Digital Commons Network^™

Environmental Fate And Transport Of Pfas In Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent Discharged To Rapid Infiltration Basins, Kai M. Trobisch

Masters Theses

Fate and transport of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent discharged to rapid infiltration basins (RIBs) is investigated using data from 26 WWTPs in Michigan and numerical modeling to assess the role of air-water interface (AWI) sorption in modulating mass fluxes to the saturated zone. Analysis of RIB physical properties yields a median separation distance of 6.5 meters between land surface and the water table, and a continuum of area-normalized effluent fluxes ranging from 0.01 to 0.62 meters per day. A subset of WWTPs with RIBs indicate higher PFAS concentrations in groundwater than effluent with …

Understanding The Impact Of Microplastic Contamination On Soil Quality And Eco-Toxicological Risks In Horticulture: A Comprehensive Review, N. P. Gayathri, Geena Prasad, Vaishna Prabhakaran, Vishnu Priya

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The horticulture sector, essential for global food production, confronts significant challenges with prevalent pollutants, mainly microplastics. The presence of microplastics in the food chain has induced physiological stress and a multifactorial food safety concern. The complexity of the problem, arising from intricate interactions among microplastics, organisms, and ecosystems, poses a substantial challenge to food safety, necessitating an immediate strategic perspective due to the associated risks to human health and eco-toxicology. Significant knowledge gaps persist regarding their impact on terrestrial ecosystems, especially in horticulture. This study addresses the urgent need to comprehend the implications of microplastics on soil health, eco-toxicological risks, …

Nurturing Youth Climate Action: A Blue Carbon Perspective, Thomas Menkhoff, Chuen Kong Kevin Cheong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

It was announced at the COP27 Climate Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh (Egypt) in November 2022 that Amazon and Conservation International (with support from the Singapore Economic Development Board) will establish an International Blue Carbon Institute in Singapore. As Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Grace Fu rightly pointed out during the launch in the Singapore Pavilion that “South-east Asia, with its vast stretches of mangroves and coastal ecosystems, has tremendous potential for blue carbon initiatives that will also support environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and livelihoods and heritage of local communities” (The Straits Times, New blue carbon institute to be launched …

An Index Of Biotic Integrity For Macroinvertebrate Stream Bioassessment Conducted By Community Scientists, Patrick M. Edwards, Daniel Bedell, Shannon Hubler, Chad A. Larson, Kate H. Macneale, Elisa Mickelson, Chris Prescott, Elinore Webb, Jo Wilhelm

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Community science bioassessment has great potential to inform comprehensive stream management plans, but regional analytical tools are needed to evaluate macroinvertebrate data collected through community science programs. To this end, we modified a pre-existing professional index of biotic integrity (IBI) to create a community science IBI (CS-IBI), designed for stream macroinvertebrate data collected by community scientists with minimal training. We used data collected by both professional and community scientists to develop, calibrate, and validate the CS-IBI at 76 streamsites in the Puget Lowland andWillamette Valley ecoregions of the PacificNorthwest in theUnited States. Community science data were taxonomically coarser andmore variable …

Remediating History: A Review Of Restoration For Creeks Polluted From Historical Mining Sites, With The Red Boy Mine As A Primary Case Study, Kara Atiyeh

University Honors Theses

I conducted a literature review to examine the key aspects of restoring watersheds affected by pollution from historical mining. This review is then applied to a case study discussion of the Red Boy Mine and Clear Creek remediation project in Granite, Oregon. The goal of this discussion is to explore how an analysis of site conditions along with current literature on management practices can help guide these projects. Thousands of abandoned hard rock mines remain throughout the country, and many pose serious environmental health effects. Heavy metals like cadmium, nickel, and copper are brought to the surface from mining activity, …

Santa Maria Climate Action Plan Recommendations: Building Energy And Transportation, Thomas Zimmerman, Elena Blewett

City and Regional Planning

The Santa Maria Climate Action Plan Recommendations addresses GHG emissions reduction for the largest sectors in the City of Santa Maria- Building Energy and Transportation. The project includes GHG forecasts and reduction targets from the City’s Draft 2020 Community-Wide Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report. The reduction targets are met through a series of actionable measures to help the City meet aggressive reduction targets by 2030 and 2045.

