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Mitigating The Shrink-Swell Capacities Of The Yazoo Clay Through Application Of Lime And Biochar, Austin Alan Brister Dec 2022

Mitigating The Shrink-Swell Capacities Of The Yazoo Clay Through Application Of Lime And Biochar, Austin Alan Brister

Theses and Dissertations

Shrinking and swelling in Yazoo Clay is a cause of concern for construction projects in Mississippi. This thesis investigated the effects of adding lime and Douglas Fir biochar on the shrinking and swelling capabilities of Yazoo Clay. Samples of Yazoo Clay were mixed with the additives in defined ratios and subjected to the free swell test and the COLE(rod) test. Biochar addition reduced the COLE(rod) of the samples a large amount, while increasing the swelling potential of the clay samples. The addition of lime slightly reduced both the shrinking and swelling potentials of the samples. The mineralogical variability of Yazoo …


Evaluation For Using Expended Bioelectrochemical Systems As Soil Amendments For Improved Corn Plant Growth And A Drought Resistant Soil., Jackson Lee Sauers Dec 2022

Evaluation For Using Expended Bioelectrochemical Systems As Soil Amendments For Improved Corn Plant Growth And A Drought Resistant Soil., Jackson Lee Sauers

Theses and Dissertations

A long-held practice is to mix agricultural soil with a soil amendment to improve growing conditions in crops. A common soil amendment is biosolids produced from both municipal and dairy wastewater due to the macro- and micronutrients within it. Both the agricultural and wastewater industries are participating in the Circular Economy concept (CEC). Two experiments explored using expended bioelectrochemical systems (BES) that treated either synthetic dairy wastewater (DWW) or synthetic municipal wastewater (SWW) as soil amendments to improve corn plant growth when treated with three different nutrient treatments: 100%- 50%- and 0% Hoagland Nutrient Solutions. Biochar and used terracotta clay …


Photocatalytic Degradation Of Organic Contaminants By Titania Particles Produced By Flame Spray Pyrolysis, Noah Babik May 2022

Photocatalytic Degradation Of Organic Contaminants By Titania Particles Produced By Flame Spray Pyrolysis, Noah Babik

Theses and Dissertations

Advanced oxidation of organic pollutants with TiO2 photocatalysts is limited due to the wide bandgap of TiO2, 3.2 eV, which requires ultraviolet (UV) radiation. When nanosized TiO2 is modified by carbon doping, charge recombination is inhibited and the bandgap is narrowed, allowing for efficient photodegradation under visible light. Here, we propose a flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) technique to create TiO2. The facile process of FSP has been successful in preparing highly crystalline TiO2 nanoparticles. Using the same procedure to deposit TiO2 onto biochar, the photocatalyst was doped by the carbonaceous material. The morphology, crystalline and electronic structure of the FSP …


Evaluating The Effects Of Pine And Miscanthus Biochar On Water Activity And Escherichia Coli Populations In Commercial Broiler Litter, Christopher Austin Marty Dec 2021

Evaluating The Effects Of Pine And Miscanthus Biochar On Water Activity And Escherichia Coli Populations In Commercial Broiler Litter, Christopher Austin Marty

Theses and Dissertations

The decrease in subtherapeutic antibiotic administration in poultry has increased the need to address production challenges caused by pathogens, such as E. coli. One potential way to improve bird health and reduce bacterial infection is through the addition of litter amendments that absorb moisture. Biochar (BC) has previously been shown to increase water holding capacity in poultry litter, but its effects on E. coli mitigation are unknown. The objectives of this research were to 1) evaluate water activity of poultry litter amended with pine and miscanthus BC, and 2) determine the effects of different BC inclusion rates on litter …


Commercial Douglas Fir Biochar Based Multifunctional Exotic Adsorbents For Water Remediation, Chanaka Navarathna Aug 2021

Commercial Douglas Fir Biochar Based Multifunctional Exotic Adsorbents For Water Remediation, Chanaka Navarathna

