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Application Of Microwave Technology To Effect On-Site Regeneration Of Gac, K.C. Mahesh

Theses

The off-site regeneration of granulated activated charcoal(GAC), spent as a result of stripping of organics from aqueous waste streams, represents a burdensome cost both because of the actual cost of regeneration and legal liability associated with shipping a hazardous waste off-site: that liability is reflected in huge potential costs associated with mishaps enroute for the self-insured or high premiums paid to the casualty insurance companies for those generators that are insured by third parties. Thus there is a need for the development of a process to effect on-site regeneration of spent GAC cost-effectively.

This thesis mainly focuses on the technical …

Aqueous Absorption Of Nox Induced By Sodium Chlorite Oxidation, Chen-Lu Yang

Theses

Aqueous scrubbing in alkaline media for the removal of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) from flue gases using NaClO₂ as an oxidant is being investigated in the Chemical Engineering Department of New Jersey Institute of Technology. This thesis presents the findings of an experimental program that was conducted to estimate the capability of NaClO₂ aqueous solution to oxidize insoluble NO to soluble NO₂ in order to increase its solubility and thus prevent NO_x emission from entering the atmosphere from flue gases emitted by municipal incinerators or power plants.

The key findings of this program are:

* …

Analysis Of C2 And C3 Hydrocarbons In Ambient Air. Part 1 ; Development Of Simple Analysis For Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. Part 2, Li-Li Wu

Theses

SECTION I

A method was developed to analyze C₂ and C₃ light hydrocarbons: Acetylene, Ethylene, Ethane, Propyne, Propylene and Propane levels in the ambient air. Chlorinated compounds which eluted within the gas chromatograph operation conditions needed for the above hydrocarbons included Freon 12 and Methylene chloride, were also monitored.

Samples were collected from two sites, one located at Carteret and one at Elizabeth New Jersey. Samples were taken from September 1988 through July 1989. The sampling method used stainless steel canisters and was set up to collect 24 hour air samples at a constant flow rate of 30-35 …

A Comparison Study Between The Tenax Trap And The Canister Collection Methods For Determination Of Volatile Organic Compounds, Li-Ching Lillian Hung

Theses

A comparison between the analytical methods for determination of volatile organic compounds, using Tenax GC as an adsorbent and using stainless steel canister collection is made.

Sample collection, analytical system and procedures, data analyses, as well as their fortes and their drawbacks, etc., are discussed.

In addition, a brief description of the developmental history of the above methods as used in the Air Pollution Research Laboratory at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, New Jersey, is given.

Microbial Competition In The Biodegradation Of Phenol, Mary Ellen Frank

Theses

Three phenol degraders were isolated from the mixed liquor of the Livingston, NJ municipal treatment plant. Shaker flask experiments using one of the degraders (a Pseudomonas sp.) resulted in the determination of its kinetic rate constants. The second phenol degrader (a Xanthamonas) lost its phenol degrading ability while being stored, and its kinetic rate constants could not be determined. The third phenol degrader (a Pseudomonas cepacia) formed flocs which interfered with the spectrophotometric determination of biomass and therefore its kinetic rate constants also could not be determined.

Mixed culture experiments were carried out using a the Pseudomonas sp. and a …

Thermal Desorption Of Hazardous And Toxic Organic Compounds, Manuel S. Nolau

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to study the thermal desorption behavior of toxic organic compounds, specifically o-xylene, p-xylene, ethyl benzene, p-chlorotoluene, and anthracene, from soil with respect to temperature and time, and to develop a mathematical model that will describe this desorption behavior. The model will allow prediction of the concentration of an organic contaminant in commercial soil desorption system over time given a known set of parameters of the specific chemical as well as flow rate and temperature. For this purpose, two sets of experiments were done: These are identified as 1. Thermal desorption and 2. plug flow …

Study Of An Analytical Method For Benzo(A)Pyrene Metabolites In Human Urine, Zheng Ouyang

Theses

A method developed by Becher and Bjorseth for analysis of PAH metabolites in urine was employed to investigate human exposure to benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) - an ubiquitous environmental carcinogen. Preliminary results are presented showing the relationship between exposure to BaP and urinary elimination. Although the correlation between the two variables is not statistically significant, there appears to be a positive association with selected exposure varibles such as smoking. The identification of an association may establish urinary BaP as a marker of exposure.

