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Environmental Sciences

Theses and Dissertations

Groundwater--Pollution

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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Development Of A Screening Model For Design And Costing Of An Innovative Tailored Granular Activated Carbon Technology To Treat Perchlorate-Contaminated Water, William C. Powell Mar 2007

Development Of A Screening Model For Design And Costing Of An Innovative Tailored Granular Activated Carbon Technology To Treat Perchlorate-Contaminated Water, William C. Powell

Theses and Dissertations

Perchlorate contamination of drinking water is a problem that has recently gained national attention. The purpose of this research was to develop a tool to predict the cost and performance of tailored granular activated carbon (T-GAC), an innovative technology to treat perchlorate-contaminated water. The ability to predict cost and performance is essential to promote transfer and commercialization of innovative technologies. This study investigated how data obtained from small-scale laboratory tests could be applied to predict cost and performance of a full-scale T-GAC system to treat perchlorate-contaminated water. A technology model was developed using GAC design principles and using a multi-component …


Characterization Of Chlorinated Ethene Degradation In A Vertical Flow Constructed Wetland, James M. Waldron Mar 2007

Characterization Of Chlorinated Ethene Degradation In A Vertical Flow Constructed Wetland, James M. Waldron

Theses and Dissertations

Chlorinated solvents, including perchloroethene (PCE) and trichlorethene (TCE), are among the most common groundwater contaminants found in the United States. Once released into the environment, chlorinated solvents are extremely persistent and often require costly and lengthy remedial actions. The use of constructed wetlands has shown promise as an effective and less costly alternative for the treatment of chlorinated solvent contaminated groundwater. This study characterized and evaluated the concentration of chlorinated ethenes within a vertical flow constructed wetland, fed with PCE contaminated groundwater, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), Ohio. Chlorinated ethene concentrations were characterized within three distinct layers of the …


Analysis Of Bacterial Population And Distribution In The Developing Strata Of A Constructed Wetland Used For Chlorinated Ethene Bioremediation, Milton J. Clausen Jr. Mar 2006

Analysis Of Bacterial Population And Distribution In The Developing Strata Of A Constructed Wetland Used For Chlorinated Ethene Bioremediation, Milton J. Clausen Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Chlorinated hydrocarbons and their degradation products are among of the most common organic groundwater contaminates in the United States. These compounds attack the central nervous system in animals and can affect the photosynthesis of plants. These compounds are also resistant to degradation in the environment and, because of this, pose a risk to any ecosystem in which they are present. This study identified the dominant microbial species in a constructed treatment wetland at Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Samples were taken from three different depths and during each of the four seasons. These samples were …


Modeling Application Of Hydrogen Release Compound To Effect In Situ Bioremediation Of Chlorinated Solvent-Contaminated Groundwater, Ryan C. Wood Mar 2005

Modeling Application Of Hydrogen Release Compound To Effect In Situ Bioremediation Of Chlorinated Solvent-Contaminated Groundwater, Ryan C. Wood

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates how application of Hydrogen Release Compound (HRC) might be implemented to remediate a site contaminated with tetrachloroethene (PCE) or its daughter products, under varying site conditions. The 3-D reactive transport model RT3D was coupled with a dual-Monod biodegradation submodel to simulate the effect of the hydrogen generated by HRC on accelerating the biodegradation of dissolved chlorinated solvents. Varying site conditions and injection well configurations were investigated to determine the effect of these environmental and design conditions on overall treatment efficiency. The model was applied to data obtained at a chlorinated solvent contaminated site at Vandenberg AFB, where …


Modeling A Field Application Of In Situ Bioremediation Of Perchlorate-Contaminated Groundwater Using Horizontal Flow Treatment Wells (Hftws), Peter G. Chosa Mar 2004

Modeling A Field Application Of In Situ Bioremediation Of Perchlorate-Contaminated Groundwater Using Horizontal Flow Treatment Wells (Hftws), Peter G. Chosa

