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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Effectiveness Of Atmospheric Cold Plasma In Inactivating Microorganisms, Nadee Shanika Kaluwahandi Jan 2023

Effectiveness Of Atmospheric Cold Plasma In Inactivating Microorganisms, Nadee Shanika Kaluwahandi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the food processing industry, Cold Plasma (CP) is an emerging green process with a number of potential applications. Cold plasma has mostly been used to reduce microbial counts in foodstuffs and biological materials as well as in different levels of packaging, particularly in cases where there is thermal sensitivity. Recent studies have demonstrated that CP technology is being developed for use in the food and agriculture industries. The primary focus is on the interactions between reactive species and food-borne microbes to inactivate them. The literature review discusses both proven and potential applications for cold plasma in food processing, as …


Assessment Of Aged Woodchip Bioreactor Physical And Hydraulic Properties, Shelby Duncan Jan 2022

Assessment Of Aged Woodchip Bioreactor Physical And Hydraulic Properties, Shelby Duncan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Denitrifying woodchip bioreactors are a critical tool for mitigating nitrate loading to downstream water bodies. The properties of the woodchip are a key factor in the design of the bioreactor which are usually designed to optimize that retention time of the water being treated. Retention time is affected by active flow volume, porosity, and flow rate. As a bioreactor ages, the carbon material will break down and, in some cases, sedimentation will occur within the bioreactor. Both processes will affect the porosity and hydraulic performance of the bioreactor. When flow through the bioreactor is significantly different than the original design, …


Managing Water Quantity And Quality With Subsurface Drainage In Eastern South Dakota, Morghan Hurst Jan 2022

Managing Water Quantity And Quality With Subsurface Drainage In Eastern South Dakota, Morghan Hurst

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Moisture extremes (excess and deficit) impact crop loss and water quality. Due to excessively wet springs and dry summers, crop damage can occur within the same county or field within the same year. To determine the magnitude of this problem in eastern South Dakota, indemnified crop insurance data for drought and excessive moisture claims were assessed for the years 1991-2020 for the occurrence of both excess moisture and drought in four counties in eastern South Dakota. Results show that there is greater than a 70% chance of the moisture extremes happening in the same year, making subsurface drainage, controlled drainage, …


Rational Design Of Advanced Functional Materials For Electrochemical Devices, Shun Lu Jan 2021

Rational Design Of Advanced Functional Materials For Electrochemical Devices, Shun Lu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, there has been a fast-growing trend in developing urea (CO(NH2)2) as a substitute H2 carrier in energy conversion due to its high energy density, nontoxicity, stability, and nonflammability. Urea, a byproduct in the metabolism of proteins and a frequent contaminant in wastewater, is an abundant compound that has demonstrated favorable characteristics as a hydrogen-rich fuel source with 6.7 wt % gravimetric hydrogen content. Also, there is 2-2.5 wt % urea from mammal urine; therefore, 0.5 million ton of additional fuels will be produced per year just from human urine (240 million ton each year). Electrochemical oxidation has …


Development Of Bio-Based Nanocomposites For Biosensor And Indicator Applications In Smart Food Packaging, Abdus Sobhan Jan 2021

Development Of Bio-Based Nanocomposites For Biosensor And Indicator Applications In Smart Food Packaging, Abdus Sobhan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Smart food packaging based on biosensors has been attracting more and more interest to the industrial community because of the concerns of food quality and safety. A food packaging with biosensor has a scope to enable real-time monitoring of microbial breakdown products of packaged foods. Furthermore, one of the biggest challenges in implementing biosensor for smart packaging materials is the development of bio-sensing active materials that can leverage their electrical, thermal, biodegradable and other functional properties. In this regard, nanocellulose-based activated carbon (NAC) nanocomposite was developed using the activated carbon and nanocellulose gel using the casting method with their different …


Develop Biochar-Based Controlled Release Nitrogen Fertilizers, Zhisheng Cen Jan 2021

