Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Env-601: A New Method For Converting Sewage To Energy Using Self-Sustaining Smouldering, Tarek L. Rashwan, Jason I. Gerhard, Gavin P. Grant

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

A major challenge in designing resilient infrastructure is to meet the needs of sustainable development (Kennedy & Corfee-Morlot, 2013). Sustainable development requires a high degree of energy efficiency. Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), in particular, have the potential to be much more sustainable. In the U.S., 3 – 4% of the total energy consumed is dedicated to WWTPs and drinking water services, accounting for 30 – 40% of energy consumed by municipalities (U.S. EPA, 2014). In Canada, 25% of the $123 billion municipal deficit in 2006 was tied to water supply systems (i.e., drinking water, wastewater, and storm water) (Mirza, …

Env-604: Enhanced Electro-Oxidation For Tkn Removal From Highly Polluted Industrial Wastewater, Arash F. Jahromi, Maria Elektorowicz, Nadezda Zhukovskaya

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Many industrial effluents contain concentrated Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN), which may might be also accompanied with ammonia, sulfur, iron, total solids, etc. Conventional wastewater treatment plants are unable to remove TKN, to a level acceptable for the ecosystem, thus, such wastewater has to be treated at the source; however, adequate methods have not been demonstrated yet. The industrial wastewater of concern, which contained 14 g TKN/L and 11 g NH4/L had a low probability to be biologically treated, therefore, an enhanced electro-oxidation method was proposed in this study. The industrial effluent was subjected to a series of tests, where finally …

Env-605: Use Of Nonwoven Geotextiles For Removing Nutrients And Suspended Solids From A Eutrophic Lake, Shrabani Sarma, Catherine N. Mulligan, Keoponnreay Kim, Dileep P. Veetil, Sam Bhat

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Eutrophication has been identified as one of the leading risks to surface water quality especially for lake water quality in Canada. The objective of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of nonwoven geotextiles in reducing the nutrients and suspended solids to improve lake water quality. A small scale field experiment was conducted beside a lake by using nonwoven geotextiles as filter media. Custom-made geotextiles were used in different combinations to provide maximum efficiency in removing nutrients and suspended solids (SS) to achieve an acceptable level within a shorter period of time. For an initial turbidity ranging from 4 to …

Env-609: Treatment Of Pcbs Contaminated Soil Using An Integrated System, Linlong Yu, Jordan Hollman, Stephanie Kroeker, Sobhan Iranmanesh, Gopal Achari, Cooper H. Langford, Janine Wildschut

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

This research describes the full scale evaluation and testing of an integrated PCBs treatment system. Experiments were conducted on organic soil contaminated with PCBs. The result showed that a removal efficiency of 95% can be achieved using a three cycle isopropyl alcohol (IPA) extraction. It also showed that at least 80% of IPA can be recycled and reused for further extraction of PCBs. The concentrated PCB extracts can be photodechlorinated in an alkaline condition. The successful testing of this integrated PCB treatment system demonstrates this technology to be a promising solution to a very difficult problem.

Env-607: Surfactant-Modified Biomass Adsorbents For Enhanced Removal Of Pollutants From Aqueous Solution, Chunjiang An, Gordon Huang, Yarong Shi, Xiaying Xin, Yao Yao, Yan Zhang, Wenxia Wang, Xia Liu

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

From the view of economical efficiency and technology sustainability, considerable attention has been recently given to the use of low-cost biomass residues as adsorbents in pollution control. To achieve a desirable adsorptive efficiency, some efforts have also been made to modify biomass adsorbents through appropriate treatments. There is a particular interest in surfactant-assisted biomass surface modification. Although some findings from previous studies are encouraging, knowledge about the adsorption of pollutants onto surfactant-modified biomass is still limited. A number of issues about the characteristics of involved interface transport are poorly understood. The present study therefore aims to examine the adsorption of …

Env-608: A Feasibility Study On Sulfolane Degradation In Groundwater Using Neutral Fenton Catalysts, Linlong Yu, Gopal Achari, Cooper H. Langford, Ian Keir

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

In this paper, degradation of sufolane in an acidic or near neutral pH using Fenton or modified Fenton catalysts was investigated. The catalysts included nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) iron complex and several commercially available products marketed as neutral pH catalysts. The experiments were conducted both in lab synthetic water and sulfolane contaminated groundwater. Our results showed that more than 99% of sulfolane can be removed by the classic Fenton-like reagent in acidic condition. At near neutral pH, 60% of sulfolane reduction in groundwater was achieved by adding NTA/Fe(III)/H2O2. Among the four commercially available products investigated, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) chelated iron showed …

