Engineering Commons^™

Metalloporphyrin Catalyzed Degradation Of Pce: Effects Of Reductants, Buffers And Cosolvent Concentration, Sowmya Suryanarayanan

All Theses

Reductive dechlorination of chlorinated organic contaminants using metalloporphyrins as catalysts may be an effective approach to treat widespread contamination. However, most previous studies have examined water-soluble rather than insoluble metalloporphyrins despite the fact that the latter category makes up the largest fraction found in nature. Recent studies have shown that addition of different cosolvents to water can activate otherwise non-reactive metalloporphyrin catalysts and facilitate the reduction of tetrachloroethylene (PCE), presumably by the mere process of making the otherwise insoluble metalloporphyrins dissolve in solution. Therefore, solubility has been advanced as a key factor in the ability of metalloporphyrins to catalyze organic …

Bacterial Auto-Aggregation And Co-Aggregation In Activated Sludge, Fei Chen

All Theses

Microbial auto-aggregation and co-aggregation, leading to biofilm or floc formation, widely occur in natural systems. This study was conducted to investigate the extent of bacterial auto-aggregation and co-aggregation in activated sludge and their contributions in activated sludge floc formation. In this study, an activated sludge sample was separated into a supernatant part (planktonic community) and a sediment part (floc community) by centrifugation at 650_g for 2 minutes. 197 strains were isolated from both communities. These isolates belong to 18 phylotypes based on molecular identifications. Similar phylogenetic distributions of these isolates were observed in planktonic and floc communities, suggesting a similar …

Nirt: Developing A Nanoscale Sensing Device For Measuring The Supply Of Iron To Phytoplankton In Marine Systems, Mark L. Wells, Karen Orcutt, D. Whitney King, Carl Tripp

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

There is increasing evidence that Fe has a singularly unique role in marine ecosystems, both regulating total phytoplankton production in high nitrate, low chlorophyll regions of the world, and influencing the predominant composition of the phytoplankton assemblages found in others. It is remarkable then that there is no agreement about how to define biologically available Fe, in contrast to the macronutrients nitrogen, phosphorous or silicon. Current attempts to attain predictive insights to how ocean ecosystems will influence the magnitude of climate change are blocked in large part by this question, along with an extreme shortage of data on Fe distributions …

Laboratory Evaluation Of Microbial Aggregation In Activated Sludge, Xiaoling Liu

All Theses

Microbial aggregation was investigated in this study using the activated sludge process as a model system, the performance of which is highly dependent on effective bioaggregation. This research includes two experiments. First, four laboratory-scale activated sludge sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were constructed in order to evaluate the effect of solids retention time (SRT) on microbial aggregation. These SBRs were operated at SRT of 4, 8, 16, and 32 days, respectively, fed with a protein-based synthetic wastewater, and monitored over a period of 268 days for performance and sludge settling characteristics including soluble COD in the effluent (sCOD), sludge volume index …

Cosolvent Effects On The Reductive Dechlorination Of Tetrachloroethylene Catalyzed By Iron Tetraphenyl Porphyrin Chloride, Lavanya Ramasubramanian

All Theses

Abiotic electron transfer mediated reductive dechlorination reactions have been studied extensively in the past decade. Porphyrins and metalloporphyrins are common electron transfer mediators used. Past studies have shown that some metalloporphyrins play a key role in increasing the rate of reaction in the presence of cosolvents. There have also been suggestions that organic cosolvents enhance the rate of reduction by increasing the solubility of metalloporphyrins.
The primary objective of this project was to examine the effect of cosolvents on the metalloporphyrin-catalyzed reductive dechlorination of tetrachloroethylene (PCE). Subsequently, experiments were also conducted to test the hypothesis that metalloporphyrin solubility is linked …

Evaluation Of The Role Of Driver’S Knowledge Of Who Has The Right-Of-Way Contributes To Interstate On-Ramp Crashes, Deogratias Eustace, Vamsi Krishna Indupuru

