Environmental Engineering Commons^™

It’S Art About Water Treatment! An Interview With Mallory Chaput, The Artist Inspiring Future Water Leaders-One Artwork At A Time, Swati Hegde

wH2O: The Journal of Gender and Water

This article throws a spotlight on Mallory Chaput, an artist inspiring future water leaders to take up water careers. Through her coloring pages, paintings, and comics about the water treatment, Mallory is helping children re-imagine the water sector. Originally a landscaper, Mallory developed a profound interest in water and wastewater treatment and learned about it by visiting plants, talking to professionals, and studying engineering books. This article is a transcript of an interview with Mallory, featuring her background, her imaginative creations and her future goals.

Where There Are No Sewers: The Toilet Cleaners Of Lucknow, Sharada Prasad, Isha Ray

wH2O: The Journal of Gender and Water

Enormous progress has been made in the global effort to provide safe and affordable toilets for the world’s poorest citizens since World Toilet Day was first declared in 2001. Significant strides have been made in “reinventing” toilet designs for low-income, water-short, un-sewered urban zones; celebrities such as Bill Gates and Matt Damon have brought this once-taboo topic into the open; and the Prime Minister of India – the country with the highest number of people still practicing open defecation – has publicly declared that his country needs toilets over temples.

Well over 2 billion people today lack access to basic …

El Agua Es Oro: A Human Centered Solution For The City Of Cochabamba, Bolivia, Natalia Mendoza, Camilia Olmedo

wH2O: The Journal of Gender and Water

The purpose of El Agua Es Oro (The Water is Gold) is to satisfy social needs, specifically for women living in peri-urban areas, with a more advanced efficiency. El Agua Es Oro creates an added value for people’s well-being by maximizing socio-environmental context and not just focusing on for-profit economics. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy to generate economic resources to sustain the impact that the organization seeks to achieve. El Agua Es Oro is a social enterprise based on the application of social innovation with the methodology and tools of a people-centered design, focusing on teenage girls and women. The foundations …

Climate Change, Differential Impacts On Women And Gender Mainstreaming: A Case Study Of East Rapti Watershed, Nepal, Anupama Ray

wH2O: The Journal of Gender and Water

Women and water share a great deal of nexus in several ways. However, women have still minimal control over the management of water resources, making them more vulnerable to climate change. This paper assesses how climate change impacts differently across different women groups using an intersectionality lens, thereby exploring the situation of gender mainstreaming in water sector in three communities, namely, Karaiya, Basauli, and Dadagaun in Khairahani Municipality located in the East Rapti watershed, Nepal. In this perception- based study, we conducted three key informant interviews and household interviews with 45 women of different castes, ages, communities, education levels, and …

Gender In The Water Industry One Man Of Transgender Experience’S Story, Ari Copeland

wH2O: The Journal of Gender and Water

is a complex topic Most people often confuse gender and sex; Most folks don’t realize that there are at least 57 genders and gender is a spectrum Some people within our workplace and the water industry don’t identify as a man or a woman, and/or their gender is more fluid (gender-expansive. In our day-to-day interactions with others, we often assume someone’s gender based on their appearance, mannerisms, and other social cues that vary depending on the culture Additionally, assuming everyone fits into the gender binary (just men and women is often-times a barrier to being inclusive and making people feel …

Exploring Sustainable Degrowth-Based Adaptation To Climate Change-Aggravated Water Insecurity In Parts Of Rural India: A Gender Relations Approach, Nairita Roy Chaudhuri

wH2O: The Journal of Gender and Water

This article reviews the theoretical concept of ‘sustainable adaptation’ to climate change and water scarcity using a gender-relations approach by answering the following questions: i) What is a sustainable adaptation to climate change? ii) Based on a literature review, how does gender interact with climate change adaptation to water scarcity and droughts in rural India? (iii) How do the concepts of sustainable adaptation, degrowth, and gender relations interact on the ground, pertaining to water justice?

The paper argues that climate change adaptation and development goals can harmonize only if they rectify root causes of vulnerabilities. For adaptation actions to yield …

Powering A Sustainable Electric Vehicle Future, Harmony Ruth, Jordan Brickman

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Electric vehicle sales account for roughly 20% of total sales world wide and are projected to be 80% by 2050. China's electric vehicle market holds a 13.3% market share. China exported 550,000 electric vehicles in 2021. China represents a 54% share of the world's coal consumption as of 2020. Why study China on this issue? China is a major player in the World Economy.

Hydrodynamic Signatures Of Recreational Boat Wakes And Their Influence To Sediment Entrainment Along The Shoreline Of A Shallow Estuary, Kelly M. Kibler

Predicting Boat Wake Bank Erosion Risk

Wave energy from recreational boat wakes is associated with erosion and degradation of shoreline ecotones. However, wake effects are often assumed to be negligible when boating lanes are located far from shore. In this study, field experiments were conducted to characterize hydrodynamics of recreational boat wakes at the shoreline of a shallow estuary as offshore sailing-line distance varied from 50 to 200m. Results indicate that wake events were considerably more energetic than ambient conditions, with an average 20% increase in wave height, 190% increase in near-bed orbital velocity, and 110% increase in wave-induced shear stress. Wake events generated farther from …

A Smart Illicit Discharge Monitoring System, Alexander Campbell, Henry S. Armstrong, Tien Yee

Symposium of Student Scholars

In the present study, we attempt to use a variety of sensors to monitor illicit discharges that are present near the Kennesaw State University Marietta Campus. The US Environmental Protection Agency defines an illicit discharge as “any discharge into a storm drain system that is not composed entirely of stormwater”. Each year, approximately 860 billion gallons of sewage spills are reported throughout the country. In Georgia, sewer spills data shows that spills may range from hundreds of gallons to millions of gallons depending on the severity of the leak. The undetected sewer leaks may degrade the water quality in nearby …

Carbon Injection To Support In-Situ Smouldering Remediation, Gillian Wilton

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of anthropogenic contaminants that are growing increasing concern due to their associated negative health affects. The properties of PFAS result in their persistence and stability which present challenges for remediation. Activated carbon is currently the most widely used method for PFAS treatment since carbon microparticle injection can be used for in-situ treatment; however, this method does not result in PFAS destruction. Thermal treatment is a promising post-treatment method that can be used with activated carbon as long as sufficient PFAS-destroying temperatures are achieved (> 900°C). A promising in-situ thermal treatment technology is …

Surface Urban Energy And Water Balance Scheme (V2020a) In Vegetated Areas: Parameter Derivation And Performance Evaluation Using Fluxnet2015 Dataset, Hamidreza Omidvar, Ting Sun, Sue Grimmond, Dave Bilesbach, Andrew Black, Jiquan Chen, Zexia Duan, Zhiqiu Gao, Hiroki Iwata, Joseph P. Mcfadden

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

To compare the impact of surface–atmosphere exchanges from rural and urban areas, fully vegetated areas (e.g. deciduous trees, evergreen trees and grass) commonly found adjacent to cities need to be modelled. Here we provide a general workflow to derive parameters for SUEWS (Surface Urban Energy and Water Balance Scheme), including those associated with vegetation phenology (via leaf area index, LAI), heat storage and surface conductance. As expected, attribution analysis of bias in SUEWS-modelled QE finds that surface conductance (g_s) plays the dominant role; hence there is a need for more estimates of surface conductance parameters. The workflow …

Development & Validation Of A Piv System For Obtaining Data From A Uasb Reactor, Camila D' Bastiani, Gerald Gallagher, David Kennedy, Anthony Reynolds

Conference Papers

Anaerobic digestion processes can generate energy in the form of biogas while treating organic wastewater. The efficiency of the treatment, and thus the generation of biogas, is closely linked to the type and design of the reactor, and the technology used. Granular anaerobic digestion technology offers advantages such as a higher loading rate and reduction of the space needed. However, the hydrodynamics inside this type of reactor can be complex due to the presence of solids (granules) and gas (biogas) phases along with the liquid phase (wastewater). This is one of the reasons why the study and optimization of reactors …

Measuring Volatile Emissions From Moss Gametophytes: A Review Of Methodologies And New Applications, Danlyn L. Brennan, Leslie M. Kollar, Scott Kiel, Timea Deakova, Aurélie Laguerre, Stuart F. Mcdaniel, Sarah Eppley, Elliott T. Gall, Todd Rosenstiel

Center for Life in Extreme Environments Publications

Mosses inhabit nearly all terrestrial ecosystems and engage in important interactions with nitrogen-fixing microbes, sperm-dispersing arthropods, and other plants. It is hypothesized that these interactions could be mediated by biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). Moss BVOCs may play fundamental roles in influencing local ecologies, such as biosphere–atmosphere–hydrosphere communications, physiological and evolutionary dynamics, plant–microbe interactions, and gametophyte stress physiology. Further progress in quantifying the composition, magnitude, and variability of moss BVOC emissions, and their response to environmental drivers and metabolic requirements, is limited by methodological and analytical challenges. We review several sampling techniques with various analytical approaches and describe best practices …

Design, Development, And Characterization Of Highly Efficient Colored Photovoltaic Module For Sustainable Buildings Applications, Mohammad Khairul Basher, Mohammad Nur-E-Alam, Momtazur Rahman, Steven Hinckley, Kamal Alameh

