Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Simulating The Compound Impacts Of Climate Change And Sea-Level Rise On Coastal Shallow Groundwater Using An Integrated Surface-Subsurface Hydrologic Model, Zhaoyi Cai

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

As climate change intensifies and sea levels rise, coastal aquifers become increasingly vulnerable to interacting oceanic and terrestrial processes. This dissertation examines the combined impacts of climate change and sea-level rise (SLR) on coastal shallow groundwater using an integrated surface-subsurface hydrologic model, focusing on the low-lying Little Creek watershed (LCW) in Norfolk, Virginia. The SWAT-MODFLOW model, a coupled system, unifies land surface, streamflow, and groundwater processes, providing a comprehensive framework for watershed-aquifer analysis. Model parameters were derived from U.S. Geological Survey datasets, relevant literature, station records, and technical reports, followed by meticulous calibration. The validated model first simulated baseline groundwater …

Targeted Weed Management Of Palmer Amaranth Using Robotics And Deep Learning (Yolov7), Amlan Balabantaray, Shaswati Behera, Cheetown Liew, Nipuna Chamara, Mandeep Singh, Amit J. Jhala, Santosh Pitla

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Effective weed management is a significant challenge in agronomic crops which necessitates innovative solutions to reduce negative environmental impacts and minimize crop damage. Traditional methods often rely on indiscriminate herbicide application, which lacks precision and sustainability. To address this critical need, this study demonstrated an AI-enabled robotic system, Weeding robot, designed for targeted weed management. Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson) was selected as it is the most troublesome weed in Nebraska. We developed the full stack (vision, hardware, software, robotic platform, and AI model) for precision spraying using YOLOv7, a state-of-the-art object detection deep learning technique. The …

Irrigation Pumping Plants: Energy Consumption And Pumping Plant Performance [Class Handout], Derek M. Heeren, Saleh Taghvaeian, Abia Katimbo, Xin Qiao

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Irrigation can be a large contributor to energy consumption on an irrigated farm. It is important to understand factors that impact irrigation energy use and to identify opportunities to reduce energy consumption. This class handout introduces a set of equations for calculating energy consumption for an irrigation pumping plant based on flow conditions and pump efficiency. It also presents typical values for motor performance (including both electric motors and internal combustion engines) in both SI and USCS units. Finally, the handout introduces the concept of a field evaluation of an irrigation pumping plant along with the Nebraska Pumping Plant Performance …

Effects Of Biofilm Colonization On The Dynamics Of Microplastics In Turbulent Flow, Liyuan Joanna Hou

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Design Frameworks For Ventilative Cooling: Perceptions From Building Design Practitioners In Ireland And The United Kingdom, Maha Sohail, Adam O'Donovan, Paul D. O'Sullivan

Publications

The global increase in building cooling demands poses a challenge for designers striving for net zero energy consumption. The prevalent use of mechanical cooling underscores the necessity for designers to consider Ventilative Cooling as a viable alternative in the early stages of building design. This paper presents findings from an exploratory survey and semi-structured interviews of industry experts in Ireland and the United Kingdom about their design processes and experienced-based approaches to designing Ventilative Cooling. The findings suggest that the pre-design stage has the same influence for promoting ventilative cooling strategies as the schematic and detailed design stages for practitioners, …

Investigation Of Temperature, Solution Strength, And Applied Stress Effects On Cation Exchange Processes In Different Geosynthetic Clay Liner Products, Kendra Fuller

Master's Theses

An extensive laboratory test program was conducted to analyze and compare the cation exchange processes in three different varieties of sodium bentonite (Na-B) geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) over increased conditioning durations up to 32 days and investigate the effects of temperature, solution strength, and applied stress. The goal of this test program was to establish whether the variables of temperature, solution strength, and applied stress improved or degraded the engineering properties of GCLs in laboratory testing and municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill applications. The GCLs were conditioned in liquids of increasing ionic strength, using deionized water and 2, 50, and …

Understanding Climate Change Adaptation And Gentrification Through The Framework Of Uneven Coastal Development In Keansburg, New Jersey, Zachary Paganini

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examines the rapid acceleration of coastal development in the United States despite projections of climate change-induced sea level rise. Like no other developed country, the U.S. has transformed its fragile coastline into sites for leisure, consumption, and retirement. These spaces now face the prospect of more frequent and severe storms, as well as land loss and inundation, due to climate change. This dilemma has sparked debates around coastal resilience, adaptation, retreat, and climate gentrification.

