About This Special Issue
Despite international agreements, economic interests, and increasing environmental protection awareness, oil transportation in the third millennium is a dangerous business causing many cases of pollution. Oily wastewater generated, in amounts of millions of tons per year, by ships mainly in engine-rooms (bilge waters) and by washing oil tanks (slops) create a major disposal problem throughout the world because of the persistence and accumulation of xenobiotic compounds in the environment. The high salinity levels and the pollutants concentration limit the chances of discharge into the sewer systems and address the disposal of these waste (water)s to the sea. Tightening effluent regulations and consequent high energy and management costs has generated interest in the introduction of biological phases in the treatment of this wastewater. The objectives of this special issue is to provide a vision of what the most current and technologically advanced for the treatment of high salinity oily wastewaters (slops); in particular, the scope of this special issue is evaluate the feasibility of using biological approach for the recovery of these polluted matrix. The special issue has a multi-disciplinary approach and includes research, results, theory, models, analysis, applications and reviews. Work in lab or field is applicable. Of particular interest are manuscripts relating to environmental concerns.