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

The knowledge of drivers on who has the right-of-way between the one on mainline lanes of a freeway and the one entering the freeway through on-ramp junction lane was evaluated. In addition, drivers’ opinions on how to make the on-ramp junctions safer were collected. A survey instrument with 21 items requesting drivers’ information in regard with demographics, freeway driving experience, knowledge of right-of-way and merging practices was used for data collection. The results show that crashes are relatively rare events and for some reasons, most of them never happen but result into near misses, which can not be reported and …

Characterizing Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions In Great Smoky Mountains National Park Using Hydrologic, Geochemical & Isotopic Data, Amanda Marie Mckenna

Masters Theses

Groundwater-surface water interactions can substantially influence the quality of surficial water bodies and are thus important when investigating ecological health of and climate change impacts on an area. However, data collection can be hindered when the location is remote and/or legally protected. This paper presents a methodology to implement minimallyinvasive field techniques at a remote and protected location that allows preliminary identification of the relationship between groundwater and surface water. Great Smoky Mountains National Park was selected as the study area as it is subjected to some of the highest rates of acid deposition in the country. Ecological damage is …

Using Multivariate Analysis Of Geochemical Data To Better Define Hydrologic Interfaces In Surface Water - Groundwater Systems, Candice Ann Owen

Masters Theses

Groundwater-surface water interactions have been shown to be important to flow generation and stream chemistry in upland catchment environments. These areas, however, are often difficult to access making the implementation of standard hydrological surface and subsurface monitoring equipment and characterization procedures impractical, arduous and in many cases impossible due to the nature of the terrain and also regulatory guidelines for protected areas. By collecting surface water samples at distinct water contribution sites to a headwater stream, areas of groundwater influence were inferred and a hydrochemical conceptual model of a small basin was created.

The objectives of this research were to …

The Development Of Regional Regression Equations For Flood Flow Estimates Of Ungauged Streams In The State Of Arkansas, Stephen Mccall

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Ocena Wpływu Planowanego Zakładu Termicznego Przekształcania Odpadów Komunalnych Na Jakość Powietrza W Krakowie, Robert Oleniacz, Maria Pilch

Robert Oleniacz

The work presents air quality impact assessment for the planned Municipal Solid Waste Incineration (MSWI) plant in Krakow with a established capacity of 255000 tons per year. The evaluation is based on assumption that air pollutant emissions from the incinerator will be at the highest allowed level resulting from emission limit values for waste incineration plants with operation time each of two planned lines 7500 hours per year. Calculation results for the one of the considered localization of the MSWI plant in Krakow (district of Nowa Huta) support the thesis that building the incineration plant of this size will not …

Long-Term Trends From Ecosystem Research At The Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, John L. Campbell, Charles T. Driscoll, Christopher Eagar, Gene E. Likens, Thomas G. Siccama, Chris E. Johnson, Timothy J. Fahey, Steven P. Hamburg, Richard T. Holmes, Amey S. Bailey, Donald C. Buso

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest was established by the U.S. Forest Service in 1955 as a major center for hydrologic research in the Northeast. The Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study originated 8 years later with the idea of using the small watershed approach to study element flux and cycling and the response of forest ecosystems to disturbance. Since that time, the research program at Hubbard Brook has expanded to include various physical, chemical and biological measurements collected by researchers from a number of cooperating institutions. Collaborative, long-term data are the keystone of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study and have provided invaluable …

Water Savings And Rainwater Harvesting – Pilot Project In Ireland, Sean O'Hogain, Anna Reid, Liam Mccarton, Jenny Pender, Niamh Mcntyre

Conference papers

A pilot project to harvest rainwater was set up in Ireland in 2005 to examine the potential of using rainwater harvesting systems to replace treated mains water, for non-potable uses. The Project has two strands to it. The agricultural application assessed the feasibility of incorporating rainwater supply to supplement/replace mains or other water supplies for farms. The second strand involves rural water supply to domestic dwellings. Here the project installed rainwater harvesting and water conservation devices as part of a pilot project to assess the reduction in domestic demand. This paper will examine the water use recorded on both sites. …

