Within the span of last couple of years, the increasing human interference with v- ious natural ecosystems and higher discharge of pollutants has presented numerous challenges to the society related to preserving the nature for a better tomorrow. The challenges also mount pressure on the scienti?c community to invent technologies that would provide solutions to the problems that are man made and also decrease the negative consequences that we are facing because of our own actions. This edited book attempts to present eight technological innovations that have shown potential to provide answers to a few challenges. Like the previous collection, the described innovations in the current volume also cover a range of areas including water and soil pollution, bio-sensors and energy. However, it is to be realized that no combination of technology can be enough to make a sizeable difference. As I said in my last collection, technological advances have to be integrated with a change in social behavior. The philosophy of sustainable development has to be the principle of future planning and growth. In this collection, I am pleased to include an article on noise pollution. Noise is a pollutant of our own behavior and can only be solved by a behavioral change. The change that is either voluntary or enforced by laws. As an environmental scientist noise is not normally a pollutant that would come in mind as a leading pollutant.

Hersteller:
Springer Verlag GmbH
juergen.hartmann@springer.com
Tiergartenstr. 17
DE 69121 Heidelberg

Dr. Shah obtained his doctorate degree from Sardar Patel University, India and then was a UNESCO-ROSTE fellow at Academy of Sciences of Czech Republic, Prague. He did his post-doctorate research at Polytechnic University, New York and is currently an Assistant Professor in Environmental Microbiology at Dowling College, New York. His research expertise includes drinking water treatment and environmental biotechnology.

Chapter 1: Immobilization of uranium in groundwater using biofilms Cao, B., Ahmed, B., Beyenal, H. Chapter 2: Encapsulation of potassium permanganate oxidant in biodegradable polymers to develop a novel form of controlled-release remediation Luster-Teasley, S., Onochie, P., Shirley, V. Chapter 3: Decontaminating heavy metals from water using photosynthetic microbes Lefebvre, D. D., Edwards, C. Chapter 4: Noise: The invisible pollutant that cannot be ignored Bronzaft, A. L., Hagler, L. Chapter 5: Energy production from food industry wastewaters using bioelectrochemical cells Borole, A. P., Hamilton, C. Y. Chapter 6: Needle-type multi-analyte MEMS sensor arrays for in situ measurements in biofilms Lee, J-H., Seo, Y., Lee, W. H., Bishop, P., Papautsky, I. Chapter 7: Fundamentals and applications of entrapped cell bioaugmentation for contaminant removal Siripattanakul, S., Khan, E. Chapter 8: Biofuels for transport: prospects and challenges Luque, R., Pinzi, S., Campelo, J. M., Dorado, M. P., Lopez, I., Luna, D., Marinas, J. M., Romero, A. A., Ruiz, J. J. Chapter 9: Floating Vegetated Mats For Improving Surface Water Quality Hubbard, R. K.