrane Technology in Water and Wastewater Treatment Edited by P. Hillis, R. E. Hester, and R. M. Harrison Royal Society of Chemistry Burlington House, Piccadilly London W1J 0BA England 2000, 269 pp., $139 ISBN 0-85404-800-6 Membrane filtration has recently emerged as a viable treatment technology for natural and waste waters. Membrane processes offer a comprehensive approach to meeting multiple water quality objectives for a myriad of inorganic and organic contaminants. This new, though not prominent, addition to the growing list of edited books and monographs on membrane technology contains proceedings of papers presented at the International Conference on Membrane Technology in Water and Wastewater Treatment held at the University of Lancaster, U.K, on March 27–29, 2000. The meeting was organized and sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry Water Chemistry Forum and the European Desalination Society. The meeting focused on practical aspects of membrane technology for water and wastewater applications, including treatment of ground and surface water, backwash water, seawater, and industrial and domestic wastewater. The papers in this edited book are divided into five categories. The first category contains papers describing 256 A
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membrane case studies on diverse applications such as integrated membrane plants for drinking water treatment, reverse osmosis for seawater desalination, nanofiltration pilot plant for color removal, ultrafiltration for removal of Giardia and Cryptosporidium, and microfiltration for large-scale water and wastewater treatment. The second group of papers deals with various aspects of membrane technology pertinent to water quality and treatment. Examples include novel membrane modules for drinking water treatment, phosphate and iron removal from surface water by microfiltration, microfiltration for particulate removal from water, and electrodialysis for drinking water treatment. The third group of papers deals with the important problem of membrane fouling and various physical and chemical cleaning techniques for fouled membranes. The fourth group of papers addresses the use of membranes for reuse of marginal waters such as grey and runoff waters, as well as domestic wastewater reclamation. The last group of papers describes the use of membrane technology for treatment of industrial wastes. Papers cover the use of reverse osmosis and electrodialysis for converting ash water and acid mine drainage water to boiler feedwater, use of membrane technology in the wood, pulp, and paper industries, and membrane processes for wastewater reuse for the petrochemical, power, and paper industries. The proceedings papers in this collection generally lack technical depth and are not carefully prepared. Although most of the presented case studies or applications give the reader a superficial flavor of the specific membrane process or application, they lack the necessary details to critically assess the process. The vast majority of the authors are affiliated with membrane companies, industries, or water companies and utilities. Consequently, the read-
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er cannot avoid the impression that the authors attempt to promote their membrane module and technology rather than to present the engineering and scientific principles underlying the process. Because the papers are so brief, discussion and analysis of the results are left out. Although practitioners may find some of the information in the book useful, particularly the application of new membrane modules to treatment of various waters, the high cost of the book may be prohibitive. Readers interested in the growing field of membrane technology for water quality control may refer to relevant journals (Journal of Membrane Science and Desalination) or to recent books and monographs. Some of the recommended books are Water Treatment Membrane Processes (J. Mallevialle et al., Eds., McGraw-Hill, 1996), Ultrafiltration and Microfiltration Handbook (M. Cheryan, Technomic, 1998), and Membrane Technology and Applications (R. W. Baker, McGraw-Hill, 1999). Reviewed by Menachem Elimelech, Department of Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering Program, Yale University.
Books Climate Change Economics and Policy, M. A. Toman, Ed. (Resources for the Future, 2001, 276 pp., $22.95). Beginning with an overview of policy history, this anthology on climate change risk presents assessments on policy options such as electricity restructuring, emissions trading, and inducements for technological progress. Competitive Environment Strategy: A Guide to the Changing Business Landscape, A. J. Hoffman (Island Press, 2000, 288 pp., $30). © 2001 American Chemical Society
The author maintains that sustainability and economic growth are not mutually exclusive and uses case studies and documented theory to illustrate connections between environmental management and business strategy.
Maynard; Eds. (Imperial College Press, 2001, 367 pp., $48). For students, researchers, regulatory toxicologists, and public health professionals, this volume presents data and current perceptions on the effects of air pollution on health.