Cation Exchange In Glacial Till Subjected To Highway Deicing Agent Infiltration, Niki Kallergis

Environmental & Water Resources Engineering Masters Projects

The site studied in this research project is owned by the Massachusetts Highway Department and has been used as a storage facility since the 1960's. The area has been characterized as a drumlin of glacial till composition. Improper storage practices occulTed during two decades (1960's - 1980's) by stockpiling deicing agents outdoors. Previous investigations verify groundwater contamination due to brine infiltration and establish several properties of the soil and the aquifer hydraulics. The chloride ion is unreactive and transported with groundwater molecules; however, field data and theory suggest that dissolved sodium partakes in cation exchange with sorbed cations on clay …

Modeling Fate And Transport Of Fecal Coliform In Wachusett Reservoir, Thomas P. Matthews

Environmental & Water Resources Engineering Masters Projects

The Wachusett Reservoir, located in central Massachusetts is an unfiltered, ozonated / chloraminated drinking water supply which serves 2.3 million customers in Boston, Massachusetts and surrounding communities. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is responsible for managing and protecting the Wachusett Reservoir and surrounding watershed. The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) operates the water supply system and the Carroll Water Treatment Plant (CWTP). In addition, DCR manages and maintains the Quabbin Reservoir and watershed located in western Massachusetts. The Wachusett and Quabbin Reservoirs provide high quality water to consumers due to pristine watersheds and long hydraulic retention time. …

The Use Of Numerical Modeling Techniques To Optimize Groundwater Withdrawls And Minimize Streamflow Depletion, Yamen Hoque

Environmental & Water Resources Engineering Masters Projects

Groundwater reserves can be a valuable resource in alleviating rising water demands worldwide. The groundwater is generally pumped out of surficial aquifers using withdrawal wells. However, unregulated groundwater withdrawals can impact the flow in nearby streams negatively, causing streamflow depletions. This can hinder the ecological balance of streams and endanger the aquatic life fonTIs that call such streams home. Therefore, groundwater withdrawals must be carried out using a well managed withdrawal strategy. Rhode Island has a growing annual water demand that has been projected to exceed current supply in parts of the state by 2020. As a result, several new …

The Use Of Numerical Modeling Techniques To Optimize Groundwater Withdrawls And Minimize Streamflow Depletion, Yamen M. Hoque

Environmental & Water Resources Engineering Masters Projects

Groundwater reserves can be a valuable resource in alleviating rising water demands worldwide. The groundwater is generally pumped out of surficial aquifers using withdrawal wells. However, unregulated groundwater withdrawals can impact the flow in nearby streams negatively, causing streamflow depletions. This can hinder the ecological balance of streams and endanger the aquatic life fonTIs that call such streams home. Therefore, groundwater withdrawals must be carried out using a well managed withdrawal strategy. Rhode Island has a growing annual water demand that has been projected to exceed current supply in parts of the state by 2020. As a result, several new …

Evaluation Of Nutrients Along The Blackstone River, Megan M. Patterson

Environmental & Water Resources Engineering Masters Projects

The University of Massachusetts Blackstone River Water Quality Study was conducted in August of 2005 through November of 2006. Water quality was monitored throughout two dry weather events and five wet weather events along the Blackstone at over 20 sites from the headwaters downstream to Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Special emphasis was placed on the analysis of the nutrient loadings crossing the Massachusetts/Rhode Island state border. Continuous nitrate and phosphate readings were collected at the state line using MicroLABs. The MicroLAB results required a high degree of data adjustment; duplicate samples are recommended to ensure future data quality. Data from events …

Ground Water Management, Gwm, Formulations To Control Subsidence In A Large Scale Transient Problem, Gemma Baro-Montes

