Preface
One of the major issues that are currently dealt with all around the world is the
depletion of clean/drinking water resources along with losing fertile soil, which
would satisfy the burgeoning demand for food supply due to a growing population.
Therefore, contamination from industry, environmental accidents, or improper
wastewater treatment requires a fast, efficient, and cost-effective action to take.
Advanced nanotechnologies, biotechnologies, or their combinations could represent
a highly promising ecological and economical alternative to traditional remediation
techniques. Due to the diverse character of the target pollutants, the key processes
typically involve oxidation, reduction, sorption, and/or biological degradation. In
this book, we aim to bridge theory and practice by sharing our experience with
eliminating a wide range of pollutants from various resources utilizing innovative
nanotechnologies, biotechnologies, and their possible combinations. What has not
been omitted is evaluating the toxicity of both emerging pollutants and industrial
nanoparticles. All the above-mentioned topics represent the core of an 8-year-long
project aimed at applied research entitled “Environmentally friendly nanotechnologies and biotechnologies in water and soil treatment” (NanoBioWat) supported by
the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (project no. TE01020218). The
following academic and industrial partners actively participated in the project as
well as in the production of this book (all partners are based in the Czech Republic):
Palacký University Olomouc, Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and
Materials; Technical University of Liberec, The Institute for Nanomaterials,
Advanced Technology and Innovation; Institute of Microbiology of the Czech
Academy of Sciences; AECOM CZ s.r.o.; AQUATEST a.s.; DEKONTA, a.s.;
GEOtest, a.s.; LAC, s.r.o.; and MEGA, a.s. Leading researchers and experts from
the particular fields, being either members of the above-mentioned consortium or
based at other institutes, were asked to make their contributions to this book.
This book is organized into five topical parts and covers the most recent findings
in the particular fields: (i) Reductive technologies for water treatment: this part deals
with reductive remedial technologies applicable mainly to an in situ treatment of
inorganic and organic contaminants. Nanoscale zero-valent iron is a major reagent
vii
One of the major issues that are currently dealt with all around the world is the
depletion of clean/drinking water resources along with losing fertile soil, which
would satisfy the burgeoning demand for food supply due to a growing population.
Therefore, contamination from industry, environmental accidents, or improper
wastewater treatment requires a fast, efficient, and cost-effective action to take.
Advanced nanotechnologies, biotechnologies, or their combinations could represent
a highly promising ecological and economical alternative to traditional remediation
techniques. Due to the diverse character of the target pollutants, the key processes
typically involve oxidation, reduction, sorption, and/or biological degradation. In
this book, we aim to bridge theory and practice by sharing our experience with
eliminating a wide range of pollutants from various resources utilizing innovative
nanotechnologies, biotechnologies, and their possible combinations. What has not
been omitted is evaluating the toxicity of both emerging pollutants and industrial
nanoparticles. All the above-mentioned topics represent the core of an 8-year-long
project aimed at applied research entitled “Environmentally friendly nanotechnologies and biotechnologies in water and soil treatment” (NanoBioWat) supported by
the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (project no. TE01020218). The
following academic and industrial partners actively participated in the project as
well as in the production of this book (all partners are based in the Czech Republic):
Palacký University Olomouc, Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and
Materials; Technical University of Liberec, The Institute for Nanomaterials,
Advanced Technology and Innovation; Institute of Microbiology of the Czech
Academy of Sciences; AECOM CZ s.r.o.; AQUATEST a.s.; DEKONTA, a.s.;
GEOtest, a.s.; LAC, s.r.o.; and MEGA, a.s. Leading researchers and experts from
the particular fields, being either members of the above-mentioned consortium or
based at other institutes, were asked to make their contributions to this book.
This book is organized into five topical parts and covers the most recent findings
in the particular fields: (i) Reductive technologies for water treatment: this part deals
with reductive remedial technologies applicable mainly to an in situ treatment of
inorganic and organic contaminants. Nanoscale zero-valent iron is a major reagent
vii