This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. The activated sludge process is one of the most versatile and commonly used wastewater treatment systems in the world. In the past, when industrial wastewater treatment focused on removing biological oxygen demand and suspended solids, waste water plants needed different processes and technology. The shift to the activated sludge process means environmental engineers must build new treatment plants and retrofit old ones. In this compendium, the editor, an experienced and well-published scientist in the field, has brought together articles that relate to the new requirements.

The 2nd edition of Fundamentals of Wastewater Treatment and Design introduces readers to the fundamental concepts of wastewater treatment, followed by engineering design of unit processes for sustainable treatment of municipal wastewater and resource recovery. It has been completely updated with new chapters to reflect current advances in design, resource recovery practices and research. Another highlight is the addition of the last chapter, which provides a culminating design experience of both urban and rural wastewater treatment systems. Filling the need for a textbook focused on wastewater, it covers history, current practices, emerging concerns, future directions and pertinent regulations that have shaped the objectives of this important area of engineering. Basic principles of reaction kinetics, reactor design and environmental microbiology are introduced along with natural purification processes. It also details the design of unit processes for primary, secondary and advanced treatment, as well as solids processing and removal. Recovery of water, energy and nutrients are explained with the help of process concepts and design applications. This textbook is designed for undergraduate and graduate students who have some knowledge of environmental chemistry and fluid mechanics. Professionals in the wastewater industry will also find this a handy reference.

The past 30 years have seen the emergence of a growing desire worldwide that positive actions be taken to restore and protect the environment from the degrading effects of all forms of pollution—air, water, soil, and noise. Because pollution is a direct or indirect consequence of waste, the seemingly idealistic demand for “zero discharge” can be construed as an unrealistic demand for zero waste. However, as long as waste continues to exist, we can only attempt to abate the subsequent pollution by converting it to a less noxious form. Three major questions usually arise when a particular type of pollution has been identi?ed: (1) How serious is the pollution? (2) Is the technology to abate it available? and (3) Do the costs of abatement justify the degree of abatement achieved? This book is one of the volumes of the Handbook of Environmental Engineering series. The principal intention of this series is to help readers formulate answers to the last two questions above. The traditional approach of applying tried-and-true solutions to speci?c pollution problems has been a major contributing factor to the success of environmental en- neering, and has accounted in large measure for the establishment of a “methodology of pollution control. ” However, the realization of the ever-increasing complexity and interrelated nature of current environmental problems renders it imperative that intelligent planning of pollution abatement systems be undertaken.

Pollution and its effects on the environment have emerged as critical areas of research within the past 30 years. The Handbook of Environmental Engineering is a collection of methodologies that study the effects of pollution and waste in their three basic forms: gas, solid, and liquid. In Volume 8, Biological Treatment Processes, tried-and-true solutions comprise a “methodology of pollution control”. The distinguished panel of authors contributes detailed chapters, which include topics ranging from treatment by land application, activated sludge processes, and submerged aeration to trickling filters, lagoons, rotating biological contactors, sequencing batch reactors, digestions, and composting. Volume 8 and its sister book - Volume 9: Advanced Biological Treatment Processes – are designed as both basic biological waste treatment textbooks and reference books for advanced undergraduate and graduate students – as well as for designers of waste treatment systems, scientists, and researchers. An indispensable addition to the Humana Press series, Volume 8: Biological Treatment Processes provides an illuminating look at water pollution control and the fascinating evolution of bio-environmental engineering.

The past few years have seen the emergence of a growing, widespread desire in this country, and indeed everywhere, that positive actions be taken to restore the quality of our environment, and to protect it from the degrading effects of all forms of pollution-air, noise, solid waste, and water. Since pollution is a direct or indirect consequence of waste, if there is no waste, there can be no pollution, and the seemingly idealistic demand for "zero discharge" can be construed as a demand for zero waste. However, as long as there is waste, we can only attempt to abate the consequent pollution by converting it to a less noxious form. In those instances in which a particular type of pollution has been recognized, three major questions usually arise: (1) How serious is the pollution? (2) Is the technology to abate it available? and (3) Do the costs of abatement justify the degree of abatement achieved? The principal intention of this series of books on environmental engineering is to help the reader formu late useful answers to the second and third of these questions, i. e. , to outline the best currently available engineering solutions, and to examine their costs in the light of the real level of benefits afforded. The traditional approach of applying tried-and-true solutions to specific pollution problems has been a major factor contributing to the success of environmental engineering, and in large measure has ac counted for the establishment of a "methodology of pollution control.