Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Ammonia Oxygen Demand Determination For The Design Of An Oxygenation System In A Water Supply Reservoir, Armond Jenkins

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The Occoquan Reservoir is a eutrophic reservoir that is part of an indirect potable reuse system. To protect the reservoir water quality, a high quality nitrified product water from a water reclamation facility and an oxygenation system are used during periods of thermal stratification to prevent the onset of anaerobic conditions above the sediments. During the stratified warmest months of the year, oxygen depletion rates exceed nitrate and artificial oxygen supply rates near the dam resulting in ammonia accumulation in the water column. Field observations and laboratory experiments revealed that sediment ammonia release rates ranged from 170-542 mg/m²∙day. …

An Investigation Into Bacterial Contamination In An Urban Nebraska Stream Using Microbial Source Tracking, Allison R. Speicher

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

High levels of fecal bacteria in surface waters are a public health concern due to the enteric illnesses caused by primary contact with these waters. Shortcomings in the current fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) monitoring approach and the ubiquity of pathogen-impaired water bodies has led to the development of microbial source tracking (MST), a molecular tool that can identify potential fecal contamination sources. In this study we use a bacterial community based approach examining the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene to elucidate sources of fecal bacteria in Antelope Creek, an urban creek in Lincoln Nebraska.

We hypothesized that sediment …

Numerical Modeling And Analysis Of Tidal Variance And Marsh Productivity In The Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, Florida, Amanda S. Tritinger

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Long term sustainability in salt marsh and mangroves is dependent on dominant species, such as Spartina alterniflora, to capture organic and inorganic sediment. The research analyzes that sustainability. This work demonstrates the prediction of hydrodynamics and biomass density of salt marsh to provide useful information for the planning and mitigation of sea-level rise impacts on marsh sustainability in the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTMNERR), Florida. An advanced circulation code was applied to simulate hydrodynamics (i.e., shallow water equations) in the GTMNERR. The model used a set of parameters and conditions based on the GTMNERR domain to predict …

Polychlorinated Biphenyl Source Identification In Fish Tissue Using A Multivariate Statistical Evaluation Of Congeners And Stable Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry, William Edward Corl Iii

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were commercially produced mixtures primarily utilized as dielectric fluids in the electrical industry. However, due to their stability, they were widely used in many other applications. Although production of PCBs ceased in the 1970's, they continue to be a contaminant in the environment due to their widespread use, their recalcitrant behavior, and their proposed toxicological effects.

In 2008, a routine environmental investigation of an abandoned, concrete-lined pool at a Department of Defense (DoD) training facility in Williamsburg, Virginia led to the discovery of a PCB release from the facility into an adjacent reservoir. A forensic study was …

Autotrophic Ammonia Oxidation Activity Of Ammonia Oxidizing Archaea And Bacteria In Recirculating Aquaculture System, Iftita Rahmatika

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Ammonia oxidation is the important biological step in nitrogen removal in aquaculture system of shrimp production. This process is driven by the ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and the newly discovered ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA). In this study, the abundances, communities and autotrophic ammonia oxidation activity of AOA and AOB in the recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) were investigated. Bioballs were sampled from the low and high salinity RAS (0 and 20 PPT, respectively). The abundance of AOA and AOB amoA genes were monitored for 5 months with qPCR. The abundance of AOA amoA genes was 2-700 times higher than AOB in …

