Engineering Commons^™

The Green, Blue And Grey Water Footprint Of Farm Animals And Animal Products. Volume 2: Appendices, Mesfin Mekonnen, Arjen Y. Hoekstra

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Contents

Appendix I: Feed conversion efficiencies – in kg of feed (dry mass) per kg of output – per animal category and region

Appendix II: Estimated consumption of feed per animal category and world region (10³ ton dry mass/yr)

Appendix III. Estimated consumption of feed per production system and world region (10³ ton dry mass/yr)

Appendix IV. Drinking and service water footprint per animal

Appendix V. Water footprint of animals and animal products (m³/ton). Period 1996-2005

A Spectrum Of Traffic Flow Modeling At Multiple Scales, Daiheng Ni

Daiheng Ni

his paper presents a broad perspective on traffic flow modeling at a spectrum of four scales. Modeling objectives and model properties at each scale are discussed and existing efforts are reviewed. In order to ensure modeling consistency and provide a microscopic basis for macroscopic models, it is critical to address the coupling among models at different scales, i.e. how less detailed models are derived from more detailed models and, conversely, how more detailed models are aggregated to less detailed models. With this understanding, a consistent modeling approach is proposed based on field theory and modeling strategies at each of the …

Characterization Of Acetogenic And Methanogenic Leachates Generated From A Sanitary Landfill Site, Aik Heng Lee, Hamid Nikraz, Yung Tse Hung

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Decomposition processes take place in landfill generate leachates that can be categorized mainly of acetogenic and methanogenic in nature. BOD:COD ratio computed in this study for a landfill site over a 3 years duration revealed as a good indicator to identify acetogenic leachate from methanogenic leachate. Correlation relationships to predict pollutant level taking into consideration of climatic condition are derived.

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Fall 2010, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge.

The senior design competition helps to focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects …

The Effectiveness Of Silica Sand In Semi-Aerobic Stabilized Landfill Leachate Treatment, Ezlina Othman, Mohd Suffian Yusoff, Hamidi Abdul Aziz, Mohd Nordin Adlan, Mohammed J.K. Bashir, Yung Tse Hung

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

© 2010 by the authors. This study examines the suitability of natural silica sand as a low-cost adsorbent for the removal of ammoniacal nitrogen and heavy metals, particularly iron and zinc, from semi-aerobic stabilized landfill leachate. Leachate samples were collected from the Pulau Burung landfill site (PBLS) in Penang, Malaysia. The above-mentioned contaminants are highlighted in this study because of their unsafe concentrations at PBLS. The effects of shaking time, settling time, and silica sand dosage on the study parameter removal efficiencies were investigated to predict the performance of the process. The adsorptions of ammoniacal nitrogen, iron, and zinc were …

Stability Analysis Of Single And Double Steel Girders During Construction, Sean Justin Coffelt

Masters Theses

Built-up steel I-girders are very commonly used in bridge construction. Their spans are typically very long, and they are susceptible to lateral torsional buckling if not enough lateral support is provided. This thesis includes guidelines for preventing lateral torsional buckling of steel I-girders under dead and wind load, accompanied with finite element analysis of double girder systems. The first portion includes capacity envelopes for single girders with single and double symmetric cross sections under various loading conditions and boundary conditions for double and single symmetric cross sections with double girders subjected to dead loads only. The second portion is dedicated …

Seismic Analysis Of Integral Abutment Bridges Considering Soil Structure Interaction, Reza Vasheghani Farahani

Masters Theses

Integral abutment bridges are jointless bridges in which the deck is continuous and connected monolithically with the abutment walls supported typically by a single row of piles. This thesis focuses on the effects of two major parameters on the seismic behavior of an integral abutment bridge in Tennessee by considering soil-structure interaction around the piles and in back of the abutments: (1) clay stiffness (medium vs. hard) around the piles, and (2) level of sand compaction (loose vs. dense) of the abutment wall backfilling. Modal and nonlinear time history analyses are performed on a three dimensional detailed bridge model using …

