Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Slides: Nokero: Power To The Powerless, Stephen Katsaros

2012 Energy Justice Conference and Technology Exposition (September 17-18)

Presenter: Stephen Katsaros, Inventor, Founder, and CEO, Nokero

13 slides

Slides: Session 3: Decision-Making And The Energy Poor, Andrew Yager

2012 Energy Justice Conference and Technology Exposition (September 17-18)

Presenter: Andrew Yager, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Sustainable Development

33 slides

Slides: Unido: Partner For Prosperity, Kandeh K. Yumkella

2012 Energy Justice Conference and Technology Exposition (September 17-18)

Presenter: Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, Chairman, UN Energy; Director General, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

16 slides

2012 Fall Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2012 ENGR333 project focused on a prospective West Wing addition to the Spoelhof College Center at Calvin University.

I asked the students “What will it take for Calvin College to install a geothermal HVAC system for the West Wing?”

Customer

The customer for this project was Calvin’s VP for finance Henry DeVries.

Floating Wetland Systems For Nutrient Removal In Stormwater Ponds, Ni-Bin Chang, Martin Wanielista, Manoj Chopra

BMP Trains Research and Publications

Wet detention ponds are frequently used in stormwater management systems as part of a treatment train for attenuation of flow and removal of pollutants. Wet detention ponds designed and operated according to commonly used standards and specifications remove nutrients but the removal of nitrogen has remained low, about 30-40% concentration reduction on a yearly basis. A Floating Treatment Wetland (FTW) composed of selected plants suspended in a wet detention pond was proposed in this research to improve the removal of nutrients before discharge from a pond.

Challenges Of Permitting Ballast Water Discharges From Commercial Vessels In U.S. Waters, Paul Rodriguez

Theses

On February 5, 2009, the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) issued the Vessel General Permit (VGP), under the Clean Water Act (CWA), for discharges incidental to the normal operation of vessels, including ballast water discharges. This set forth permit requirements for most commercial vessel discharges within 3 nautical miles of U.S. shore. Since it will expire in December 2013, the US EPA recently issued a draft 2013 VGP. One of the significant changes is the proposal of numerical ballast water discharge standards requiring most commercial vessels to install ballast water treatment systems onboard.

The objective of this thesis is …

Using Nwp Analysis In Satellite Rainfall Estimation Of Heavy Precipitation Events Over Complex Terrain, Xinxuan Zhang

Master's Theses

This study investigates the use of Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) high-resolution storm analysis in satellite rainfall estimation over complex terrains. Rainfall estimation here is based on the NOAA-Climate Prediction Center morphing (CMORPH) product. Specifically, CMORPH rainfall is adjusted by applying a power-law function whose parameter values are obtained from the comparison between WRF and CMORPH hourly rain rates. Results are presented based on the analyses of five storm cases that induced catastrophic floods in southern Europe. The WRF-based adjusted CMORPH rain rates exhibited improved error statistics against independent radar-rainfall estimates. We show that the adjustment reduces the underestimation of …

Impact Of Salt On Denitrification Potential In Roadside Environments, Nakita A. Lancaster

Master's Theses

Urban systems are impacted by changes in hydrology and water chemistry, altering their ability to mitigate detrimental impacts to coastal water bodies, particularly those that result from high volumes of stormwater runoff. The elevated level of impervious cover increases not only runoff but also contaminant loading of nutrients, metals, and road salt used for deicing in cold weather climates. Current stormwater management strategies, while focused on managing the changes in hydrology associated with urbanization, also are designed to mitigate the pollutant loading. Here we investigate the impact that road salt will have on nitrogen removal in roadside environments. Sediments were …

Municipal Wastewater Disinfection With Electromagnetic Waves Using Escherichia Coli Concentration As Measurement Of Quantification, Lauren M. Cagle

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Wastewater treatment is essential to protecting the environment and human welfare. Although chlorination is widely used, the environmental and health concerns associated with chlorine are growing. Treatment facilities are implementing alternative technologies, though the cost and efficiency associated with these practices leave much room in the wastewater field for innovation.

Hydropath Technologies Limited introduced a piece of equipment that uses the properties of a transformer to pass an alternating electric current through the pipe and into the contents of the channel. Hydroflow claims that the charged microorganisms react with the oppositely charged water molecule to force osmosis and kill the …

Effects Of Testing Time On Anaerobic Toxicity Assessment, Omolola Atinuke Akintomide

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anaerobic digestion has been widely used for wastewater treatment for decades. Several Anaerobic Toxicity tests have been developed to screen wastewater for toxicity and assess the treatability of such toxicants. However, past research and reviews on Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) test and Anaerobic Toxicity Assay (ATA) were considered in this study.

The experimental tests included ammonium-nitrogen and sodium chloride toxicity tests with varied concentration and solid retention time. These tests were designed to demonstrate the impact of ammonia- nitrogen and sodium chloride on the biological degradation process. The anaerobic test set-up includes bench-scale test reactors and respirometers used for measuring …

The Development Of A High Performance Concrete To Store Thermal Energy For Concentrating Solar Power Plants, Emerson Esmond John

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, due to rising energy costs as well as an increased awareness of the environmental effects of greenhouse gas emissions produced through traditional forms of energy production, there is great interest in developing alternative sources of energy. One of the most viable alternative energy sources is solar energy. In particular, concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies have been identified as an option for meeting utility needs in the U.S. Southwest. These systems are required to produce electricity not only during periods of high solar radiation but also during times of reduced radiation due to cloud cover, and even extend …