Environmental & Water Resources Engineering Masters Projects

The objective of this study is to test different formations with a new optimization program. The area under study is located close to Los Angeles, and it has experienced a large drawdown of the water table, with related subsidence. The analyses utilizes Ground Water Management (GWM), a public domain code distributed by the USGS as a process within MODFLOW 2000. The different algorithms within GWM were tested with a large-scale transient unconfined system. The different analysis allowed the verification of the program. In this application, GWM is used to optimize the resources, and the MODFLOW packages from the LANOPT Model …

Achiral And Chiral Analysis Of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs) In The Aquatic And Riparian Food Webs In Twelve Mile Creek, South Carolina., Viet Dang

All Theses

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contamination in the Twelve Mile Creek arm of Lake Hartwell, South Carolina, has been an issue for decades. Lake Hartwell, which is a reservoir located on the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia, was contaminated with an estimated 440,000 pounds of PCBs. PCBs were released from the Sangamo-Weston capacitor plant located on Town Creek, which feeds into Twelve Mile Creek and ultimately Lake Hartwell. The Twelve Mile Creek tributary connecting the Sangamo-Weston plant to Lake Hartwell has had little attention. Understanding PCBs contamination in the aquatic and riparian food webs of Twelve Mile Creek …

Development And Evaluation Of An Enrichment Culture For Bioaugmentation Of The P-Area Chlorinated Ethene Plume At The Savannah River Site, Elizabeth Wood

All Theses

The Twin Lakes chlorinated ethene plume at the Department of Energy's
Savannah River Site (SRS) emerges in a wetland in which trichloroethene (TCE) is
completely reduced to ethene and ethane. Novel strains of Dehalococcoides have been
detected from the wetland area. The objectives of this study were 1) to develop an
enrichment culture capable of completely dechlorinating TCE and tetrachloroethene
(PCE) to ethene using samples from the wetland; 2) to evaluate the use of lactate,
emulsified vegetable oil and corn syrup as possible electron donors for biostimulation of
the P-area chlorinated ethene plume at SRS that is not undergoing natural …

Approaches To Mitigate The Impact Of Dissolved Organic Matter On The Adsorption Of Synthetic Organic Contaminants By Activated Carbon, Abhishek Yadav

All Theses

The main objective of this study was to conduct a systematic investigation of various approaches to mitigate the competition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the adsorption of synthetic organic contaminants (SOCs) by activated carbons. TCE and atrazine were selected as the target SOCs because they are known to adsorb in different pore size regions. TCE adsorbs in the primary micropore region (i.e., <10 ) which is inaccessible to the majority of the DOM components, while atrazine adsorbs in the secondary micropore region (i.e., 10-20 ) which is partially accessible to some DOM components. The adsorbents used in this study consisted of four activated carbons (OLC, CRC, F400He, and HD4000ST) and one activated carbon fiber (ACF: ACF10). All sorbents were basic and hydrophobic in nature and represented a set of activated carbons with gradually widening pore size distribution, from the extremely microporous carbons (ACF10 and OLC) to carbons with some amount of mesopores (CRC and F400He) and finally a predominantly mesoporous (HD4000ST) carbon.
Isotherms were performed as single solute and after preloading with a dissolved organic matter (5 mg DOC/L and 20 mg DOC/L) for both TCE and atrazine and using the five activated carbons. Single solute isotherm results showed …

Physiological Stress In Native Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis) During Episodic Acidification Of Streams In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Keil Jason Neff

Masters Theses

Episodes of stream acidification are suspected to be the primary cause of the extirpation of native southern brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) from six headwater streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM). During periods of increased flow from storm events, stream pH can drop below 5.0 (minimum of 4.0) for 2-days or longer. To provide evidence that native brook trout are impacted by stream acidification, in situ bioassay experiments were conducted. Changes in stream water chemistry and brook trout physiology were determined during a 36-hour acidic episode at three remote headwater stream sites in the Middle Prong of the …

Treatment Of Domestic Wastewater Using An Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor: Performance And Characterization, Joseph C. Fermanian