El Niño and the Southern Oscillation: Multiscale Variability and Global and Regional Impacts, H. F. Diaz, V. Markgraf, Eds. (Cambridge University Press, 2000, 488 pp., $90). This text, suited to a wide range of scientists and researchers, compares the El Niño Southern Oscillation phenomenon’s modern morphology and variability with its recent historic and prehistoric behavior.
Tourism and Development in Mountain Regions, P. M. Goode, M. F. Price, F. M. Zimmermann, Eds. (Oxford University Press, 2000, 338 pp., $85). Case studies from around the world are gathered as a point of discussion of the fragility of mountain regions and the need for tourism in the context of ecosystem and cultural conservation.
Hot-Mix Asphalt Paving, National Asphalt Paving Association (National Asphalt Paving Association, Second Edition, 2001, $25). Written for government contractor personnel, this handbook describes the production and placement of asphalt mixtures and is updated to include advances in recycling, new quality control practices, and new techniques and technologies from Europe. Introduction to Risk Analysis: A Systemic Approach to ScienceBased Decision Making, D. M. Byrd; C. R. Cothern (ABS Group Inc., Government Institutes Division, 2000, 412 pp., $99). This well-illustrated reference for attorneys, environmental managers, and other professionals is a guide to policies from regulatory agencies and regulatory risk analysis and takes a quantitative look at topics such as data graphing, logarithmic thinking, risk estimating, and curve fitting. People and Forests: Communities, Institutions and Governance, C. C. Gibson, M. A. McKean, E. Ostrom, Eds. (The MIT Press, 2000, 274 pp., $21). As part of the International Forestry Resources and Institutions research program, each contributor employs the same methods and uses case studies from countries such as Uganda, Bolivia, and India to examine why some people use forests sustainably and others do not. The Urban Atmosphere and Its Effects, Vol. 1, P. Brimblecombe; R. L.
Web Sites The World Bank’s New Ideas in Pollution Regulation (www. worldbank.org/nipr) Web site is for researchers, government officials, and others interested in understanding and improving control of industrial pollution, especially in developing countries. The site is a primary source for materials produced by the World Bank Economics of Industrial Pollution Control Research Project. Users can access research papers and publications, such as Greening Industry, which is hyperlinked. Additional topics include how the Chinese system of subsidies and charges affects pollution control and other green ideas for pollution control in developing nations. Users can read topic briefings grouped under headings such as “Incentives” and “EPAs of the World”. The site’s resources include extensive links, pollution modeling and data, GIS and pollution, and options for accessing data by country. The South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE) (www. sandeeonline.com) is a new network that seeks to use economic tools and analyses to address some of South Asia’s environmental challenges. SANDEE was launched in Katmandu in November 1999, with more than 60 participants from 10 countries participating in the inaugural. SANDEE is based on the premise that the joint field of envi-
ronment and development economics offers a useful framework for analyzing the growth–poverty– environmental change nexus. Users can access updates on research grants and competitions, links to databases, journals, teaching tools, and environmental economic networks on the Web. SANDEE is managed through the establishment of a small secretariat at IUCN—the World Conservation Union Nepal. The Secretariat implements a careful proposal review and grant-making process, organizes training workshops and biannual meetings, manages Web information, and ensures that publications emerge from SANDEE. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) (www.ifpri.cgiar.org) promotes policy and environmental research on agriculture and food issues in the developing world. The IFPRI Web site presents users with research by country and by region. Users can access data sets—and request them to be sent— of national indicators, agricultural sectors, communities, and households; these are used to measure the impact of policy on agroecosystems. Users can read newsletters, which include news and research updates, and also peruse policy briefs on global ecosystems and other topics related to food policy and agriculture in the developing world. The U.S. EPA’s Clean Air Markets Division (www.epa.gov/airmarkets), which replaced the Acid Rain Division, runs various market-based regulatory programs collectively known as clean air market programs. Among the current projects are reducing emissions of SO2 and NOx , control technology assessments, design and operation of SO2 and NOx programs, emissions monitoring and reporting, atmospheric deposition monitoring and analysis, information systems for market programs, and education about acid rain. This Web site replaces the former acid rain site and includes expanded information. Users can access acid rain summary emission reports, data on progress and results, related environmental issues, allowance trading, and regulations. Users can also access information on key issues—acid deposition, smog– ozone transport, and regional haze.
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