New Insights Into Disinfection Byproduct Formation And Control: Assessing Dissolved Organic Matter Diffusivity And Chemical Functionality, Ashley Pifer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Methods were developed for application of asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) and fluorescence parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis to raw and treated samples from drinking water sources to improve characterizations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and discover DOM properties correlated to disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation potential (FP). Raw water samples were collected from a reservoir, adjusted to pH 6, 7, and 8 and subjected to (1) jar tests using aluminum sulfate (alum) and (2) treatment with magnetic ion exchange (MIEX^®) resin. Both treatments were followed by DBPFP tests at pH 7. AF4 was used to size DOM in raw …

Assessing Anaerobic Bio-Oxidation Of Vinyl Chloride And Ethene, Ademola Bakenne

All Theses

Perchloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) are two of the most commonly used chlorinated solvents around the world. These compounds and their dechlorination daughter products have become the most prevalent organic contaminants found in a majority of hazardous waste sites in the United States. Since implementation of traditional remediation methods would cost hundreds of billions of dollars, there has been tremendous interest in bioremediation as a low cost alternative to achieving remedial goals. Anaerobic reductive dechlorination is the most prevalent form of bioremediation in most locations. The ultimate daughter products from reductive dechlorination of PCE and TCE are ethene and ethane, …

Developing A Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculation Tool For Water Utilities, Anthony Hampton Johnston

All Theses

The issue of climate change has led to an increased emphasis on sustainable practices in almost every facet of our lives. For water utilities, this has increased scrutiny on energy use. Although traditionally viewed solely in financial terms, energy use is also the primary source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from water utilities. The emerging concern over GHG emissions coincides with potential federal legislation and regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In order for water utilities to determine their GHG emissions, guides and tools must be made readily available. Information to educate water utilities about their GHG emissions is …

L&D Manual Turn Lane Storage Validation/Update, Deogratias Eustace, Sowjanya Ponnada

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

Queuing occurs at intersections mostly due to overflow or inadequacy of turn bays. The ODOT L&D Manual Volume 1 has storage requirements for both signalized and unsignalized intersections. Figures 401-9E and 401-10E of the L&D Manual provide the required turn lane storage lengths which should be compared with the real world conditions to check for adequacy of these lengths as a measure of ensuring that accesses to the left turn lanes are not blocked. In addition to the projected turn lane volume, ODOT’s methodology incorporates both deceleration (based on the speed of the roadway) and potential blockage from the adjacent …

Improved Microalgal Biomass Harvesting Using Optimized Environmental Conditions And Bacterial Bioflocculants, Derek C. Manheim

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

IMPROVED MICROALGAL BIOMASS HARVESTING USING OPTIMIZED ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND BACTERIAL BIOFLOCCULANTS

DEREK CONTE MANHEIM

The cost and energy balance of microalgae biofuel production is sensitive to the algae harvesting method, among many other factors. Bioflocculation and settling of suspended microalgae cultures is a harvesting method with potentially low cost and energy input. However, bioflocculation (the spontaneous flocculation of algal cells without chemical addition) has not been a reliable process with cultures grown in ponds. To provide insights to help improve algae settling, factors affecting the settling of algae were investigated in the laboratory using pure cultures of two common …

Effects Of Moisture Augmentation Of Municipal Solid Waste Through Addition Of Food Waste Or Wastewater Treatment Biosolids On Bio-Gas Formation For Power Generation, Jared Michael Gore

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An investigation into the effect of moisture augmentation by manipulation of food waste proportion or wastewater treatment plant biosolids proportion was undertaken to determine the effects on production of methane and other biogases from municipal solid waste (MSW). Laboratory microcosm experiments were performed to determine the effect of various proportions of influent waste streams on the production of biogas. Results indicated that moisture augmentation through the addition of food waste to MSW increases the overall bio-gas and hydrogen gas formed during fermentation. Moisture augmentation through addition of wastewater treatment bio-solids lead to inconclusive results. Addition of food waste to MSW …

Evaluation Of Dichloromethane As An Electron Donor For Reductive Dechlorination Of Tetrachloroethene To Ethene, Yogendra Kanitkar

All Theses

Tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) are the predominant contaminants at hazardous waste sites in the United States. Although less prevalent, dichloromethane (DCM) is also found at a number of sites. EPA classifies PCE and DCM as likely to be carcinogenic in humans by all routes of exposure, while TCE is classified as carcinogenic to humans by all routes. At some sites, releases of PCE, TCE and DCM comingle in the groundwater. Field evidence from one such site in California suggests that DCM is used as the electron donor for reductive dechlorination of TCE. Nevertheless, definitive evidence that DCM can serve …

Historical Integration Of Remote Sensing Data: Can Gis Extract Information From Grayscale Aerial Photographs?, Kristina Robertson

All Theses

There have been many changes in land management policies of the National Forest system over the past 100 years. Changes in policy related to law, population growth and economics directly cause changes in land cover. Global land cover changes are occurring at such a pace and magnitude that they are affecting Earth system functioning (Lambin et al., 2001). The analysis of land cover changes plays a key role in understanding several environmental phenomena, resulting in a need for objective and comparable land cover maps (Gennaretti et al., 2011). Advances in remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have modernized land-use …

Biomass And Lipid Production From Heterotrophic And Mixotrophic Fed-Batch Cultivations Of Microalgae Chlorella Protothecoides Using Glycerol, Shwetha Sivakaminathan

All Theses

Chlorella protothecoides is a microalga that can grow both photo-autotrophically and/or heterotrophically under different culture and environmental conditions. In this study both the heterotrophic growth and mixotrophic growth have been conducted. The heterotrophic experiments were conducted completely in the dark while the mixotrophic experiments had the dark cycles with periodic light exposure. The aim of the study was to independently understand the effect of each mode on biomass and lipid yields.
For the heterotrophic experiments, glycerol was used as an external organic carbon source while yeast extract was used as the nitrogen source. The carbon and nitrogen source were added …