Soil Chemical Methods – Australasia describes over 200 laboratory and field chemical tests relevant to Australasia and beyond. The information and methodology provided across 20 chapters is comprehensive, systematic, uniquely coded, up-to-date and designed to promote chemical measurement quality. There is guidance on the choice and application of analytical methods from soil sampling through to the reporting of results. In many cases, optional analytical ‘finishes’ are provided, such as fl...

Ever wondered how vaccines work, why whales strand themselves or if luck exists? The Explainer: From Déjà Vu to Why the Sky Is Blue, and Other Conundrums is a collection of around 100 of the best articles published in ‘The Explainer’ and ‘Monday’s Medical Myths’ sections of The Conversation. The book answers questions on everyone's mind about a diverse range of topics, abstract concepts, and popular and hard core science. Sections include: animals and agriculture, body, climate and energy, me...

Move from feeling anxious about the oil crisis to developing a positive visions and taking traction action to create a more self-reliant existence with this ground-breaking book.We live in an oil-dependent world, and have become reliant in a very short space of time, using vast reserves of oil in the process – and without planning for when the supply is not so plentiful. Most of us avoid thinking about what happens when the oil runs out (or becomes prohibitively ex...

It is widely accepted in the scientific community that climate change is a reality, and that changes are happening with increasing rapidity. In this second edition, leading climate researcher Barrie Pittock revisits the effects that global warming is having on our planet, in light of ever-evolving scientific research. Presenting all sides of the arguments about the science and possible remedies, Pittock examines the latest analyses of climate change, such as new and alarming observations rega...

Have you ever wondered whether the forensic science you’ve seen on TV is anything like the real thing? There’s no better way to find out than to roll up your sleeves and do it yourself. This full-color book offers advice for setting up an inexpensive home lab, and includes more than 50 hands-on lab sessions that deal with forensic science experiments in biology, chemistry, and physics. You’ll learn the practical skills and fundamental knowledge needed to pursue forensics as a lifelong hobb...

Interest in biochar among soil and environment researchers has increased dramatically over the past decade. Biochar initially attracted attention for its potential to improve soil fertility and to uncouple the carbon cycle, by storing carbon from the atmosphere in a form that can remain stable for hundreds to thousands of years. Later it was found that biochar had applications in environmental and water science, mining, microbial ecology and other fields. Beneficial effects of biochar and its...

Arsenic is one of the most toxic and carcinogenic elements in the environment. This book brings together the current knowledge on arsenic contamination worldwide, reviewing the field, highlighting common themes and pointing to key areas needing future research. Contributions discuss methods for accurate identification and quantification of individual arsenic species in a range of environmental and biological matrices and give an overview of the environmental chemistry of arsenic. Next, chapte...

This book investigates the main vegetable biomass types, their chemical characteristics and their potential to replace oil as raw material for the chemical industry, according to the principles of green chemistry. Authors from different scientific and technical backgrounds, from industry and academia, give an overview of the state of the art and ongoing developments. Aspects including bioeconomy, biorefineries, renewable chemistry and sustainability are also considered, given their relevan...

The control of greenhouse gas emissions continues to be a major global problem. It is inter-disciplinary, both in substance and approach, and covers technical, political and economic issues involving governments, industry and the scientific community. These proceedings contain 220 papers presented at the 5th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies (GHGT-5) held in August 2000 at Cairns, Queensland, Australia. The papers cover the capture of carbon dioxide, geological s...

vi of a large number of people due to the enormous quantities of radioactive material that would be required to reach high levels of contamination in mass-produced or distributed supplies. Although, based on data presented at the Workshop concerning the more than 30,000 missing radioactive sources all over the word, the radioactive contamination of food or water is also a scenario that must be taken seriously into consideration. During the last two decades there have been several emerging ...

During the past few years the worlds has reverberated of names like Seveso, Love Canal, Lekkerkerk, Times Beach, just to name the most publicized ones. All these names are connected with hazardous or toxic waste, waste from business and industry, especially the chemical industry. The list is endless because there are, all over the world, many thousands of "points noirs": not yet discovered or identified old lagoons and landfills, polluted rivers, estuaries, and harbors needing remedial act...

Biodegradation is the dominant pathway for the environmental transformation of most chemicals and information on a chemical's biodegradability is essential for proper risk assessment. But there are few methods for predicting whether or not a chemical is biodegradable, since this depends on the chemical's structure as well as on the environmental conditions that it encounters.The present book deals with quantitative structure-biodegradability relationship models (QSBRs), emphasizing ...