Environmental Hydrocarbon Pollution and Zero Waste Approach Towards a Sustainable Waste Management

This book discusses the challenges that have arisen due to environmental hydrocarbon wastes, their toxicity to the ecosystem, limitations, the improvement of sustainable techniques, as well as the zero-waste approach used for the management of environmental hydrocarbon wastes for resilient future. The overarching objective of attaining sustainable development worldwide hinges on the effort to enhance both socioeconomic well-being and environmental health for present and future generations. Nevertheless, obstacles exist in reaching these objectives. For instance, the vital goals of ensuring a clean environment face threats due to the ongoing contamination of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems with top-priority pollutants, with petroleum hydrocarbons being the foremost among them. In today’s fast-paced society, environmental deterioration is an ecumenical concern. This predicament is intricately linked to unregulated human activities, giving rise to substantial planet problems. Among these, petroleum waste, whether released through spills, leaks from underground tanks, tankers, oil well blowouts, or abandoned refinery sites, leads to extensive contamination of surface soils, groundwater, seas, and oceans, resulting in damage to ecosystems. Additionally, several industries generate a substantial amount of hydrocarbon waste during crude oil processing. To date, various conventional methods have been employed to address these environmental hydrocarbon wastes. In bygone days, technological advancements haven’t necessarily reduced the rate of consumption of resources for a high-quality lifestyle. However, from both economic and environmental perspectives, biological treatment stands out as the most efficient approach with co-benefits. Thereafter, the article not only summarizes key insights from studies on the management of environmental hydrocarbon pollutants in the past decade, thereby compiling recent advances in this field, including the involvement of green technologies, the most potentially degradable substrates/classes of hydrocarbons, etc. but also circularity in creating a zero-waste environment.

Dr. Ipsita Dipamitra Behera, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at IGIT Sarang, is a distinguished researcher and educator with over 15 years of teaching experience. She completed her Ph.D. from IIT Kharagpur, where she specialized in the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbon pollutants. Her research has focused on environmental sustainability, particularly the bioremediation of hazardous pollutants through innovative biochemical engineering techniques. As a researcher, Dr. Behera is actively involved in guiding and contributing to the academic community. Her editorial contributions are notable, with three edited books for international publishers. Dr. Behera's publications have garnered significant recognition, as reflected in her Google Scholar profile. Her work has been cited widely, contributing to her H-index and I-index, which reflect her influence and the high quality of her research in biodegradation and environmental biotechnology. Her published research underscores her expertise and her commitment to advancing knowledge in her specialized field.

Dr. Alok Prasad Das:  Dr. Alok Prasad Das is presently serving as Assistant Professor in Department of Life Sciences, Rama Devi Women’s University, Odisha India. Prior to that Dr. Alok was working as Assistant Professor in Department of Chemical and Polymer Engineering, Tripura Central University, Agartala, India. He is an academician, author of journal articles, several books, and book chapters and Editorial member of several reputed journals. He has more than 15 years of research experience. Dr. Das has been supported through various research grants from the Department of Science and Technology and Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. His research and innovation work, done in national and international collaborations, has appeared in over 100 publications; and his contributions have been recognized by several awards. His area of expertise includes Biological Wastewater treatment, Bioremediation based bioleaching of mining pollutants, Bioremediation of Microplastics and Microfiber Pollutants, Geomicrobiology of extreme habitats. He has guided several post graduate and Ph.D. scholars. He is the editor of several books of international repute. He is an active lead guest editorial board member in top-rated journals.  His current Google Scholar: Citations is 5160 and h-index 41. Dr. Das is enlisted in the world's top 2% influential scientist as per the Stanford University list 2023.