However, detailed study of the analytical procedure indicated that recoveries with this method were as low as 3-8% for …

Organics In Ambient Air By Collection On Tenax, Thermal Desorption,And Capillary Chromatography With Parallel Fid/Ecd Analysis, Chih-Hsiang Liao

Theses

Volatile organics in ambient air were regularly collected on Tenax cartridges at high (10 ml/min) and low (5 ml/min) intake flows. These Tenax samples were analyzed by using a Tekmar Automatic Thermal Desorber and capillary GC system with parallel flame ionization (FID) and electron capture detectors (ECD). A series of quality assurance procedures has been established to improve and assure the accuracy and precision of sample collector and analysis. These procedures relate to performance of the Tekmar thermal desorber, recovery efficiency from the Tenax, and include studies on breakthrough and co-elution. The results demonstrate (1) that from ambient air data …

Thermal Decomposition Of 1,1,2- Trichloroethane In Hydrogen In Tubular Flow Reactors At Atmospheric Pressure, Chen-Chung Yeh

Theses

The decomposition of 1,1,2-trichloroethane in a hydrogen gas bath was carried out at 1 atmosphere total pressure in three different surface to volume ratio flow reactors. Temperature ranged from 440 to 850 °C and the residence times studied were in the range 0.2 - 2.3 seconds. Application of the first order rate expression to this data yields a linear relationship for each temperature studied and thus global rate constants for loss of reactant were determined.

It was found that conversion of the reagent was a function of both temperature and residence time. The major products observed are 1, 2-dichloroethylene (CHClCHCl), …

Investigation Of Major Mutagenic Substances In Airborne Particulate Matter : Biologically-Driven Analysis Of Fractions And Analysis Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) Nitro-Pahs And Other Classes Of Compounds, Jung-Hen Lwo

Theses

A modified fractionation scheme involving acid-base partitioning and silica gel column chromatography has been used as the first step in the bioassay-directed search for significant levels of mutagenic compounds in extracts of inhalable (IP10) ambient air particulates. The biologically "hot" fractions were separated and analyzed chemically or subfractionated to isolate and concentrate "hot" subfractions which were then chemically analyzed by GC/MS FTIR, and HPLC equipped with UV, Fluorescence and Photodiode Array UV detectors.

The Ames assay of mutagenicity has involved the unactivated TA98 strain of Salmonella and enzyme-activated (TA98+S9) assays. In addition, some assays have been performed in this present …

Microwave Treatment Of Organic Contaminated Soil, Suning Fan

Theses

The development of microwave technology to treat hazardous wastes hasbeen in progress at NJIT for the past three years. The initial stagesof this program have focused on determining the' breadth of hazardouswaste problems that are amenable to microwave technology applications.Benchscale studies have shown the following processes are technicallypossible:

a. It is possible to steam strip organic volatiles from soil;

b. Volatiles can be destroyed by impact upon lossy so lids

c. Heavy metal ions can be immobilized in soil;

d. It is possible to regenerate GAC on-site.

e. It is possible to pyrolyze polyarmotic compounds in soil in-site,and, thereby, effect …

Characterization Of Activated Sludge Immobilized In Calcium Alginate Gel With Respect To Biodegradation Of 2-Chlorophenol And Benzene, Manjari Singh

Theses

Activated sludges acclimated with phenol and 2-chlorophenol in one case, and a mixture of benzene, toluene, and o, in and p-xylene in another case, were characterized for biodegradation of 2-chlorophenol and benzene, respectively. Activated sludge was obtained from the Parsippany-Troy Hills Water Pollution Control Plant (NJ).

For both cases colonies were isolated before acclimation, after acclimation, and at the end of biodegradation studies. Since the unacclimated group was the same in both cases, there were a total of five different groups for which characterization was carried out.

For all the five groups together, a total of 54 isolates were obtained …

The Case Of Rose Island: An Example Of Conflicting Goals And Competing Jurisdictions In Coastal Zone Development, Thomas James Gibson

Theses and Major Papers

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the methods and tactics employed at the local level by all of the participants in the resolution of a controversial coastal development issue. It is the author's goal to present a case study of a proposal that had progressed at least through the local level of the approval process and study the mechanism to see if it produces a socially desirable result. Resolution of the final form that the development of Rose Island will take is no closer today than it was in the Spring of 1986, so this paper necessarily has …

The United Nations Convention On The Law Of The Sea, And Canadian Official Development Assistance, Lennox O'Riley Hinds

Theses and Major Papers

The purpose of this paper is to examine the needs of developing states created by the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea and the capability of the above cited Canadian aid agencies to provide needed assistance. To achieve the above objective the articles of the Third Convention of the Law of the Sea will be analyzed to establish requirements that coastal states must satisfy when the convention comes into force. Next, the mandates, policies, and programs of the aforementioned agencies will be examined to ascertain their potential to assist developing countries meet their obligations under UNCLOS III. …

Management, Foraging Behavior, Diet Composition And Forage Quality Of Free-Ranging But Herded Camels In Ceeldheer District, Central Somalia, Ahmed A. Elmi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In Somalia, camel (Camelus dromedarius) survivability and milk production has been higher than for other domestic livestock and contributes substantially to the subsistence of Somali pastoralists. The objective of this research was to study management, foraging behavior and nutrition of camels in their natural habitat to determine how production continues under seasonal nutritional stress.

