Omelchenko / Pivovarov / Swindall Modern Tools and Methods of Water Treatment for Improving Living Standards

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Modern Tools and Methods of Water Treatment for Improving Living Standards, Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, November 19-22, 2003
2005
ISBN: 978-1-4020-3116-8
Verlag: Springer Netherland
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, Band 48, 340 Seiten, eBook

Reihe: NATO Science Series: IV:

Providing the population of the Earth with safe drinking water is one of the biggest challenges of modern society. In recognition of this problem the United Nations Organization and UNESCO declared 2003 to be the International Year of Freshwater. On November 19-22, 2003, the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on “Modern Tools and Methods of Water Treatment for Improving Living Standards” took place in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. Thirty-one participants from 15 countries including Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, UK, Ukraine, USA, and Uzbekistan attended the meeting. They discussed the scientific concepts and practical means for the solution of the complex social, economic and ecological problems associated with water purification, consumption, conservation, and protection. They also established a network of scientists and specialists to foster further collaboration and the exchange of ideas. The location of the ARW was chosen quite deliberately. The city of Dnepropetrovsk is located on the banks of the Dnieper River and it has a population of about 1. 3 million people. As it is one of the largest industrial centers, it shares all the environmental problems, which are found in the modern Ukraine. In 2001, one in seven of the water samples taken from Ukrainian industrial and drinking water supply systems did not meet sanitary-hygienic standards, and one in twelve did not meet microbiological standards.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Omelchenko, Alexander

Pivovarov, Alexander A.

Swindall, W. Jim

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Recent Advances in Purification and Special Treatment of Water and Water Quality Monitoring.- Advances in Drinking Water Treatment in the United States.- Depositional Characteristics of Lake Sediments in Canada as Determined by Pb-210 and Cs-137.- Biosensors for Water Quality Monitoring.- Rapid Detection of Bacteria in Drinking Water.- Utilization of Mobile Analytical Tests in Wastewater Treatment Plant.- An Evaluation of the Efficacy of the Mixed-Oxidant Solutions Produced from “Activated Water” in Cooling Tower Biological Control.- Development of Modern Technologies of Special Water Treatment for Use in Various Areas of Science, Industry and Public Health.- Fibroid Sorbents for Water Purification.- Use of In-Situ Oxygen Curtain Technology in Enhanced Bioremediation of Groundwater.- Electrochemically-Stimulated Sorption and Sorption-Membrane Methods for Removal of Ionic Impurities from Water.- Innovative Water Purification Method and Devices.- Potentialities of Membrane Operations in Water Treatments.- Water Disinfection Using Silver and Copper Ions and Colloidal Gold.- Tools and Methods for Achievement of High Technological Parameters of Water Purification and Wastewater Treatment.- Water Savings and Reuse in the Textile Industry.- Biocide Polymers - New Opportunities in Water Treatment.- Optimization of Galvanic Wastewater Treatment Processes.- Efficiency of Nitrification and Denitrification Processes in Waste Water Treatment Plants.- Electrochemical Processes for Wastewater Purification Utilizing Fluidised Beds of Particles with Different Conductivity.- Cold Plasma as a New Tool for Purification of Wastewater.- Purification of Industrial Waters from Organic Compounds and Bacteria.- Management of Water Resources, Planning, Training and Education in WaterTreatment.- Industry University Cooperation for Postgraduate Education and Training in the Water Treatment Area.- Westcountry Rivers Trust United Kingdom: A Pioneering Programme for Restoration and Regeneration of Major River Basins.- Recent Developments in Wastewater Treatment in Constructed Wetlands in Poland.- Water and Public Health: Legislation as a Tool for Improving Living Standards.- The National Programme for Construction of Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants in the Republic of Bulgaria.- Water Pollution Prevention Actions in Romanian Industry.- Surface Lipid Composition of Two Emergent Water Plants Used in Constructed Wetlands.

Leseproben

WATER MANAGEMENT (p.298-299)

Management in the field of water and water quality is tightly connected to the economic and social sustainability of the state. Traditionally, water management has been based on the "command and control" approach. It represents a system of laws, directives, standards, norms or codes that usually prescribe the way of behaviour in a "top down" manner. This approach is suitable for the big water projects and point sources of pollution, but it has certain restrictions when it comes to the control of diffuse sources, source abatement or cleaner production (Harremoes 2002, Harremoes et al. 2002). Therefore, new economic instruments have been developed in the form of taxes, levies or subsidies (Middleton and Saunders 1997).

There is an ongoing debate on the privatisation of public waterworks and resources. Although the pricing is needed to lower the consumption and classify different users (such as industry or agriculture), there are strong warnings of the dangers that would accompany that process. However, in order to implement those rules, consensus or general acceptance by the community and consumers is needed. A consensual approach along with an ethical approach has been developing recently, supported by the extension of the ethical concept to mutual relations of humans, all animals, the whole environment, the earth and the universe (Harremoes 2002). Not long ago, the issues of environmental pollution were just outside of the moral community rules. Today, we know that an ethical approach in regulation is necessary for the long-term prospects. The only problem is that changes in ethics, behaviour or motivations are slow, while the driving forces and pressures on the environment are changing rapidly. Thus, "command and control" or "economic instruments" with short time constants are more appropriate for quick reaction.

Public Health Relevance

Here, we will limit our description to analysis of the most common method of water quality management, i.e., the "command and control" approach. It is based on the guidelines proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and adopted in most countries in the world. The WHO guidelines for drinking water quality are primarily aimed at protection of public health by determining the number of pollutants as health risk factors.

The guidelines are intended to be used as a basis for the development of national standards. If properly implemented, they will ensure the safety of drinking water supplies through elimination or reduction to a minimal concentration of constituents of water that are known as hazardous to health (or as a risk to health) (WHO 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998). It must be emphasized that the recommended guideline values are not mandatory. Their definition could take into consideration local or national environmental, economic, social, and other conditions. In developing the guideline values for potentially hazardous chemicals a daily per capita consumption of 2 litres of water by a person weighing 60 kg was generally assumed (WHO 1996, 1997, Gleick 1996).

It can be said that this assumption is overestimated to be on the safe side; nevertheless precaution is needed due to the different climatic factors and greater sensitivity of infants and children. There are two principal sources of information on the effects caused by exposure to chemicals that can be used in deriving guideline values. The first one originates from studies on human populations, and the second one, which is used more often, comes from toxicity studies on laboratory animals. Such studies could be biased owing to the relatively small number of animals used and the relatively high doses administrated.