การประเมินคาร์บอนฟุตพริ้นท์องค์กรและวิเคราะห์แนวทางการลดก๊าซเรือนกระจกที่เหมาะสม กรณีศึกษาโรงงานปิโตรเคมีขั้นกลางในประเทศไทย, จิราภรณ์ ธรรมเนียมอินทร์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อประเมินคาร์บอนฟุตพริ้นท์องค์กรและประเมินแนวทางการลดก๊าซเรือนกระจก พร้อมทั้งเสนอแนวทางการลดก๊าซเรือนกระจกที่เหมาะสมกับโรงงานในกลุ่มอุตสาหกรรมปิโตรเคมีขั้นกลางในประเทศไทย งานวิจัยได้ศึกษาโรงงานตัวแทนทั้งหมด 6 โรงงาน ครอบคลุมผลิตภัณฑ์ 9 ผลิตภัณฑ์ (เอทิลีนออกไซด์ เอทิลีนไกลคอล ไวนิลคลอไรด์มอนอเมอร์ คิวมีน ฟีนอล แอซีโทน บิสฟีนอล เอ อีพิคลอโรไฮดริน และกรดเทเรฟทาลิกบริสุทธิ์) รวบรวมข้อมูลย้อนหลัง 3 ปี ตั้งแต่ พ.ศ.2555-2557 และแบ่งแหล่งกำเนิดก๊าซเรือนกระจกออกเป็น 2 ประเภท คือ การปล่อยก๊าซเรือนกระจกทางตรงและทางอ้อม ผลการวิจัยพบว่าขนาดคาร์บอนฟุตพริ้นท์องค์กรของโรงงานตัวแทน มีค่าอยู่ในช่วง 70,253-570,307 t CO2eq ต่อปี ส่วนใหญ่มาจากการปล่อยก๊าซเรือนกระจกทางอ้อม โดยมีการปล่อยก๊าซเรือนกระจกสูดสุดมาจากการใช้ไฟฟ้าคิดเป็นร้อยละ 40 ของการปล่อยเรือนกระจกทั้งหมด รองมาด้วยการใช้ไอน้ำและการปล่อยคาร์บอนไดออกไซด์จากปฏิกิริยาในกระบวนการผลิต ค่าความเข้มคาร์บอนมีค่าอยู่ระหว่าง 0.269-1.101 t CO2eq/t product มีค่าความเข้มคาร์บอนเฉลี่ยเท่ากับ 0.425 t CO2eq/t product จากการวิเคราะห์มาตรการอนุรักษ์พลังงาน พบว่า มีศักยภาพในการลดปริมาณก๊าซเรือนกระจกได้ 166,820 t CO2eq คิดเป็นร้อยละ 3.89 ของการปล่อยก๊าซเรือนกระจกทั้งหมดของกลุ่มโรงงานตัวแทน โดยมาตรการประหยัดไอน้ำเป็นมาตรการที่สามารถลดการปล่อยก๊าซเรือนกระจกได้สูงสุด คิดเป็นร้อยละ 82.89 ของมาตรการที่ดำเนินการทั้งหมด สำหรับแนวทางการลดก๊าซเรือนกระจกมีความเหมาะสมและสามารถนำไปปรับใช้กับกลุ่มอุตสาหกรรมปิโตรเคมีขั้นกลาง แนะนำทั้งหมด 5 แนวทาง ประกอบด้วย (1) การเปลี่ยนแหล่งพลังงานทางอ้อม (2) การเพิ่มประสิทธิภาพการใช้พลังงานจากมาตรการอนุรักษ์พลังงาน (3) การจัดการก๊าซคาร์บอนไดออกไซด์จากปฏิกิริยาในกระบวนการผลิต (4) การปรับปรุงและพัฒนาเทคโนโลยีในกระบวนการผลิต และ (5) การปรับเปลี่ยนการใช้สารทำความเย็น

Novel Engineered Nanomaterials For Water Remediation And Gas Adsorption: Graphene Oxide And Carbon Nanotubes Decorated With Metal-Organic Frameworks And Magnetic Nanoparticles, Vahid Jabbari

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the current study, a series of novel magnetic and non-magnetic hybrid nanocomposites based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) of M3(BTC)2 (M: Ni, Cu, Zn, and Cd), graphene oxide (GrO), and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were developed via a green, simple and versatile solvothermal method at which GrO and CNT were used as platform to grow the MOFs and Fe3O4 MNPs over them. The as-synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, IR, Raman, TGA, and N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms. Morphological analysis confirmed successful growth of nano-size Fe3O4 MNPs and M3(BTC)2 MOFs over GrO and CNT platforms. …