Develop Biochar-Based Controlled Release Nitrogen Fertilizers, Zhisheng Cen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current efficiency of conventional nitrogenous fertilizers (e.g. urea, ammonium sulfate, etc.) in agricultural practices is low, fluctuating from 30 to 40%. Approximately 60% of nitrogenous fertilizers were wasted due to vaporization into the air, runoff or leaching into water systems. The lost nitrogen (N) resulted in not only high production cost but also serious environmental problems, such as greenhouse gas (N2O) emission in the atmosphere, algal blooms, oxygen depletion, fish kills, and loss of biodiversity in surface water due to eutrophication or pollution. To address these problems, this study aimed to utilize low-cost biochar-based materials to develop a controllable, …


Nitrate And Phosphate Removal From Denitrification Bioreactors Using Woodchips, Steel Chips And Agricultural Residue Media, Abdoul Aziz Kouanda Jan 2021

Nitrate And Phosphate Removal From Denitrification Bioreactors Using Woodchips, Steel Chips And Agricultural Residue Media, Abdoul Aziz Kouanda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nitrate and phosphate present in agricultural subsurface drainage water can impact surface water quality thus impacting the environment and human health by causing eutrophication and Methemoglobinemia in young infant. Biological denitrification and phosphate adsorption filters are treatments options that can help reduce nitrate and phosphate concentration from agricultural subsurface drainage before it can be discharged in surface water. The first objective of this dissertation was to determine the Michaelis-Menten kinetics model parameters for nitrate removal in bioreactors using the fresh, aged, and composted woodchips. The composted woodchips achieved a denitrification rate 2.4 times higher than the fresh woodchips which was …


Quantifying The Impacts Of Land Use, Management And Climate Change On Water Resources In Missouri River Basin, Arun Bawa Jan 2021

Quantifying The Impacts Of Land Use, Management And Climate Change On Water Resources In Missouri River Basin, Arun Bawa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A location-specific evaluation of hydrological landscape responses concerning past and projected climate and land use land cover (LULC) changes can provide a powerful intellectual basis for developing efficient and profitable agroecosystems, and overcoming uncertain and detrimental consequences of LULC and climate shifts. This dissertation assessed the impacts of land use, management, and climate change on water resources in the Missouri River Basin (MRB) through four specific studies that included: (i) to study the responses of leached nutrient concentrations and soil health to winter rye cover crop (CC) under no-till corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation, (ii) to …


Bio-Inspired Materials For Electrochemical Sensors, Matthew Joseph Hummel Jan 2021

Bio-Inspired Materials For Electrochemical Sensors, Matthew Joseph Hummel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Electrochemical biosensors are a rapidly growing research area that has greatly improved its specificity, accuracy, and precision in the detection of biomolecules in contemporary literature and industry alike. Typically, these systems exist in a three-electrode conformation with a working electrode functioning as the anode, a counter electrode functioning as the cathode, and a reference electrode allowing for the control of potential in the system. The method by which these sensors work is through the sharing of electrons via redox reactions with the target molecule and the working electrode or modifications on its surface. By exploiting the function of biomaterials that …


Evaluating And Predicting The Risk Of Algal Blooms In A Freshwater Lake Through A 4-Dimensional Approach: A Case Study On Lake Mitchell, Sumit Kumar Ghosh Jan 2021

Evaluating And Predicting The Risk Of Algal Blooms In A Freshwater Lake Through A 4-Dimensional Approach: A Case Study On Lake Mitchell, Sumit Kumar Ghosh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Excessive algal growth in freshwater lakes can negatively impact ecosystems, recreation, and human health. Though algae are a natural part of freshwater ecosystems, elevated nutrient loading from anthropogenic and natural sources can lead to algal blooms. Both algae and blue-green algae (BGA) are responsible for algal blooms; however, BGA (cyanobacteria) is more dangerous. The first objective of this research was to prepare a conceptual model to understand how various environmental variables affect algae. This conceptual model was used to choose the environmental variables that help increase or decrease algae in the water environment. The second objective was to develop empirical …