Theses and Dissertations

Perchlorate contaminated groundwater is rapidly becoming a significant environmental remediation issue for the Department of Defense. In this study, an existing numerical model that simulates the operation of a Horizontal Flow Treatment Well (HFTW) system to effect the in situ biodegradation of perchlorate through the addition of an electron donor is modified to include a submodel that describes bioclogging. Bioclogging restricts flow out of the HFTW due to the accumulation of biomass directly adjacent to the well. The modified model is then applied to an existing perchlorate contaminated site that will be used for an evaluation of the HFTW technology. …


Palladium-Catalyzed Destruction Of Nitro Aromatic-Contaminated Groundwater, Dennis Landon Phillips Mar 2003

Palladium-Catalyzed Destruction Of Nitro Aromatic-Contaminated Groundwater, Dennis Landon Phillips

Theses and Dissertations

Of the over 17,000 DoD sites that potentially require remediation, sites containing soil and groundwater contaminated by energetic compounds are prevalent (Larson et al., 2001). Production of energetics such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), hexahydro-1,3,5 - trinitro- 1,3,5 -triazine (RDX), and octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro- 1,3,5,7-tetrasocine (HMX) for use in munitions has created a DoD-wide problem due to improper disposal techniques (Price et al., 2001), Nitro aromatic compounds (NACs) similar to those used in explosives can also be found in insecticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, dyes, plastics, and many other commonly used products. The natural breakdown of these contaminants creates byproducts such as amines, which are known …


A Model For Palladium Catalyzed Destruction Of Chlorinated Ethenes In Contaminated Groundwater, Christopher M. Stoppel Mar 2001

A Model For Palladium Catalyzed Destruction Of Chlorinated Ethenes In Contaminated Groundwater, Christopher M. Stoppel

Theses and Dissertations

Groundwater contamination by chlorinated ethenes is a widespread environmental problem. Conventional remediation technologies have shortcomings that have prompted further research into the development of novel treatment technologies. A palladium/ alumina catalyst in the presence of dissolved molecular hydrogen (referred to hereafter as a PD/H2 system) has been demonstrated to rapidly destroy chlorinated ethene contaminated groundwater. First-order kinetics have been used to model chlorinated ethene destruction in a PD/H2 reactor. However, catalyst deactivation and regeneration are important processes that also need to be modeled in order to better understand their effect on treatment efficiency. This study presents a model …


Quantitative Validation Of A Model Of Chlorinated Ethene Natural Attenuation, Harold C. Young Mar 2001

Quantitative Validation Of A Model Of Chlorinated Ethene Natural Attenuation, Harold C. Young

Theses and Dissertations

Chlorinated ethenes are among the most prevalent groundwater contaminants at hazardous waste sites nationwide. In an attempt to manage the risks posed by these contaminants, while controlling costs, monitored natural attenuation (MNA) is being considered as a remediation strategy at many sites. MNA relies on naturally occurring physical, chemical, and biological processes in the subsurface to reduce the risk posed by the contamination. The implementation of MNA, however, requires a detailed understanding of these processes, and how they impact contamination at a particular site. One way to gain this understanding is through contaminant fate and transport modeling. In this study, …


Determining The Value Of Groundwater Contamination Source Removal: A Methodology, Benjamin C. Recker Mar 2001

Determining The Value Of Groundwater Contamination Source Removal: A Methodology, Benjamin C. Recker

Theses and Dissertations

Subsurface contamination by industrial chemicals is one of the most prevalent and costly environmental problems facing the United States government. This contamination problem must be managed to protect human health and the environment. Two basic strategies are used to deal with subsurface contamination: source removal and contaminant containment. While much cost and performance data are available for individual technologies associated with each of these strategies, there have been very few studies that have examined the benefits of implementing source removal technologies in order to reduce contaminant containment (and hopefully total) costs. This study examines the tradeoff between extent of source …