Klaus Kümmerer – författare

This volume offers a detailed overview of currently applied and tested wastewater treatment technologies and the integration of advanced processes to remove trace organic contaminants and microorganisms. It discusses the potential of enhanced biological treatment to produce effluent suitable for reuse, new processes for urban wastewater disinfection and the reduction of antibiotic resistant bacteria, as well as the effect of advanced oxidation processes on wastewater microbiome and chemical contaminants. It also presents membrane bioreactors, moving bed bioreactors, light and solar driven technologies, ozonation and immobilised heterogeneous photocatalysis and provides an evaluation of the potential of constructed wetlands integrated with advanced oxidation technologies to produce wastewater safe for reuse. Furthermore, the volume discusses water reuse issues and standards, the status of membrane bioreactors applications, and the treatment of reverse osmosis concentrate for enhancedwater recovery during wastewater treatment. Finally, it presents recent developments in potable water reuse and addresses various important issues in this framework, like the proper protection of public health, reliability and monitoring. This volume is of interest to experts, scientists and practitioners from various fields of research, including analytical and environmental chemistry, toxicology and environmental and sanitary engineering, as well as treatment plant operators and policymakers.

This volume discusses the current challenges related to the reuse of wastewater. It reviews the analytical methodologies for evaluating emerging contaminants and their transformation products, the sensitivity of various bioassays for assessing the biological effects of treated wastewater, and the bioavailability and uptake of organic contaminants during crop irrigation. It describes in detail the physicochemical and microbiological alterations in soil resulting from irrigation with treated urban wastewater, and discusses our current understanding of antibiotic resistance in wastewater treatment plants and in downstream environments. The book also includes an analysis of the effect of wastewater entering drinking water sources and production, and provides updated information on wastewater reuse for irrigation in North Africa. It presents an important integration tool for water recovery, known as water pinch analysis, and finally showcases two other examples of reuse – one in the paper industry and one in landfill management. It is of interest to experts from various fields of research, including analytical and environmental chemistry, toxicology and environmental and sanitary engineering.

Within recent years pharmaceuticals have come into focus as contaminants of the environment (see for example Kümmerer, K. editor: Pharmaceuticals in the Environment). At the same time the issue of sustainable chemistry gained momentum. Bringing both together would result in sustainable pharmacy. Sustainable pharmacy is a totally new issue and approach. It addresses environmental, economical and social aspects of pharmacy. In the present stage the focus will be on environmental issues along the whole lifecycle of a pharmaceutical entity. That is dealing with resources and energy input but also with waste issues for example during the synthesis and production of an active pharmaceutical ingredient. Furthermore, it would also look on the compounds themselves and will aim to improve the degradability of the compounds after their use in the environment to reduce the environmental risk caused by pharmaceuticals in the environment. Another issue is the people using pharmaceuticals such as pharmacists, medical doctors and patients. How can they contribute to more efficient use of pharmaceuticals with less environmental burden and less risk for drinking water. The book "Sustainable Pharmacy" will address all these issues and will be the first one dealing with this important topic.

Das Buch weitet den Blick über die kurzfristige Verfügbarkeit von kritischen Metallen auf die grundlegende Frage: Kritisch für wen? Die Autoren nehmen alle Akteure in den Blick und behandeln geologische, chemische, technische, ökonomische und soziale Aspekte wie auch Fragen des Recyclings und verbinden diese. Auch auf Fragen nach dem guten Leben und des Bergbaus aus der Sicht von Ländern des Südens, Fragen der Ressourcenpolitik und -gerechtigkeit gehen sie ein. Ein weiteres Thema sind das UN-Tiefseebergbauregime und dessen Perspektiven, wie sich zukünftig unkonventionell Erz aus der Tiefsee gewinnen lässt.

Kritische Metalle werden in den übergreifenden Zusammenhang der anstehenden Großen Transformation eingeordnet. Das Buch beleuchtet insbesondere die grundlegende Bedeutung der stofflichen Voraussetzungen der Energiewende und die energetischen Voraussetzungen der Stoffwende wie auch der Digitalisierung. Damit lässt sich zeigen, dass nicht nur seltene Erden kritisch sind,

Ressourcenpolitik zielt unter anderem auf Sicherung der Primärversorgung mit Technologiemetallen, auf Ressourceneffizienz, Recycling und Substitution kritischer Stoffe. Trotz erster Erfolge ist die Dynamik in Richtung einer zunehmenden Dissipation wertvoller kritischer Metalle ungebrochen. Nötig ist eine rasche Umsteuerung mit dem Ziel, kritische Metalle nicht länger im großen Stil zu verbrauchen, sondern sie klug zu gebrauchen.