Engineering Commons^™

A Quantitative Analysis Of The Impact Of Wind Energy Penetration On Electricity Prices In Ireland, Micheal O'Flaherty, Niall Riordan, Noel O'Neill, Ciara Ahern

Articles

The maturity of wind technology combined with availability of suitable sites means Ireland is on course to generate 40% of its electricity from the wind by 2020.This work sets out to quantify, to what degree, if any, increased wind penetration translates into reduced wholesale and retail prices for electricity. The consensus from the literature is that increasing wind penetration reduces wholesale electricity prices, but views vary as to what degree this translates into reduced retail prices for the consumer.

This work demonstrates the effect of wind energy penetration on the price of electricity in Ireland using quantitative data from the …

The Energy Trilogy: An Integrated Sustainability Model To Bridge Wastewater Treatment Plant Energy And Emissions Gaps, A. Adhim A. Altalibi

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

An estimated 4% of national energy consumption is used for drinking water and wastewater services. Despite the awareness and optimization initiatives for energy conservation, energy consumption is on the rise owing to population and urbanization expansion and to commercial and industrial business advancement. The principal concern is since energy consumption grows, the higher will be the energy production demand, leading to an increase in CO2 footprints and the contribution to global warming potential.

This research is in the area of energy-water nexus, focusing on wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) energy trilogy - the group of three related entities, which includes …

Controlled De-Cross-Linking And Disentanglement Of Feather Keratin For Fiber Preparation Via A Novel Process, Helan Xu, Yiqi Yang

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Pure protein fibers were fabricated from chicken feathers via a potentially green process. In the last several decades, efforts have been made to produce keratin-based industrial products, especially fibers. However, the methods of producing keratin fibers directly from chicken feathers could not be repeated. In this research, protein fibers from chicken feathers were developed using chemicals that could be either derived from renewable resources or facilely recycled. Backbones of keratin were preserved after cleavage of disulfide bonds using cysteine. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was applied to dissolve keratin for spinning. Increasing SDS concentration intensified the ordered conformation of keratin, first …

Nebraska Water Center, Robert B. Daugherty Water For Food Institute, University Of Nebraska (Handout), Nebraska Water Center

Nebraska Water Center: Administrative Materials

Who We Are: The Nebraska Water Center (NWC), established by Congress in 1964 as one of 54 Water Resources Research Institutes nationwide, focuses on helping the University of Nebraska (NU) become an international leader in water research, teaching, extension and outreach by facilitating programs that will result in NU becoming a premiere institution in the study of agricultural and domestic water use. The NWC helps arrange research addressing water problems or water understanding; helps new water researchers and engineers; and publishes research results to water professionals and the public through publications, colloquiums and conferences, lectures and tours. The NWC is …

Membrane Efficiency Of A Dense Prehydrated Gcl, Michael A. Malusis, Akmal Daniyarov

Other Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

The Fate Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus From A Simulated Highway Cross-Section, Zuzanna Wasowska

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nutrient pollution as a result of excessive fertilizer application is of major concern for Florida's water resources. Excess fertilizer can be lost either via surface runoff or by leaching through the soil mass eventually reaching water bodies and leading to eutrophication. The focus of this study is to analyze the effect of low rainfall intensities and overland flow from an adjacent roadway surface on the loss of nutrients from two different fertilizers. This study focuses on the fate of the nitrogen and phosphorus present in fertilizers utilized by the Florida Department of Transportation for the stabilization of highway embankments. This …

Development Of A Chemical Kinetic Model For The Combustion Of A Synthesis Gas From A Fluidized-Bed Sewage Sludge Gasifier In A Thermal Oxidizer, Luis Martinez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The need for sustainability has been on the rise. Municipalities are finding ways of reducing waste, but also finding ways to reduce energy costs. Waste-to-energy is a sustainable method that may reduce bio-solids volume while also producing energy. In this research study bio-solids enters a bubbling bed gasifier and within the gasifier a synthesis gas is produced. This synthesis gas exits through the top of the gasifier and enters a thermal oxidizer for combustion. The thermal oxidizer has an innovative method of oxidizing the synthesis gas. The thermal oxidizer has two air injection sites and the possibility for aqueous ammonia …

