Engineering Commons^™

Tomato Flower Detection And Three-Dimensional Mapping For Precision Pollination, Kaitlyn Mckensie Nelms

Masters Theses

It is estimated that nearly 75% of major crops have some level of reliance on pollination. Humans are reliant on fruit and vegetable crops for many vital nutrients. With the intensification of agricultural production in response to human demand, native pollinator species are not able to provide sufficient pollination services, and managed bee colonies are in decline due to colony collapse disorder, among other issues. Previous work addresses a few of these issues by designing pollination systems for greenhouse operations or other controlled production systems but fails to address the larger need for development in other agricultural settings with less …

Co2 Adsorption Using Mg-Mof-74/Activated Biochar Composites Produced From The Pyrolysis Of Lignocellulosic Biomass, Conner Brosdan Pope

Masters Theses

Adsorption is a promising carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology with porous solids like activated biochar (AB), graphene oxides (GO), and metal-organic frameworks (MOF) exhibiting different advantages related to separating carbon dioxide (CO₂) from gas mixtures. Accordingly, the synthesis of MOF/GO composites demonstrates synergism between CO₂ adsorption-driving physicochemical characteristics of MOFs and GOs. However, the synthesis of MOF/AB composites has not been explored in the literature to date even though AB shares many physical and chemical similarities with GO. This research project aimed to synthesize MOF/AB composites with appropriate physicochemical characteristics and CO₂ adsorption capacities for …

Yield Measurement System For Seed Corn: Improving Dynamic Weight Accuracy And Harvest Area Determination, Fatima Ellyn Murillo

Masters Theses

A prototype weight-based yield mapping system for seed corn production was developed at the University of Tennessee (UTK) and field tested in Iowa. The first chapter of the following study focuses on assessing the accuracy of this yield mapping system which employs a novel yield prediction and analysis software called Yield Analyzer. Yield Analyzer was designed using a rule-based system for producing yield maps with minimal user input by automatically determining acceptable ranges for known dependent variables that contribute to dynamic weight measurement errors.

The second chapter of this thesis covers the development of a non-intrusive, machine vision technique to …

An Economic Evaluation Of A Biofuel Supply Chain Utilizing Multiple Feedstocks, Huaqi Zhang

Masters Theses

Biomass is considered as one potential feedstock for biofuel production. However, the high cost of biomass-to-biofuel supply chain, attributed to biomass’s low bulk density and resulting harvest, storage, and transportation challenges, has been a major hindrance to the success of biomass-based biofuel industry. In addition, the issue of dry matter losses during storage for a feedstock has affected biomass quantity and quality if the feedstock is stored for several months after a single harvest in a year. One potential way to improve the economics of biomass supply chain is to reduce storage need and enhance the utilization of harvest equipment …

Influence Of Application Technology On Foliar Fungicide Efficacy On Cercospora Sojina Infected Soybean, Shawn Alan Butler

Masters Theses

Due to the constant concern with off-target contamination and application technology requirements associated with future herbicide-tolerant crops, the use of drift-reduction nozzle technology (DRT) may increase. The primary objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of coarse droplets generated by drift-reduction nozzles on foliar fungicide efficacy and residual in soybean infected by frogeye leaf spot caused by Cercospora sojina. No differences in disease control, soybean yield, spray retention, and residual when applying Quadris Top SB, a premix of azoxystrobin and difenoconazole, using nozzles that produce either a medium or ultra coarse droplet spectrum were determined.

Due to …

Removal Of Trace Organic Compounds In Domestic Wastewater Using Recirculating Packed-Bed Media Filters, Brittani Nikole Perez

Masters Theses

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are commonly detected in the environment resulting from their survival from conventional wastewater treatment systems. More information is needed about the fate and transfer of these trace organic compounds in domestic wastewater and their associated risks so that efficient strategies for their removal can be developed for both large/small scale treatment systems. This study aimed to determine whether onsite wastewater treatment systems were capable of providing PPCP removal, in addition to quantifying different forms of removal (biodegradation/sorption). A column study was constructed to determine the removal efficiencies of 3 target PPCPs, endocrine disrupting compound …

Modeling Water Quality For Switchgrass Crop Production: Implications For Bioenergy Sustainability In East Tennessee, Zachariah Tzvi Seiden

Masters Theses

With passing of the US Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007, there has been considerable research conducted on the sustainability of bioenergy crop production in the United States; switchgrass has shown particular potential for bioenergy production in East Tennessee. Many studies evaluating the environmental impact switchgrass has on runoff and water quality use the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) for watershed modeling. Because SWAT is a lumped watershed model, it evaluates the result of hydrological processes for each hydrologic response unit (HRU), without accounting for the physical interactions between these HRUs. The Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) …

