Engineering Commons^™

Dimensional Stability Of Geosynthetic Clay Liners In Landfill Applications, Gregory R. Olsen

Master's Theses

An investigation was conducted related to the dimensional stability of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) in landfill applications. Multiple occurrences of panel separation of overlap seams in GCLs have been documented; however, explanation for the relative contribution of various mechanisms causing shrinkage has been limited. A systematic test program was conducted to determine the effects of a variety of conditions on GCL dimensional stability.

Effects of initial moisture content, permeant type, and overburden pressure were tested by subjecting various GCL products to wet-dry cycles and measuring the dimensional change with each cycle. Different GCL types were each tested under various combinations …

Assessing Near-Field Black Carbon Variability Due To Wood Burning And Evaluating Regression Models And Isc Dispersion Modeling, Stella Tan

Master's Theses

PM_2.5 variability within the neighborhood scale has not been thoroughly studied for wood burning communities. High variability in near-field PM_2.5 concentration may lead to harmful public exposure since monitoring does not occur on that scale. This study measures near-field PM_2.5 variability by measuring black carbon (BC), a component of PM_2.5, in a 1 km² area located in Cambria, California. BC and meteorological data (when meteorological instruments were available) were measured over thirteen 12-hour intensive operation periods (IOPs) occurring over the winters of 2009 and 2010. Near-field BC variability was measured to understand the type …

Nitrogen Mass Balance In A High Rate Algal Pond, Kevin Jones

Biomedical Engineering

The objective of the study described herein was to perform a mass balance on nitrogen in four small high rate algal ponds (HRAPs) in order to determine the fate of the nitrogen. The total percentage of nitrogen lost via ammonia volatilization was calculated via the mass balance.

Anaerobic Co-Digestion Of Microalgae With Food Waste And Wastewater Sludge, Ruth E. Spierling

Master's Theses

This research sought to optimize anaerobic co-digestion of microalgae biomass harvested from a wastewater treatment pond facility with locally-available wastes. The goal was to produce high methane yields and stable digestion without the need for supplemental alkalinity addition. A key research question was if algae digestion could be improved via the synergistic effects of co-digestion. Cell disruption to increase digestibility was not pursued due to its relatively high mechanical complexity and high energy use. For the wastewater treatment ponds studied, the most practical co-substrates identified were municipal wastewater sludge and food waste (sorted organic municipal waste). Although wastewater sludge does …

Optimization Of Point-Of-Use Water Treatment Device For Disaster Relief, Margaret June Herzog

Master's Theses

Point-of-use (POU) drinking water treatment is a common method of providing drinking water in disaster relief situations when critical water infrastructure is damaged. In these cases, POU treatment devices can be used to treat local water until relief organizations set up more permanent water provision methods. One such POU technology is PŪR^® Purifier of Water, a combined coagulation/flocculation and disinfection chemical treatment sachet produced by Procter & Gamble. PŪR^® has been shown to treat contaminated water to meet water quality standards and guidelines set by the U.S. EPA for water purifiers and by the World Health Organization and …

Water And Air Quality Performance Of A Reciprocating Biofilter Treating Dairy Wastewater, Seppi Matthew Henneman

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Water and Air Quality Performance of a Reciprocating

Biofilter Treating Dairy Wastewater

Seppi Matthew Henneman

Agricultural non-point source pollution is the leading water quality problem in surface water and the second leading problem in ground water in the US. Among the contaminants, nutrients (such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) can be transported from agricultural fields when cropland is not managed properly. In California, dairy manure application to cropland has become tightly regulated with the goal of decreasing such nutrient pollution. Dairies unable to balance their manure nutrient supply with cropland application area may benefit from a nitrogen removal technology. One …