Eckhard Worch

Plastic debris is one of the most significant organic pollutants in the aquatic environment. Because of properties such as buoyancy and extreme durability, synthetic polymers are present in rivers, lakes, and oceans and accumulate in sediments all over the world. However, freshwater sediments have attracted less attention than the investigation of sediments in marine ecosystems. For this reason, river shore sediments of the rivers Rhine and Main in the Rhine-Main area in Germany were analyzed. The sample locations comprised shore sediment of a large European river (Rhine) and a river characterized by industrial influence (Main) in areas with varying population sizes as well as sites in proximity to nature reserves. All sediments analyzed contained microplastic particles (<5 mm) with mass fractions of up to 1 g kg⁻¹ or 4000 particles kg⁻¹. Analysis of the plastics by infrared spectroscopy showed a large abundance of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene, which covered more than 75% of all polymer types identified in the sediment. Short distance transport of plastic particles from the tributary to the main stream could be confirmed by the identification of pellets, which were separated from shore sediment samples of both rivers. This systematic study shows the emerging pollution of inland river sediments with microplastics and, as a consequence thereof, underlines the importance of rivers as vectors of transport of microplastics into the ocean.

Adsorption processes have played a central role in water treatment for many years but their importance is on the rise with the continuous discoveries of new micropollutants in the water cycle (pharmaceuticals for example). In addition to the classical application in drinking water treatment, other application fields are attracting increasing interest, such as wastewater treatment, groundwater remediation, treatment of landfill leachate, and so on. Based on the author's long-term experience in adsorption research, the scientific monograph treats the theoretical fundamentals of adsorption technology for water treatment from a practical perspective. It presents all the basics needed for experimental adsorption studies as well as for process modelling and adsorber design. Topics discussed in the monograph include: introduction into basic concepts and practical applications of adsorption processes; adsorbents and their characterisation, single and multi-solute adsorption equilibria, adsorption kinetics, adsorption dynamics in fixed-bed adsorbers and fixed-bed adsorber design, regeneration and reactivation of adsorbents, introduction into geosorption processes in bank filtration and groundwater recharge. According to the increasing importance of micropollutants in the water cycle, particular attention is paid to their competitive adsorption in presence of background organic matter. Clear illustrations, extensive literature references and a useful index make this work indispensible for both scientists and technicians involved in water treatment.

This book treats the theoretical fundamentals of adsorption technology for water treatment from a practical perspective. It presents all the basics needed for experimental adsorption studies as well as for process modeling and adsorber design. According to the increasing importance of micropollutants in the water cycle, particular attention is paid to their competitive adsorption in the presence of background organic matter. The current edition considers recent developments in adsorption theory and practice