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The sources, chemistry, fate and effects of chromium in aquatic environments
V~b.ter Re~ VoL 17. No. 7 pp. 835-~39. 1983 Pergamon Press Ltd. Printed in Great Britain
BOOK REVIEWS .Management of Industrial ~,Vastewater in Developing Nations. edited by D. Stuckey and A. Hamza. Pergamon Press. Oxford, 1982, 500 pp.. £35, 570.
This publication contains 41 of the 64 papers that were presented at an international symposium in Alexandria. Egypt in March 1981. The presence there of over 300 participants from 23 nations is an indication of the importance and topicality of the subject. Except for a handful of papers all the contributions were relevant to the problems of industrial wastewater treatment and management. The papers may be divided into three broad groups. The first group deals with the principles and policy of wastewater control at regional or national levels. These papers draw attention to the importance of creating an agency to implement control policies, to set objectives and provide the financial, technical and trained manpower resources that will be necessary. Surveys intended to provide information on the extent of the pollution problem and to monitor the quality of rivers at strategic points make it possible to project the capital works that will be required and provide the means to measure the effect of introducing pollution control measures. Surveys of this kind have revealed the extent to which industrial wastewater contributes to the heavy pollution load arising from municipal wastewater and have already led to the conclusion, in the case of Egypt, that industrial effluents capable of being admitted into public sewers before being discharged to the sea should first be given adequate pre-treatment. The second group of papers deal with the general aspects of industrial wastewater disposal. In this connection it is noted that in-house control of effluents and reuse of effluents or new alternative processes to eliminate or minimise the production of wastewater are being urged in industry as essential first steps to take before wastewater treatment is considered. This group includes studies of the pollution resulting from the extraction of mineral ores, processes that result in biodegradable wastes and the effects of wastewater discharges on receiving waters. The third group contains the largest number of papers and these are concerned with a wide range of processes, such as pond treatment, rotating biological contactors, anaerobic processes and aerobic treatment in trickling filters. batch activated sludge aeration tanks and in extended aeration systems. Singularly little attempt is made to cost these processes or to make critical comparisons between their operational, energy or manpower requirements or other factors that need to be taken into consideration in selecting the most appropriate treatment plant. Included in this group are some interesting papers on the treatment of strong biodegradable wastes, on the recycling of water in a variety of operations--textile manufacture, steel plants. poultry rearing, petrochemical manufacture, fruit juice preparation and the treatment of wastewater from pineapple packing and match manufacture. Reliable data on the nature of some of these effluents may sometimes be difficult to obtain and their publication will be useful to consultants. The papers generally are factual and practical and statements are supported by a wealth of data in tabular or graphical form. The combination of papers dealing with the legal and administrative aspects of industrial wastewater pollution control, the practical aspects of unit pro-
cesses for v, astewater treatment and consideration of the effluents from individual processes {though their treatment to a high level of purity is beyond the resources of developing countries at this stage) fixes in the mind of the reader the overall problem of water pollution abatement that confronts most developing nations. S. H. JENKINS,,
The Sources, Chemistry. Fate and Effects of Chromium in Aquatic Environments. American Petroleum Institute, 1981. This publication is a critical review of the recent literature on c h r o m i u m c o m p o u n d s in the aquatic environment, prepared by Ecological Analysts Inc. of Sparks. Maryland. U.S.A. It covers analytical methods for determining chromium, referring to a wide variety of instrumental procedures and making comparisons between them. The chemistry of c h r o m i u m c o m p o u n d s is described and a comprehensive account given of the processes that result in discharges of c h r o m i u m bearing effluent. The effects of c o m p o u n d s of c h r o m i u m in the tri- and hexa-valent forms in water on h u m a n s are unimportant. However, a very voluminous literature exists on the toxicological effects of these compounds on fish and invertebrates in freshwater and marine environments; this subject is well reviewed and documented. Water quality criteria for c h r o m i u m are discussed critically in a chapter that provides an excellent assessment of current views concerning the protection of aquatic life from the effects of waterborne c h r o m i u m compounds. Since most of the c h r o m i u m in waters becomes concentrated in the particulate matter and eventually in the sludge produced when effluents containing c h r o m i u m are treated in admixture with sewage, it is surprising that no mention is made of the fate of c h r o m i u m present in sludge. particularly when sludge is applied to agricultural land. The book. provides a very useful and comprehensive account of the occurrence, examination and effects of c h r o m i u m c o m p o u n d s in the aquatic environment.
835
S. H. J~xKXXS~
Metaux Lourds en Mediterande (Heavy Metals in the Mediterranean), by M. Aubert, P. Revillon, G. Flateau and J. Aubert. Revue Internationale d'Oceanographie M6dicale. Part 2, T o m e LXV. 1982. This book contains tables of analyses of the heavy metals obtained during the oceanographic surveys carried out by C E R B O M during 1979-1982. The number of stations sampled was 400, and 3500 determinations were made. Part 1 dealt with the result of surveys carried out between 1965 and 1979. The samples were taken off the French Mediterranean coast, the Gulf of Lyons, the Tyrrenian Sea, the Straits of Malta and Sicily. the Spanish Mediterranean Coast and the Straits of Gibralter as well as on the west coast of Italy. The Gulfs of H a m m a n e t and Gabes on the eastern part of Tunisia were also sampled. This is an interesting collection of data, which sho~vs some surprising differences in the concentrations of metals
BOOK REVIEWS .Management of Industrial ~,Vastewater in Developing Nations. edited by D. Stuckey and A. Hamza. Pergamon Press. Oxford, 1982, 500 pp.. £35, 570.
