Engineering Commons^™

Solar & Rain Catching Canopy "Urban Oasis 2", Afolabi Ibitoye, Cheriyah Wilmot, Alexander Aptekar, Grzegorz Kosieradzki, Kaiyrgul Sultanova, Jude Vallon

Publications and Research

The accumulation of water runoff during rain storms is a major problem in New York City’s combination water systems, forcing water treatment plants to release untreated excess water. To avoid overfilling of the sewer system by this grey water, pocket parks and gardens will be used to absorb the excess rainfall. We will be harnessing nature’s resources with current technologies such as: solar panels combined with rain catching canopies, to beautify the environment, educate the public about sustainability, stimulate growth to local businesses through increased foot traffic and bringing social awareness on environmental issues.

The canopies are designed to collect …

Dc-Dc 4-Switch Buck-Boost Converter For Energy Harvesting From Elliptical Machines, Alexander C. Samietz, Gustavo Guzman

Electrical Engineering

The senior project report documents the process of replacing the network of resistors inside an elliptical machine with a DC-DC buck-boost converter. The buck-boost DC-DC converter accepts a wide input range of 5-60 Volts, with an output of 36 Volts for the most efficient use of the already available microinverter. The microinverter reclaims the lost energy and safely distributes it back to the electrical grid. The addition of this project reduces heat emissions from wasted energy and shrinks the carbon footprint of its users.

Solar Parking Lot Analysis: Smart Investment Or Waste Of Capital, Jared J. Davis

Construction Management

In the last couple decades solar panels have been developed into a sustainable and effective method for harnessing clean energy. Today, solar panels have been engineered into solar roadways. Solar roadways are structurally engineered solar panels which can be installed in the Earth, driven on, and can replace the need for traditional asphalt roads. These solar roadways also include built in LEDs which mimic road lines and light up wildlife crossing the road, making these road panels a very safe alternative to traditional asphalt roads. This senior project is an analysis of solar roadways and their capabilities when applied to …

Solar Parking Lot Analysis: Smart Investment Or Waste Of Capital, Jared James Davis

Construction Management

In the last couple decades solar panels have been developed into a sustainable and effective method for harnessing clean energy. Today, solar panels have been engineered into solar roadways. Solar roadways are structurally engineered solar panels which can be installed in the Earth, driven on, and can replace the need for traditional asphalt roads. These solar roadways also include built in LEDs which mimic road lines and light up wildlife crossing the road, making these road panels a very safe alternative to traditional asphalt roads. This senior project is an analysis of solar roadways and their capabilities when applied to …

Modeling The Sustainability Of Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Technologies: Final Report, Miguel A. Figliozzi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the past decade, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have become increasingly more popular in the commercial sector. Drones are being used for all kinds of purposes, such as surveillance, inspecting architecture, filming, wildlife research, and more. Freight delivery is a potential application that is getting lots of attention from large companies.

This research presented novel data, relationship, and models for deliveries utilizing small UAVs. Small UAVs were defined as aircrafts with a tare of up to 15 kilograms (kg) and a potential payload of up to 15 kg. Since the weight of the UAVs is capped, only drones with engines …

Toward Building Resilient, Sustainable, And Smart Infrastructure In The 21st Century, Aly Mousaad Aly

Faculty Publications

In recent years, as a result of significant climate change, stringent windstorms are becoming more frequent than before. Given the threat that windstorms bring to people and property, wind/structural engineering research is imperative to improve the resilience of existing and new infrastructure, for community safety and assets protection. The Windstorm Impact, Science and Engineering (WISE) research program at Louisiana State University (LSU) focuses on creating new knowledge applicable to the mitigation of existing and new infrastructure, to survive and perform optimally under natural hazards. To achieve our research goals, we address two imperious challenges: (i) characterization of realistic wind forces …

The Icarus Floating Membrane Photobioreactor For Microalgae Cultivation In Wastewater: Advancing Technology From Lab To Field Prototype, Melanie Pickett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ICARUS membrane photobioreactor, conceptualized and preliminarily tested at the University of South Florida, provides a viable platform for algae cultivation using wastewater as a growth medium. Progression of the technology is tracked using NASA’s Technology Readiness Level scale, and is herein described. Through the work described in this manuscript, the technology has evolved from TRL 3 to TRL 5. Completing the suggested future work will readily move the technology to TRL 6 and beyond.

The first study investigated the co-location of algal cultivation with wastewater treatment. This coupling provides a steady source of water and nutrients for algal growth. …

Method Of Solving Incorrect Tasks Formed By Construction Of Fuzzy Models Assessing The Weakly Formallized Processes., D.T Muxamediyeva, X.A Primova

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

The article examines the improvement of the method for obtaining a fuzzy and fuzzy-stable solution to incorrect problems arising in the construction of a model for estimating the state of weakly formalizable processes using various membership functions based on the theory of fuzzy sets. The proposed method makes it possible to construct a correct fuzzy model of weakly formalizable processes.