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system is one of the contributors which has enormous potential to reach the goal of net-zero energy buildings (NZEB) that significantly reduce the use of fossil fuels that contribute to global warming. However, the limitations of the visual and aesthetic appearance of current BIPV systems make this aspiration unlikely. This study investigates the limitations of the single-color-based PV modules that are dull in appearance and have low photo-conversion efficiency (PCE). In order to solve this issue, we designed, developed, and characterized micro-patterned-based multicolored photovoltaic (MPCPV) modules which are applicable to net-zero building and development. Our …

Activated Carbon As Superadsorbent And Sustainable Material For Diverse Applications, Gaurav Sharma, Shweta Sharma, Amit Kumar, Chin Wei Lai, Mu. Naushad, Shehnaz (Panjab University Shehnaz (Panjab University, Jibran Iqbal, Florian J. Stadler

All Works

Activated carbon is a carbonaceous material with highly porous structure. Different functionalities can be introduced to its surface by various physical and chemical treatments. Various precursors can be used for the synthesis of activated carbon such as fossil fuels, agricultural wastes, and lignocellulosic wastes, etc. Number of papers have been reported in literature devoted to the synthesis, characterization, and various applications of activated carbon. Herein, in this review, special attention has been paid to the basic properties of activated carbon and its surface chemistry originated due to physical and chemical treatment. In addition, a general introduction to adsorption process, various …

The Role Of Extracellular Polymeric Substances In The Accumulation And Transport Of Polystyrene Nanoparticles In Biofilms, Joann Marie Rodríguez Suarez

Doctoral Dissertations

With the increasing number of nanotechnology applications, it is reasonable to expect nanoparticles to be ubiquitous in biofilms found in natural and engineered aquatic systems. We studied the impact of the degree of cross-linking on the deposition and diffusion of polystyrene nanoparticles (NPs) in alginate model biofilm matrices in the presence and absence of calcium cross-linkers using image correlation methods and single particle tracking. We found that cross-linking increases the viscoelasticity and hydration of the polymeric matrix and leads to structural changes that can restrict and alter the diffusive behavior of NPs, but the magnitude of the effects on diffusion …

Formation Of Trihalomethanes During Chlorination At South Cross Bayou Advanced Water Reclamation Facility, Pinellas County, Florida, Ian Grabo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

South Cross Bayou Advanced Water Reclamation Facility (SCB) in Pinellas County, Florida, recently had a spike in effluent concentrations of bromodichloromethane (BDCM) and dibromochloromethane (DBCM) above the regulated limits, due to relying fully on chlorination instead of a combination of chlorination and ultraviolet light. The objective of this study was to determine the operating parameters most strongly affecting the formation of THMs. This was completed by analysis of long-term data sets obtained from SCB by multiple linear regression to create models describing THM formation. In addition, sampling of the chlorine contact chamber (CCC) was done to determine the effects of …

Analysis And Fate Of 2,6-Dichloro-1,4-Benzoquinone In Real And Model Drinking Waters, Aarthi Mohan

Doctoral Dissertations

For many years chlorination has served as a barrier to protect human health from waterborne disease outbreaks. Chlorine is viewed as a near-universal oxidant and disinfectant, that provides a stable residual preventing microbial re-growth all the way through the consumer’s tap. Upon reaction with natural organic matter (NOM) however, it forms disinfection by-products (DBPs) many of which are potent human carcinogens and therefore have been of research interest since the 1970’s (Froese et al., 1999; Krasner et al., 2006, 1989; Richardson, 2003; Rook, 1976, 1974; Singer, 1994). The trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) are the most prevalent (Krasner et …

Carbon Diversion, Partial Nitritation/Anammox Enrichment, And Ammonium Capture As Initial Stages For Mainstream Ion Exchange-Deammonification Process, Sheyla Chero-Osorio

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Eutrophication is a concerning environmental problem worldwide that results in algae blooms, oxygen depletion, damages to aquatic life and public health, water quality issues, and loss of aesthetics in water reservoirs. Nutrient (e.g., nitrogen and phosphorus) discharges from wastewater, agricultural, urban, and residential runoff promote eutrophication in receiving water bodies. In terms of nitrogen removal, conventional biological nitrogen removal (BNR) is a common technique used in many wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). However, BNR requires aeration for nitrification and organic carbon input for denitrification. In WWTP, the aeration represents a considerable investment in terms of energy costs. Recent technologies involve applying …

Evaluation Of The Impacts Of De-Icing Salts On The Performance Of Bioretention Media In Retaining Phosphorus From Urban Stormwater, Brennan S. Donado Visbal

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Bioretention systems are a low impact development system that can remove pollutants such as phosphorus (P) from urban stormwater. P retention in bioretention systems is complicated in cold climate regions due to factors such as inputs of road de-icing salts. This study evaluates the impact of prolonged and periodic salt inputs on P retention by conducting column experiments using three different bioretention media with and without an amendment added. Non-amended columns showed net P release, whereas amended columns showed net P retention. While some non-amended columns showed prolonged salt exposure increases P release, the largest P release for all columns …