This publication contains 41 of the 64 papers that were presented at an international symposium in Alexandria. Egypt in March 1981. The presence there of over 300 participants from 23 nations is an indication of the importance and topicality of the subject. Except for a handful of papers all the contributions were relevant to the problems of industrial wastewater treatment and management. The papers may be divided into three broad groups. The first group deals with the principles and policy of wastewater control at regional or national levels. These papers draw attention to the importance of creating an agency to implement control policies, to set objectives and provide the financial, technical and trained manpower resources that will be necessary. Surveys intended to provide information on the extent of the pollution problem and to monitor the quality of rivers at strategic points make it possible to project the capital works that will be required and provide the means to measure the effect of introducing pollution control measures. Surveys of this kind have revealed the extent to which industrial wastewater contributes to the heavy pollution load arising from municipal wastewater and have already led to the conclusion, in the case of Egypt, that industrial effluents capable of being admitted into public sewers before being discharged to the sea should first be given adequate pre-treatment. The second group of papers deal with the general aspects of industrial wastewater disposal. In this connection it is noted that in-house control of effluents and reuse of effluents or new alternative processes to eliminate or minimise the production of wastewater are being urged in industry as essential first steps to take before wastewater treatment is considered. This group includes studies of the pollution resulting from the extraction of mineral ores, processes that result in biodegradable wastes and the effects of wastewater discharges on receiving waters. The third group contains the largest number of papers and these are concerned with a wide range of processes, such as pond treatment, rotating biological contactors, anaerobic processes and aerobic treatment in trickling filters. batch activated sludge aeration tanks and in extended aeration systems. Singularly little attempt is made to cost these processes or to make critical comparisons between their operational, energy or manpower requirements or other factors that need to be taken into consideration in selecting the most appropriate treatment plant. Included in this group are some interesting papers on the treatment of strong biodegradable wastes, on the recycling of water in a variety of operations--textile manufacture, steel plants. poultry rearing, petrochemical manufacture, fruit juice preparation and the treatment of wastewater from pineapple packing and match manufacture. Reliable data on the nature of some of these effluents may sometimes be difficult to obtain and their publication will be useful to consultants. The papers generally are factual and practical and statements are supported by a wealth of data in tabular or graphical form. The combination of papers dealing with the legal and administrative aspects of industrial wastewater pollution control, the practical aspects of unit pro-
cesses for v, astewater treatment and consideration of the effluents from individual processes {though their treatment to a high level of purity is beyond the resources of developing countries at this stage) fixes in the mind of the reader the overall problem of water pollution abatement that confronts most developing nations. S. H. JENKINS,,
The Sources, Chemistry. Fate and Effects of Chromium in Aquatic Environments. American Petroleum Institute, 1981. This publication is a critical review of the recent literature on c h r o m i u m c o m p o u n d s in the aquatic environment, prepared by Ecological Analysts Inc. of Sparks. Maryland. U.S.A. It covers analytical methods for determining chromium, referring to a wide variety of instrumental procedures and making comparisons between them. The chemistry of c h r o m i u m c o m p o u n d s is described and a comprehensive account given of the processes that result in discharges of c h r o m i u m bearing effluent. The effects of c o m p o u n d s of c h r o m i u m in the tri- and hexa-valent forms in water on h u m a n s are unimportant. However, a very voluminous literature exists on the toxicological effects of these compounds on fish and invertebrates in freshwater and marine environments; this subject is well reviewed and documented. Water quality criteria for c h r o m i u m are discussed critically in a chapter that provides an excellent assessment of current views concerning the protection of aquatic life from the effects of waterborne c h r o m i u m compounds. Since most of the c h r o m i u m in waters becomes concentrated in the particulate matter and eventually in the sludge produced when effluents containing c h r o m i u m are treated in admixture with sewage, it is surprising that no mention is made of the fate of c h r o m i u m present in sludge. particularly when sludge is applied to agricultural land. The book. provides a very useful and comprehensive account of the occurrence, examination and effects of c h r o m i u m c o m p o u n d s in the aquatic environment.
835
S. H. J~xKXXS~
Metaux Lourds en Mediterande (Heavy Metals in the Mediterranean), by M. Aubert, P. Revillon, G. Flateau and J. Aubert. Revue Internationale d'Oceanographie M6dicale. Part 2, T o m e LXV. 1982. This book contains tables of analyses of the heavy metals obtained during the oceanographic surveys carried out by C E R B O M during 1979-1982. The number of stations sampled was 400, and 3500 determinations were made. Part 1 dealt with the result of surveys carried out between 1965 and 1979. The samples were taken off the French Mediterranean coast, the Gulf of Lyons, the Tyrrenian Sea, the Straits of Malta and Sicily. the Spanish Mediterranean Coast and the Straits of Gibralter as well as on the west coast of Italy. The Gulfs of H a m m a n e t and Gabes on the eastern part of Tunisia were also sampled. This is an interesting collection of data, which sho~vs some surprising differences in the concentrations of metals