Description

Most books on ground water and soil cleanup address only the technologies themselves--not why new technologies are or are not developed. Innovations in Ground Water and Soil Cleanup takes a holistic approach to the entire field, addressing both the sluggish commercial development of ground water and soil cleanup technologies and the attributes of specific technologies. It warns that, despite cleanup expenditures of nearly $10 billion a year, the technologies remain rudimentary.
This engaging book focuses on the failure of regulatory policy to link cleanup with the financial interests of the company responsible for the contamination. The committee explores why the market for remediation technology is uniquely lacking in economic drivers and why demand for innovation has been so much weaker than predicted.
The volume explores how to evaluate the performance of cleanup technologies from the points of view of the public, regulators, cleanup entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders. The committee discusses approaches to standardizing performance testing, so that choosing a technology for a given site can be more timely and less contentious. Following up on Alternatives for Ground Water Cleanup (NRC, 1994), this sequel presents the state of the art in the cleanup of various types of ground water and soil contaminants. Strategies for making valid cost comparisons also are reviewed.

Reviews

"Technologies that treat contaminated ground water in place in the subsurface, and contaminated soil directly at site, either in place or in a treatment unit, are the main focus. The book emphasizes methods to strengthen market forces to create dcemand for innovations in these technologies; the status of remediation technology development identifying where technology needs are greatest; criteria that should be used to assess remediation technology performance; strategies for testing remediation technologies to measure performance; and methods for comparing the costs of alternative remediation technologies. The various technologies are described in considerable detail, with selected items and case histories contained in neat little boxes." Choice

Authoring Organizations

• Commission on Geosciences, Environment and Resources (CGER)
• Earth and Life Studies (DELS)
• More Titles from CGER
• More Titles from DELS

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