Long Term Evaluation Of E. Coli Removal From Stormwater Using Recycled Steel Byproducts, Brenden Olevson Jan 2021

Long Term Evaluation Of E. Coli Removal From Stormwater Using Recycled Steel Byproducts, Brenden Olevson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stormwater runoff often carries a variety of pollutants and pathogens that can endanger public health and wildlife. One contaminant of concern often highlighted in stormwater quality is Escherichia Coli (E.Coli) because its presence indicates microbial contamination in water. Different types of media filtration are being studied to reduce contaminant concentrations in stormwater. In this study, steel byproducts were examined as a potential material to use in media filtration to remove E. Coli and other contaminants from stormwater. Batch scale studies were conducted in laboratory to evaluate the E. Coli removal potential of steel chips and steel slag over a 24-hour …


Using Computational Fluid Dynamics To Accurately Model Agricultural Spray Nozzles, Zachary Chapman Jan 2020

Using Computational Fluid Dynamics To Accurately Model Agricultural Spray Nozzles, Zachary Chapman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a tool used by engineers in many industries to study fluid flow. A relatively new industry to adopt the use of CFD is the agricultural industry. The present work seeks to understand whether CFD can be used to accurately model spray nozzles. A spray nozzle commonly used in agricultural spraying was simulated. First, the impact of factors such as mesh size, mesh type, and physics models have on the solution were investigated. Next, a method to pulse the spray was determined. This was required to compare simulation results with experimental data. A user-defined function was …


Understanding The Effect Of Single- And Twin-Screw Extrusion Processing Parameters On Physical And Physico-Chemical Properties Of Sprouted Quinoa And Sprouted Proso Millets, Gabriela John Swamy Jan 2020

Understanding The Effect Of Single- And Twin-Screw Extrusion Processing Parameters On Physical And Physico-Chemical Properties Of Sprouted Quinoa And Sprouted Proso Millets, Gabriela John Swamy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to Mordor Intelligence Research, the new compositional research and moisture content extrusion process are helping the growth of the plant protein market. The demand for plant proteins is growing at a fast rate, owing to change in lifestyle, lack of balanced dietary intake, and improved research and development in order to develop new kinds of plant-protein enriched products. It is necessary to identify the right plant protein sources and choose the right processing methodology to create highly digestible foods which can be consumed by infants and elderly as well. In addition, it is important to support local farmers and …


Monitoring Methods And Performance Assessment For Implementation Of Low Impact Development Practices In South Dakota, Farhana Akhter Jan 2020

Monitoring Methods And Performance Assessment For Implementation Of Low Impact Development Practices In South Dakota, Farhana Akhter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Urbanization increases impervious surface area, which changes the hydrology of a watershed. Impervious surfaces prevent the infiltration of stormwater water into the ground surface which results in a higher volume of stormwater runoff and higher peak flow. Low Impact Development (LID) practices help to restore pre-development hydrology by increasing infiltration, evaporation, and transpiration. While the hydrologic performance of LID practices has been studied extensively and continues to be an area of active research, there has been very limited monitoring or demonstration of LID practices in South Dakota. In addition, municipalities in South Dakota and elsewhere that implement new LID practices …


Internet Of Things Based Wireless Sensor Network And Advanced Machine Learning Models For Precision Agriculture, Ahmed El-Magrous Jan 2020

Internet Of Things Based Wireless Sensor Network And Advanced Machine Learning Models For Precision Agriculture, Ahmed El-Magrous

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies assumed that the world population would reach 10.3 billion by 2070. This will require more land for housing; simultaneously resulting in a loss of land for agricultural purposes. However, the new generations also need food, and the lack of new agrarian land is a critical reason that leads researchers and producers to improve daily agriculture practices by using precision agriculture concepts and technologies to increase yield and crop quality. This work represents the design, development, and testing of a customizable and cost-effective Weather-Soil Sensor Station (W-SSS) for use in Precision Agriculture based on high accuracy sensors, wireless communication, …


