Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Economic And Environmental Optimization In The Supply Of Switchgrass In Tennessee, Jia Zhong

Masters Theses

The low efficiency of collection, storage and transportation in the switchgrass supply chain has hindered the commercialization of a switchgrass-based biofuel industry, even given its ecological and environmental advantages in carbon sequestrate, soil quality, water use, and pollution pressure. Thus, designing a switchgrass-based supply chain balancing both environmental and economic performance is important to expedite the development of the cellulosic biofuel industry to meet the national energy plan.

The objectives of this study are to 1) determine economic cost and multiple environmental outcomes in feedstock supply chains and 2) identify the relation between the economic and environmental performances. The first …

Pstat: Promoting Sustainable Transportation Among Teens, Jordan Bryner, Yi Ying Chin, Candice Patton, Rebekah Patton, Christopher Stanfill, Rick Wheeler, Jeffrey Keith Clark Ii, Paul Frymier, Chris Cherry, David Irick, Leon Tolbert

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Can an innovative, team-based, hands-on design and construction project involving high school students change their attitudes and personal preferences for transportation to favor lower impact modes? This was the main question PSTAT (Promoting Sustainable Transportation Among Teens) sought to answer. Since the last decade, global climate change has fuelled increased development of alternative transportation modes that have lesser impact on the environment. However, society is not embracing the change with open arms. Therefore, there is a critical need for a paradigm shift, which could be especially timely for teen-aged students starting to adopt their own personal transportation preferences. By exposing …