Book Renews 93

Water T r e a t m e n t Handbook, Degremont, 1979. F i f t h E n g l i s h E d i t i o n .

FIRMIN-DIDOT S.A. PARIS, 1186 pp.

T h i s f i f t h E n g l i s h e d i t i o n o f Water T r e a t m e n t Handbook i s t h e work o f 25 members

o f s t a f f o f t h e French company Degremont. The t h i r d E n g l i s h e d i t i o n r a n t o
653 p a g e s , so t h a t th e Handbook has i n c r e a s e d by 5OZ s i n c e t h a t a p p e a r e d i n 1965.

P a r t one d e a l s w i t h G e n e r a l A s p e c t s o f Water and Water T r e a t m e n t i n t h r e e c h a p t e r s

on w a t e r s c i e n c e , i t s a c t i o n on m a t e r i a l s and t h e t h e o r y o f t r e a t m e n t p r o c e s s e s .
T r e a t m e n t P l a n t and P r o c e s s e s a r e c o v e r e d i n P a r t Two i n s i x t e e n c h a p t e r s on
coagulation, precipitation, settlement, aerobic treatment, filtration, ion
exchange, sludge treatment etc. It is at this part that the reader realises
t h a t t h e term w a t e r i n c l u d e s d o m e s t i c sewage and i n d u s t r i a l w a s t e w a t e r . In
f u t u r e e d i t i o n s i t would be w o r t h d e v o t i n g space to e x p l a i n i n g t h a t t h e t r e a t m e n t
o f w a t e r and w a s t e w a t e r a r e t e n d i n g to become d i f f e r e n t f a c e t s of t h e same s u b j e c t
and t h a t b e c a u s e of t h e s i m i l a r i t y o f t h e p r i n c i p l e s of t r e a t m e n t and t h e p l a n t
i n which t r e a t m e n t i s c a r r i e d o u t i t i s l o g i c a l to d e s c r i b e u n i t p r o c e s s e s t h a t
may be a p p l i c a b l e t o b o t h . Even so i t would be n e c e s s a r y t o p o i n t o u t t h e
d i f f e r e n c e s i n , f o r example, t h e s e t t l e m e n t o f a s i l t - l a d e n r i v e r w a t e r and t h e
removal by s e t t l e m e n t o f t h e h i g h l y f e r m e n t a b l e suspended s o l i d m a t t e r i n t h e
w a s t e w a t e r from, s a y , food p r o c e s s e i n g o p e r a t i o n s .

I f i t i s l o g i c a l t o d e a l w i t h t r e a t m e n t i n a s e r i e s o f c h a p t e r s on u n i t p r o c e s s e s ,
t h e same l o g i c a l approach c o u l d be a p p l i e d to t h e t r e a t m e n t o f o t h e r s u b j e c t s ,
such as t h e c h e m i s t r y and b i o l o g y o f w a t e r and w a s t e w a t e r s . Such a m a j o r
r e c a s t i n g o f a work which has o b v i o u s l y come t o s t a y , and w i l l c o n t i n u e t h r o u g h
new e d i t i o n s , would have a d v a n t a g e s i n u n i f y i n g such growing s u b j e c t s as s t a n d a r d s ,
w a t e r q u a l i t y o b j a c t l v e s and t h e r e - u s e , a f t e r t r e a ~ e n t o f s e c o n d a r y e f f l u e n t s .
I t would t h e n n o t be o u t o f p l a c e t o m e n t i o n t h e growing i m p o r t a n c e of t h e
d i s p o s a l o f l i q u i d s l u d g e on l a n d as an a g r i c u l t u r a l o u t l e t f o r • w a s t e p r o d u c t ,
l i t t l e p r o f i t though t h e r e may be f o r t he equipment m a n u f a c t u r e r i n t h i s
b e n e f i c i a l method o f d i s p o s a l .

The i n f o r m a t i o n c o n t a i n e d i n t h e book i s of u n i v e r s a l a p p l i c a t i o n and i n t e r e s t ,

as shown by t h e s e c t i o n s t h a t c o n c e r n t h e m s e l v e s w i t h t h e t r e a t m e n t of w a t e r
a p p r o p r i a t e t o t h e u s e o f t h e w a t e r , t o s t a n d a r d s t h a t a r e used i n d i f f e r e n t
c o u n t r i e s and t o t h e i r l e g i s l a t i v e methods o f c o n t r o l l i n g w a t e r q u a l i t y .

Since the F i f t h English e d i t i o n appears to correspond to the Eighth French

v e r s i o n p u b l i s h e d i n 1978, p e r h a p s i t i s e x p e c t i n g t o o much to s e e any e x t e n s i v e
r e f e r e n c e t o t h e s y n t h e t i c c h e m i c a l s d e r i v e d from i n d u s t r i a l w a s t e w a t e r s and
run o f f w a t e r s t h a t may a p p e a r i n raw w a t e r s u p p l i e s and even i n some t r e a t e d
waters. The growing c o n c e r n t h i s i s c a u s i n g and t h e a t t e n t i o n which i s b e i n g
p a i d , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n t h e USA and USSR t o t h e i d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f such c h e m i c a l s
and t h e i r l i m i t a t i o n by s t a t u t o r y m e t h o d s , s u g g e s t t h a t t h i s i s a s u b j e c t t o
which s p e c i a l a t t e n t i o n s h o u l d be g i v e n i n s u b s e q u e n t e d i t i o n s o f t h e Handbook.

The Handbook i s packed w i t h i n f o r m a t i o n e s s e n t i a l to t h e w a t e r s c i e n t i s t ,

t e c h n o l o g i s t and e n g i n e e r and i t i s c o n c i s e l y g i v e n , amply s u p p o r t e d by
statistical i n f o r m a t i o n and, e x c e p t f o r a few f u z z y m i c r o p h o t o g r a p h s o f
microorganisms well and profusely illustrated. It should find a place among
the reference of all practising water and wastewater engineers and plant
operators.

S. H. JENKINS