Microbial biotechnology is defined as any technological application that uses microbiological systems, microbial organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use (Okafor 2007). Current agricultural and industrial practices have led to the generation of large amounts of various low-value or negative cost crude wastes, which are difficult to treat and va...

Toxic Chemicals These substances are hazardous to human health and the environment. In 2004 North American industrial facilities generated over 5 million tonnes of toxic chemicals as production-related pollutants and waste (see box). Despite this large amount, data for comparable industries and chemicals in Canada and the United States reveal encouraging trends. Over the period 1998–2004, total...

The presence of mutagenic and carcinogenic nitrosamines in groundwater is of great concern. In this study, eight nitrosamines including N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), N-nitrosomethylethylamine (NMEA), N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR), N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR), N-nitrosopiperidine (NPIP), N-nitrosodi-n-propylamine (NDPA), and N-nitrosodi-n-butylamine (NDBA) and corresp...

Nature has slow occurring biogeochemical cycles of trace elements and heavy metals and the cycles have significantly controlled environmental fates of these elements. The trace elements and heavy metals cannot be degraded like organic pollutants and they may transform and become stable and persistent contaminants that accumulate in soil and sediments [1–3]. Estuaries play an important role in h...

Industries play a vital part in progress of human civilization. The process of industrialization leads to several detrimental effects on human health and environment with its toxic discharges. Among several developing countries, India is considered as a country having huge natural resources with emerging industrial avenues for satisfying the growing demands of ever-increasing population. As a r...

Environmental pollution constitutes a great health hazard to human, animals and plants with local, regional and global implications. Pollution has adverse effects on land, water and its biotic and a biotic components. Effluents from industries are normally considered as the main industrial pollutants containing organic and inorganic compounds The increasing agricultural reuse of treated effluen...

World has entered into a new era where sustainability is the main factor to encounter the challenges of depletion of our reserves and environmental upsets. Wastewater is not only one of the main causes of irreversible damages to the environmental balances but also contributing to the depletion of fresh water reserves at this planet, generating threats to the next generation. A lot of industrial...

There is strong evidence that humoral and cell mediated immune responses are involved in the clearance of viruses including hepatitis virus B and C, on the other hand exposure to industrial pollutants, including heavy metals and organic chemicals, are known to cause immunosuppression. Present study was conducted to find any association between the industrial pollution and incidence of hepatitis...

The air pollution problem has been serious in Delhi due to the rapidly expanding economic, industrial and vehicular developments. It has significant influences on atmospheric visibility, whose degradation dominates in urban areas. Increased air pollution in urban area may lead to the atmospheric reactions, resulting into the formation of secondary pollutants similar to cloud the condensation pr...