Env-612: A Novel Sludge-Bed Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor For Sustainable Treatment Of Industrial Wastewater, Kripa S. Singh, Mayur M. Kale

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Dissolving pulp mill wastewater called prehydrolysis liquor (PHL) obtained from steam (at 150-1700C) treatment of wood had a total chemical oxygen demand (COD) of approximately 100 g/L contains mainly sugars, furfural, lignin, and acetic acid, poses a considerable wastewater disposal problem. Replacement of the current energy intensive disposal method (evaporation and use of recovery boiler) is a requirement of dissolving pulp industry. The bioreactors were fed with PHL at organic loading rates (OLR) ranging from 0.8 to 5 kg-COD/m3-d to study the performance with respect to the COD removal, methane (bio-energy) production, effluent characteristics, and membrane fouling. Average COD removal …

Env-610: Effect Of Nutrients On Methanotrophic Oxidation Activity In Batch Experimental Studies, Helen La, J. Patrick A. Hettiaratchi, Gopal Achari

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Methane biofiltration (MBF) has been proposed as an effective and cost efficient method for mitigating methane emissions from anthropogenic sources. Previous MBF studies have successfully demonstrated effective methane oxidation using compost, soil and biodegradable organic materials as the filter medium because they are a natural source of nutrients, organic matter content, and provide adequate space to support microbiological growth. However, these media types will inevitably decompose over time and lose their effectiveness. This study investigates the use of biologically stable media mixtures of lava rock and biochar in batch oxidation studies to determine their ability to support a methanotrophic bacterial …

Env-617: Waste-Based Biorefineries In Developing Countries: An Imperative Need Of Time, Iqbal Mohammad Ismail, Abdul-Sattar Nizami

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

The current world population of 7.2 billion is projected to reach up to 8.2 billion in 2025 with current annual growth rate of 1%. The Asia, Middle East, Africa and Latin America are the places, where most of this growth will occur due to rapidly growing industries and urbanization. As a consequence, the generation rate of municipal solid waste (MSW) will increase from 1.2 to 1.5 kg per capita per day in next 15 years. Globally, around 2.4 billion tons of MSW is generated every year that will reach up to 2.6 billion tons by 2025. Similarly, the energy demand …

Env-620: Assisting A Columbian Community Respond To Tougher Water Regulations, Rick Vansant, Maryam Eyvazi

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Colombia is strengthening the standards for treatment processes to protect public health from chlorine-resistant pathogens such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium. UV Pure recently assisted Progresar E.S.P., a water services company by adding disinfection to a potable water supply serving 5,000 residents outside Bogota.

This project marks the first installation of UV Pure systems for potable water disinfection in Colombia.

UV Pure Upstream systems, with Crossfire™ technology, is ideal for this challenging application providing a minimum UV dose of 40mJ/cm2, even when UVT is as low as 75%. The plant operates with an average flow of about 12L/sec (190 gpm) and …

Env-621: Risk-Based Performance Assessment Of Stormwater Drainage Networks Under Climate Change: A Case Study In The City Of Kingston, On, Michael G. Nanos, Yves R. Filion

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

The ability of urban drainage systems to operate satisfactorily under a wide range of possible future hydrologic conditions is an important system characteristic. As weather patterns shift, it is important to understand how local infrastructure may be affected as extreme rainfall events have the potential to cause direct and indirect damages to communities. Continuous simulation in SWMM 5.1 coupled with synthetic precipitation files generated using GCM outputs were used to assess the risk-based performance in terms of reliability, resiliency and vulnerability of an urban drainage system in the City of Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The study drainage network investigated in this …

Env-623: Analysis Of Reaction Kinetic Parameters In Enzyme Catalysed Aerobic Waste Degradation, Eranda M. Bartholameuz, J. Patrick A. Hettiaratchi, Helen La

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

The study discussed here is an attempt at comparing three of the most important kinetic parameters in an enzyme catalysed aerobic system; overall reaction kinetic constant, hydrolysis rate constant and oxygen assimilation constant. The kinetic parameters are compared with each other as well as between uncatalyzed and enzyme catalyzed reactions. Theatrical reaction kinetic models were developed for the analysis. Batch experiments were conducted to characterize solid waste behaviour and the results used to calibrate the developed models. Lignin content, cellulose/hemicellulose content, total organic content, oxygen depletion and CO2 production was used as responses in the experiments. Manganese peroxidase from white-rot-fungi …