Environmental & Water Resources Engineering Masters Projects

Anaerobic wastewater treatment has many advantages over aerobic treatment, however, factors that limit its application are the relatively high concentration of soluble organic matter in the effluent and poor settling characteristics of anaerobic sludge. Membrane filtration provides exceptional solids removal and biomass retention that can improve the biological treatment process as has been seen with aerobic MBR. The application of anaerobic processes and anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBR) has been limited primarily to industrial wastewaters. The use of AnMBR in treating domestic wastewater is of great interest; however, it has not been studied sufficiently to implement on a large scale commercial …

Evaluation And Optimization Of A Pcr Assay And Multiple Regression Model For The Detection Of Rhodococcus Corprophilus, Stephen Clark

Environmental & Water Resources Engineering Masters Projects

Rhodococcus coprophilus is an emerging tool in the microbial source tracking "tool-box". The actinomycete is a source specific indicator for grazing animal fecal contamination. Once thought of as less harmful to human health, concern over animal fecal contamination has increased with the greater understanding of zoonoses. Zoonotic organisms that have the ability to cause disease in both humans and animals. Major outbreaks from these pathogens have increased their awareness and created a need for better source water protection. The presence of Rhodococcus coprophilus has been shown to have the ability to indicate grazing animal fecal contamination but it's current detection …

Identification Of Polypeptides Expressed In Response To Vinyl Chloride, Ethene, And Epoxyethane In Nocardioides Sp. Strain Js614 By Using Peptide Mass Fingerprinting, Adina S. Chuang, Timothy E. Mattes

Adina Howe

Enzymes expressed in response to vinyl chloride, ethene, and epoxyethane by Nocardioides sp. strain JS614 were identified by using a peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) approach. PMF provided insight concerning vinyl chloride biodegradation in strain JS614 and extends the use of matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time of flight mass spectrometry as a tool to enhance characterization of biodegradation pathways.

Love Canal Tragedy, Alicia Saunte Phillips, Yung-Tse Hung, Paul A. Bosela

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The purpose of this environmental failure case study paper is to provide educational materials for environmental engineering courses dealing with design and operation of landfills for hazardous waste. In 1978, it was discovered that hazardous waste had contaminated homes and schools in the Love Canal area, a former chemical landfill which became a 15 acre neighborhood of the City of Niagara Falls, New York. On August 7, 1978, the United States President Jimmy Carter declared a federal emergency at the Love Canal. The Love Canal became the first man-made disaster to receive such a designation based on a variety of …

Improving Arterial Performance Measurement Using Traffic Signal System Data, Michael Wolfe, Christopher Monsere, Peter Koonce, Robert L. Bertini

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The characterization of the performance of freeways in real time and on a historical basis has been successfully achieved for many years. The ability to characterize arterial performance has been more elusive. Currently numerous applications of traffic management and traveler information systems include freeways but lack the ability to extend their operation to major arterials. This paper describes methods for quantifying arterial performance using data from signal system loop detectors. Included in the array of metrics are traffic density, total delay, predicted travel time, and signal coordination effectiveness. Methods for determining performance in these areas are adapted for use in …

Laying The Groundwork For Odor Control And Setback Estimation In Nebraska, Rick R. Stowell

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

The goal of this field research study was to validate use of the Odor Footprint Tool (OFT) with livestock building sources in rural communities. The primary objective was to evaluate the accuracy of predictions of annoyance potential (as projected by odor concentration output data from AERMOD^® - the OFT's underlying dispersion model) when compared to measures of annoyance potential made in the field. Odor assessors were trained to monitor odors around a 4,800-head finishing site in eastern Nebraska. During the summer of 2005, mobile odor assessors monitored odor levels at downwind locations. During the spring and summer of 2006, …

Evaluation Of Current Stormwater Design Criteria Within The State Of Florida (2007), Stormwater Academy

BMP Trains Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Breves Notas Sobre Modelado, Francisco J. Valdes-Parada

Francisco J. Valdes-Parada

No abstract provided.