Evaluation Of Multiple Disinfection Methods To Mitigate Contaminated Irrigation Water, Tianju Chang

Masters Theses

Outbreak of foodborne pathogens associated with fresh produce is a concern to produce growers. Irrigation water is one of the pathways of produce contamination. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a set of guidelines for irrigation water that includes a maximum generic E.coli count lower than 126MPN/100mL. Irrigation is typically a continuous-flow process: water is withdrawn from a source and applied to a crop. In order to disinfect irrigation water, a process must be developed to provide treatment while the water is in the hydraulic network. However, studies related to the continuous flow irrigation water disinfection (CFIWD) system …

Estimating Streambank Erosion Using Gps-Based Watershed-Scale Video Mapping And Usepa Bancs For The Development Of Sediment Tmdls, Kelsey Jo Hensley

Masters Theses

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), sediment is one of the most common water pollutants in the nation’s rivers. Consequently, the identification of streambank locations with high erosion potential is important in reducing sediment input via management and monitoring practices. Furthermore, the estimation of erosion rates and sediment loads can assist in the development of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). The objective of this study was to integrate two USEPA-recommended approaches with the Streambank Video Mapping System (SVMS) in order to predict site-specific Total Daily Sediment Loads (TDSLs) and calculate sediment TMDLs for streambank erosion over several …

A Hydrological Analysis Of Switchgrass Land Cover In East Tennessee, Jordan Avery Hayes

Masters Theses

Energy needs and the recent installation of a cellulosic biofuel plant in Vonore, TN have created a demand for switchgrass in East Tennessee. Switchgrass has many strengths such as erosion protection, nutrient removal, and runoff mitigation. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was selected to model the impact of transitioning traditional crops into switchgrass land cover. Field data was needed to properly calibrate the SWAT model for East Tennessee. The National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) curve number (CN) was needed for runoff calibrations. This value was determined by both standard NRCS methods as well as an asymptotic method. The …

Defining And Modeling Parameters Associated With Double-Planted Areas In Row Crop Production Fields, Brandon Michael Jernigan

Masters Theses

Automatic Section Control (ASC) utilizes current Global Positioning System (GPS) location of a planter and previously planted coverage maps to control individual planter row units, or sections of planter row units, depending on accuracy desired by equipment operators. ASC eliminates double-planting in areas of agricultural fields where planter overlap is unavoidable, such as end rows, point rows, and around internal field obstacles. Due to costs associated with purchasing ASC, farm managers are interested in rate of return on investment, which depends on several factors such as field boundary irregularity, operator response time, and crop yield response to double-planting.

Georeferenced planting …

Fate And Transport Of 17beta-Estradiol Beneath Animal Waste Holding Ponds, Lori A. Gibson

Masters Theses

Steroidal hormones, such as 17beta-estradiol (E2) and its primary metabolite, estrone (E1), are prevalent in animal waste and are a common subject of study due to potential soil, stream, and groundwater contamination. These particular hormones are labeled as Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) because of their developmental effects in reptiles and amphibians. Dairy waste at concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) is typically stored in a waste pond. Even though these waste ponds are regulated to include a soil liner with a minimal hydraulic conductivity to limit leaching, previous studies have traced stream and groundwater contamination from waste ponds. This research included …

Gis-Based Streambank Video Mapping To Determine Erosion Susceptible Areas, Brett Allen Connell

Masters Theses

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, excess sediment is a significant cause of water quality impairment for rivers (USEPA, 2009). Therefore, determining the areas of river where streambank erosion is the highest should provide valuable information. Considering the amount of funds being spent on river restoration and storm flow retention, there needs to be a more efficient method to document annual conditions, on a watershed scale. Traditional streambank survey methods are limited in total characterized area, time consuming, environmentally intrusive, and expensive. This project describes the development of a Bank Erosion Susceptibility Index (BESI) to map landscape scale, streambank …

The Effects Of Biochar Amendment To Soil On Bioenergy Crop Yield And Biomass Composition, Charles Warren Edmunds

Masters Theses

This thesis research aims to improve the understanding of how pyrolysis of native feedstocks and biochar application to soil can be utilized to improve soil fertility, crop yield, and sequester carbon in the Southeastern U.S. An emphasis was placed on understanding how the pyrolysis conditions and feedstock material influence biochar characteristics and what effects biochar amendment has on soil and plant growth and composition.