Theses and Dissertations

Providing safe drinking water and wastewater remediation are constant worldwide challenges. Adsorption is an attractive alternative to conventional techniques such as coagulation, precipitation (chemically or electrochemically), hybrid membranes, and ion-exchange for the purification of water. Biochar-based composite sorbents are increasingly popular because a range of surface chemical and physical treatments can impart performance and environmental benefits to the material. This is ideal for rural areas where more costly conventional methods may not be readily available or affordable. This dissertation focused on three different projects involving high surface area (~700 m2/g) Douglas fir biochar based multifunctional engineered adsorbents. Chapter II focuses …


Modified Biochar Adsorbents For Aqueous Contaminant Remediation, Herath Mudiyanselage Nimeshika Amali Herath Apr 2021

Modified Biochar Adsorbents For Aqueous Contaminant Remediation, Herath Mudiyanselage Nimeshika Amali Herath

Theses and Dissertations

Continuous population growth and rapid industrial advancement and development have paved the way for ever increasing environmental pollution. At present, water pollution is a serious global issue that threatens environmental sustainability. The contamination of aquatic bodies with potentially toxic organic and inorganic substances are the result of world-wide anthropogenic activities. These pollutants can have detrimental health consequences on humans and ecosystems. Over the past decades, techniques such as chemical precipitation, ion-exchange, adsorption, membrane filtration, and electrocoagulation-flocculation have been developed and employed for the treatment of drinking and wastewater. Among the currently available techniques, pollutant removal by adsorption is most promising …


Low-Cost Adsorbents For Water Purification, Hasara Dilum Samaraweera Apr 2021

Low-Cost Adsorbents For Water Purification, Hasara Dilum Samaraweera

Theses and Dissertations

Heavy metals, oxyanions (NO3-, PO4-), pharmaceuticals, and dyes in aquatic environments are inevitable economic and health concerns. Ingestion of these contaminants, even in trace amounts, causes long and short-term serious threats to human health. Conventional pollutant mitigation strategies can be costly or ineffective. Due to high efficiency, simplicity, low price, adsorbent reuse, and pollutant (e.g., phosphates) recovery, adsorption has been widely used for wastewater purification. Many efficient, environmentally compatible, and cost-effective sorbents have been successfully applied in environmental remediation. Chapter I is about characterization of graphene-coated pinewood biochar hybrids and evaluation of their copper removal performances. Here, we synthesized three …


Development Of Low-Cost Adsorbents From Biomass Residues For The Removal Of Organic Contaminants And Heavy Metals From Aqueous Solutions., Sunith Babu Madduri Nov 2020

Development Of Low-Cost Adsorbents From Biomass Residues For The Removal Of Organic Contaminants And Heavy Metals From Aqueous Solutions., Sunith Babu Madduri

Theses and Dissertations

Increasing population across the globe paved the way for rapid growth in industrialization. Pharmaceuticals, automotive, textiles, agriculture, electronics, electrical and many other industries discharge different types of heavy metals, dyes and organic contaminants into ground water. These discharges are released into lakes and rivers without prior treatment causing huge environmental impact to the environment. Among different remediation techniques, adsorption was considered the most promising method because of its low-cost and high efficiency. Biomass is considered as the most practical and renewable source for production of bio products and biofuels. Biomass is also used for carbon sequestration and as an essential …


Modified Adsorbents From Waste Materials For Water Remediation, Medagama Liyanage Achala Sandamali Liyanage Nov 2020

Modified Adsorbents From Waste Materials For Water Remediation, Medagama Liyanage Achala Sandamali Liyanage

Theses and Dissertations

Water pollution is one of the major ecological threats people face around the world. Water contamination by organic and inorganic compounds is hazardous to both the environment and human health. Adsorption techniques have gained much attention in the field of water remediation due to their efficiency, simplicity in operation, and ease of implementation. However, the adsorbents currently being used are costly. The main objective of this work is to develop novel, low-cost adsorbents from waste material by modifying the adsorbent surface for water remediation. Adsorbent modifications involve various chemical and physical methods such as acid/base treatments, metal/metal oxide impregnation, functional …


Phosphate Reclamation From Water Using Douglas Fir Biochar Fe/Mg-Ldh Composites, Sharifur Rahman Aug 2020

