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Heavy Metals in Water: Presence, Removal and Safety” is published by the Royal Society of Chemistry and consists of 16 independent chapters. The chapters can be broadly divided into two groups: those covering the techniques and processes used to deal with heavy metal pollution and those discussing a particular pollutant or pollution problem. The chapters are divided approximately equally between these two topics. The techniques presented include the use of modern approaches such as photocatalysis and nanotechnology (Chapters 2, 4 and 9) but by and large the volume emphasises the use of naturally occurring substances, waste products and bioremediation for removing heavy metals from water (Chapters 3, 10, 11, 14 and 15). This is understandable in light of the fact that most of the contributors come from developing countries where the emphasis for remediation is on low-cost readily accessible technologies. As a consequence the volume does not deal with heavy metal contamination resulting from high technology industries such as nuclear power, computer manufacturing and related electronics production where more technically advanced, but more expensive materials are employed in the industrially developed countries. The specific metal contamination problems presented are arsenic (Chapter 5), iron and manganese (Chapter 6), fluoride (Chapter 13) and chromium (Chapter 16), with the remaining chapters dealing with techniques and general surveys of heavy metal contamination. Chapters 7 and 8 stand out as chapters that deal with Chinese government policies on toxic metal contamination and should be very useful for foreign entrepreneurs wanting to establish new businesses in metals related industries |
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