Investigating H2s Occurrence In Bakken Oil-Producing Wells Using Sulfur Isotopes In Gas, Water, And Rock Samples, Alexander V. Chakhmakhchev, Marc D. Kurz, T. Austin Mcrae, Xue Yu, Arash Abarghani, Darren D. Schmidt, Nicholas A. Azzolina, Bethany A. Kurz, James A. Sorensen

EERC Publications, Papers, & Presentations

This work investigated multiple mechanisms that can potentially lead to H₂S in the oil production stream of Bakken wells, including TSR, BSR, source rock generation, migration from deeper or shallower formations that contain H₂S, and geomechanical mechanisms related to reservoir stimulation work.

Hydrological Analysis Of Post-Fire Responses Within The Little Creek Watershed Of Swanton Pacific Ranch, Alexander Jeffrey Wiens

Master's Theses

Climate change and a growing wildland-urban interface are associated with an increase in the number and severity of wildfires. While severe wildfires do cause a costly and dangerous impact on the environment and the public, their after-effects comprise important subjects of study. In post-fire hydrologic studies, the reduced infiltration and plant cover that results from wildfires can commonly be associated with increased peakflows and erosion. Phenomena such as the flooding and debris flows in Montecito after the Thomas Fire in late 2017 can have important implications on infrastructure and human lives. Quantifying post-fire peak flows and flooding volumes has therefore …

Using Bayesian Multispecies Models To Evaluate Fish And Invertebrate Detection Probability And Distribution In The Hypersaline Bahia Grande Tidal Basin, Roy M. Ulibarri, Catherine M. Eckert, David Hicks, David Montagne, Brandon Jones, David R. Stewart

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Objective

In 2000, the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge acquired the Bahia Grande (Texas) management unit, a space that had lain barren and arid for 70 years. A large cooperative partnership launched a restoration project to replenish the basin and recover its original tidal hydrology. In 2005, the construction of a pilot channel successfully restored water throughout the basin, and plans to eventually widen the channel were developed. Our study aims to evaluate an estuarine habitat restoration by assessing ecological drivers and the impacts on species diversity.

Methods

We evaluated species richness, detection/occupancy rates, and species–habitat relationships, and we estimated …

Securing Tomorrow: Synergizing Change Management And Cybersecurity In The Digital Era, Sharon L. Burton

Publications

In the rapidly evolving business environment of 2024, organizational change management (OCM) leaders face unprecedented challenges driven by technological advancements, digital transformation, the integration of remote work, and a heightened focus on sustainability. This study examines the efficacy of traditional OCM models in addressing these modern complexities. Through a qualitative methodology employing an extensive literature review, the research identifies vital issues such as resistance to change, digital transformation imperatives, the shift to remote and hybrid work models, and the imperative for sustainable and ethical business practices. The study posits that while classical OCM frameworks offer foundational insights, there is a …

Water Management And Conservation In India Fostering Water Justice: Arguing For Adopting Just Sustainability In Water Governance, Gayathri D Naik Dr, Sanjay Shenoi P

Articles

The water sector is characterised by everyday water injustices where factors like social discrimination, economic disparities, and political preferences influence the determination of water resource access, allocation, and management. The increasing anthropogenic impacts on water resources and consequent threats to sustainability add to the water injustices, often impacting the poorer, socially downtrodden communities that bear the brunt of water scarcity and cannot afford alternatives. The current water governance patterns, prioritising equality over equity, fail to address the issues of water injustices created by social, political, and economic factors in water management and sideline the ecological impacts on water resources. Moving …

Positron Emission Tomography In Oncology And Environmental Science, Samantha Delaney

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The last half century has played witness to the onset of molecular imaging for the clinical assessment of physiological targets. While several medical imaging modalities allow for the visualization of the functional and anatomical properties of humans and living systems, few offer accurate quantitation and the ability to detect biochemical processes with low-administered drug mass doses. This limits how physicians and scientists may diagnose and treat medical issues, such as cancer, disease, and foreign agents.

A promising alternative to extant invasive procedures and suboptimal imaging modalities to assess the nature of a biological environment is the use of positron emission …

Quality And Establishment Of Some Water-Conserving Turfgrass Species For Sustainable Development And Some Ecosystem Services In Arid Urban Environments, Fatemeh Kazemi, Mahmood Reza Golzarian, Seyedeh Maliheh Rabbani Kheir Khah

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Turfgrasses are essential landscape plants with social, environmental, and aesthetic services for urban ecosystems. However, more is needed to know how to establish them so that they can benefit from their ecosystem services in urban environments. This research examined some quality and morphological and physiological factors for the establishment and social and environmental service assessment of three warm-season turfgrasses, including Kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum), bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), and buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides), compared to the cool-season grass of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.). The experiment was split-plot in time, based on a randomized complete block design with eight replications. …

Cost Modeling Of Provision C.3 Green Stormwater Infrastructure Requirements For Residential Development In Concord, California, James Henry Mizutani

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

To assist the city of Concord in achieving its housing goals as presented in its general plan, while still meeting the stormwater discharge requirements laid out in the city’s municipal discharge permit, I worked with local developers and consultants to create a spreadsheet modeling tool that allows housing developers to estimate the total cost of green stormwater infrastructure needed to comply with local regulations.