Phosphate Reclamation From Water Using Douglas Fir Biochar Fe/Mg-Ldh Composites, Sharifur Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

Eutrophication, caused by phosphate, can be detrimental both for the aquatic environment and human health. This research aims to provide deep knowledge about the adsorption properties of low-cost Fe/Mg layered double hydroxide modified biochar (LDHBC) for removal of phosphate from aqueous solution. Firstly, Fe/Mg layered double hydroxide (LDH) was synthesized by mixing FeCl3 and MgCl2. 6H2O salts in water, followed by NaOH treatment (coprecipitation method). For LDHBC, FeCl3, and MgCl2. 6H2O salts were dissolved in water, and Douglas fir biochar was added to the salts mixture to make a slurry, followed by NaOH treatment. The surface chemistry and elemental composition …


Evaluating Effects Of Southern Yellow Pine Biochar And Wood Vinegar On Poultry Litter, Maryam Mohammadi-Aragh Dec 2019

Evaluating Effects Of Southern Yellow Pine Biochar And Wood Vinegar On Poultry Litter, Maryam Mohammadi-Aragh

Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of this study were to investigate nutrient retention, intI1 prevalence, and compost maturity rates for poultry litter co-composted with 5, 10, and 20% southern yellow pine biochar and with or without 2% wood vinegar (WV). Samples were collected at 0, 57, and 112 days to measure nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (N, P, K) concentrations, microbial counts, pH, moisture content, carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio, and intI1 abundance. Composts were aerated once a week and the temperature was also recorded once a week. There was sufficient rainfall so no additional water was added. The results showed that N and …


Municipal And Agricultural Wastewater Remediation Using Modified Biochars, Glenn Crisler Ii Aug 2019

Municipal And Agricultural Wastewater Remediation Using Modified Biochars, Glenn Crisler Ii

Theses and Dissertations

Water contaminated by heavy metals and plant nutrients pose a threat to human health and safety as well as the environment. The aim of this body of work is to develop, characterize, and understand the adsorption properties of green sorbents to mitigate these risks. Biochar, an adsorbent known to be both environmentally friendly and inexpensive was used. Advantages of biochar are its high surface area, easy modification, and native surface functionality. Biochars used in this study are of pecan shell or douglas fir origin, although biochar can be made from a host of waste organic materials. Pecan shell biochar was …


Using Agricultural Wastes And Additives To Improve Properties And Lower Manufacturing Costs Associated With Biomass Energy Pellets, Cody Blake Dec 2018

Using Agricultural Wastes And Additives To Improve Properties And Lower Manufacturing Costs Associated With Biomass Energy Pellets, Cody Blake

Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of this dissertation’s studies were to determine the effects of different additives on biomass wood pellets’ physical properties and the production energy required to produce each treatment. Chapter II was completed using a pneumatic pelletizer as a small scale test to determine effects of different additives. The pneumatic pelletizer was a good indicator of which additives can be successfully pelletized. The results of this chapter show that using bio-oil can significantly increase calorific value, without significantly decreasing durability and significantly increasing production energy required. Corn starch, in a 4% treatment, was shown to not hinder durability or calorific …


A Geotechnical Perspective On Carbon Sequestration In Clay Using Gasifier Biochar, James Michael Williams Aug 2018

A Geotechnical Perspective On Carbon Sequestration In Clay Using Gasifier Biochar, James Michael Williams

Theses and Dissertations

There is a growing need for employing sustainable soil improvement techniques. Concurrently, soil carbon sequestration methods continue to receive more attention in an attempt to reduce greenhouse gas levels contributing to climate change. Exploring the use of gasifier biochar for soil improvement can possibility address these two needs simultaneously. This study investigates the effect of gasifier biochar amendment on mechanical, chemical and hydraulic properties of a local clay with poor engineering properties. Specifically, strength, swelling, compressibility, collapsibility, permeability, water retention, cation exchange capacity, pH, and microstructural characteristics were determined for the clay amended with 5, 10, and 20% biochar. Two …