Using Net Groundwater Extractions For Farm Level Groundwater Sustainability Monitoring, Daniel J. Howes, Morgan Whinery, Eric Limas, Dan Vink

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The Cal Poly Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) has developed a method for computing net groundwater extraction and recharge at the farm level for district management and regulation of sustainable/safe yields. This method is called Net To/From Groundwater (NTFGW). Net groundwater extraction is preferred for assessing sustainable yield in unconfined aquifer systems over direct metering of gross groundwater pumping. A recent pilot project with the Lower Tule River and Pixley Irrigation Districts’ Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) compared actual metered groundwater pumping, surface deliveries, and evapotranspiration to the NTFGW outputs on 19 farms within the GSAs over a 3-year period …

Single-Use And Sustainability: Continued Studies Using Lca Tools, William Whitford

Single-Use Technologies III: Scientific and Technological Advancements

The issue of plastic materials in our environment has been of recent interest. The biotechnology community has responded by examining the effects of single-use systems employed in biomanufacturing. It is natural to emphasize a particular set of environmental concerns over others, and especially the more visible ones. But, in supporting truly sustainable manufacturing systems, it is important to consider all relevant types of pollution or environmental stress. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a science-based approach for evaluating the environmental impacts, benefits, trade-offs, and burden shifts of a process in an objective format. It considers production process’ materials, equipment and …

What You Don’T See, Brent Sturlaugson

Architecture Faculty Publications

Follow the supply chains of architecture and you’ll find not just product manufacturers but also environmental polluters and elusive networks of financial power and political influence.

The Correlation Between Energy Cost Share, Human, And Economic Development Using Time Series Data From Australasia, Europe, North America, And The Brics Nations, Ryan Roberts, Josephine Kaviti Musango, Alan Colin Brent, Matthew K. Heun

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

This paper investigates how a change in a region's energy cost share (ECS), a ratio of a region's energy expenditure as a fraction of its gross domestic product (GDP), affects the region's social and economic development. Nations from four regions of the world, namely Australasia, Europe, North America, and the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) were chosen for this study. Using time series data from the period of 1978 to 2010, the annual ECS of each country was compared to the year-on-year GDP change, as well as the components of the human development index (HDI). High …

Design Of Wind Turbine Tower Height And Blade Length: An Optimization Approach, Ryan Wass

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The wind industry is a fast growing market and is quickly becoming competitive with traditional non-renewable energy resources. As with any developing industry, research must continually be redefined as more complex understandings of design variables are learned. Optimization studies are common ways to quickly refine design variable selections. Historical wind turbine data shows that the tower hub height to rotor diameter ratio scales almost linearly. However there is no specific rule that dictates the optimum hub height for a given diameter. This study addresses this question by using an Excel based optimization program to determine the height to diameter ratio …

High Performance Mortar With 100% Recycled Aggregate Using Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles, Molly Schrager, Vito Francioso, Arjun Kadakia, Mirian Velay-Lizancos

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Concrete and mortar are materials commonly used in construction. Their main compounds are cement, aggregates (sand and gravel) and water. In an effort to increase the sustainability of these materials, the idea of using recycled aggregates from ground old concrete and using it to make mortar and concrete has gained more interest. It has two advantages: it reduces the need to mine for raw materials and lessens the amount of old and defective concrete that is typically put in landfills. But, the use of recycled concrete aggregate lowers the strength of mortars and concretes because the residual compounds in the …

Three-Dimensional (3d) Printed Microneedles For Microencapsulated Cell Extrusion, Chantell Farias, Roman Lyman, Cecilia Hemingway, Huong Chau, Anne Mahacek, Evangelia Bouzos, Maryam Mobed-Miremadi

Bioengineering

Cell-hydrogel based therapies offer great promise for wound healing. The specific aim of this study was to assess the viability of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells immobilized in atomized alginate capsules (3.5% (w/v) alginate, d = 225 µm ± 24.5 µm) post-extrusion through a three-dimensional (3D) printed methacrylate-based custom hollow microneedle assembly (circular array of 13 conical frusta) fabricated using stereolithography. With a jetting reliability of 80%, the solvent-sterilized device with a root mean square roughness of 158 nm at the extrusion nozzle tip (d = 325 μm) was operated at a flowrate of 12 mL/min. There was no significant …

Next Generation Protocol: Innovating A Resilient Future, Andrew Steven Rudnick, Jamie Cannady, Joe Decesaro, Juan A. Ortiz Salazar

