The talk with present the key results of the IPCC Working Group III 5th assessment report. Concluding four years of intense scientific collaboration by hundreds of authors from around the world, the report responds to the request of the world's governments for a comprehensive, objective and policy neutral assessment of the current scientific knowledge on mitigating climate change. The report has been extensively reviewed by experts and governments to ensure quality and comprehensiveness.

Climate change 2014 - Mitigation of climate change

Biodegradation aspects of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs): A review

Towards circular economy implementation: a comprehensive review in context of manufacturing industry

Emerging organic contaminants in groundwater: A review of sources, fate and occurrence

Algal–bacterial processes for the treatment of hazardous contaminants: A review

Bound pesticide residues in soils: a review.

Laura Ehlers and Richard Luthy recently published an important A-page feature in ES&T in which they persuasively make the case that improving risk assessment and remediation rests on better understanding of bioavailability (1). Their article provided a concise summary of a major U.S. National Research Council (NRC) report called Bioavailability of Contaminants in Soils and Sediments: Processes, Tools and Applications (2). Despite consensus by scientists that bioavailability is indeed critical to the risk assessment process, Ehlers and Luthy note that the NRC report contains no explicit definition of bioavailability. Rather, the report defines bioavailability processes as the individual physical, chemical, and biological interactions that determine the exposure of organisms to chemicals associated with soils and sediments.

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/es040548w

Defining bioavailability and bioaccessibility of contaminated soil and sediment is complicated.

Soils represent a major sink for organic xenobiotic contaminants in the environment. The degree to which organic chemicals are retained within the soil is controlled by soil properties, such as organic matter, and the physico-chemical properties of the contaminant. Chemicals which display hydrophobic and lipophilic characteristics, as well as a recalcitrant chemical structure, will be retained within the soil, and depending on the `strength' of the association may persist for long periods of time. This review describes the behaviour of hydrophobic organic contaminants in soils, focusing on the mechanisms controlling interactions between soil and contaminants. The bioavailability of contaminants in soil is also discussed, particularly in relation to contact time with the soil. It considers the degradation of organic contaminants in soil and the mechanisms microbes use to access contaminants. Finally, the review discusses the `pros' and `cons' of chemical and biological techniques available for assessing bioavailability of hydrophobic organic chemicals in soils, highlighting the need to quantify bioavailability by chemical techniques. It concludes by highlighting the need for understanding the interactions between the soil, contaminants and biota which is crucial to understanding the bioavailability of contaminants in soils.

Bioavailability of hydrophobic organic contaminants in soils: fundamental concepts and techniques for analysis

Bioavailability of persistent organic pollutants in soils and sediments--a perspective on mechanisms, consequences and assessment.

http://dzumenvis.nic.in/Microbes%20and%20Metals%20Interaction/pdf/Impact%20of%20composting%20strategies.pdf

Kirk T. Semple

Papers

Bound pesticide residues in soils: a review.

Defining bioavailability and bioaccessibility of contaminated soil and sediment is complicated.

Bioavailability of hydrophobic organic contaminants in soils: fundamental concepts and techniques for analysis

Bioavailability of persistent organic pollutants in soils and sediments--a perspective on mechanisms, consequences and assessment.

Impact of composting strategies on the treatment of soils contaminated with organic pollutants.