The Effect Of Edge-Of-Field Nutrient Management Practices On Microbial Concentrations In Subsurface Drainage Water And The Associated Risk Of Antibiotic Resistance Dissemination, Sara Mardani Jan 2019

The Effect Of Edge-Of-Field Nutrient Management Practices On Microbial Concentrations In Subsurface Drainage Water And The Associated Risk Of Antibiotic Resistance Dissemination, Sara Mardani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many in-field and edge-of-field management practices have been used to reduce nutrient loads from agricultural fields. The denitrification woodchip bioreactor (WB) is one edgeof- field management practice that has proven to be effective in removing nitrate from subsurface drainage water. The success in nitrate removal achieved with WBs has raised interest in expanding their capabilities for removing other agricultural pollutants, including phosphorus, by using other types of media like phosphorus-sorbing filters or combining these filters with woodchips to remove both nitrate and phosphorus as dual-nutrient removal systems. Despite the extensive research done on WBs and nutrient filter materials, little consideration …


Modeling Runoff From Small Agricultural Watersheds In Eastern South Dakota, Bryce Siverling Jan 2019

Modeling Runoff From Small Agricultural Watersheds In Eastern South Dakota, Bryce Siverling

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The capability to be able to consistently and accurately model any problem has potential time and money savings. The present study aimed to determine if the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Curve Number (CN) model or the more detailed Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) Model can consistently and accurately model runoff events from small agricultural fields in Eastern South Dakota. The overall goal was to better understand models used to predict runoff and determine if they can produce accurate estimates of runoff from the watersheds being studied. Runoff measurements were collected from an agricultural field located south of Coleman, South …


Variability Of E. Coli In Streambed Sediments And Its Implication For Water Quality, Sadia Salam Jan 2019

Variability Of E. Coli In Streambed Sediments And Its Implication For Water Quality, Sadia Salam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), including E. coli, are the number one cause of water quality impairments in the United States according to the USEPA. FIB are used as a predictor to identify the possible presence of pathogens in waterbodies. E. coli is a useful indicator of gastrointestinal (GI) related illnesses from contact with fresh water. While surface water is routinely monitored for water quality, streambed sediments are rarely considered as a source of FIB to the overlying water column. This study focuses on understanding the variation of E. coli concentrations in streambed sediments and the potential impact of sediment sources …


Application Of Drainage Water Management And Saturated Buffers For Conservation Drainage In South Dakota, Abhinav Sharma Jan 2018

Application Of Drainage Water Management And Saturated Buffers For Conservation Drainage In South Dakota, Abhinav Sharma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Edge of field practices such as drainage water management (DWM) and saturated buffers can reduce nutrient transport from croplands to surface waterbodies. DWM uses stackable weir boards in a control structure to manipulate the water table depth throughout the cropping season and reduce the amount of nutrient rich water draining out from the field. Saturated buffers, on the other hand, use a control structure to divert water draining out from the cropland to a vegetative strip via a subsurface tile installed parallel to a waterway. For the saturated buffer systems, a combination of natural denitrification, nitrogen mineralization, and plant uptake …


Development Of Vegetation Mapping With Deep Convolutional Neural Network, Sae-Han Suh Jan 2018

Development Of Vegetation Mapping With Deep Convolutional Neural Network, Sae-Han Suh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Precision Agriculture plays a crucial part in the agricultural industry about improving the decision-making process. It aims to optimally allocate the resources to maintain the sustainable productivity of farmland and reduce the use of chemical compounds. [17] However, the on-site inspection of vegetations often falls to researchers’ trained eye and experience, when it deals with the identification of the non-crop vegetations. Deep Convolution Neural Network (CNN) can be deployed to mitigate the cost of manual classification. Although CNN outperforms the other traditional classifiers, such as Support Vector Machine, it is still in question whether CNN can be deployable in …


