Engineering Tools for Environmental Risk Management ─ 4. Risk Reduction Technologies

The theory and practice of reducing the environmental risk of chemicals is a key issue in environmental protection. This volume deals with remediation technologies and introduces their functional classification, applicability and relation to natural risk reduction processes. We demonstrate how the proper characterization and understanding of the environmental technologies helps decision making and finding the problem-suited engineering tools. The reactor approach is an important model for in situ remediation which supports professionals in applying well-controlled bioengineering or eco-engineering tools combined with conventional physical or chemical technologies and processes. The first task is finding the best catalyst which may be a chemical agent, a living organism or the soil community. The second task is ensuring optimal conditions for the operation of the catalyst by environmental parameter control; redox-potential manipulation; optimal nutrient supply, etc. The final engineering task is the verification of the applied technology feedbacks to the complex environmental risk management. The risk management and decision-making procedure relies to a great extent on innovation, problem-specific solutions, evaluation and verification of remedial technologies, as well as their integration into a risk reduction strategy.
The comprehensive overview on the approaches, concepts and technologies is followed by the analysis of natural attenuation, biological and ecological engineering tools, artificial ecosystems and living machines, biodegradation-based remediation, including those based on co-metabolism, bioleaching, phytoremediation, physical, chemical, electrochemical and thermal remediation. The book deals with nanotechnologies, reactive barriers and zones, soil amelioration and remediation using wastes. General technology descriptions and concrete applications are discussed. Risk reduction strategies and options, decision making, fitting the strategies and technologies to the problem or the contaminated site are also dealt with in detail.
The evaluation of a technology in advance in aid of decision making and planning, during technology application for the validation of the plan, and after the application for verifying the technology are differentiated and explained in detail. The methodologies of risk assessment, socio-economic assessment, eco-efficiency and life-cycle assessment as well as multicriteria-analysis as an aggregating tool are presented and demonstrated by examples.

Katalin Gruiz is Associate Professor at Budapest University of Technlogy, Budapest, Hungary.
She graduated in chemical engineering at Budapest University of Technology and Economics in 1975, received her doctorate in bioengineering and her Ph.D. in environmental engineering. Her main fields of activities are: teaching, consulting, research and development of engineering tools for risk-based environmental management, development and use of innovative technologies such as special environmental toxicity assays, integrated monitoring methods, biological and ecological remediation technologies for soils and waters, both for regulatory and engineering purposes. Prof. Gruiz has published 35 papers, 25 book chapters, more than hundred conference papers, edited 6 books and a special journal edition. She has coordinated a number of Hungarian research projects and participated in European ones. Gruiz is a member of the REACH Risk Assessment Committee of the European Chemicals Agency. She is a full time associate professor at Budapest University of Technology and Economics and heads the research group of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology.

Tamas Meggyes is Research Coordinator in Berlin, Germany.
He is specialising in research and book projects in environmental engineering. His work focuses on fluid mechanics, hydraulic transport of solids, jet devices, landfill engineering, groundwater remediation, tailings facilities and risk-based environmental management. He contributed to and organised several international conferences and national and European integrated research projects in Hungary, Germany, United Kingdom and USA. Tamas Meggyes was Europe editor of the Land Contamination and Reclamation journal in the UK and a reviewer of several environmental journals. He was invited by the EU as an expert evaluator to assess research applications and by Samarco Mining Company, Brazil, as a tailings management expert. In 2007, he was named Visiting Professor of Built Environment Sustainability at the University of Wolverhampton, UK. He has published 130 papers including eleven books and holds a doctor’s title in fluid mechanics and a Ph.D. degree in landfill engineering from Miskolc University, Hungary.

Eva Fenyvesi is senior scientist and founding member of CycloLab Cyclodextrin Research and Development Ltd, Budapest, Hungary.
She graduated as a chemist and received her PhD in chemical technology at Eotvos University of Natural Sciences, Budapest. She is experienced in the preparation and application of cyclodextrin polymers, in environmental application of cyclodextrins and in gas chromatography. She participated in several national and international research projects, in the development of various environmental technologies applying cyclodextrins. She is author or co-author of over 50 scientific papers, 3 chapters in monographs, over 50 conference presentations and 14 patents. She is an editor of the Cyclodextrin News, the monthly periodical on cyclodextrins.