Environmental biotechnology offers unique, efficient, eco-friendly and economically viable options for treatment of wastes in situ and conversion of hazardous toxic waste into relatively less harmful or harmless products. It involves applications of biotechnology to the management of environment and related socio-economic and development issues.
The second volume of Handbook of Environmental Biotechnology deals with topics such as role of environmental biotechnology in waste-water treatment, biodegradable and eco-friendly products, special topics such as membrane processing, nutritional and medicinal products from marine organisms and bioenergy from industrial waste.
This volume has been divided into three sections. Section I explains the role of environmental biotechnology in waste-water treatment. Various methods such as biotreatment using modified micro-organisms, aerobic waste-water treatment processes, biological treatment of industrial and hazardous waste-water, bioconversion of waste-water from pulp and paper industry and enzymic treatment of waste-water have been discussed. Section II deals with membrane technology, nutritional and medicinal products from marine organisms, bioenergy from industrial wastes and methane from solid wastes, etc. Section III concentrates on biodegradable and eco-friendly products, and the need for incorporating biodegradability as an obvious approach for sustainable development while carrying out production of different items.
The text has been supplemented with diagrams, figures and tables. All the topics have been covered in a cogent and lucid style to help the reader grasp the information easily. Index has been provided for quick reference.
The book is a treatise on environmental biotechnology and an essential reading for all students, teachers, professionals, researchers and industrialists concerned with environmental science, microbiology and life sciences. It is also a valuable source of information for those preparing for or already associated with pollution prevention, chemical engineering, biochemical engineering, food processing and agricultural engineering. The book also caters to the requirements of the syllabus prescribed by various Indian universities for undergraduate and postgraduate students of biotechnology.
S.C. Bhatia, a Chemical Engineer from BITS, Pilani, and also an MBA, is a consultant on Environmental and Pollution Control, Energy Conservation and Polymer Sciences. He has worked in various petrochemical plants in production planning, maintenance, quality control, etc. He has authored books on subjects ranging from chemical process industries, plastic and rubber technology to perfume, soaps and cosmetics. His areas of specialisation include air and water pollution, energy conservation, rubber, plastics and bio-sciences. He has contributed numerous papers on chemical and allied subjects in journals of repute. Among his published books, Textbook of Noise Pollution and Its Control, Textbook of Biotechnology, Managing Industrial Pollution, Industrial Chemistry, Perfume, Soap and Cosmetics and Chemical Process Industries have received overwhelming response.