Design Optimization And Optical Characterization Of A High Temperature Solar Receiver, Samia Afrin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Concentrated solar power (CSP) is a fast forwarding technology in power generation sector because of its' competitive price, abundance in nature and the most important fact is its' energy storage capability. Among the four types of available CSP technology, central receiver has more potential concerning with high temperature, power block efficiency and levelized cost of energy (LCOE). Other than conventional type of receiver design, the concept of this work is very particular in a sense of its design novelty.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) come up with a new concept of high temperature solar receiver called near black body (NBB) …

Salt And Mineral Recovery From High Salinity Waters, Osvaldo Alejandro Broesicke

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Natural salt springs in the Salt Fork Basin in Crosby County, Texas, result in the natural salt pollution of the Brazos River, rendering it unusable for most potable purposes. Previous research indicates that by intercepting the source of the pollution, water quality of the Brazos River can be greatly improved. This paper investigates and assesses two strategies for salt and mineral recovery using natural brine collected from the Salt Fork Basin, the first of which is presented in a separate work.

The research described in this paper evaluates the potential of a desulfation, soda-caustic softening, acidification/decarbonation, and evaporation process to …

High Temperature Helical Tubular Receiver For Concentrating Solar Power System, Nazmul Hossain

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the field of conventional cleaner power generation technology, concentrating solar power systems have introduced remarkable opportunity. In a solar power tower, solar energy concentrated by the heliostats at a single point produces very high temperature. Falling solid particles or heat transfer fluid passing through that high temperature region absorbs heat to generate electricity. Increasing the residence time will result in more heat gain and increase efficiency. A novel design of solar receiver for both fluid and solid particle is approached in this paper which can increase residence time resulting in higher temperature gain in one cycle compared to conventional …

Wind Farm Optimization Using Evolutionary Algorithms, Carlos Marco Ituarte-Villarreal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, the wind power industry has focused its efforts on solving the Wind Farm Layout Optimization (WFLO) problem. Wind resource assessment is a pivotal step in optimizing the wind-farm design and siting and, in determining whether a project is economically feasible or not. In the present work, three (3) different optimization methods are proposed for the solution of the WFLO: (i) A modified Viral System Algorithm applied to the optimization of the proper location of the components in a wind-farm to maximize the energy output given a stated wind environment of the site. The optimization problem is formulated …

Life Cycle Assessment (Lca) Of Tourism Activities, Kayla Santello

Honors Theses and Capstones

Abstract— Tourism, like other developed industries is a commerce that requires energy inputs and yields outputs with significant effects on the environment. However a comprehensive study examining the life cycle impact associated with each tourism component including transportation, accommodation, food services, and recreation is still lacking. Therefore a search of previous tourism life cycle studies was carried out and ten studies were further investigated. Indicators, assessment approaches, and system boundaries of these previous studies were assessed. Then the outcomes were normalized and compared in order to obtain ranges for the four components of tourism. It was found that energy intensity …

Electrochemical Disinfection Of Municipal Wastewater Using Alternating Current, Xavier A. Chavez Reyes

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This research focused on chlorine-free disinfection of wastewater by complying with today's regulations. The equipment used was a continuous flow electrochemical reactor connected to an alternating current (AC) power supply. The electrodes used were made out of titanium coated with iridium oxide. To determine the inactivation of Escherichia Coli, a bacterial count method based on the USEPA method 1603 was used.

After several experiments it was determined that electrochemical disinfection using AC was not efficient and economic enough to be classified as a viable alternative to chlorine disinfection. It was demonstrated that chlorine can be produced by electrolysis using AC …

2014 Fall Engr333 Project Final Report, John Sherwood, Jonathan Crow, Nicolaas Ourensma, Zak Devries, Andy Frandsen, Jack Kregel, Ryan Rhodes, Connor Vandongen, Schieffer Kwong, Jee Myung Kim, Matthew Deyoung, Jeff Demaagd, Tyler Devries, Doug Faber, Garrick Hershberger, Jake Derooy, Dustin Brouwer, David Evenhouse, Patrick Anderson, Thomas Brown, Ed Smit, Joel Smith, Thane Symens, Kaitlyn Weinstein, Seth Koetje, Nick Memmelaar, Austin Juza, Matt Ramaker, Ryan Demeester, Jordan Newhof, Wes Richards, Josh Vanderbyl

