Engineering Commons^™

Validation Testing A Contaminant Transport And Natural Attenuation Simulation Model Using Field Data, Steven J. Flier

Theses and Dissertations

This research extends the work begun by Enyeart (1994) which evaluated the process of intrinsic bioremediation, and which developed a model for predicting the velocity of an aerobic degradation front, as it traverses the length of a JP-4 contaminant plume. It is assumed this aerobic front will traverse the contaminant plume as dissolved oxygen is carried by the ground water through the sorption-retarded contaminant. The ultimate purpose of Enyeart's model is to use it to develop field guidance for assessing the feasibility of intrinsic bioremediation to restore petroleum-contaminated soils. After simulating intrinsic bioremediation many times with a spreadsheet model, results …

A Case Study Of The Environmental Impacts Of The Beddown Of The C-17 Globemaster Iii At Charleston Afb, Richard H. Houghton Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Unites States Air Force acquisition environmental planning has changed significantly since the passage of the National Environmental Policy Act in 1969. This research examined the role of environmental planning in weapon system acquisition. It focused on environmental planning performed for the C-17 Globemaster III prior to its beddown at Charleston Air Force Base. The case study of the C- 17 beddown included interviews, archival record reviews, and direct observations at the base. Evidence was collected to determine what environmental impacts occurred during the beddown. An environmental postaudit compared actual impacts with those predicted in environmental planning documentation. Impacts were analyzed …

Decision Support Model For Municipal Solid Waste Management At Department Of Defense Installations, John F. Muratore

Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on the development of a decision support model to identify the preferred strategy for managing municipal solid waste using the principles of decision analysis theory. The model provides an effective decision making tool to evaluate and compare different municipal solid waste management strategies. The users of this model, the Environmental Manager or decision maker at a given installation, can enter installation-specific waste stream characteristics, treatment and disposal costs, and material buy-back prices to determine the expected value for various alternative strategies. The strategy having the greatest expected value is considered the preferred alternative. In calculating the expected …

In Situ Warming And Soil Venting To Enhance The Biodegradation Of Jp-4 In Cold Climates: A Critical Study And Analysis, Ricky D. Cox

Theses and Dissertations

Numerous bioremediation projects have proven effective in accelerating contaminant biodegradation by injecting oxygen into the vadose zone with a technique called bioventing. In cold climates, bioremediation is limited to the summer when soil temperatures are sufficient to support microbial growth. Laboratory studies directly correlate increased biodegradation rates with temperature. By raising soil temperatures, in situ jet fuel remediation can be accelerated which was shown by a bioventing project conducted in 1991 at Eielson AFB, Alaska, where three soil warming techniques were used. Two methods actively warmed the soil - warm water circulation and heat tape; the other passively warmed the …

Comparison Of Gravel Substrate Vs Soil Substrate For The Construction Of An Experimental Fen, Carolyn S. Langley

Theses and Dissertations

Under the Clean Water Act Section 404 of 1972 and 33 CFR 320-330 and 40 CFR 230 moderate the destruction of wetlands by the Air Force to make way for other uses. To obtain a permit for a design or construction project which affects a wetland, the Air Force must agree to create new wetlands, or replace lost wetland acreage through wetland creation or restoration. The Air Force is interested in building 'successful' wetlands as inexpensively as possible. It has been common practice to use hydric soil, which often had to be hauled in, as the substrate at the restored …

A System Dynamics Approach To Modelling The Degradation Of Biochemical Oxygen Demand In A Constructed Wetland Receiving Stormwater Runoff, Leslie A. Mudgett

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research was to develop a tool to aid the Air Force Environmental Manager in the identification of the design parameters of a constructed wetland system that may be optimized to provide a desired biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) removal efficiency during the treatment of Air Force stormwater runoff. The objective is achieved through the development and use of a system dynamics model which simulates the hydrological functions of a constructed wetland as well as the processes within the wetland responsible for degradation of BOD. Based on literature review, the primary mechanism responsible for the degradation of BOD …

A Comparison Of Response Surface Methodology And A One-Factor-At-A-Time Approach As Calibration Techniques For The Bioplume-Ii Simulation Model Of Contaminant Biodegradation, Benjamin Shuman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis compared Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to the one-factor-at-a-time approach for calibrating the Bioplume-II simulation model of contaminant biodegradation. The MADE-2 data set from Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi was used. The one-factor-at-a-time approach reduced the root-mean-squared (RMS) error for the flow to 0.921225 feet in a total of 36 runs of Bioplume-II. The RSM approach reduced the error criterion to 0.918875 in a total of 47 runs. The one-factor-at-a-time approach was unable to reduce the error below 67.1831 parts per billion (ppb) after 21 runs. The RSM approach reduced the RMS error to 67.0327 ppb after 47 runs. …