Env-624: A New High-Yielding Bio-Dispersant Producer Mutated From Rhodococcus Erythropolis Strain P6-4p, Ze Lv, Qinhong Cai, Baiyu Zhang, Bing Chen

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Preeminent effectiveness and feasibility of dispersants have been the key reasons for their widely serving as the response agents in oil spill responses. Moreover, dispersants can also overcome the limitation factors of other countermeasures like accessibility, weather conditions, sea states, and oil thickness. However, the public concerns of the usages of the chemically synthetic dispersants are also essential due to their toxicity and persistency in the ecosystem. Bio-dispersants can be a promising alternative as the proven features of lower toxicity and persistency while with high effectiveness, but its broad application prospects are currently restricted by the high production cost that …

Env-625: Impacts Of Treated Wastewater Reuse In Irrigation On Groundwater: Case Study Of Sadat City – Egypt, Heba Abd El-Aziz Abu-Bakr, Mustafa Elkhedr, Ashraf Ghanem, Abdallah Sadik Bazaraa

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Groundwater is becoming an essential water resource in Egypt due to the deficit in water balance. It is planned to increase withdrawal in 2017 to 7.5 BCM and 3.5 BCM from renewable and non-renewable groundwater aquifers, respectively. In recent years there have been efforts to protect this water resource. The main objective of this paper is studying the impacts of reusing treated wastewater in irrigation after natural attenuation through the vadose zone. Hydrogeological data were collected to characterize the aquifer in Sadat City. A field program was conducted to identify the saturated hydraulic conductivities of the aquifer and the contaminant …

Env-626: Barrie Landfill Reclamation And Re-Engineering 2009-2015, Paul J. Dewaele, Sandra Brunet

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

The City of Barrie’s municipal solid waste landfill is located in a depleted sand pit and is in close proximity to residential development. The landfill opened in the 1960s and was slated for closure in 2017. Originally designed as a natural attenuation facility, leachate seepage from the waste to the groundwater and an adjacent stream, posed environmental risks and compliance issues. The risks were mitigated through a project completed between 2008 and 2015, involving the progressive excavation of approximately 1.6 million cubic metres of waste in the western 2/3 of the landfill, installation of an engineered state-of-the-art liner and leachate …

Env-634: Microbial Subsurface Repopulation Following In Situ Star Remediation, Gavin J. Overbeeke, Jason Gerhard, Elizabeth Edwards

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

STAR (Self-sustaining Treatment for Active Remediation) is an emerging remediation technology that employs a self-sustaining smouldering reaction to destroy nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) in the subsurface. The reaction front travels at rates of 0.5 to 5 m per day and subjects the soil to temperatures between 400°C and 1200°C (Pironi et al. 2011; Switzer et al. 2009). Consequently, not only does STAR cause an in situ destruction of NAPL, but it dries and sterilizes the soil through which it passes (Pape et al. 2015). Microbial recolonization of these sterile treated zones is important to the overall remediation of the site, …

Env-636: Soil Aquifer Treatment Of Secondary Effluents And Csos In Southwestern Ontario, Diego Velasquez, Ernest Yanful, Weijian Sun

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Wastewater reclamation is becoming an important alternative for sustainable water resources management and building climate change resiliency in many regions around the world. The purpose of this research was to investigate the polishing of secondary effluents and Combine Sewer Overflows (CSOs) by a laboratory scale Soil Aquifer Treatment (SAT) considering local sub-surface geology and wastewater characteristics. Results show that characteristic soils of southwestern Ontario can effectively polish secondary effluents in terms of BOD5 (64.9% to 100%), e-coli (100%) and total coliforms (100%). However, low removals of DOC (22.81%) and Nitrate (15.17 %) were achieved. Furthermore, low to moderate improvements of …

Env-641: New Methods For Design And Performance Monitoring Of Sub-Slab Venting Systems For Vocs And Radon, Darius Mali, Paul Nicholson, William Wertz, Todd Mcalary