Optimization Of Block Layout And Evaluation Of Collection Mat Materials For Polyacrylamide Treatment Channels, Alicia Mcdougal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Construction sites are frequently cited as major sources of pollution that degrade the quality of surface water. The highly erodible topsoil is transported off site by stormwater runoff causing negative effects downstream. Research has shown that the small particles, which are the most susceptible to erosive forces, have more pollutants associated with them than larger soil particles. Currently, in the state of Florida, it is not permissible to discharge water to a receiving water body if the turbidity is more than 29 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTUs) above background or higher than background for an outstanding Florida water body. The removal …

Equity And Fairness In Transport Planning: The State Of Play, Sarah Rock, Aoife Ahern Prof., Brian Caulfield Dr.

Conference Papers

This paper explores the concept of equity, or fairness, in transport. As a pillar of sustainable development, social equity is an important objective of transport planning. The provision of transport infrastructure can have significant equity impacts on society through the distribution of costs and benefits. In recent years, there has been an increase in research interest in transportation related equity issues. The paper outlines the primary theoretical traditions that relate to equity and transport equity, and how equity concerns are currently addressed and evaluated in academia and in practice. Recent research has attempted to establish stronger principles from which to …

Seed Tape Effects On Corn Emergence Under Greenhouse Conditions, Ramarao Venkatesh, Peter R. Thomison, Colette K. Gabriel, Mark A. Bennett, Elaine M. Grassbaugh, Matthew D. Kleinhenz, Scott A. Shearer, Santosh Pitla

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Seed tape has recently received attention as an alternative planting system for smallholder farmers in underdeveloped regions of South America, Africa, China, and India (Mateus, 2014). Seed companies are also developing seed-tape planting systems for germplasm evaluations (Deppermann et al., 2013). Although seed tape has been promoted as a method for ensuring uniform seed spacing and plant density of small-seeded flowers, herbs, and vegetables (Chancellor, 1969), little or no information is available on the use of seed tape for larger-seeded row crops and its effect on crop emergence. The objective of this study was to compare the emergence of corn …

Fate Of Antimicrobials And Antimicrobial Resistance Genes In Simulated Swine Manure Storage, Stacey R. Joy, Xu Li, Daniel D. Snow, John Gilley, Bryan L. Woodbury, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The behavior of three antibiotics (bacitracin, chlortetracycline, and tylosin) and two classes of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), tet and erm, were monitored in swine manure slurry under anaerobic conditions. First-order decay rates were determined for each antibiotic with half-lives ranging from1 day (chlortetracycline) to 10 days (tylosin). ARGs were monitored in the swine manure slurry, and losses of approximately 1 to 3 orders of magnitude in relative abundance were observed during the 40 day storage period. First-order degradation profiles were observed for chlortetracycline and its corresponding resistance genes, tet(X) and tet(Q). Tylosin was degraded to approximately 10% …

Experimental And Modelling Evaluation Of Slagging Behaviour Of German Lignite, Martin Kaiser, Alexander Ilyushechkin

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

The behaviour of mineral matter is important for the characterisation of coal for use in entrained-flow gasification technologies. We investigated four behavioural characteristics—ash fusion temperatures (AFT), slag viscosity versus temperature profiles, temperatures of critical viscosity (TCV), and slag phase compositions—of Rhenish lignite coal ash using laboratory and modelling tools. Our modelling of AFT using coal ash composition provided a wide range of data, with only one (modified) model demonstrating agreement with experimental data. Experimental slag viscosity data were obtained over a temperature range from 1200uC to 1500uC. Where relevant, TCV was also measured. Comparison of these data to the calculated …