Biochars were produced from switchgrass and pine wood feedstocks via fast pyrolysis at 450, 600, and 800 ˚C with a continuous auger pyrolysis system. Switchgrass-derived biochars had higher ash content, and as observed by elemental analysis, …

Analysis Of Georeferenced Sonar-Based Thalweg And Cross-Sectional River Depth Profile Measurements, Kenneth Wray Swinson

Masters Theses

Depth is a physical river characteristic that is important for habitat classification, river health analysis, and hydrologic/hydraulic modeling. Recent studies have shown that sonar can be an accurate way of measuring river depth, when compared to traditional techniques, but more study is necessary. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the utility of the CruzPro ATU120S and the Lowrance LMS-350A sonar depth units as tools for collecting river depth measurements along longitudinal (thalweg) and cross-sectional profiles. This included analyzing and evaluating the georeferenced commercially available sonar units for accuracy, precision, and response time under controlled lab and river …

A Gps-Based Mobility Power Model For Military Vehicle Applications, George William Bozdech

Masters Theses

In recent years, military vehicles have been equipped with hybrid, diesel-electric drives to improve fuel efficiency and stealth capabilities. These vehicles require an accurate estimate of the power duty cycles during distinct operating conditions. To meet this demand, a GPS-based mobility power and duty cycle analysis is one approach to predict the power requirements of on-road and off-road vehicles. The dynamic vehicle parameters needed to estimate the forces developed during locomotion are determined from the GPS tracking data, and these forces include the following: the motion resistance, gravitational, linear inertia, rotational inertia, and aerodynamic drag. The motion resistance force generated …

Evaluation Of An Intensive Data Collection System For Tennessee Surface Water Quality Assessment And Watershed Model Calibration, Hannah Marie Armstrong

Masters Theses

Water quality regulators, such as the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, are challenged by data scarcity when identifying surface water quality impairment causes and pollutant sources. Surface water quality model users also seek to identify pollutant sources and design and place best management practices to efficiently improve water quality, but have insufficient data for model calibration. This research documents the design and evaluation of a novel, intensive water quality data collection system consisting of a automatic sampler, bi-weekly grab sampling, and a long term deployment sonde. System design characteristics that were emphasized included a focus on gathering data for …

Conversion Of Glycerol To Lactic Acid Under Low Corrosive Conditions With Homogeneous And Heterogeneous Catalysts, Lu Chen

Masters Theses

With the increasing demand for biodiesel, the accumulation of byproduct, crude glycerol has become a problem which needs to be solved. Lactic acid is one of the value-added chemical which can be produced from glycerol that has wide uses in food and chemical industry. Although glycerol can be converted to lactic acid with an alkali as the catalyst at high glycerol conversion (100 mol%) and lactic acid yield (around 90 mol%), the high alkalinity would cause severe corrosiveness to a stainless steel reactor. In this study two tasks were performed to convert glycerol to lactic acid with satisfactory conversion and …

Terrain Impacts From Vehicle Operations Across Multiple Passes, James Robert Kane

Masters Theses

This study, conducted on August 12th and 13th, 2008 at Fort Riley, Kansas on a clay loam soil, evaluated the terrain impacts of four commonly used tracked and wheeled military vehicles: the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank, M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, M985 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck, and M113 Armored Personnel Carrier. Disturbed width and impact severity were assessed along 14 spirals subjected to a maximum of eight consecutive passes for a total of 696 impact points. Data indicate that multiple passes produce increased vegetative impacts, with multipass coefficients ranging from 0.98 to 4.44 (compared to the commonly …

Determining Pesticide Persistence On Plastic Mulches Used As Row Covers In Tennessee, William Tod Pinson

Masters Theses

During the past decade, the use of plasticulture production systems has become an increasingly common practice for vegetable production in the United States. The plasticulture system is the use of plastic mulch to serve as a row cover in the field. The semi-permeable material can be made of varying densities of polyethylene, and serves as a barrier that helps maintain soil moisture and reduce weed growth. Increased use of these plastics has created a waste management problem, as producers have difficulties trying to find the best and cheapest disposal method. A few companies had begun collecting the materials for reprocessing …

The Design And Implementation Of A Field-Scale Monitoring System To Evaluate Spatial Variability Within Production Cotton Fields, Michael Spencer Palmer

Masters Theses

Much interest has been focused on site-specific crop production since the introduction of grain yield monitoring systems. Considerable research has been conducted in the area of site-specific grain production. Lack of a cotton yield monitor has slowed implementation of site-specific practices in cotton production. However, due to the intense level of management corrunonly associated with in cotton production. it may prove to be an ideal crop for site-specific practices.

Preliminary testing was conducted in the fall of 1995 to verify that a batch weighing system used in conjunction with Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment was a satisfactory method of monitoring …