This report contains a summary of the conditions leading to the necessity of this tool, the steps the tool takes that go beyond existing models, a description of how the model operates, instructions on how to …

High Rates Of Erosion On A Wave-Exposed Fringing Coral Reef, Damian P. Thomson, Shannon Dee, Christopher Doropoulos, Melanie Orr, Shaun K. Wilson, Andrew S. Hoey

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Erosion is a key process in shaping the physical structure of coral reefs, yet due to erosion being semi-cryptic and difficult to quantify, information remains limited. Here, we investigate erosional processes along Ningaloo Reef, an extensive fringing coral reef in Western Australia. We employed both direct and indirect methods to measure erosion in wave-exposed reef slopes and protected lagoonal habitats. Direct measurements of erosion on coral blocks were among the highest found globally, with total erosion of 3.07 kg m−2 yr−1 (4% from micro, 0.6% from macro, and 94% from external), whilst indirect rates were estimated at 2.4 ± 0.20 …

The Effect Of Carbon Pricing On Firm Performance: Worldwide Evidence, Tinghua Duan, Frank Weikai Li, Hong Zhang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Economists recommend combating climate change with carbon pricing; however, a major block to pricing emissions is concerns about economic costs. This paper examines the impacts of carbon pricing initiatives on the operating performance and market value of publicly listed firms around the world. Using the staggered enactment of carbon pricing initiatives across jurisdictions and a triple difference approach, we find a significant reduction in the profitability and value of carbon-intensive firms relative to low-emission firms after the enactment of carbon pricing policies. The reduction in firm profits is driven by both a decrease in sales growth and an increase in …

Predicting Seagrass Ecosystem Resilience To Marine Heatwave Events Of Variable Duration, Frequency And Re-Occurrence Patterns With Gaps, Paula Sobenko Hatum, Kathryn Mcmahon, Kerrie Mengersen, Kieryn Kilminster, Paul Pao Yen Wu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Seagrass, a vital primary producer habitat, is crucial for maintaining high biodiversity and offers numerous ecosystem services globally. The increasing severity and frequency of marine heatwaves, exacerbated by climate change, pose significant risks to seagrass meadows. Aims: This study acknowledges the uncertainty and variability of marine heatwave scenarios and aims to aid managers and policymakers in understanding simulated responses of seagrass to different durations, frequencies and recurrence gaps of marine heatwaves. Materials and Methods: Using expert knowledge and observed data, we refined a global Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN) model for a specific case study on Halophila ovalis in Leschenault …

A Molecular Dynamics Study On The Destruction Mechanism Of Per And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Due To Ultrasound Technology, Bruno Bezerra De Souza

Dissertations

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of stable synthetic chemicals that are highly persistent and harmful pollutants to the environment and human health. PFAS have caused a strong public and regulatory response due to their ubiquitous presence in the environment and toxicity to humans. The application of ultrasound is one of the most effective treatment technologies for the mineralization of PFAS in contaminated water. However, this technology is treated as a black box causing the inability to be optimized. Therefore, there is a pressing need to investigate the intricate dynamics of PFAS degradation under ultrasound to unlock its …

A Machine Learning-Assisted Steering And Scheduling Framework For Big-Data Scientific Workflows On Heterogeneous Computing Platforms, Yijie Zhang

Dissertations

In next-generation scientific applications, the exponential growth of big data necessitates advanced techniques for efficient data storage, processing, and analysis. This has led to the construction of intricate computing workflows, managed and orchestrated by powerful engines in big data systems as exemplified by Hadoop. As scientific applications increasingly shift towards simulation-centric approaches, traditional methodologies face new challenges in accommodating the complexity of extreme-scale numerical modeling with numerous tunable parameters. To address these challenges, this dissertation propose to develop a machine learning-assisted framework that enables autonomous computational steering of scientific simulations and optimized execution of big-data workflows on heterogeneous platforms. This …

Development Of Super Hydrophobic Membranes And Their Applications, Sumona Paul

Dissertations

Effective liquid phase separation is vital across industries, especially in aviation, chemicals, fuels, and textiles. Membrane technology offers advantages over traditional methods like distillation, with low energy consumption and protection for heat-sensitive molecules. Membrane performance is assessed based on factors such as materials, surface modification, and interactions. This research targets superhydrophobic membranes for liquid-liquid filtration and antiwetting omniphobic membranes for membrane distillation, focusing on properties like contact angle and thermal resistance.