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

This paper summarizes recent research funded by the U.S. Department of Defense Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) intended to improve the cost-effectiveness of systems to protect building occupants from subsurface radon gas and volatile organic compound (VOC) vapors. Standard practice for sub-slab depressurization (SSD) uses a fan or blower to create a measurable vacuum below the building and has not changed in a few decades. ASTM E-2121-13 specifies a minimum target vacuum of 6 to 9 Pascals (Pa) everywhere below the building floor slab, but this can be difficult to measure compared to baseline fluctuations (a signal-to-noise challenge). A …

Env-637: Using Lif To Establish Monitoring Well Network Of Migrating Lnapl Plume In The Vicinity Of Surface Water, Laura J. Jones

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

The former Michigan Avenue Landfill (the “Site”, now Canatara Park) was used by the City of Sarnia for disposal of municipal waste between approximately 1930 and 1967. Between approximately 1930 and 1944, oily waste was reportedly disposed of at the Site from one of the local refineries. This waste material was reportedly a by-product of a process that used clay to remove colour impurities during the production of automobile lubricating oil.

In 1997, light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) was discovered at the southwest shore of Lake Chipican, north of the Site. In response, temporary measures were taken by the City …

Env-638: Advanced Techniques For Site Characterization: Real-Time High-Resolution Site Characterization Of The Subsurface Using Mip, Lif And Hpt, Patrick O'Neill

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

In-situ site characterization can be a key component of site delineation and remediation. In-situ site characterization allows for large amounts of detailed data to be collected quickly and cost-effectively compared to traditional techniques. These data, combined with traditional Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) methods, greatly enhance the understanding of the presence, concentration and distribution of contaminants in the subsurface, which can lead to more efficient and focused monitoring and remediation programs.

Three high-resolution characterization technologies have recently been introduced to Canada. These include the Membrane Interface Probe (MIP) for dissolved-phase contamination, the Laser-Induced Fluorescence (LIF) probe for free-phase petroleum …

Env-639: Impact Of Vegetation Type And Climate On Evapotranspiration From Extensive Green Roofs, Maria Eloisa Sia, Denis M. O'Carroll, Clare Robinson, James A. Voogt, Charles C. Smart, Danielle A. Way

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Stormwater management solutions are needed to increase resiliency within urban areas by: (1) maintaining the natural hydrologic cycle, (2) controlling erosion and flooding, and (3) protecting water quality (MOE, 2003). Large impervious areas from urban development results in the loss of vegetated surfaces which leads to an increase in direct runoff (e.g. Paul and Meyer, 2008). Within urban areas, conventional roofs cover 40-50% of the impervious surfaces giving them significant potential to host urban stormwater management solutions (Dunnett and Kingsbury, 2004). Green roofs are able to restore the altered hydrologic cycle closer to its natural state by reducing the volume …

Env-640: Treatment Of Combined Sewer Overflow Using A Natural Coagulant, Omotola Ajao, Rajesh Seth, Paul Drca, Chris Manzon, Nihar Biswas

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

The hazards posed by combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to receiving water bodies cannot be overemphasised. CSOs can be a significant contributor of pollutants to receiving waterbodies. Ontario’s F-5-5 procedure stipulates a treatment target of a minimum 50% reduction in suspended solids (SS) and 30% reduction in 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) for CSOs in the province. The physicochemical coagulation process is an effective and widely used treatment process to achieve these targets. The City of Windsor, Ontario currently uses a synthetic organic coagulant for coagulation at its retention treatment basin (RTB) for CSO treatment. However, environmental persistence and potential toxic …

Env-643: Sub-Slab Depressurization System Retrofits To Existing Buildings: Two Case Studies, Theresa M. Phillips, Ronald Taylor, Darko Strajin

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Ontario Regulation 153/04 outlines the process wherein a property impacted by soil and/ or ground water contaminants is evaluated for risks to human and ecological health, and may be redeveloped for more sensitive land uses. Under the Regulation, once a property has been sufficiently characterized, a Record of Site Condition (RSC) may be filed, to document the condition of the property. Owners of contaminated lands may choose to remediate the property, to meet the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) generic soil and ground water Standards, or develop new site-specific Standards via the Risk Assessment (RA) process.