Measuring The Influence Of Bedding On Soil Nitrogen Losses And Corn Crop Nitrogen Characteristics For Fall Applied Solid Beef Cattle Manure In Eastern South Dakota, Mukesh Mehata Jan 2018

Measuring The Influence Of Bedding On Soil Nitrogen Losses And Corn Crop Nitrogen Characteristics For Fall Applied Solid Beef Cattle Manure In Eastern South Dakota, Mukesh Mehata

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen (N) is a major component of chlorophyll which plays a key role in the photosynthesis process in crops. The N is one of the highest demanded nutrients by all plants for their growth and reproduction. Manure or inorganic fertilizer is often applied to fulfill the crops’ N demand. However, the applied N sources have the potential of N losses in different forms from the soil volume in many ways such as ammonia (NH3) volatilization, aerial nitrous oxide (N2O) loss, nitrate (NO3 --N) leaching, and runoff and/or erosion. Soil fertility, crop yield, water quality, and …


Evaluating E. Coli Particle Attachment And The Impact On Transport During High Flows, Louis Amegbletor Jan 2018

Evaluating E. Coli Particle Attachment And The Impact On Transport During High Flows, Louis Amegbletor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fecal indicator bacteria, including E. coli, are the leading cause of water quality impairments within assessed waters in the United States. The source of E. coli includes WWTP, leaking sewers, animal manure, wildlife, livestock, and stream bed sediment. Storm events contribute to bacteria loading within waters through wash-in of land sources of bacteria and resuspension of bacteria within sediments. Bacteria introduced into the water column are either attached to particles or are unattached (or free-living). The goal of this study was to examine the attachment of E. coli to different particle sizes, including their impact on contributing to water …


Development Of An Odor Management Plan For South Dakota, Suraiya Akter Jan 2018

Development Of An Odor Management Plan For South Dakota, Suraiya Akter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Odor from livestock operations is often a nuisance to the neighborhood stakeholders and is one of the major environmental and societal issues associated with livestock industries. An odor management plan is not a requirement during the state permitting process of any livestock operation in South Dakota, but may be required to varying degrees for county level approval. Some neighboring states have developed odor management planning guides or templates which help address odor issues. Adoption of an odor management plan in SD can help address concerns of odor for the continuously expanding livestock industry in this state. Hence, an odor management …


A Quantitative Environmental Assessment Of Incorporating Torrefaction Into Farming Enterprises In Eastern South Dakota, Dinesh Fuyal Jan 2018

A Quantitative Environmental Assessment Of Incorporating Torrefaction Into Farming Enterprises In Eastern South Dakota, Dinesh Fuyal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of renewable energy sources has been increasing in the recent years due to population growth and environmental concerns. Biomass is a promising energy source that can be used to produce biofuels or torrefied pellets. Torrefied biomass may be used in power plants, industrial and residential heating, feedstocks for gasification, air and water filtrating, and soil amendment. The interest of torrefied pellets as energy sources for various applications has been increased in the recent years due to the concerns about energy security and environmental issues. This study focuses on the economic and environmental assessment of agricultural feedstocks like corn …


Effects Of Yogurt Fortification With Different Legumes Protein On The Physio-Chemical, Microbiological, And Rheological Properties, Prachi Pahariya Jan 2018

Effects Of Yogurt Fortification With Different Legumes Protein On The Physio-Chemical, Microbiological, And Rheological Properties, Prachi Pahariya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nowadays, yogurt (a nutritious fermented dairy product) is getting popular around all over the world due to beneficial action provided by bacteria present in yogurt culture. Along with that, diet plans, which are high in protein and low in fat, has become appealing for growing healthy conscious population that makes a huge shift toward plantbased protein consumption. Therefore, the main objective of this research was to study the effects of yogurt fortification with extracted protein of different beans (legumes)- pinto and kidney beans on the physio-chemical (Moisture, Fat, Protein, Ash, Total Solids Content (TSC), pH, Titratable Acidity (TA), Water Holding …