Management systems of Ceeldheer pastoralists are based on available natural pasture and water. The natural rotation grazing system maintained an ecological equilibrium in the District.

Pastoralists manipulate their herds to suit existing environmental conditions, family needs and labor availability for herding. In herd management, …

Root Exploitation Of Fertile Soil Microsites, Robert B. Jackson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Root exploitation of enriched soil microsites was examined for the tussock grasses Agropyron desertorum and Agropyron spicatum and the shrub Artemisia tridentata. Two mechanisms of exploitation of the microsites were examined: root proliferation and changes in nutrient uptake capacity. One day after nutrient solution was applied to small soil patches, the mean relative growth rate of Agropyron desertorum roots in enriched patches was two to four times greater than for roots of the same plants in soil patches treated with distilled water. This rapid and striking root proliferation occurred in response to N-P-K enrichment as well as to P or …

Modeling Forest Dynamics Based On Stand Level Resource Allocation, Geoffrey Candler Poole

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An ecologically based model of forest succession is presented. In the model, trees compete for a share of limited growth resources available from their environment. Competition is reflected by each tree's effect on the resource pool and is not explicitly modeled. Model parameters were fit to field data from subalpine forests of the Rocky Mountains. A technique for estimating model parameters from understory-tolerance rankings and silvical characteristics of each species is also presented. The model's output was consistent with our current understanding of forest dynamics. Emergent properties of the model also mimicked natural processes such as self-thinning, release, and maximum …

Using Computer Imaging To Assess Visual Impacts Of Forest Insect And Disease Pests, Daniel Rabin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Forest insect and disease pests alter the appearance of trees, thereby impacting visual resources. Because of the complexity of most forest landscapes, the degree of visual impact of pest-infested forest stands is difficult to quantify.

This paper describes a method of measuring visual impacts of pest-infested forest stands. Photographs of healthy Ponderosa pine trees were entered into a computer video-image-processing system. Using this system, images of trees were altered to simulate different degrees of infestation by limb rust, a forest pathogen.

The altered and unaltered images were shown to groups of observers who rated the scenes in terms of "scenic …

Environmental Assessment In Bioethanol Technology Using Immobilized Yeast Cells, Minoo Kandy Zarnegar

Theses

This study is undertaken from the standpoint of water pollution evaluation in bioethanol technology, using immobilized yeast cells. Evaluation of water pollution caused by immobilized yeast fermentation is the main objective of this research.

The pollution in water remaining at the end of ethanol production, which is normally discharged in the wastewater stream, has been analyzed by the measurement of biological oxygen demand (BOD), since BOD measurement is one of the widely used parameters for water pollution evaluation. BOD obtained from produced water (stillage) was between the range of 115- 360 mg/l. The variation in BOD depended upon the removal …

A Student Handbook For The Environmental Education / Outdoor School Program In The Middle School, Robert Charles Kenck Jr.

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a student handbook that can be used from the onset of an environmental study through the inter-active field study. Students will use the handbook as they begin to study environmental education in the classroom. The handbook will continue to be used as each student attends a three day outdoor school to study firsthand their environment through field activities. The handbook will remain the property of the students.

Intergovernmental Relations And Ocs Oil And Gas Development, Gretchen Honan

Theses and Major Papers

Oil and gas exploration and development in federal waters off the coast of California have been a source of conflict between federal and state governments for a number of years. More recently local governments and local citizenry have joined in the battle to prevent development of outer continental shelf (OCS) oil and gas reserves. Between 1985 and 1986 the passage of thirteen local land use initiatives prohibiting or requiring voter approval of onshore facilities to service offshore platforms occurred. These initiatives reflect growing local dissatisfaction with the present legislative structure governing OCS development. From their perspective the existing OCS development …

Geographical Constraints To Soviet Maritime Power, Brian Needham

Theses and Major Papers

The aim of this paper is to identify the geographical constraints to Soviet marine power, assess their impact and explore alternatives that may be considered to reduce their detrimental effects. The paper will provide a background by addressing the recent history, status and current missions of the Soviet Navy, which is the vehicle for maritime power. The nature of the geographical constraints will then be discussed before assessing individually the impacts on the four Soviet Fleets: Northern, Baltic, Black Sea, and Pacific. Finally, some alternatives will be explored to counter the vulnerability of maritime power to those geographic constraints. It …