Materials Engineering

Conventional practices do not account for product life beyond end-of-sale – these practices are not sustainable. We have developed an end-of-life protocol that includes a metric that we call the Recovery Rating. The objectives of this Next Generation Protocol, beyond supporting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, are to encourage the production of goods designed for recovery and to promote the collaboration between consumers, the public, and the private sector to recover goods at their end-of-life. The Recovery Rating that we propose evaluates and quantifies recovery potential of products. The Recovery Rating, which is normed against embodied energy from the …

Analysis Of The Properties Of Supercapacitors And Possible Applications For The Technology, Vincent Oliveto

Honors Theses

Supercapacitors have a lot of excellent qualities that would make them a great substitute for batteries when it comes to electrical energy storage systems. Supercapacitors can discharge and charge very rapidly, they have a lifespan in the realm of millions of cycles, and they are much more efficient than batteries. Unfortunately, they cannot hold nearly as much charge as batteries. This paper seeks to further investigate the properties of supercapacitor technology and the best way to exploit these properties with the purpose of integrating them into renewable energy systems. There is currently a lot of research occurring around the world …

The Status Of The Local Community In Mining Sustainable Development Beyond The Triple Bottom Line, Sisi Que, Liang Wang, Kwame Awuah-Offei, Yao Chen, Wei Yang

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Mineral products provide essential fuels and raw materials for industrialization and our daily life, but their influences on other aspects of life need to be taken into consideration. While the whole world benefits from mining's contributions, most of the resulting detrimental impacts on the environment and society fall on the local communities. The participation of the local community is one solution to decrease the risks from community-related problems. Subsequently, the requirements of mining sustainable development can be met. A literature review was conducted on mining sustainability and stakeholder participation, and the shortcomings of existing research and difficulties of further study …

Solar And Rain Catching Canopy. Urban Oasis, Afolabi Ibitoye, Langston Clark, Elena Zimareva, Evan Banks, Alexander Aptekar

Publications and Research

The Urban Oasis is designed to work within existing “pocket parks” in New York City as a combined rainwater collector, personal electronics charging station and resting designation for New Yorkers. Intended to not only lessen the demand on the city power grid by using renewable energy to charge devices, the urban oasis is also intended to mitigate grey water overfill in New York’s combined sewer system and, in general, serve as a model for responsible environmental stewardship in urban areas.

The important technical aspects of the canopy specifically analyzed were:

a) how much rainwater could the canopy be expected to …

Novel Solar Cells Based On Two-Dimensional Nanomaterials And Recycled Lead Components, Xiaoru Guo

Theses and Dissertations

To meet the rapidly growing demand for energy and reduce the use of dwindling fossil fuels, the efficient utilization of renewable energy is a constant pursuit globally. Because solar cells convert vastly available sunlight into electricity, developing high-performance and low-cost solar cells is a top strategy for future energy supply. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are the most promising choices. In the meantime, highly concentrated sulfuric acids from retired lead-acid batteries become an environmental concern, and lead contamination in drinking water raises concerns in general public. This study addresses both above-mentioned problems by using two-dimensional (2D) …

Aligning Skills In Personnel With The Lean System's Requirements, Anjushree Bangre

Masters Theses

The sustainability of lean systems for long term is a major concern across various organizations implementing lean manufacturing methods. This issue can be attributed to inadequate infrastructure, inefficient process management, unsuitable personnel management methods and strategic tools. There is a strong need for addressing the risks for lean system sustainability. The resolution of the risks from a 'soft side' (people) perspective has not been addressed. The primary focus of this study is on the people-related risks.

The current study elicits a five-phase approach to enhance the implementation of the lean system by accounting for these risks. The first phase classifies …

Sustainability Children's Book, Linden Cheek

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

As human driven climate change continues to alter our planet, persuading the general public to adopt sustainable living practices has become increasingly important. Storytelling has long been a part of human culture, and recent studies have emphasized the power of storytelling to influence the audience as a means of changing behavior. This project attempted to teach sustainable principles to primary school children through the creation of a scientific children’s book. The book communicated the maxim of “reduce, reuse, recycle” by tracing a fictitious story of a town where children frequently buy new toys and throw the old toys away. The …

A Comparative Study Of The Leed And Well Building Standards, Brent J. Zavada

Construction Management

Our current environmental and public health conditions have led our industry to create sustainability standards that address both of these current problems. With the addition of the WELL Building Standard, the first standard to solely focus on human health and wellness, it is now possible to promote public health, environmental conservation, and owner profits all in one project. This study looks to overlap the well-known LEED Certification standards with the new WELL standards to assist project teams in fully understanding what needs to be accomplished in order for their project to be on track for both certifications. It is meant …

