Environmental Engineering Commons^™

A Blueprint To Greener Shorelines: Advancing The Effectiveness, Sustainability, And Widespread Adoption Of Coastal Nature-Based Solutions Through Transdisciplinary Research, Taylor M. Sloey, Sierra Hildebrandt, Rebecca L. Morris, Matthew V. Bilskie, Aaron Bland, David Bushek, Gabriella Dipetto, Daniel Elefant, Vincent Encomio, Ramin Familkhalili, Christine Hladik, Danielle Kreeger, Avery B. Paxton, Cindy M. Palinkas, Latina Steele, Andrew Scheld, Daisuke Taira, Jason D. Toft, Armando J. Ubeda, Christine Whitcraft, Donna Marie Bilkovic

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Coastal nature-based solutions (NbS) have emerged as powerful tools to enhance sustainable development and ecological restoration goals. As a rapidly growing field spanning across social, political, ecological, economic, and engineering disciplines, it is critical that researchers working in coastal NbS regularly attempt to identify emerging focal areas for scientific inquiry. Following the 27th Biennial meeting of the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation, we provide a transdisciplinary perspective (including biologists, engineers, oceanographers, geoscientists, economists, and facilitators of workforce training programs) of pertinent research questions that, if answered, will advance the effectiveness, sustainability, and widespread adoption of coastal NbS. These suggestions for …

Characterization Of A Large-Scale Electrohydrodynamic Vortex Confinement Flow For Particle Agglomeration, Sanjay Dangi

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

With industrialization and the increasing use of microplastics and nanoparticle-based products, the concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the biosphere has increased due to the disposal of manufacturing waste and expired parts. If inhaled, PM2.5 can have detrimental health effects, as these particles can travel deep into the lungs and even penetrate blood vessels. Conventional fabric filters used for indoor air quality control have drawbacks, including the need for periodic filter replacement and a high-pressure drop across the filter over time, which leads to increased power consumption. In power plants, electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) are primarily used to collect fly …

Food Waste Crisis In The United States Of America: The Known, The Overlooked And The Undisclosed, Sagarika Srivastava, David J. Tonjes

Technology & Society Faculty Publications

With a loss of 1,250 calories per day per person or 140 kg/p/yr, the United States (U.S.) has a large problem with food waste. The later a product is wasted in the supply chain, the greater its environmental cost. Many food waste mitigation efforts focus on the retail and consumer stages, but there is also considerable food waste in the production phase, which includes growing, harvesting, transportation, storage and processing. The study is conducted in two steps: a bibliometric analysis of 218 articles on food waste in the U.S., followed by an investigation of options to meet food waste recovery …

Spatiotemporal Patterns Of Desertification Sensitivity And Influencing Factors Across The Western Inner Mongolia Plateau, China, Yang Chen, Long Ma, Xixi Wang, Tingxi Liu, Zixu Qiao

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Desertification remains a critical global ecological and environmental challenge that threatens sustainable development. Although our understanding of desertification dynamics and their underlying drivers has improved, continued research is needed due to the region-specific nature of these processes. This study focuses on the Western Inner Mongolia Plateau in China as a case study to examine the evolution of desertification and its driving factors using a multifaceted approach, including the Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use (MEDALUS) model. Results show that the desertification sensitivity index (DSI) across the plateau ranged from 1.12 in prairie regions to 1.87 in desert areas, with a spatial …

Biochar For Soil Amendment: Applications, Benefits, And Environmental Impacts, Ujjwal Pokharel, Gururaj Neelgund, Ram L. Ray, Venkatesh Balan, Sandeep Kumar

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The excessive use of chemical fertilizers results in environmental issues, including loss of soil fertility, eutrophication, increased soil acidity, alterations in soil characteristics, and disrupted plant–microbe symbiosis. Here, we synthesize recent studies available from up to 2025, focusing on engineered biochar and its application in addressing issues of soil nutrient imbalance, soil pollution from inorganic and organic pollutants, soil acidification, salinity, and greenhouse gas emissions from fields. Application of engineered biochar enhanced the removal of Cr (VI), Cd²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, Hg²⁺, and Eu³⁺ by 85%, 73%, 57.2%, 12.7%, 99.3%, and 99.2%, …

A Global Application Programming Interface-Enabled Earthquake Ground Motion Relational Database For Engineering Applications, Tristan E. Buckreis, Chukwuebuka C. Nweke, Pengfei Wang, Scott J. Brandenberg, Maria E. Ramos-Sepúlveda, Rashid Shams, Shako Mohammed, Renmin Pretell, Silvia Mazzoni, Paolo Zimmaro, Jonathan P. Steward

