Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons^™

Uav-Based Sensor Integration For In-Situ Lake Water Quality Monitoring, Alec R. Campbell

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Surface water monitoring is often constrained by limited spatial and temporal coverage due to the labor-intensive nature of traditional sampling methods, particularly in environments that are difficult to access or pose safety risks. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer a promising solution by enabling more frequent, spatially distributed, and cost-effective data collection. This study presented the design, development, and field evaluation of a UAV-based system for real-time, in-situ water quality monitoring. The system integrated multiple sensors, including oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), RGB spectrometry, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), and a multispectral spectrometer within a UAV platform.

Field testing was conducted …

Enhanced Cuckoo Search-Based Optimization For Single Distributed Generation Placement And Sizing In Radial Distribution Systems, Samson Oladayo Ayanlade, Abdulrasaq Jimoh, Richard Oladayo Olarewaju, Ignatius Kema Okakwu, Israel O. Adejumobi, Joseph B. Samson, Oluwadare A. Adebisi, Oluwadare O. Akinrogunde

Al-Bahir

This paper presents an Enhanced Cuckoo Search Algorithm (ECSA) to optimally place and size Distributed Generation (DG) in radial distribution systems to minimize real power loss within operating constraints. The proposed ECSA has exponentially decaying adaptive Lévy flights, constraint-aware solution repair with dynamic penalty coefficients, and diversity-directed stochastic replacement to enhance search robustness and convergence speed. It was tested with 30 independent runs on the IEEE 33-bus, IEEE 69-bus, and a practical Nigerian 32-bus distribution network. The simulations show that the ECSA lowers the active power loss of the IEEE 33-bus system from 201.58 kW to 102.75 kW (49.03%), and …

Ammonia Synthesis By Nanosecond Pulsed Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jets Impinging On Water, Zach Caudell, Lynnet Rich, Olga Pakhomova, Chunqi Jiang

Bioelectrics Publications

Developing energy-efficient technologies for carbon-neutral ammonia (NH₃) synthesis is critical for decentralized fertilizer production and global decarbonization. This study investigates generating NH₃ from water using a nanosecond pulsed atmospheric pressure plasma jet (ns‑APPJ) operating in either N₂ or dry air. The plasma jet reactor employed approximately 250 ns, up-to-22 kV pulses at 500 Hz to sustain a nonequilibrium discharge impinging directly on static liquid water. The kinetics, energy efficiency, and product selectivity of NH3 formation were quantified as functions of the pulse voltage, repetition frequency (PRF), and gas flow rate. NH₃ production increased linearly with treatment time and scaled strongly …

Traditional Energy And Renewable Energy And Their Implications On Sustainable Development (Examples From Lebanon And The World), Radwan Ejel

Al Jinan الجنان

This study aims to introduce the types of fossil and renewable energies by presenting the various associated concepts. It shows their characteristics, in addition to the concept of sustainable development, to show the extent of traditional energy's repercussions on sustainable development and the role of renewable energies in promoting its concept through its three economic, social, and environmental dimensions. It also presents some statistical models on renewable energy, especially solar energy in Lebanon, the Arab world, and the world.

Previously, man used to invest in traditional fossil energy, such as oil, gas, and coal, to meet his economic and technological …

Impulse, Spring 2025, Jill Fier, Micayla Standish, Jerome J. Lohr College Of Engineering

Impulse (Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering Publication)

2 | Faculty, Staff Honored
4 | The State of Lithium
6 | 100 Years of Ag and Biosystems Engineering
8 | Major Milestones
12 | Distinguished Engineer Geldert-Murphy
14 | Distinguished Engineering Heitkamp
16 | By the Numbers
18 | Space Grant Consortium at SDSU
20 | Healthcare Systems Engineering Program
22 | Ridgway Three-Peat
23 | Aerospace Club Launches
24 | Power and Energy Scholarships
25 | More Take Part in Nasa Challenges
26 | Weber Recognized as Student Leader
30 | Wild Hare Racing Ready
32| Sebern’s Success as Sole Operator
34 | Meink: From Prairie to …

Safety Monitoring & Intelligent Power Distribution Systems For Compact Agricultural Equipment, Mason O. Bradley

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

The agricultural industry continues to be one of the most dangerous career fields in the United States of America with compact agricultural equipment being a common source for casualties in the industry. The primary focus of this work is to develop new technology that improves operational safety of compact agricultural equipment through the use of low-cost embedded electronics. This work presents the design of three systems in alignment with this goal.