While many studies seek to measure perceptions of climate change risk and vulnerability, this dissertation reverses the question by positioning risk perceptions as an …

Assessment Of Dune Change Using Historical Aerial And Satellite Photos, Topographic Surveys, And Wave Data At Toro Creek Beach, Owen D. Emerson

Master's Theses

Coastal sand dunes play an important role in the littoral processes of California’s coastline. Functioning as both source and sink for sand, these dunes often protect coastal infrastructure and provide a buffer between anthropogenic development and coastal forces. At Toro Creek Beach, north of Morro Bay California, recent extreme winter storms have raised concerns about the erosion of the sand dunes that front California State Highway 1. This thesis attempts to characterize the historical growth and recession patterns of the Toro Creek dunes since 1977, the dune movement over the 2023-2024 winter seasons, the wave forcings behind recent high erosion …

Electrified Membrane For Water Treatment And Resource Recovery: Advancing Multiscale Strategies In Gas-Involving Reactions, Jianan Gao

Dissertations

Multifunctional, modular, and scalable water treatment technologies that operate without chemical additives are crucial for addressing global water pollution challenges. While traditional membrane-based separation processes are crucial for ensuring clean water supplies, they primarily focus on pollutant removal rather than on the upcycling of pollutants into valuable resources. Electrified membrane filtration presents a robust alternative, utilizing minimal or no chemical additives and harnessing electrical power to directly reduce contaminants or produce reactive oxidants or reductants on-site.

This dissertation is dedicated to the development of innovative electrochemically reactive membranes designed to address three major challenges: (1) the engineering of electrocatalysts with …

Microwave Catalysis-Enabled Membrane Processes For Microbial Inactivation, Fangzhou Liu

Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for advanced technologies to combat virus transmission. Traditional membrane filtration technologies primarily serve as physical barriers, capturing pollutants but failing to inactivate microbial agents such as bacteria and viruses. These membranes typically target larger particles but are ineffective against sub-micrometer viral particles. Thus, there's a critical demand for membrane filtration processes that combine robust filtration with antifouling and reaction -enabled functions for efficient pathogen disinfection. This research explores a novel microwave-assisted membrane filtration process incorporating catalytic reactions to enhance microbial disinfection and prevent membrane fouling, offering a groundbreaking solution to global challenges …

A Step By Step Shoreline Attribute Analysis For Selected Waterbodies In The Gulf Of Mexico To Promote The Use Of Living Shorelines, Christoper Boyd, Xutong Niu, Taylor R. Horn

Journal of Extension

Living Shorelines are being promoted by coastal extension professionals as a more resilient nature-based solution to control shoreline erosion. The Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences Living Shorelines Suitability Model was run in selected waterbodies within the Gulf of Mexico.

The locations of the selected water bodies, coastal data sets used, and shoreline protection recommendations generated by the Model are presented. A step-by-step statistical analysis conducted through ArcGIS Pro from these selected coastal shorelines will illustrate how extension professionals with novice GIS experience can use the model output to promote living shorelines to coastal property owners, city managers, and developers.

Gsp-Ai: An Ai-Powered Platform For Identifying Key Growth Stages And The Vegetative-To-Reproductive Transition In Wheat Using Trilateral Drone Imagery And Meteorological Data, Liyan Shen, Guohui Ding, Robert Jackson, Mujahid Ali, Shuchen Liu, Arthur Mitchell, Yeyin Shi, Xuqi Lu, Jie Dai, Greg Deakin, Katherine Anna Frels, Haiyan Cen, Yufeng Ge, Ji Zhou

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is one of the most important staple crops worldwide. To ensure its global supply, the timing and duration of its growth cycle needs to be closely monitored in the field so that necessary crop management activities can be arranged in a timely manner. Also, breeders and plant researchers need to evaluate growth stages (GSs) for tens of thousands of genotypes at the plot level, at different sites and across multiple seasons. These indicate the importance of providing a reliable and scalable toolkit to address the challenge so that the plot-level assessment of GS can be …

Application Of A Novel Plasma-Based Advanced Oxidation Process For Efficient And Cost-Effective Destruction Of Refractory Organics In Tertiary Effluents And Contaminated Groundwater, Itay Even-Ezra, Anat Mizrahi, Daniel Gerrity, Shane A. Snyder, Andrew Salveson, Ori Lahav

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Corona discharge is emerging as a promising advanced oxidation process (AOP) for the treatment of a variety of organic contaminants, including compounds that are not effectively destroyed by more common AOPs. This paper presents laboratory and field results describing the destruction of regulated and Contaminant Candidate List (CCL) compounds in tertiary treated wastewater effluent and contaminated groundwater during the operation of a novel hydro-non-thermal-plasma (HNTP) AOP system. The system generates a plasma discharge above the target water matrix, which emits an “electron wind”, ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, O_3(g) and hydroxyl radicals (•OH) into a relatively thin water layer. The synergism …

Analysis Of Water Usage And Greenhouse Gas Emissions As Transition Fuel From Coal To Natural Gas In San Juan County, New Mexico, Tahereh Kookhaei