Analysis Of Soil Vapor Extraction Expenses To Estimate Bioventing Expenses, Steven M. Loken

Theses and Dissertations

An in-depth analysis of the expenses incurred with five soil venting petroleum remediation projects was accomplished. The data was obtained from receipts provided by a major United States petroleum refiner and distributor. Cost categories were designed that incorporated all costs and provided a method to analyze the data. The five cost categories used were: permits, equipment, management, utilities, and analysis. Further analysis showed trends and described the behavior of the costs related to remediation events. The relative percentile for each cost category was found to be consistent among the projects. Many costs were also found to be very linear throughout …

Use Of Respirometry To Determine The Effect Of Nutrient Enhancement On Jp-8 Biodegradability, Christian T. Totten

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to use respirometry to measure the impact of nutrient combinations or treatments on JP - 8 biodegradation under simulated fuel spill soil conditions. The study was designed observe one soil type at a constant fuel exposure level of 1% and a constant moisture of 60% of field capacity. Three experiments conducted were of two and three factor designs with potassium nitrate and sodium phosphate addition levels serving as two factors and fuel serving as a third factor in Experiments 1 and 2. Cumulative oxygen values obtained by the respirometer were assumed to be a …

A Study Of Settlement In Landfills Due To Biodegradation, Michael Guasconi

Theses

Finding new space for landfills is difficult due to land availability, stringent environmental regulations, and public sentiment. So other means of waste disposal, such as hauling it to a distant landfill, or incinerating it, will have to be resorted to. These methods may be unpopular with the public involved. By studying settlement due to biodegradation, ways to increase settlement can be found, allowing for additional waste disposal capacity in operating, and closed landfills.

Existing theoretical models are based on rheological concepts, not on biodegradation. So, they do not realistically model settlement. In this study, a model to determine the rate, …

Reverse Osmosis As A Pretreatment Of Ion Exchange Equipment At Pse & G'S Hudson Generation Station, Steven Leon

Theses

Public Service Electric and Gas Company's Hudson Generating Station has historically had problems providing sufficient high quality water for its two once through, supercritical design boilers. The station requires over 60 million gallons annually to compensate for system losses.

The stations' ion exchange demineralizers proved to be costly to operate and overall inefficient in performance. Drawbacks include: short service cycles, periodic contamination of storage tanks due to premature breakthrough, prohibitively high chemical regenerant costs, excessive labor requirements, frequent resin replacement, and overall unreliable plant operations.

A reverse osmosis unit was installed as a pretreatment to the demineralizers to offset these …

Hydrodynamic And Water Quality Modeling Of The Whippany River, John E. Krohn

Theses

The Whippany River is located in northern New Jersey and is a major tributary to the Passaic River System. This waterway accepts a wide variety of wastes from the diverse communities within its watershed. These wastes contribute to a rather complex network of biological, chemical and physical interactions.

The purpose of this study is to develop a water quality model using QUAL2E. This model will be used as a tool to simulate the complex interactions that take place within the river system. The river must he considered from physical, biological and chemical perspectives. A successful model can determine current water …

Integration Of Pneumatic Fracturing And In Situ Vitrification In Coarse Grained Soils, Sean Thomas Mcgonigal

Theses

This thesis investigates conceptual integration of the Pneumatic Fracturing (PF) process with In Situ Vitrification (ISV) for remediation of contaminated soil. Integration will permit ISV melts to be initiated below the ground surface and extend the depth of the ISV process.

Bench scale experiments were conducted in 4.9 ft³ (0.14 m³) Plexiglas tanks filled with a test soil that was specifically blended to simulate the Hanford Formation in Richland, WA. Discrete pneumatic fractures were successfully created and filled with the ISV starter path material. Conductivity measurements made across two graphite electrodes exhibited a pre-fracture soil resistance of …

Groundwater Model Parameter Estimation Using Response Surface Methodology, Richard M. Cotman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined the use of response surface methodology (RSM) to estimate the parameters of a finite-element groundwater model. An existing two-dimensional, steady-state flow model of a fractured carbonate groundwater system in southwestern Ohio served as the calibration target data set. A Plackett-Burman screening design showed that only four of the ten hydraulic conductivity zones significantly contributed to the output of the finite-element model. Also, the effective porosity parameter did not significantly affect the model's output. Using only the four significant hydraulic conductivity parameters; four two-level, four-factor designed experiments were conducted to exploit the first-order response surface defined by a …