Water Treatment in Developed and Developing Nations

UN studies show that high-income, developed nations treat about 70 percent of their wastewater. However, in low-income developing nations, only 8 percent of wastewater undergoes any kind of treatment. Inadequate water treatment has serious consequences for both human health and the environment.

The articles in this compendium provide a representative cross sample of both developing and developed nations' water treatment facilities. Included are the following topics:

Reclaimed water for irrigation reuse in developing countries

Sludge-handling practices in Micronesia

The removal of phthalate esters from Chinese water sources

Disposal of domestic wastewater in Nigeria

Ameba-enrichment in a South African water treatment plant

Bioenergy from wastewater produced by a Brazilian meat-processing plant

The presence of various pharmaceutical contaminants in the River Thames

Wastewater recycling in Greece

The impact on surface water from contaminants released from German water treatment plants

A Canadian constructed wetland's effectiveness for the removal of various contaminants from wastewater

Accessing irrigation from treated wastewater in the United States

The spacial distribution of fecal indicator bacteria in the groundwater beneath two American water treatment plants

Detection of contamination from retinoid acid reception agonists in Japanese water treatment plants

The editor, a respected international expert in the field, has selected investigations that offer essential information for ongoing research at the graduate and professional levels, as well as for environmental engineers and others responsible for choosing the most efficient water treatment technologies.