Research has shown that a myriad of contaminants enter the environment through industrial and domestic sources on a daily basis. The biodegradable compounds often get degraded or mineralized by various physical, chemical or biological processes, whereas the recalcitrant organic contaminants either are transformed or get dispersed and persist in the receiving environments, and to an extent much greater than was earlier estimated. Many chemical compounds that were not previously included as pollutants can now be detected at much higher concentrations globally. The effect of most of these emerging contaminants on human and environment health is still unknown. Therefore, there is an urgent need to study the fate of these persistent compounds so as to better understand and manage their ecological and health effects.
Part of the book: Biological Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery