Environmental Engineering Commons^™

The Efficacy Of Wetland Treatment Systems Used To Treat Runoff Mixtures From Different Landscapes Across Kentucky, Emily Nottingham

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

The overarching goal was to improve our understanding of the cumulative effect of increased use and occurrence of commonly detected contaminants of potential concern (CPCs) on nitrogen (N) transformation processes in wetlands. The central hypothesis was that those various mixtures of nutrients and CPCs entering treatment wetlands impact N removal pathways. The first study assessed the current state of the literature on the implications to N removal in wetlands in the presence of pesticides and antibiotics. 181 primary studies were identified. Removal efficiencies for nitrate varied widely across the studies, with CPCs impacting microbial communities. A knowledge gap remains in …

Aluminum Critical Mineral Production Feasibility Via Landfill Mining: Preliminary Study Of Potential Project Locations And Co-Benefits, Anabel M. Needham

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

In 2022, aluminum was named a critical mineral by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the global demand for aluminum is projected to increase by 40% from 2020 to 2030 (Aleksić 2023). There are currently no large-scale bauxite mines in the United States to contribute to aluminum production, and this study aims to investigate the feasibility of aluminum landfill mining in the United States to produce secondary aluminum. The feasibility of landfill mining for the purpose of recovering materials and energy is a relatively new technology, and often co-benefits are required to make these projects economically viable. Publicly available …

Assessing Wave Dynamics Induced Coastal Flooding Along The Southern Shores Of Lake Superior, Saumik Mallik

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This study provides a comprehensive assessment of coastal hazards along the southern shores of Lake Superior, encompassing the interplay of static water levels, surges, and the amplifying effects of wave dynamics. Employing 51 years of historical water level data from five gauge stations in the US portion of Lake Superior, the study conducts extreme value analysis to estimate return levels over various return periods (25, 50, 100, and 500 years) for static water levels and surges. In parallel, Significant Wave Heights (SWH) data generated from the Simulating Waves Nearshore (SWAN) model is calibrated through a multi-step procedure based on historical …

Evaluation Of Air Emissions For Cured-In-Place Pipe Construction Method For Sewer Pipe Rehabilitation, Rasoul Adnan Abbas

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The aging underground pipelines in the United States, which include sewer and water supply systems, have exceeded their design lifespan and will have to be renewed or replaced to continue providing these vital services to communities. Two methods can be used to replace the pipes: open-cut and trenchless technologies. Trenchless methods offer several advantages in urban areas: a small work area, lower operational and maintenance costs, and fewer negative impacts on the surrounding communities. Among the trenchless options, the CIPP method has been chosen for this research since it minimizes surface disruption, making it particularly well-suited for densely populated areas …

Assessing Household Gac Water Filters For Pfas Removal From Private Drinking Water Wells, Mccallah Ferry

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This research paper delves into the efficacy of a typical household water filter in removing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a concerning class of chemicals prevalent in water sources. PFAS, known for their persistence and potential health risks, have prompted regulatory actions such as the Third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 3) and the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) by the U.S. EPA. While municipal water utilities are subject to regulatory oversight, individuals relying on private wells face challenges in ensuring water quality.

The study employs a model to assess the performance of a SAMSUNG Ice and Water Refrigerator …

Optimizing Anaerobic Digestion Of Food Waste And Industrial Sludge For Biogas Production, Emma R. Murray

Honors College Theses

Food waste is a major contributor to municipal solid waste, and its disposal at landfills has significant environmental and economic impacts. Opportunities need to be identified for the sustainable management of food waste at large scales. Pulp and paper mills throughout the country commonly use anaerobic digestion to treat their waste sludge; however, this sludge can consist of over 50% lignin, which is slowly or negligibly digested. This research aims to explore the sustainability of co-digestion of food waste and paper mill sludge. Lab-scale studies were used to assess the feasibility of anaerobic digestion by measuring treatment efficiencies and biogas …

Design Of A Mobile Lamprey Testing Facility And Analysis Of Hydraulic Conditions Under Experimental Treatments, Ernesto Silva

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Few studies have evaluated Pacific lamprey passage at small-scale barriers such as road crossings. The Hoopa Valley Tribe was awarded a grant with the primary objective of assessing lamprey's ability to traverse small-scale barriers. The Hoopa Valley Tribe collaborated with the Environmental Resources Engineering Department at Cal Poly Humboldt to design and implement a mobile testing facility. The testing facility was then used to identify and simulate experimental treatments that would assess lamprey’s ability to pass conditions that are known or expected to be challenging or outright barriers.

A dump trailer equipped with a hydraulic hoist with the ability to …

Highlighting Opportunities For Anaerobic Co-Digestion Of Food Waste From Universities With Pulp And Paper Mill Sludge, Md Nizam Uddin

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The disposal of food waste (FW) in landfills presents significant environmental and economic challenges, including greenhouse gas emissions and loss of potential resources. Concurrently, the pulp and paper industry, a major sector in the United States, generates substantial quantities of recalcitrant organic waste that is high in lignocellulosic content. Anaerobic co-digestion of FW with pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) emerges as a potential strategy to address both waste streams simultaneously, potentially enhancing organic matter degradation and biogas yield. However, the efficacy of this co-digestion approach and its broader sustainability implications remain insufficiently characterized. This study employs laboratory-scale experiments to …

Statistical Analysis For Water Quality Data Using Anova (Case Study- Lake Burullus Influent Drains), Mohamed Hussein Hegazy

Civil Engineering

Lake Burullus is considered one of the most valuable northern lakes in Egypt due to its unique ecological system and special location. Over the past four decades, the lake has suffered from high contamination levels due to expansion in fish farming and increasing of agricultural drainage water entering the southern side of the lake through eight influent drains. This research aims to assess the current situation of the lake’s influent drains. For this purpose, two types of statistical analysis, Mean average method, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used. The water quality conditions for six major drains (Therah (Tira), Nashart, …

Developing An Assessment Model For Entrepreneurship Ecosystems Using Hierarchical Decision Model, Mustafa Almuzel, Tugrul U. Daim, Birol Yesilada, Marina Dabic, Gulin Idil Bolatan

Engineering and Technology Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Entrepreneurship is a crucial driver of economic growth, necessitating the development of effective entrepreneurial ecosystems. However, there are significant gaps in the literature regarding the structured assessment of these ecosystems. This study addresses three main research gaps: the lack of structured evaluation methods, the need for a comprehensive analysis of ecosystem challenges from various perspectives, and the identification of critical factors essential for ecosystem growth. To bridge these gaps, the research introduces the Hierarchical Decision Model (HDM) as a universal assessment framework that can be adapted to different cities for creating effective entrepreneurial environments. The research methodology involved formulating perspectives …

Characterizing The Beneficial Uses Of The Arcata Marsh Constructed Wetland Treatment System And Wildlife Sanctuary, Andrew S. Wolff

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The Arcata Marsh Constructed Wetland Treatment System and Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Arcata California, has been in operation since 1986. Not only has it served as the wastewater treatment facility for the city, it has also provided other beneficial uses such as acting as a sanctuary for bird, mammal, amphibian, and macroinvertebrate species. With facility upgrades currently underway, it has become important to revisit the beneficial uses of the Arcata Marsh. This project aimed to identify and characterize these beneficial uses. Literature review was conducted, and eleven beneficial uses were identified. Existing and newly obtained data were analyzed to characterize …

Mouralherwaqh: Coastal Wetland Road Crossing Da’Luk, Filip Amborski

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The integration of Indigenous and Western science plays an essential role in Tribally led collaborations for land management. This process of woven sciences is rooted in reciprocal relations and partnerships guided by Tribal Nations. Our cohort was invited by Wiyot Tribal Representatives to investigate a culvert located within the wetlands of Mouralherwaqh— a parcel of land reacquired by the Wiyot Tribe in 2022. This document seeks to share our experience and analysis as part of the Wiyot Tribe’s broader journey in navigating ecocultural restoration projects within Mouralherwaqh. The four community interests we investigated for the wetland crossing included a resized …

Sustainable Materials For Environment − Multifunctional Material Made From Dead Leaves And Nanostructured Materials For Antibiotic Degradation, Siyuan Fang

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

As environmental pollution from industrial processes and human activities continues to rise, finding efficient approaches to recycle waste materials and degrade persistent contaminants becomes increasingly critical. Dead leaves, an abundant but underutilized biomass, present an opportunity for creating value-added materials if their biocomponents can be preserved and transformed. Simultaneously, antibiotics such as tetracycline are widely found in water bodies but pose serious ecological and health risks, necessitating effective degradation methods. This dissertation addresses these challenges by leveraging natural and nanostructured materials to develop multifunctional products and advanced photocatalytic processes.

Chapter 3 of this dissertation addresses the challenge of converting waste …

Novel Membrane Materials For Nutrient Recovery From Nutrient-Rich Resources, Km Prottoy Shariar Piash

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Global demand for fertilizer production is expanding substantially to meet the food demand of an increasing world population. Anaerobic digestate (AD) of various centralized wastewater facilities contains substantial amounts of ammonium (NH₄⁺) (300-800 mg/L), potassium (K⁺) (13-120 mg/L), and phosphorus (P) (30-100 mg/L)- based nutrients. In addition to reducing energy costs and CO₂ emissions compared to conventional fertilizing raw material manufacturing, recovering nutrients from these waste streams could help mitigate problems such as eutrophication, which otherwise incurs billions of dollars losses to US economy annually. Apart from nutrients, wastewater streams also contain organic pollutants …

Performance And Field Testing Of Geotextiles For Dewatering Rare Earth Element Hydraulic Preconcentrate From Hardrock Amd, Ian R. Bird

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As part of ongoing efforts to develop a domestic Rare Earth Elements (REE) supply chain the Hydraulic Preconcentrate (HPC) produced at the Horseshoe bend treatment plant (HsB) was manufactured and evaluated as a potential source for feedstock. After the existing clarifiers on the site were flipped to the desired pH set points, HPC was manufactured and pumped to 24 geobags. The geobags were then passively dewatered to increase the total solids percentage. The geobags evaluated were comprised of: Woven geotextiles, composite (woven and non- woven), and geobags augmented with Capillary Channel Fiber (CCF). Column Filtration Tests (CFTs) were performed onsite …

Development Of Erosion Functions For Micp-Treated Beach Sand, Saeed Booshi

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the effectiveness of microbially-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) using the recently introduced bioslurry treatment method via surface percolation. To simulate realistic water forcing conditions, a piston-style erosion rate testing apparatus, specifically the Florida Department of Transportation Sediment Erosion Rate Flume, was used. Initial tests conducted at a high shear stress of 42 Pa revealed that a combination of 15% bioslurry and 85% cementation solution exhibited the strongest erosion resistance when compared to other ratios between bioslurry and cementation solution. Subsequent experiments focused on separating the specimen into a "loose" part and a “surface crust,” with shear stresses …

Interplay Of Discharge Rates, Slope, And Sediment Size In River Meandering Dynamics: Insights From Experimental Studies, Yifan Zhang

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Sinuosity is an important concept in various fields including hydrology, geomorphology, and ecology. It not only presents the degree of curviness of a river channel but also reflects the ecological sustaining ability. By studying the sinuosity of a stream or river channel, important implications could also be found including the transportation and deposition of the sediments, the habitats of the riverbanks, and the types of species that are able to live on the watershed and river. To study the factors that could heavily affect the sinuosity of a river channel, a full set of laboratory experiments was designed to perform …

Direct Blue 86 Textile Dye Removal From Aqueous Solution Using Rice Husk-Based Adsorbent, M. Zulbahari M. Zua, Muhammad Raza Ul Mustafa, Mohamed Hasnain Isa, Teh Sabariah Binti Abd Manan, Naimah Ibrahim, Rozeana Hj Md Juani, Wida Susanty Hj Suhaili, Asmaal Muizz Sallehhin Bin Hj Mohammad Sultan, Zuliana Binti Hj Nayan

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Adsorption by activated carbon is an effective method of dye removal. However, due to high production and regeneration costs of activated carbon, various studies on low-cost adsorbents have been conducted. Agricultural waste such as rice husk (RH) is seen to be a good adsorbent for dye removal. Moreover, rice husk is readily available. In this study, rice husk-based adsorbents were prepared by chemical and thermal treatments. Standard curve (colour vs absorbance) for Direct Blue 86 (DB 86) was prepared to determine the concentration of dye before and after adsorption. The adsorption potential of the adsorbent for textile dye DB 86 …

Machine-Learning-Assisted Design Of Deep Eutectic Solvents Based On Uncovered Hydrogen Bond Patterns, Usman Lame Abbas, Yuxuan Zhang, Joseph Tapia, Md Selim, Jin Chen, Jian Shi, Qing Shao

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Non-ionic deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are non-ionic designer solvents with various applications in catalysis, extraction, carbon capture, and pharmaceuticals. However, discovering new DES candidates is challenging due to a lack of efficient tools that accurately predict DES formation. The search for DES relies heavily on intuition or trial-and-error processes, leading to low success rates or missed opportuni- ties. Recognizing that hydrogen bonds (HBs) play a central role in DES formation, we aim to identify HB features that distinguish DES from non-DES systems and use them to develop machine learning (ML) models to discover new DES systems. We first analyze the …

Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid Exposure Leads To Downregulation Of 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl-Coa Synthase 2 Expression And Upregulation Of Markers Associated With Intestinal Carcinogenesis In Mouse Intestinal Tissues, Josiane Weber Tessmann, Pan Deng, Jerika Durham, Chang Li, Moumita Banerjee, Qingding Wang, Ryan A. Goettl, Daheng He, Chi Wang, Eun Y. Lee, B. Mark Evers, Bernhard Hennig, Yekaterina Y. Zaytseva

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) is a widely recognized environment pollutant known for its high bio- accumulation potential and a long elimination half-life. Several studies have shown that PFOS can alter multiple biological pathways and negatively affect human health. Considering the direct exposure to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to environmental pollutants, PFOS can potentially disrupt intestinal homeostasis. However, there is limited knowledge about the effect of PFOS exposure on normal intestinal tissues, and its contribution to GI- associated diseases remains to be determined. In this study, we examined the effect of PFOS exposure on the gene expression profile of intestinal tissues of …