Site Verification Of Weigh-In-Motion Traffic And Tirtl Classification Data, Shuo Li, Yingzi (Eliza) Du, Yi Jiang

JTRP Technical Reports

Quality weigh-in-motion (WIM) traffic data is essential not only in general transportation application, but also in pavement design. The new AASHTO Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) for New and Rehabilitated Pavement Structures requires information on the detailed truck traffic, such as truck traffic volume, truck traffic monthly and hourly variations, vehicle class distribution, axle load, and axle load distributions, instead of the traditional ESALs. In addition, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) needs to collect traffic data frequently so as to timely provide accurate traffic information for planning, program development, operations, and pavement management. Currently, INDOT is using the pneumatic …

Wind River Range Snowpack Reconstruction Using Dendochronology And Sea Surface Temperatures, Sallyrose Anderson

Masters Theses

Multiple reconstructions of April 1st snow water equivalent (SWE) are generated for the Wind River Range (WRR), located in west-central Wyoming, to determine the most accurate predictors. Predictors included climate signal data (Southern Oscillation Index), traditional predictors (tree-ring chronologies), and non-spatially biased Pacific Ocean sea surface temperatures (SSTs). Incorporation of Pacific Ocean SSTs as a whole provides a more comprehensive representation of oceanic-atmospheric variability. Rotated principal component analysis (PCA) was used to regionalize April 1st snowpack data (1961 – 1999) from snow telemetry stations (SNOTEL stations). Tree-ring chronologies that were stable across the period of overlapping records (1961 – 1999) …

Modeling Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Conventional Wastewater Treatment Plants In South Carolina, Andrea Hicks

All Theses

Wastewater treatment is an essential part of life in the urbanized world. As global climate change becomes a more pressing issue, the greenhouse gas emissions created through wastewater treatment will become a more prominent concern. Tertiary treatment will likely be standard for wastewater treatment plants in the near future, and therefore must be included in a model of greenhouse gas emissions. Also, the geographic location of a WWTP will change the mix of power types (e.g., coal, nuclear, biomass) used to run the plant. Although GHG emissions from the waste sector are small compared to the emissions of the United …

Development Of The Mgs Approach Guardrail Transition Using Standardized Steel Posts, Scott K. Rosenbaugh, Ronald K. Faller, Robert W. Bielenberg, Karla A. Lechtenberg, Dean L. Sicking, John D. Reid

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Product Technical Information, Steel Stud Manufacturers Association

CCFSS Library (1939 - present)

No abstract provided.

Destructive Testing Of Composite Precast Concrete Deck Panels And Built-Up Steel Plate Girders, Wesley J. Cook

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has implemented the use of precast concrete panels for bridge deck construction. A bridge utilizing these panels as a reconstruction method was decommissioned three years after the new deck installation, due to unrelated matters. Two sections of this bridge were salvaged and sent to Utah State University (USU) for destructive testing.

Each bridge section consisted of two built-up steel plate girders intact with the precast concrete deck panels. The precast panels were designed and constructed to achieve full composite action between the deck and built-up steel plate girders through the use of Nelson shear …

Destructive Testing And Finite-Element Modeling Of Full-Scale Bridge Sections Containing Precast Deck Panels, Travis R. Brackus

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Full-depth, precast panel deck systems are becoming more common in bridge installation and repair. The objective of these systems is to achieve the performance of cast-in-place systems while simultaneously saving time and money. The structural behavior of these systems has been the subject of scrutiny in recent research. The Utah Department of Transportation demolished a steel I-girder bridge containing a precast panel deck system and provided two full-scale specimens for this project. Destructive testing was performed at Utah State University on the specimens to investigate three failure modes: flexural, beam shear, and punching shear. Finite-element models were created using ANSYS …

Estimating And Verifying Household Potential To Conserve Water, Francisco J. Suero

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis identifies impacts of behaviors and technology on residential indoor water use and conservation efforts. We use pre-existing detailed end-use data collected before and after toilets, faucets, showerheads, and clothes washers were retrofitted in 96 owner-occupied, single-family households in Oakland, California; Seattle, Washington; and Tampa, Florida between 2000 and 2003.