Development Of Polylactic Acid (Pla)-Based Nanocomposite Films For Smart Food Packaging Applications, Zeyad Albahr Jan 2018

Development Of Polylactic Acid (Pla)-Based Nanocomposite Films For Smart Food Packaging Applications, Zeyad Albahr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Most of current food packaging resources are non-renewable and nonbiodegradable. The use of these materials has resulted in serious environmental issues. In recent years, the recognition of waste disposal problems and their impacts on the environment has risen the demand for packaging manufactured from renewable materials. However, there are some limitations of using biopolymers for food packaging applications. These limitations include unreliable mechanical and barrier properties. These issues may be addressed by combining biopolymers and nanotechnologies. Nanotechnologies are expected to improve the performance of biopolymer-based packaging materials for food packaging applications. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) has shown a potential to be …


Activated Carbon Preparation And Modification For Adsorption, Yuhe Cao Jan 2017

Activated Carbon Preparation And Modification For Adsorption, Yuhe Cao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Butanol is considered a promising, infrastructure-compatible biofuel. Butanol has a higher energy content than ethanol and can be used in conventional gas engines without modifications. Unfortunately, the fermentation pathway for butanol production is restricted by its toxicity to the microbial strains used in the process. Butanol is toxic to the microbes, and this can slow fermentation rates and reduce butanol yields. Gas stripping technology can efficiently remove butanol from the fermentation broth as it is produced, thereby decreasing its inhibitory effects. Traditional butanol separation heavily depends on the energy intensive distillation method. One of the main issues in acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation …


Impact Of Subsurface Drainage On Water Yield For Typical Soil And Weather In Eastern South Dakota, Govinda Karki Jan 2017

Impact Of Subsurface Drainage On Water Yield For Typical Soil And Weather In Eastern South Dakota, Govinda Karki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Subsurface drainage in agricultural land changes the field water balance by providing an alternate pathway for subsurface water. Determining the effects of subsurface drainage on downstream hydrology requires quantifying the components of the water balance. A number of studies have looked at the hydrological impacts of subsurface drainage. However, the effects are complex and difficult to generalize. The complex interaction involves the interrelation among variables such as soil type and properties, climate (rainfall and evapotranspiration), and drainage design configuration (drainage intensity and drainage coefficient), which all are local in nature. Additionally, most studies have been conducted in humid climates, whereas …


Assessment Of Varying Model Representations In Cfd Simulations, Caitlin R. Gerdes Jan 2017

Assessment Of Varying Model Representations In Cfd Simulations, Caitlin R. Gerdes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the effects of varying model refinement and representation of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations in two case studies. Product and process realization in engineering design requires substantial resources (time and money) in order to test novel designs for effectiveness. In recent decades, engineering has been relying more heavily on simulation-based analysis in the design process with computer models to help reduce the demands for real-life testing. The first case study analyzed in this thesis is a photobioreactor, which is used to grow microalgae for biofuel and require a balance of nutrients, light, and mixing for growth. The …


Development Of Heterogeneous Catalysts For Upgrading Biomass Pyrolysis Bio-Oils Into Advanced Biofuels, Shouyun Cheng Jan 2017

Development Of Heterogeneous Catalysts For Upgrading Biomass Pyrolysis Bio-Oils Into Advanced Biofuels, Shouyun Cheng

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The massive consumption of fossil fuels and associated environmental issues result in an increased interest in alternative resources such as biofuels. The renewable biofuels can be upgraded from bio-oils that are derived from biomass pyrolysis. Catalytic cracking and hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) are two most promising bio-oil upgrading techniques for biofuel production. Heterogeneous catalysts are essential for upgrading bio-oil into hydrocarbon biofuel. Although some progresses have been made, the cost and effectiveness of catalysts still remain challenges. The main objective of this study was to develop efficient heterogeneous catalysts for upgrading bio-oils into advanced hydrocarbon biofuel with low costs. In catalytic cracking, …