Student Led Service-Learning Initiative: Installation Of Photovoltaic Water-Pump Systems In The Ecuador Amazon Rainforest, Kelly M. Williams

Construction Management

The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) student chapter at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California was selected by an association called ELECTRI International to participate in their Student Community Service Initiative program. The goal of the program is to “Encourage construction management and electrical engineering students to take an active role in improving access to electricity in developing communities” (“Student Passport Program”). This paper summarizes the findings of a student-led project made possible by ELECTRI International’s program. The project included coordinating, funding, and executing a project to facilitate the installation of photovoltaic water pump systems to indigenous …

The Setty Family Foundation 2018 Ashrae Applied Engineering Competition, Joshua Heath

Construction Management

The Setty Family Applied Engineering Challenge tasked my project group with designing a temporary shelter specifically for refugees in Eastern Europe to be used by governments, municipalities, and humanitarian agencies that is cost effective, portable, sustainable, and provides all necessary domestic needs. After months of research and design, we have developed the PolyShelter ; an eight-person structure erected to provide comfortability and safety to those in need. PolyShelter is designed to withstand the harshest of climates, provide exceptional insulation, and incorporate a rainwater collection system sufficient enough to support each unit. PolyShelter proves itself to be an economically viable solution …

Medicial Clinic At Mission Twentyfive35 Vocational Village - Dominican Republic, Sarah C. De Los Reyes

Construction Management

This community medical clinic will be the first of its kind in the rural town of Villa Tapia, Dominican Republic It is Phase II of a five-phase master plan drafted by religious organization Mission Twenty-Five35, founded by the Romano family The team consists of Cal Poly undergraduate students: Griffin Chierici (Architecture), Erica Croft and Tommy Sidebottom (Architectural Engineering), and Sarah De Los Reyes (Construction Management), backed by the guidance and support of non-profit organization Journeyman International and A/E firm Smith Group JJR The task was to design a clinic that would serve as a pediatric and urgent care center but …

Ecological Footprint Of Flood Mitigation Structures At The Absecon Inlet, Eduardo Garcia, Mackenzie Carr, Jason Loeffler

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

The primary goal of this clinic project is to measure the ecological footprint of the flood mitigation structures in Absecon Inlet. This area is prone to floods due to rising sea levels and storms. Beaches and boardwalks were affected during numerous hurricanes including: Jose (2017), Andrea (2013), Sandy (2012), Irene (2011), and Hanna (2008). Seawalls, sand dunes, and jetties were constructed to protect the shoreline from these floods based on the studies conducted by the US Army Corp of Engineers. In this clinic, we assess the effect of these man-made structures on the ecology of the surrounding areas. The ecology …

Feasibility Analysis For Reclaim Device During Shotcrete Application, Cameron Neil Berkins

Construction Management

Shotcrete application has proven advantages over cast-in-place concrete under many different situations. Ease of access, minimal formwork, and higher productivity are prime examples. Its uses have exponentially increased through technical innovations to improve the ready-mix, nozzlemen technique, application surfaces, and to ensure higher dependability of the equipment. Unfortunately, concrete waste is still one of the highest percentages of overall waste in the construction industry. Shotcrete rebound, the material that falls from the wall due to lack of cohesion during installation, has slowly been reduced due to ready-mix alterations over the years, but effective recycling processes have yet to be implemented. …

Conversion Of Biomass To Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuels Via Anaerobic Digestion: A Feasibility Study, Ahmad Naqi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of biomass as a potential feedstock for the production of liquid hydrocarbon fuels has been under investigation in the last few decades. This paper discusses a preliminary design and a feasibility study of producing liquid hydrocarbon fuels from biomass through a combined biochemical and thermochemical route. The process involves anaerobic digestion (AD) of the biodegradable portion of the biomass to produce methane rich gas. The methane rich biogas stream is purified by removing contaminants and upgraded to liquid hydrocarbon fuel in a gas to liquid facility (GTL) via thermochemical conversion route. The biogas conversion involves two major steps: …

Modular Product Architecture’S Decisions Support For Remanufacturing-Product Service System Synergy, Johnson Adebayo Fadeyi

Wayne State University Dissertations

Remanufacturing is identified as the most viable product end-of-life (EOL) management strategy. However, about 80% of manufactured products currently end up as wastes. Besides other benefits, the product service system (PSS) could curtail the main bottlenecks to remanufacturing namely quantity, quality, recovery time of used product, and negative perception of remanufactured products. Therefore, the integration of PSS and remanufacturing has been increasingly recommended as an enhanced product offering. However, an integration that is informed by mathematical analysis is missing. Meanwhile, the variables that bolster the performance of PSS and remanufacturing are substantially influenced by product development (PD) decisions. Among the …