North Carolina Ports: A Search For Identity, Clifford S. Sharpe

Theses and Major Papers

North Carolina's development in colonial times and in the early stages of statehood was greatly affected by her coastline. An abundant coastline did not translate into an abundance of good ports, in fact, difficult coastal and inland navigation hampered early commercial development. North Carolina's barrier islands and numerous inlets served as a haven for pirates in colonial days, for privateers during the Revolution, and later defied the North's blockade during the Civil War. There were several attempts by individuals to encourage maritime trade in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Shortly after World War II the state mobilized to …

Antarctic Peninsula Mysticete Whales: Conservation And Research, Gregory Schofield Stone

Theses and Major Papers

This paper reports original research from two recent studies in the Antarctic Peninsula area, reviews past sighting information and policies affecting mysticete whales, and recommends future research. Due to poor management by the International Whaling Commission, mysticete whales are among the most severely depleted species groups in the Antarctic. The combined total Antarctic harvest from 1920 to 19867 for blue Balaenoptera musculus, fin B. physalus, sei B. borealis, minke B. acutorostrata and humpback Megaptera novaeangliae whales was over one million animals. The effect of this hunting pressure is the dominant factor determing the present status of Antarctic …

Environmental Management Planning And The Special Area Management Process, Timothy P. Dillingham

Theses and Major Papers

Within coastal areas, growing numbers of resource users, increasingly divergent resources use demands, and loss of indigenous resources combine to exert tremendous pressures on these areas. The Narrow River is a unique estuary located on the coast of southern Rhode Island. The estuary has experienced a decline in water quality over the last 20 years, primarily attributable to poor development practices and improper disposal of on-site sewage. Increasing levels of development have begun to bring about further changes in the watershed, including alteration of scenic values, conversion and loss of wildlife habitat, additional sources of pollution inputs and increasing conflict …

Sewage Discharge By Recreational Boats In R.I. Coastal Waters, Maureen E. Eldredge

Theses and Major Papers

Federal legislation regulating sewage from recreational boats has existed since 1972 (The Clean Water Act). Since that time the regulations have failed to prevent untreated sewage from boats from being discharged into the Nation's waterways. This has caused conflicts over water quality, particularly in shellfish growing areas. The regulatory system which exists to regulate sewage from recreational boats was analyzed for nine sources of possible regulatory failure. Seven of the nine were found to be operating. They include, lack of technology, lack of enforcement, lack of issue salience, negative attitudes on the part of the boaters, the economics of compliance, …

A Less-Polluted Future For Boston Harbor?: Assessing Selected Impacts Of A Citizen Information Program, Enid Carol Kumin

Theses and Major Papers

The demand for good public information is a need which many environmental groups are now attempting to fill. Programs are generally designed around a particular environmental issue. One such effort is the Boston Harbor "Sewer Tour" Program run by 'Save the Harbor/Save the Bay' in Boston, Massachusetts. The Sewer Tour Program addresses matters of water pollution control in the Metropolitan Boston area. The present study examines the impact of the Sewer Tour Program on participants and spillover effects on their communities. A mailed survey is used to collect the data. A framework for data analysis is drawn from psychological research …

A Site-Specific Need Assessment For Ocean Incineration At The North Atlantic Incineration Site (Nais), Lynne H. Macdonald

Theses and Major Papers

This thesis examines the problems of hazardous wastes in the United States-and the problems their disposal present, in particular. Ocean incineration, one of the very few methods available to destroy many highly toxic wastes, is presented as a viable, necessary means to destroy liquid organochlorine wastes. Next, the international and federal regulations governing ocean incineration and the current status of ocean incineration in the United States are reviewed. A site-specific assessment for determining the need for ocean incineration is developed as an alternative to the two currently contended approaches (nationwide versus permit-by-permit need assessments). This site-specific need assessment evaluates the …

The South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, Susan Ware

Theses and Major Papers

The South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty was opened for signature on August 5, 1985, on the 40th Anniversary of the Bombing of Hiroshima. The Treaty prohibits Party states from controlling or assisting in the manufacture of nuclear explosive devices and from allowing devices not in their control stationing within their territory or land space. The Protocols to the Treaty enjoin the nuclear weapon sates and the states with territories within the Zone to adhere to the principles of the Treaty and to refrain from control or use of any nuclear explosive devices within the Zone. The principle concern of …

Stormwater Quality Management In Rhode Island, Elizabeth A. Scott

Theses and Major Papers

This study documents the threat that uncontrolled "urban" stormwater runoff poses to surface water quality and the inadequacy of existing regulations governing land use development in preventing further water quality degradation resulting from "urban" runoff. The study applies recent research findings from the Nationwide Urban Runoff Program and the experience of other state regulatory programs in evaluating management alternatives and proposing a strategy for Rhode Island. The documented impacts of "urban" stormwater runoff on water quality, including excesses in criteria for copper, lead, and coliform, and eutrophication, support the need for stormwater quality management. This need is made more evident …