This study presents a highly hydrophobic membrane achieved by immobilizing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) onto a PTFE microfiltration membrane. It's designed for dewatering organic-water mixtures with trace water content via …

Development Of The Nebraska Department Of Transportation Winter Severity Index – Phase Ii, Mark Anderson, Curtis L. Walker, Thomas Kauzlarich

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

For the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT), the Nebraska Winter Severity Index (NEWINS) provided an independent framework to calculate a winter season’s severity by categorizing individual winter storms. However, one of the greatest limitations of NEWINS is that it is not predictive. Thus, this study builds on the previously developed NEWINS by creating a predictive winter storm severity index known as NEWINS-Predictive (NEWINS-P). The quantitative precipitation forecast, snow accumulation, ice accumulation, and surface wind speed parameters from the National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD) are used to develop the five components composing the NEWINS-P framework. These components consist of snow severity …

Plas 439: Organic Farming And Food Systems Faculty-Led Inquiry Into Reflective Scholarly Teaching Benchmark Portfolio, Christian Stephenson

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

Organic Farming and Food Systems is a senior and graduate level course for students in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture. This course was previously offered but has been significantly modified as I have taken on responsibility for the course. Goals for the course include student comprehension of the methods of organic and regenerative farming and the impacts of those methods on economic, environmental, and social sustainability. An additional goal is to build student competency in the evaluation of primary, secondary, and tertiary information resources and critical thinking surrounding issues in food production. Assessment for the course was through diverse …

What Climate Change Means For Nebraska

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Nebraska’s climate is changing. In the past century, most of the state has warmed by at least one degree (F). The soil is becoming drier, and rainstorms are becoming more intense. In the coming decades, flooding is likely to increase, yet summers are likely to become increasingly hot and dry, which would reduce yields of some crops, require farmers to use more water, and amplify some risks to human health.

Our climate is changing because the earth is warming. People have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the air by 40 percent since the late 1700s. Other heat-trapping greenhouse …

Reevaluating Texas Energy Market Forecasts In The Wake Of Recent Extreme Weather Events, Robert A. Derner, Richard W. Butler Ii, Alexandria Neff, Adam R. Ruthford

SMU Data Science Review

This paper provides updated forecasts of energy demand in Texas and recognizes the impact of sustainable energy. It is important that the forecasts of the adoption of sustainable energy are reexamined after Winter Storm Uri crippled the Texas power grid and left many without power. This storm highlighted the issues the Texas power grid had and has continued to struggle with in supplying the state with energy. This paper will offer an overview of the relevant literature on the adoption of sustainable energy and relevant events that have occurred in the state of Texas that will give the reader the …

Re: Conditional Approval Letter Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit Grove Gulch Sedimentation Bay 100% Remedial Design (Dated March 22, 2024), Emma Rott