Many …

Env-644: Use Of New Models To Support Vapour Intrusion Mitigation Design, Ian Hers, Parisa Jourabchi, Eric Hood, Michael Z'Graggen

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Soil vapour intrusion of subsurface volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into indoor air of buildings is a significant potential concern at existing sites where chemical releases occur, or at new buildings at Brownfield sites with residual chemical impacts. While soil vapour intrusion mitigation systems are increasingly being implemented, there are limited published data on mitigation performance for VOCs particularly for industrial or commercial buildings or high density residential buildings with below ground parking garages. Data gaps include the effectiveness of passive and active venting systems and reduction in vapour intrusion that can be achieved relative to unmitigated buildings. Because of lack …

Env-645: Risk Assessment For Asbestos In Soil, Natasha Corrin, Sandra Carrelas

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

On behalf of the City of Sarnia (the City), Golder Associates Ltd. completed a risk assessment to evaluate potential risks to human health and ecological receptors associated with soil and groundwater contamination at a multi-use recreational municipal park located on the City’s harbour front. Soil and groundwater investigations completed at the site revealed elevated concentrations of a number of typical industrial contaminants (including metals, volatile organic compounds, petroleum hydrocarbons and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon) relative to generic regulatory standards. Options for the management/remediation of these impacts were complicated by the observed presence of asbestos in soil at the site and the …

Env-647: Repurposing Existing Infrastructure For Enhanced Wet Weather Flow Treatment For Vauxhall Pcp, City Of London, Louis Tasfi, Geordie Gould

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

The Vauxhall Pollution Control Plant (PCP) is one of the first Ontario municipal wastewater treatment plants to have implemented a wet weather strategy that involves chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) and chemically enhanced secondary clarification processes and repurposes existing infrastructure.

Wet weather events were a major concern for the City of London (City). Prior to plant upgrade, when major wet weather flows occurred plant overflow would discharge directly into the Thames River. The solution designed by Dillon Consulting Limited treats wet weather flows of nearly ten times the rated average day plant capacity. The average and peak flow treatment capacity …

Env-648: Design Optimization For Enhanced Pollutant Removal Efficiency Of Bioretention Cells, Soheil Gholamreza-Kashi, Thomas Tiveron, Darko Joksimovic

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Consulting engineers, conservation authorities, and municipalities are looking for methods of stormwater management control that not only restore pre-development hydrological cycles, but also offer the benefit of runoff quality treatment. As a result, Low Impact Development (LID) approaches, which are often applied at the source, have been gaining in popularity. The objective of this research is to develop guidance for the design of bioretention cells for runoff water quality treatment, evaluating bioretention cells’ ability to perform such treatment function through modelling. A number of different modelling tools have been developed to simulate the performance of bioretention cells. These models are …

Env-646: Successful Water Reuse – The First Step Toward Zld, Ed Greenwood, Bill Malyk

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

After years of record-breaking droughts many aquifers around the World are drying up. Climate change is making it increasingly difficult to support the World’s growing population. If water means life then water scarcity represents a significant challenge to growth for industry.

A Canadian-based food processor is rising to the challenge of water scarcity at one of its production facilities in Gujarat, India. Until 2013 the facility was able to draw all the water it needed from a well. However, droughts have reduced groundwater resources and the demand for the facility’s products has grown. The food processor approached Amec Foster Wheeler …

Env-651: Highly Effective Electro-Fenton Oxidation Treatment For Concentrated Brewery Wastewater, Sharmin Sultana, Md. Saifur Rahaman, Alexander Baltodano

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

The brewing industry typically produces 3-10 liters of wastewater per liter of beer produced which contains sugars, soluble starch, ethanol, and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and is typically characterized by 2,000-20,000 mg/L COD, 200-3,000 mg/L total suspended solids (TSS), and 10-124 mg/L phosphorus. In this study, the high strength brewery wastewater was treated with a multi-plated (BDD/Graphite) electrolysis cell configuration with Fenton’s reagent in a galvanostatic mode of operation. A novel cell configuration with five electrode plates (BDD/Graphite), which provide a higher current/voltage ratio than the conventional three plate configuration, was used in this study to provide more surface for …

Env-652: Conventional Vs Low Impact Development Stormwater Management Case Studies, Imtiaz Shah, Ron Antuma

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Low Impact Development (LID) Stormwater Management (SWM) techniques is the appropriate approach to be applied to site developments in an attempt to mimic a site’s natural hydrologic cycle to store and treat stormwater runoff close to where it falls. In 2014, the UTRCA conducted a survey of member municipalities to gauge a familiarity with SWM LIDs to help UTRCA effectively target their efforts regarding SWM LID during a development and planning process at the Municipal level. Several issues were highlighted from the survey results, including the presence of institutional, technical, and physical barriers, as well as a general lack of …