The Hydraulic Conductivity Structure Of Gravel-Dominated Vadose Zones Within Alluvial Floodplains, Ronald B. Miller, Derek M. Heeren, Garey A. Fox, Todd Halihan, Daniel E. Storm, Aaron R. Mittelstet

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The floodplains of many gravel-bed streams have a general stratigraphy that consists of a layer of topsoil covering gravel-dominated subsoil. Previous research has demonstrated that this stratigraphy can facilitate preferential groundwater flow through focused linear features, such as paleochannels, or gravelly regions within the vadose zone. These areas within the floodplain vadose zone may provide a route for interactions between the floodplain surface and alluvial groundwater, effectively extending the hyporheic zone across the floodplain during high stream stage. The objective of this research was to assess the structure and scale of texture heterogeneity within the vadose zone within the gravel …

Fly Ash As A Potential Scrubber Of Acidic Wastes From The Phosphate Industries In Israel, Roy Nir Lieberman, Eli Lederman, Ithamar Pelly, Haim Cohen

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Fly ash (FA) is produced in Israeli utilities via bituminous coal combustion. It is used as a cement additive or in concrete production, and its economic value is low. The FA produced in Israel is very basic (defined as class F) owing to ambient air quality standards that impose low sulfur content in the imported coals. Because the lime content is high (in the South African coal, ,10 wt%), it is a good potential chemical scrubber to acidic wastes. The phosphate industry in Israel produces mainly phosphate fertilizers and water-treatment products as well as phosphoric acid. The production methods rely …

Geochemistry And Mineralogy Of Coal-Fired Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion Fly Ashes, Luis F.O. Silva, Marcos L.S. Oliveira, Rubens M. Kautzmann, Claudete G. Ramos, Maria Izquierdo, Shifeng Dai, Jennifer Wilcox, Jeremy Hoffman, James C. Hower

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

The fuel, bed ash, and fly ash were sampled from a circulating fluidized bed combustion (CFBC) unit at two times. The first sampling was a high-sulfur (S) coal-only run, and the second sampling coincided with an experimental burn of up to 10% switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) pressed pellets mixed with a high-S coal. The latter blend had a higher moisture content and a lower heating value than the coal-only fuel. Given the time between the samplings and the special needs for the experimental run, unavoidable changes in the coal and limestone complicate comparisons of the bed ash and fly ash chemistry …

Study Of The Formation And Control Of Disinfection By-Products Originating From A Surface Water Supply On The Volcanic Island Of Guam, Erica Laberge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Three oxidants have been evaluated for use as alternative chemical pretreatments for Fena Lake, a surface water that supplies the U.S. Navy's Public Water System (PWS) on the volcanic island of Guam. The study consisted of two investigative components. The first and primary component included a bench-scale evaluation to study the effects of different pre-oxidant chemicals on the formation of chlorinated disinfection by-products (DBPs). The second and ancillary component included a series of water treatment and distribution system management studies that analyzed DBP formation within the treatment plant and water distribution system. The goal of this research was to reduce …

Quantitative Assessments Of Municipal Waste Management Systems: Using Different Indicators To Compare And Rank Programs In New York State, Krista L. Greene, David J. Tonjes

Technology & Society Faculty Publications

The primary objective of waste management technologies and policies in theUnited Statesis to reduce the harmful environmental impacts of waste, particularly those relating to energy consumption and climate change. Performance indicators are frequently used to evaluate the environmental quality of municipal waste systems, as well as to compare and rank programs relative to each other in terms of environmental performance. However, there currently is no consensus on the best indicator for performing these environmental evaluations. The purpose of this study is to examine the common performance indicators used to assess the environmental benefits of municipal waste systems to determine if …

A Review Of The Hyporheic Zone, Stream Restoration, And Means To Enhance Denitrification, Leanne Merill, David J. Tonjes