Water volume, duration of use, and time of use were recorded and disaggregated by appliance for two weeks before and four weeks after appliances were retrofitted. For each appliance, we compare observed differences in water use before and after retrofits to water savings predicted by analytical engineering, semi-analytical engineering, …

Retrieval Of Aerosol Mass Concentration From Elastic Lidar Data, Christian C. Marchant

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Agricultural aerosol sources can contribute significantly to air pollution in many regions of the country. Characterization of the aerosol emissions of agricultural operations is required to establish a scientific basis for crafting regulations concerning agricultural aerosols. A new lidar instrument for measuring aerosol emissions is described, as well as two new algorithms for converting lidar measurements into aerosol concentration data. The average daily aerosol emission rate is estimated from a dairy using lidar.

The Aglite Lidar is a portable scanning lidar for mapping the concentration of particulate matter from agricultural and other sources. The instrument is described and performance and …

Evaluation Of Utility Relocation Costs And Best Management Practices, Michael Reinke

All Theses

In recent years, the SCDOT has experienced a significant variation in estimated costs for the relocation of utilities on many projects. This has led to cost overruns and caused concerns for the district engineers responsible for the projects. Through meetings with SCDOT personnel and utility company representatives it was determined that a standardized cost estimate form combined with improved change order management and cost management strategies was needed. Recently submitted estimates were analyzed and rated by a panel on multiple criteria to generate a list of 'poor', 'good', and 'excellent' estimates. The 'excellent' estimates provided insight into the development of …

Closure To "Estimation Of The Water Balance Using Observed Soil Water In The Nebraska Sandhills", Venkataramana Sridhar, K. G. Hubbard

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We are thankful to Szilagyi [2010] for providing us an opportunity to discuss the important points of our paper [Sridhar and Hubbard, 2010]. We demonstrated a seasonal water balance assessment using the Modified Thornthwaite-Mather (TM) model in the Nebraska Sandhills. We computed the water budget for a few representative weather monitoring stations located in the Sandhills using the high resolution soil moisture data to assess the storage. In our water balance analysis, soil moisture storage is determined based on observed soil moisture and actual evapotranspiration, ET_act was computed for each month using the change in storage in soil water …

Determining The Global Maximum Biofuel Production Potential Without Conflicting With Food And Feed Consumption, Watcharapol Pumkaew

All Theses

This study tries to resolve the competition between food and biofuel by balancing the allocation between food and feed areas and biofuel areas for the entire world. The maximum energy production is calculated by determining the theoretical amount of energy that can be grown, once food and feed consumption is taken into account, based on the assumption that unprotected grass and woody lands and forest lands can be converted into cultivated lands. The total optimum land area for biofuel energy, 4,926.49 Mha, consists of corn, rapeseed, sugar beet, sugar cane, and grasses. When considering energy conversion efficiency, the maximum energy …

Determination Of Sorption Coefficients For Neptunium, Plutonium, Iodine, And Technetium In Engineered And Natural Systems Under Oxidizing And Reducing Conditions, Michael Lilley

All Theses

Plutonium, neptunium, technetium, and iodine present appreciable risks at nuclear waste disposal sites around the world due to their potential mobility. Sorption of each of these radionuclides is profoundly influenced by oxidation/ reduction reactions. Therefore, the mobility of each radionuclide may be greatly influenced by redox conditions of the natural or engineered system. The primary focus of this study was to determine distribution coefficients (K_d) for each radionuclide for engineered concrete and saltstone systems with varying amounts of reducing slag (a cement additive to create a reducing environment), and for iodide/iodate in natural sediments. Saltstones are a mixture …

A Numerical And Experimental Study Of Differential Settling In Cohesive Sediment, Chad Heiliger