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

We present a application programming interface (API)-enabled relational database of global earthquake ground motion intensity measures, associated metadata, and processed time-series data. Raw ground motion records were processed by the authors using either manual or semi-automated processing procedures, and every processed record has passed a quality review by a trained analyst. Computed intensity measures include peak acceleration and velocity, pseudo-spectral acceleration response spectra, cumulative absolute velocity, Arias Intensity, and Fourier amplitude spectra. The processed time-series data, associated metadata, and ground motion intensity measures were organized into a web-served relational database consisting of 32 tables connected by primary/foreign key pairs. Ground …

Sustainable Management Of Erosive Shores: An Interdisciplinary Approach Integrating Engineering And Social Sciences At A Tide-Dominant Beach Area, Jun Ik Sohn, Hyun Dong Kim, Kiran Adhithya Ramakrishnan

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This study investigates the causes and consequences of shoreline erosion at Kkotji Beach, a prominent tourist destination on the west coast of South Korea, where the degradation of the coastal environment has increasingly threatened the local tourism industry and economy, by employing a mixed-methods approach that combines field observations with MIKE 21 hydrodynamic simulations and by integrating perspectives from coastal engineering and the social sciences to develop practical, site-specific strategies for mitigating erosion, enhancing public awareness, and promoting sustainable coastal planning and development that support long-term environmental resilience and economic stability. The results show that dominant ebb currents drive southward …

Quantifying Inositol Phosphate Dephosphorylation To Understand The Role Of Recalcitrant Organic Phosphorus Forms On Harmful Algal Blooms In Freshwater Systems, Iffat Tasnim

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Organophosphorus such as phytic acid, a surrogate species of inositol phosphate (IP), may serve as a source for orthophosphate (OP) in freshwater. In absence of OP, competent aquatic microorganisms upregulate the production of specialized enzymes to obtain growth-sustaining OP from organic phosphorus (org-P) forms. The contribution of recalcitrant org-P to the OP pool has been overlooked due to the lack of capable tools to measure OP production from org-P accurately. The objective of this study was to quantify OP production from phytic acid (a surrogate form of recalcitrant org-P) to assess the contribution of recalcitrant org-P forms to the total …

Digital Modeling Of Temperature-Dependent Processes In Industrial Wastewater: Advancing Ultimate Oxygen Demand Prediction For Treatment Optimization, Fatima Iqbal

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The pulp and paper industry is the third-largest consumer of freshwater globally and faces mounting pressure to optimize water usage and minimize environmental impact. Aerated stabilization basins are extensively utilized in the pulp and paper industry and play a crucial role in treating wastewater from these operations. The existing management practices fail to effectively optimize treatment processes due to the prolonged time required for testing key quality parameters. The utilization of models developed for treatment facilities presents a viable solution; however, existing open-source models often fall short in accurately predicting treatment efficiency across varying conditions and lack comprehensive accounting of …

Dynamic Modulus Of Sbs-Modified Asphalt Mixtures Added With Ground Tire Rubber Content, Azharul Islam

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The study investigates the improvement of the dynamic shear modulus in the base and styrene butadiene styrene (SBS) modified asphalt mixture by accumulating varying amounts of ground tire rubber through an Asphalt mixture performance tester (AMPT). This thesis specifically explores how different percentages of ground tire rubber (GTR) influence the mechanical properties and durability of the asphalt mixture articulated with two grades, PG 64-22 and PG 76-22. The experimental framework consisted of preparing asphalt mixtures blended with 10% to 15% of the binder for PG 64-22 and 3% to 8% of GTR for PG 76-22. The laboratory testing involved using …

Mobile Air Quality Assessment Using Public Transportation: A Community-Focused Study In The Capital Region, Allen Pronith Reddy Yeddula

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

The monitoring of air quality plays a crucial role in establishment of concentrations of air pollutants over space and time in relation to human health, urban planning, and environmental conservation. This research offers a new strategy of monitoring the air quality in the Capital Region of New York State utilizing public transit buses as air quality moving sampling platforms. To assess the level of pollutants, a Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) bus network was used across the urban, suburban, and rural areas thus filling a research gap where public transit has most of the time been disregarded as a mobile …

Hydrogen-Enriched Lng As A Mid-Term Solution To Mitigate Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Shipping, Kang-Ki Lee

World Maritime University Ph.D. Dissertations

In light of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) ambitious Initial GHG Strategy, the rise in international shipping’s carbon dioxide emissions by 2 percent in 2022 compared to 2019 poses a formidable challenge. This increase underscores the pressing need to address the limited availability of green hydrogen, prompting the exploration of mid-term solutions to bridge this critical gap. The IMO’s 2023 Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships attempted to tackle this challenge head-on, recognizing the urgency of reducing the industry’s substantial carbon footprint. While hydrogen offers a simple solution as a zero-carbon fuel, LNG remains the most widespread alternative …

Groundwater Pumping Impacts On Stream Depletion In Humboldt County, Ca: Integrating Analytical Models And Field Data, Andy Hans Heise

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study addresses the significant concern of stream depletion from groundwater pumping in Humboldt County, CA. The objective of this study is to develop an analytical model for estimating stream depletion and integrating field data into model parameters.