Technology & Society Faculty Publications

The hyporheic zone is the subsurface area below and adjacent to a stream where groundwater mixes with stream water, through vertical, lateral, and longitudinal flows. The hyporheic zone connects the stream to uplands and other terrestrial environments. It is a zone of distinct faunal communities, high biological diversity and ecological complexity, and is the site of chemical processing and transformations of ground- and stream waters. The hyporheic zone is important to the overall ecosystem ecology of the stream, and it can influence stream water chemistry. Flows, reactions, and biota in the hyporheic zone are heterogeneous and patchy, making it difficult …

The Sky Is Falling Ii: Impact Of Deposition Produced During The Static Testing Of Solid Rocket Motors On Corn And Alfalfa, William J. Doucette, Scout Mendenhall, Laurie S. Mcneill, Justin Heavilin

Reports

Tests of horizontally restrained rocket motors at the ATK facility in Promontory, Utah,USA result in the deposition of an estimated 1.5 million kg of entrained soil and combustion products (mainly aluminum oxide, gaseous hydrogen chloride and water) on the surrounding area. The deposition is referred to as test fire soil (TFS). Farmers observing TFS deposited on their crops expressed concerns regarding the impact of this material. To address these concerns, we exposed corn and alfalfa to TFS collected during a September 2009 test. The impact was evaluated by comparing the growth and tissue composition of controls relative to the treatments. …

Water Recovery From Silica Saturated Ro Concentrate By The Concentrate Enhanced Reverse Osmosis Process, Gautam Patwardhan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Membrane fouling due to silica precipitation during reverse osmosis (RO) continues to be documented as the most common challenge in attaining stable continuous operation of RO systems across water treatment plants (1). Silica scale precipitation is time dependent and involves multiple steps leading to aqueous polymerization, condensation of polymers to form colloids, and deposition onto a solid surface (2). Exceeding the solubility of silica, widely considered to be in the range of 100-140 ppm, under a pH of 8 at 25 °C by various researchers, results in the precipitation of silica on the membranes, thereby limiting water recovery. Once the …

Methods For Estimating Sediment Yield And Dam Capacity In The Great Lakes Watershed, Jennifer Hui

Wayne State University Theses

Sedimentation is the most important factor in the longevity of dams built in the United States. As most dams are reaching their capacity for sediment storage, this study investigated the historical and predicted future rates of sediment accumulation as well as the remaining storage capacity. This study examined the mechanisms influencing sediment production and storage in the watershed to provide future insight regarding potential control of this process. Twelve reservoirs throughout the Great Lakes watershed were selected and analyzed for their greater applicability to the entire watershed. Both historic and new data were collected on these dams to determine how …

Trends In Coal Utilization And Coal Combustion Product Production In Kentucky: Results Of The 2012 Survey Of Power Plants, James C. Hower, Gerald A. Thomas, Shelley G. Hopps

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

The University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research has conducted a survey of Kentucky’s utility coal-fired power plants every 5 years since 1992. The survey includes a collection of the feed coal and the coal combustion products (CCPs). The latest collection was in 2012, with the accompanying information survey covering trends in 2011. Overall coal-fired energy production decreased, and the nature of the CCPs changed for a number of reasons, including but not limited to, increased gas production in the Appalachians, a series of warm winters, energy conservation, depletion of Appalachian coal reserves, and utility responses to regulations. From …

2014 Nebraska Water Monitoring Programs Report, Marty Link, Ryan Chapman

Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality: Reports

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) is charged with monitoring, assessing, and to the extent possible, managing the state’s water resources. The purpose of this work is to protect and maintain high quality water and encourage or execute activities to improve poor water quality. Monitoring is done on nearly 17,000 miles of flowing rivers and streams, more than 134,000 acres of surface water in lakes and reservoirs, as well as the vast storage of groundwater in Nebraska’s aquifers.