Wastewater Remediation Using Modified Biochars, Griffin Allen Burk Dec 2017

Wastewater Remediation Using Modified Biochars, Griffin Allen Burk

Theses and Dissertations

Water polluted by metals and phosphates can be hazardous to both the environment and human health. The aim of this study was used to improve understanding of the adsorption properties of low-cost, green adsorbents for removal of pollutants from aqueous solution. Biochar was used as an adsorbent, which was produced from the gasification of pine wood waste and the fast pyrolysis of Douglas fir. Biochar is a bio-renewable product that can easily be modified, and the cost is lower compared to other adsorbents like activated carbon. The gasifier produced biochar was modified by coating the biochar surface with chitosan. Douglas …


Using Biochar Electrodes For Brackish Water Desalination, Hellen Stephanie Aug 2017

Using Biochar Electrodes For Brackish Water Desalination, Hellen Stephanie

Theses and Dissertations

Capacitive deionization based on electrosorption has become a viable process for brackish water desalination. In this study, activated biochar was employed as low-cost and alternative carbon-based electrodes substituting activated carbon with comparable adsorption capacity. Effects of different activation temperatures of the biochar were studied by physical characterization (i.e. SEM, TEM, elemental analysis, and Raman spectroscopy) and electrochemical characterization (i.e. cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge measurement) based on the electrical double layer theory. The highest specific capacitance obtained (118.50 F g-1) was from activated biochar electrode treated at 800°C. The removal capacity was investigated by AAS and conductivity measurements. Several limitations …


Effect Of Water Hardness On Adsorption Of Lead From Aqueous Solution Using Douglas Fir Biochar, Dhara Gogri Aug 2017

Effect Of Water Hardness On Adsorption Of Lead From Aqueous Solution Using Douglas Fir Biochar, Dhara Gogri

Theses and Dissertations

Water pollution due to heavy metals can be hazardous to both the environment and human health. The aim of this research is to provide a low-cost alternative for lead remediation. Biochar was produced from the fast pyrolysis of Douglas fir (DBC). Magnetic biochar (MDBC) was synthesized by mixing aqueous biochar suspensions with an aqueous Fe3+/Fe2+ solution. In chapter I, an overview of lead as an emergent contaminant is given. Different biochar production techniques have been discussed along with different mechanism of adsorption of lead onto biochar. Chapter II is a study of adsorption of lead on DBC and MDBC under …


Soil Resource And Production Dynamics Of A Tree-Grass Intercropping System Managed Across Gradients Of Interspecific Competition, Kurt Joseph Krapfl May 2015

Soil Resource And Production Dynamics Of A Tree-Grass Intercropping System Managed Across Gradients Of Interspecific Competition, Kurt Joseph Krapfl

Theses and Dissertations

Belowground competition presents a threat to the production and sustainability of tree-grass ecosystems. Management scenarios designed to optimize the spatial and temporal distribution of soil resources will improve resource-use efficiency and promote greater co-production. We conducted three experiments to assess competition dynamics between loblolly pine and switchgrass. In a three-year field trial, loblolly pine and switchgrass were intercropped across varying competitive intensities. Interspecific competition decreased loblolly pine annual growth; however, establishing vegetation exclusion zones surrounding pines largely mitigated these effects. Switchgrass yields were less affected by interspecific competition compared to pines and land equivalency ratios indicated that with proper management …


Synthesis, Characterization And Catalytic Studies Of Carbon-Based Nano Materials, Qiangu Yan Apr 2011

Synthesis, Characterization And Catalytic Studies Of Carbon-Based Nano Materials, Qiangu Yan

Theses and Dissertations

Nano-scaled carbons were produced by thermal treatment of pine wood chips and bio-char. The influence of temperature, heating rate, pyrolysis time, and type and flow rate of purge gas on the production of nano-carbons was investigated. Using TEM and SEM, different carbon-based nanomaterials were observed in the prepared samples. The effect of metal ion doping on the bio-char was also investigated. Highly functionalized nano carbonaceous materials were synthesized by low temperature hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) using glucose, sucrose, xylose, and cellulose. Carbon-encapsulated iron (Fe@C) core-shell particles were also synthesized by the HTC method and used as catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis to …