Civil Engineering ETDs

Abstract

Coal is a major contributor to various environmental issues, making the transition to alternative energy sources essential for reducing environmental impacts and combating climate change. San Juan County in New Mexico has historically depended on coal-fired power plants for producing electricity. However, due to environmental and economic pressures, there is a move to reassess energy strategies. This study explores the transition from coal to natural gas (NG) in San Juan County, with a focus on assessing changes in water usage and emissions (CO₂, NO_x, and SO₂) at the Four Corners (coal-fired) and Afton …

Environmental Impacts Potential Of Natural Gas Production Through Life Cycle Assessment, Akmal Al Afghani, Mochamad Adhiraga Pratama, Astryd Viandila Dahlan

Journal of Materials Exploration and Findings

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a methodology used to evaluate potential environmental impacts in various industry sectors, including the oil and gas industry to quantify the environmental impacts and determine the processes that have significant impacts along their production cycle. This environmental impact study adheres to ISO 14040:2016 and 14044:2017 standards, using the ReCiPe methodology within a gate-to-gate scope to analyze potential environmental impacts of 1 MMSCFD natural gas production. The impact categories analyzed in this study are Global Warming Potential (GWP), Particulate Matter Formation (PM), Ozone Formation (OF), and Terrestrial Acidification (TA). The results of this study identified several …

Degradation Products And Microbial Communities Associated With The Conversion Of Five Long-Chain Fatty Acids Relevant For Anaerobic Co-Digestion Of Fog With Sludge, Claire Funk

All Theses

Anaerobic digestion is a technology that allows wastewater treatment plants to convert sludge to energy by recovering the biogas produced during the breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. Furthermore, adding fats, oils, and greases (FOG) through co-digestion with wastewater sludge can increase energy production as lipids have a higher methane yield than proteins and carbohydrates. However, adding FOG can also lead to operational problems in the digester due to the potential accumulation of certain long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs). Current research is limiting in the degradation pathways of prominent LCFAs in FOG and the microbial communities responsible for their degradation

The …

Extraction Of Neutron-Gamma Irradiated Diffusion Pump Oils, Cooper L. Tillman

All Theses

This work successfully demonstrates solvent extraction methods for separation of oil from the by-products when two commercially available vacuum pump oils were exposed to an intense neutron and gamma-ray radiation environment. Nuclear fusion power at a commercial scale has accelerated the need for radiation resistant vacuum technology, such as oil-based diffusion pumps. Polyphenyl ether and aromatic silicone oils were irradiated at the Rhode Island Nuclear Science Center (RINSC) up to MGy absorbed doses with neutron and gamma-ray radiation. Solvent extractions were performed using hexane and isopropanol to characterize the oil extraction as a function of total absorbed dose. The by-products …

Hydrogen Isotope Exchange On Diffusion Pump Oils, Carson G. Allen

All Theses

The extent of isotopic exchange of deuterium and tritium with protium atoms in hydrocarbon pump oil was investigated as a means to quantify the chemical stability of a mineral oil, a silicone oil, and a polyphenyl ether oil as candidates for implementation in a diffusion pump. In its target application at a fusion power plant, a chemically stable and radiation hard oil offers substantial reductions in tritium inventory, electrical consumption, and operational pump expenses over alternate solutions for vacuum induction. Select oils were introduced to deuterium and tritium isotopes in a high temperature environment, analogous to an operating vacuum pump. …

Assessment Of Future Streamflow In The Colorado River Basin With Some Implications For Water Management, Homa Salehabadi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Long-range water supply planning in many river basins, such as the Colorado, requires assessing plausible future streamflow scenarios. Given nature's randomness and climate change, it is important to evaluate water resources system behavior under a wide range of plausible conditions. The research described in this dissertation examined various future streamflow scenarios in the Colorado River Basin to provide essential inputs needed for planning in the uncertain future. First, the research examined historical severe droughts in the basin and created three sets, or ensembles, of plausible future streamflow time series by resampling these past droughts. These ensembles are thus consistent with …

Development Of Satellite-Assisted Forecasting System For Vibrio Vulnificus Prevalence In Coastal Waters, Saber Aradpour

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Vibrio vulnificus is a halophilic gamma proteobacterium that is autochthonous to coastal waters and is responsible for 50% of seafood-related deaths in the United States. This study presents a series of nowcasting and forecasting models for predicting vibrio vulnificus abundance in oysters by identifying the long-range dependence of vibrio vulnificus abundance on antecedent environmental conditions and detecting the environmental conditions using satellite remote sensing technology. It was discovered that vibrio vulnificus abundance exhibits a long-range dependence on antecedent environmental conditions which can be characterized by seven independent environmental predictors (stressors) including sea surface temperature (SST), water level (WL), sea surface …