Engineering Commons^™

Using Food-Industry Byproduct To Treat Expansive Clay, Nicole L. Shaw

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Lime stabilization has proven to be a valuable method in improving the properties of expansive clays under light structures such as those in transportation projects where ground improvement methods are often necessary over a large area. Hydrous and quick lime products are also utilized in various types of food processing operations to remove impurities from agricultural products. During this purification, waste is produced consisting of precipitated calcium carbonate, organic debris, and trace amounts of soil and agricultural contaminants. This food-processing waste typically contains commercially available unspent lime products, which are still viable for construction applications. Hence, this type of waste …

Measuring Engineering Students' Engagement In Sustainability Design Concepts, Karen Aide Perez

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Within industries, governments, and accreditation organizations, there has been a push to incorporate sustainability concepts into their models. Universities like Boise State University (BSU) have already begun to place greater emphasis in inclusion of sustainability concepts in different engineering department curricula. As part of this effort, BSU plans to redesign courses to integrate sustainability concepts using active learning modules (ALMs) suited for each grade level and discipline. The effectiveness of these modules will be evaluated across disciplines. In support of this larger goal, the work in this study will specifically focus on mechanical engineering students.

A survey instrument was developed …

Mxenes As Flow Electrodes For Capacitive Deionization Of Wastewater, Naqsh E. Mansoor

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The energy-water nexus poses an integrated research challenge, while opening up an opportunity space for the development of energy efficient technologies for water remediation. Capacitive Deionization (CDI) is an upcoming reclamation technology that uses a small applied voltage applied across electrodes to electrophoretically remove dissolved ionic impurities from wastewater streams. Similar to a supercapacitor, the ions are stored in the electric double layer of the electrodes. Reversing the polarity of applied voltage enables recovery of the removed ionic impurities, allowing for recycling and reuse. Simultaneous materials recovery and water reclamation makes CDI energy efficient and resource conservative, with potential to …

A Unified Risk-Based Framework For Assessing Sustainability And Resiliency Of Civil Infrastructure, Thomas Adam Robbins

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

As of February 2019, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has reported since 1880 the average global temperature has increased 1°C, with the warmest year on record being 2016. As the years continue to pass, it is becoming more evident that climate change is occurring, which is known to be a catalyst for climatic weather events. Statistically speaking, these events are more prevalent, and catastrophic exemplified as hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding, and fires. In addition to the increase of potentially catastrophic events, society as a whole has become more conscientious in the use and preservation of natural resources, waste generation, …