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Du Undergraduate Showcase Abstracts: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Works, August Alexander, Kevin Summers, E. Paige Lloyd, Alyssa Aragon, Lauren Wols, Erica Larson, Colton Arciniaga, Lily Baeza, Ellie Barnett-Cashman, Sidney Barbier, Maverick Bartholomew, Ryan Bell, Trevor Briggs, Amanda Brown, Cory Marchi, Maddy Pontius, Jennifer Gallagher, Claire Kwok, Channing Bullock, Alex Mccollister, Kim Gorgens, Daniela Chavez, Yamilet Espinoza Nuñez, Giovanni Valladares Giron, William Christensen, Olivia Kachulis, Daniel Cierasynski, Brandon Cohen, Spenser Dobbs, Lindsay Goolsby, Noah Craver, Nyah Cubbison, Liam Doherty, Nicole Doris, Yan Qin, Alexander Nguyen, Lily Harmon, Shubh Todi, Naichen Zhao, Noah Fagello, Stacia Fritz, Paola Gascot-Chinea, Alex Volkova, Janelyn Geronimo, Elsie Harrington, Shane Simmons, Clarice Hise, Laura Moreno Palmer, Henry Xu, Yesu Leela Pasupula, Emily Fisher, Zachary Hogan, Colin Kleckner, Alyssa Knaus, Erin Kubat, Sam Werkema, Katie Lamberton, Lilliya Larson, Allie Leary, Vanessa Leon-Gamez, James H. Gallagher, E. Dale Broder, Robin M. Tinghitella, Emma Loeber, Alina Mali, Ixchel Marquez, Lauren Mcgrath, Ella Matthews, Grace Naegelen, Audrey Ng, Megan Lucyshyn, Rachel Brough, Alexandra Norman, Joe Ontiveros Rodriguez, Ben Dossett, Ori Miller, Janamejay Sharma, Christopher Reardon, Vincent Pandey, Regan Parish, Ren Pratt, Alisha Pravasi, Sanchari Das, Cari Reichel, Emma Robson, Victoria Rockwell, Jayce Rumsey, Steven Said, Norah Schroder, Alaina Smith, Shannon Murphy, Shujan A. Sharafeldeen, Stanley M. Kanai, James T. Nichols, David E. Clouthier, Macalia R. Augustus, Daniel Silva Rios, Scott Simpson, Anna Sparling, Chase Spurbeck, Kimberly Chiew, Christine Stadnik-Poteroba, Jacqueline Stephenson, Evelyn Stovin, Mia Supan, Lauren Tapper, Will Thrush, Anna Vogt, Michaela Walheim, Jon Weber, Hunter Whitehouse, Kansas Wood, Hayley Sayre, Lydia Mccann, Maread Mclaughlin, Kelly Krumrie, Olivia Wuttke

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

Abstracts from the DU Undergraduate Research Showcase.

Synthesis Of Geopolymer Using Coal Fly Ash And Corn Stover, Anu Paneru

Master's Theses

The development of each nation is dependent on its infrastructure, and nations are competing with others in infrastructure, especially in the construction of roadways, since they play a vital role in the economic and social development of the nation. The conventional materials used for road construction are cement and asphalt, which pose significant environmental challenges. This thesis explores the potential of fly ash (FA) and corn stover (CS) in synthesizing geopolymer, as an alternative material for the construction of roads. The study examines the impact of FA and CS percentages and the particle sizes of CS on the compressive strength, …

Estimating Increased Transient Water Storage With Increases In Beaver Dam Activity, Konrad Hafen, Joseph M. Wheaton, Brett B. Roper, Philip Bailey, William W. Macfarlane, Bethany T. Neilson, Christopher J. Tennant

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Dam building by beaver (Castor spp.) slows water movement through montane valleys, increasing transient water storage and the diversity of residence times. In some cases, water storage created by beaver dam construction is correlated to changes in streamflow magnitude and timing. However, the total amount of additional surface and groundwater storage that beaver dams may create (and, thus, their maximum potential impact on streamflow) has not been contextualized in the water balance of larger river basins. We estimate the potential transient water storage increases that could be created at 5, 25, 50, and 100% of maximum modeled beaver dam capacity …

Construction And Analysis Of A Method For Grading Long-Term Vegetation Carbon Sink In Waste Dumps Of An Open-Pit Coal Mine, Yang Fei, Cui Kuankuan, Zhang Chengye, Li Jun, Wang Jinyang, Du Tianmeng, Zhang Haoran

Coal Geology & Exploration

Vegetation carbon sink serves as a crucial indicator for the ecological assessment of an open-pit coal mine. The accurate inversion and grading of vegetation carbon sink play a significant role in exploring the ecological restoration of coal mines. This study proposed a method for grading vegetation carbon sink of an open-pit coal mine based on the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. Specifically, using a light use efficiency (LUE) model, this study first determined the spatio-temporal distributions of the 2005‒2020 vegetation carbon sink in the waste dumps of the Shengli No.1 open-pit coal mine through inversion based on Landsat images and …

Extended Producer Responsibility: Successes, Failures, And The Future Of Oregon Recycling, Zoe Vandal

University Honors Theses

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a waste management program used globally to improve the recovery, recycling, and management of solid waste materials. There are three types of EPR programs defined by their target materials: electronic and electrical waste (WEEE) EPR, hazardous waste EPR, and packaging EPR. Europe has implemented all three types with relative success. The US has implemented WEEE EPR and hazardous waste EPR and is currently in the process of implementing packaging EPR on a state scale in Oregon, California, Colorado, Maine, and Maryland with 10 more bills being introduced in 2024 alone. Oregon's EPR program will be …