ENGR 333

The net-zero homes project that this class worked on throughout the semester was designed to determine what it would take to bring a home in Grand Rapids, Michigan to the status of net-zero and whether or not it is feasible to do so. The idea behind a net-zero home is to reduce the energy usage in the home, whether it is by lifestyle changes, insulation additions, or by appliance upgrades, and then produce the remaining energy deficit from renewable sources, so that the homeowner has a net usage of zero at the end of the year. This report details the …

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Fall 2014, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge. The senior design competition helps focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects on …

2014 Fall Engr333 Student Seminar Presentation, John Sherwood, Jonathan Crow, Nicolaas Ourensma, Zak Devries, Andy Frandsen, Jack Kregel, Ryan Rhodes, Connor Vandongen, Schieffer Kwong, Jee Myung Kim, Matthew Deyoung, Jeff Demaagd, Tyler Devries, Doug Faber, Garrick Hershberger, Jake Derooy, Dustin Brouwer, David Evenhouse, Patrick Anderson, Thomas Brown, Ed Smit, Joel Smith, Thane Symens, Kaitlyn Weinstein, Seth Koetje, Nick Memmelaar, Austin Juza, Matt Ramaker, Ryan Demeester, Jordan Newhof, Wes Richards, Josh Vanderbyl

ENGR 333

File for student presentation, given by students in the Fall 2014 class of ENGR333.

Microbial Community Shifts Caused By Changes In The Primary Oxidant At A Drinking Water Treatment Plant, Connie Marie Moloney

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microbial communities resistant to common oxidants can cause concerns for water treatment plants (WTPs). If a bacterium is not fully oxidized during disinfection, these species can impede upon filtration processes or seed biofilms in the distribution system. In an effort to minimize disinfection by-products (DBP's) that result from the reaction of chlorine (Cl2) with natural organic matter, water treatment plants have the option to change their primary oxidant to chlorine dioxide (ClO2). The following study examines the change in microbial communities during the sedimentation process under differing oxidation regimes, specifically chlorine (Cl2) and ClO2 at the local water treatment plant …

Photobioreactor Design For Improved Energy Efficiency Of Microalgae Production, Alexander Burns

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Photobioreactor Design for Improved Energy Efficiency of Microalgae Production

Alexander Burns

The objective of this research was to investigate a new photobioreactor (PBR) design for microalgae production that retains the typical advantages of existing tubular PBRs while reducing power consumption by providing simultaneous culture circulation and gas exchange with airlift alone and no centrifugal recirculating pump. Traditional tubular PBR designs feature a compressed air supply and a centrifugal pump for culture circulation and gas exchange. Circulation and gas exchange in a closed-system PBR is necessary to keep the algae suspended and to provide sufficient mass transfer (mainly for the …

Growth Media And Lipid Determination Comparison Of High Rate Algae Ponds, Eric Alexander Nicolai

Master's Theses

Growth Media and Lipid Determination Comparison

of High Rate Algae Ponds

Eric Alexander Nicolai

The feasibility of algal biofuel production relies on the use of a non-potable water source. Municipal wastewater is nutrient-rich and a cost effective option as a growth media in algae ponds. However, this resource may be too valuable for algal biomass production, as reclaimed wastewater is needed for surface irrigation and groundwater recharge. This thesis compares the performance of 4.2 m² high rate algal raceway ponds (HRAPs) to 33 m² HRAPs grown on primary settled wastewater during a media recycling study and a growth …

Optimizing Light Collection From Extractive Scintillating Resin In Flow-Cell Detectors, Amy Meldrum

All Theses

The objectives of this study were to investigate the changes in light collection efficiency for flow cell detector as various parameters are altered to find the optimum flow cell configuration. Columns with inner diameters of 0.16 cm, 0.48 cm, 0.79 cm, and 1.11 cm were packed with synthesized nonporous, un-functionalized beads to measure their detection efficiencies for solutions containing 210Po, 14C, or 90Sr/90Y. The average diameter of the beads used in the experiments was 147 µm ± 33 µm. The highest detection efficiency for 210Po was 15.3 ± 3.9% with the 1.11 cm diameter column. The 1.11 cm diameter column …