All Theses

Accurate sedimentation modeling has important applications in a number of fields. This includes modeling the accumulation of sediment in harbor channels and modeling the sedimentation and accumulation of particles in retention ponds in the still waters behind dams in order to calculate the trap efficiency. By accurately modeling sedimentation, engineering failures such as the 2008 TVA spill at the Kingston Fossil Plant could possibly be avoided. Three different numerical models comparing the settling rates of individual particles in quiescent waters were created to compare the change of settling velocity due to particle size distributions, change of local concentrations, and flocculation …

Molecular Characterization Of Enrichment Cultures That Grow On Tetrachloroethene, 1,2 Dichloroethane And Ethylene Dibromide, Hari Shankar Peethambaram

All Theses

Halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons are among the most common contaminants in soil and groundwater found at hazardous waste sites throughout the United States. Among them are tetrachloroethene (PCE), 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) and ethylene dibromide (EDB). Organohalide respiration of each compound has been reported. However, considerably less information is known about EDB than PCE and 1,2-DCA, including the yield that occurs during growth with EDB as the sole TEA. The main objective of this project was to determine which types of chlororespiring microbes predominate during growth of enrichment cultures when PCE, 1,2-DCA and EDB served as the TEA, and what their yield is. …

Performance Evaluation Of Brass Breakaway Couplings, Joseph G. Putjenter, Scott K. Rosenbaugh, Karla A. Lechtenberg, Ronald K. Faller, Dean L. Sicking, John D. Reid

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Dynamic Impact Testing Of Wood Posts For The Midwest Guardrail System Placed Adjacent To A 2h:1v Fill Slope, Karla A. Lechtenberg, Robert W. Bielenberg, Ronald K. Faller, Dean L. Sicking, Mary D. Mcghee, John D. Reid

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Capacity Reduction And Fire Load Factors For Lrfd Of Steel Members Exposed To Fire, Shahid Iqbal, Ronald S. Harichandran

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

A general reliability-based methodology is proposed for developing capacity reduction and fire load factors for design of steel members exposed to fire. The effect of active fire protection systems (e.g., sprinklers, smoke and heat detectors, fire brigade, etc.) in reducing the probability of occurrence of a severe fire is included. The design parameters that significantly affect the fire design of steel members are chosen as random variables. Raw experimental data published in the literature was analyzed to obtain the statistics of parameters for which no statistical information was available in the literature. Model errors associated with the thermal analysis models …

Pharmaceuticals And Personal Care Products In Ground Water From Municipal Lagoon Treatment, Teresa Nicholas

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are biologically active, organic chemicals that are introduced into the environment through wastewater streams. These chemicals are being found in the environment in trace concentrations and are of concern due to their unknown potential for harm to the health and welfare of the environment. The hypothesis is that during the course of wastewater treatment in a municipal lagoon system from a small community, PPCPs are seeping into ground water resulting in chronic low exposure in the environment. The objective of this work was to study a specific wastewater lagoon treatment system in Mountain Home, …

Investigating The Use Of A New Universal Breakaway Steel Post -- Phase Iii, Dean L. Sicking, Ronald K. Faller, Robert W. Bielenberg, Karla A. Lechtenberg, Jennifer D. Schmidt

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Second Generation Precast Deck Panel (Nudeck) System, Kromel E. Hanna, George Morcous, Maher K. Tadros

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Layer Moduli Of Nebraska Pavements For The New Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide, Soohyok Im, Yong-Rak Kim, Hoki Ban

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Local Evaluation For The Cumberland Gap Tunnel Regional Its Deployment, John Crossfield, Len O'Connell, Candice Wallace, Jennifer Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report is the local evaluation of an Intelligent Transportation System deployment for the Cumberland Gap Tunnel and U.S. 25E corridor in Tennessee and Kentucky. This report examines the planning for the deployment and the systems and components used to achieve the goals of the deployment. The goals and expectations of the ITS deployment were to provide updated travel information to drivers in the vicinity of the Cumberland Gap Tunnel and along the U.S. 25E corridor; to improve the integration of the tunnel systems; to improve incident detection, verification, and response times along the U.S. 25E corridor; and to develop, …