The methodology involved conducting a field study near three operating wells by a stream, installing stream gages upstream and downstream of the wells, and recording pumping rates and schedules for two of the wells. The third well’s pumping data was synthetically generated, for privacy concerns of the well owner. The StreamDepletR package was used for estimating depletion rates in a stream in …

An Analysis Of Uv Disinfection Of Municipal Wastewater Following Natural Treatment Systems, Jonathan Andrew Kirchubel

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

On January 30, 2024, the City of Arcata replaced chlorine with ultraviolet (UV) irradiation as its disinfection method for treating its wastewater prior to discharging to Humboldt Bay. The Arcata wastewater treatment facility (AWTF) utilizes natural treatment systems for treating its secondary effluent, which can provide issues for UV disinfection through variance in turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), pH, humic acids, and color. This project aimed to identify whether the water quality characteristics of natural treatment systems in the AWTF would impact UV disinfection of municipal wastewater.

Thirty-one sampling periods occurred between June 8, 2024, and March 1, 2025, recording …

Uncertainty-Aware Deep Learning Framework For Forecasting Coastal Water Level In Virginia Beach, Md Mahmudul Hasan, Malachi Schram, Sridhar Katragadda, Diana Mcspadden, Alisa N. Udomvisawakul, Heather Richter, Frank Liu

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Coastal areas like Virginia Beach, USA, are increasingly vulnerable to flooding. To mitigate the impact of flooding, it is crucial for the City of Virginia Beach to have reliable 72-hour-ahead (3 days) forecasts of water levels at key gauge locations. To support this effort, several sensors have been installed throughout the city to monitor water levels and other environmental parameters such as wind speed, precipitation, and atmospheric pressure. Leveraging sensor data from one of these locations, we developed an uncertainty-aware deep learning model to forecast water levels. We employed deep quantile regression (DQR) to quantify variability in the predictions and …

Recovery Of Iron And Aluminum From Acid Mine Drainage For Beneficial Uses, Katelyn Renee Pepe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a widespread issue across the globe, in which some of the most critical cases are created by the mining industry. Researchers have investigated ways to derive benefits from AMD, such as precipitating rare earth elements (REEs) to generate potential revenue from AMD treatment and supplement market demand. However, the bulk of precipitated sludge is composed of iron and aluminum, which also have market value but are discarded in current practice.

Using the Omega site in West Virginia (WV) as a representative AMD source, the objectives of this study are (1) to determine a replicable precipitation …

Prioritizing Amd Impaired Watersheds For Watershed-Scale Restoration Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, James Nicholas Marino

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) remains a significant environmental challenge in coal-mining and hard rock regions like West Virginia, degrading water quality and ecosystem health. Traditional site-specific remediation efforts often prove inefficient in addressing AMD at large scale. This study explores watershed-scale restoration as a more effective solution, leveraging centralized treatment facilities and multi-source pollution management. This study will follow Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), specifically the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), to develop a structured rubric for grading watersheds. The process involves identifying critical criteria, organizing them into a hierarchy, and generating weights for clusters of criteria through collaboration with decision makers. …

Hydraulic Connectivity And Hydrochemistry Influence Microbial Community Structure In Agriculturally Affected Alluvial Aquifers In The Midwestern United States, Hunter W. Schroer, Kendra Markland, Fangqiong Ling, Craig L. Just

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Alluvial aquifers can provide ecosystem services and drinking water but much remains unknown about human effects on aquifer microbiomes. Therefore, we used amplicon sequencing and hydro chemical characterization to pair microbial communities with environmental conditions across 37 alluvial aquifer wells. The study region spanned eastern Iowa and southern Minnesota (USA) and contained a combination of drinking water and monitoring wells. In terms of microbial ecology, dominant phyla across the wells included Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Patescibacteria, Planctomycetota, and Nitrospirota. Tritium, an indicator of infiltration and surface water influence, was the highest correlated variable with the Shannon index (α-diversity) by the Spearman rank …

Every Publication Needs An Author Verified Tl;Dr Statement, Sarah Oerther, Daniel B. Oerther

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Salinity Effects On Cu(Ii) Bioremediation By Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Microalgae, Jennifer Hughes

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Microalgae offer a sustainable approach to wastewater treatment by removing pollutants such as excess nutrients, CO₂, and heavy metals. Among various species, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii shows strong potential in removing Cu(II) ions from wastewater. In addition, salinity stress in C. reinhardtii has been linked to morphological and metabolic changes that enhance lipid and phytochemical production. While salinity stress has been studied for enhancing biofuel production, its impact on microalgal removal of heavy metals, particularly Cu(II), remains largely unexplored. Understanding how varying salinity conditions affect both algal growth and the efficiency of Cu(II) remediation could provide critical insights for improving integrated wastewater …