2014 Nebraska Groundwater Quality Monitoring Report

Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality: Reports

The 2001 Nebraska Legislature passed LB329 (Neb. Rev. Stat. §46-1304) which, in part, directed the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) to report on groundwater quality monitoring in Nebraska. Reports have been issued annually since December 2001. The text of the statute applicable to this report follows: “The Department of Environmental Quality shall prepare a report outlining the extent of ground water quality monitoring conducted by natural resources districts during the preceding calendar year. The department shall analyze the data collected for the purpose of determining whether or not ground water quality is degrading or improving and shall present the …

Nebraska Water Center Annual Report 2014, Nebraska Water Center

Nebraska Water Center: Administrative Materials

Letter from the Director

I am pleased to present this annual report on the activities, finances and many accomplishments of the Nebraska Water Center (NWC) during 2013 and 2014, a time when the NWC is celebrating its Golden Anniversary. More than being a simple look back at where we’ve been and what we have accomplished over the past year, this report looks forward to the complex challenges and exciting opportunities that lie ahead of us. We are now an integral part of the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute (DWFI), a growing global institute focused on one of the …

Decelerating Open Channel Flow Over Gravel: Turbulence Structure & Sensor Development, Robert L. Stewart Iii

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

This dissertation describes investigations of fully turbulent decelerating hydraulically roughbed flow over gravel and the development of technology to measure turbulence and associated sediment transport in streams. Theory is developed for predicting velocity distributions in simple uniform flow using the asymptotic invariance principle and tested using laboratory and field collected data. A mixed scale is developed that accounts for bed derived turbulent structures throughout the flows depth and is used to parameterize the external boundary’s effect on the flow for the logarithmic and outer layers. The asymptotic invariance principle and similarity analysis is conducted for the equations of motion in …

The Effects Of Bam As An Adsorptive Media On Phosphorus Removal In Stormwater, Sultan Salamah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To maintain the quality of receiving water bodies, it is desirable to remove total phosphorus (TP) in stormwater runoff. Many media filtration technologies have been developed to achieve TP and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) removal. Efficient media adsorption is essential to insure control of stormwater phosphorus inputs to the receiving water body. This project develops and analyzes a functionalized Biosorption Media (BAM) to remove phosphorus species from stormwater runoff. One goal of this project is to find the BAM values for coefficients such as maximum adsorption capacity (QM: 4.35E-05) for the media through SRP isotherm equilibrium experiments using the Langmuir …

Performance Evaluation Of Two Silt Fence Geosynthetic Fabrics During And After Rainfall Event, Gregg Dubinsky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Silt fence is one of the most widely used perimeter control devices and is considered an industry standard for use in the control of sediment transport from construction sites. Numerous research studies have been conducted on the use of silt fence as a perimeter control, including a number of studies involving controlled laboratory flume tests and outdoor tests performed in the field on construction sites with actual monitored storm events. In field tests, due to the random and uncontrollable nature of real storm events and field conditions, studies have shown difficulty in evaluating silt fence performance. These field studies have …

Development Of Treatment Train Techniques For The Evaluation Of Low Impact Development In Urban Regions, Mike Hardin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stormwater runoff from urban areas is a major source of pollution to surface water bodies. The discharge of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus is particularly damaging as it results in harmful algal blooms which can limit the beneficial use of a water body. Stormwater best management practices (BMPs) have been developed over the years to help address this issue. While BMPs have been investigated for years, their use has been somewhat limited due to the fact that much of the data collected is for specific applications, in specific regions, and it is unknown how these systems will perform in …

Evaluation Of Iron And Manganese Control For A Volcanic Surface Water Supply Treated With Conventional Coagulation, Sedimentation And Filtration Processes, Christine Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A research project assessing the effectiveness of potassium permanganate (KMnO4) for the treatment of iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) has been conducted by the University of Central Florida (UCF) on behalf of the United States Navy with regards to the water supply on the island of Guam, located in the Marianas Islands. The study consisted of three basic investigative components: one that examined the use of potassium permanganate for iron and manganese control for Fena Lake, a second that examined the existing unit operations that comprised the Navy's water treatment plant (NWTP), and a third that examined iron and manganese …