The first system aims to integrate electrical intelligence and passive safety monitoring into the power distribution system of a small piece of agricultural equipment. The system known as the …

Jovial Family Farm Facilitates Intergenerational Learning Opportunities Through Urban Farming, Maera Williams

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Maera Williams is a sophomore in Environmental and Ecological Engineering at Purdue University. She joined the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) Urban Farming team as a freshman and now serves as project manager of ten undergraduate students collaborating with Jovial Family Farm to design and develop three indoor hydroponics systems for a laboratory space on their property in Broad Ripple, IN. Jovial Family Farm is a nonprofit organization founded by Drs. Bobbie and Brian Jellison with the mission to provide senior citizens, their families, and their communities with meaningful engagement opportunities on an intergenerational scale through urban agricultural activities. …

Modernization Of Water Flow Measurement In Open Irrigation Systems Using The Slope-Area Method, R.M. Aliev, Djalilov Anvar

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

This article describes two methods for determining water flow in open irrigation systems: “speed - area” and “slope - area”. The authors considered the problem of its modernization using the existing method for determining water flow “slope - area” in open irrigation systems. The essence of the issue is the remote transfer of parameters necessary for calculating water flow in open irrigation systems and improving the means of their processing. In scientific studies conducted by the authors, the required hydraulic parameters were studied using the “slope - area” and “speed - area” water flow methods. Based on experimentally obtained data, …

Fair Fault-Tolerant Approach For Access Point Failures In Networked Control System Greenhouses, Mohammed Ali Yaslam Ba Humaish

Theses and Dissertations

Greenhouse Networked Control Systems (NCS) are popular applications in modern agriculture due to their ability to monitor and control various environmental factors that can affect crop growth and quality. However, designing and operating a greenhouse in the context of NCS could be challenging due to the need for highly available and cost-efficient systems. This thesis presents a design methodology for greenhouse NCS that addresses these challenges, offering a framework to optimize crop productivity, minimize costs, and improve system availability and reliability. It contributes several innovations to the field of greenhouse NCS design. For example, it recommends using the 2.4GHz frequency …

Structural Construction And Surface Modification Of Copper Current Collectors For Lithium Metal Batteries, Yaohua Liang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Graphene, a prevalent anode material in commercial lithium-ion batteries, has reached its theoretical capacity limit. The imperative is to develop high-capacity anode materials to meet the growing demand for energy density. Lithium metal, renowned for its exceptionally high theoretical specific capacity density (3680 mAh g-1) and low reduction potential (-3.04 V, relative to the standard hydrogen electrode), is commonly dubbed the "Holy Grail" for negative electrode materials in high-energy-density batteries. However, practical advancements in lithium metal anodes face obstacles like low Coulombic efficiency, limited cycle life, and heightened reactivity to the electrolyte and internal short circuits resulting from lithium dendrite …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Renovating The Ipmu Via Internet Of Things For Pollutant Emission Estimations In Poultry Facilities, Joshua Dotto

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The emissions of ammonia (NH₃), particulate matter (PM_2.5), and carbon dioxide (CO₂) are major concerns in poultry facilities. They can pose environmental concerns and nuances. Robust and affordable measurement systems are needed to accurately measure in-barn concentrations and quantify the emissions.

The Intelligent Portable Monitoring Unit (iPMU or PMU3) developed in 2016 was reconstructed into PMU4 to include upgraded NH₃ and PM_2.5 sensors and wireless connectivity for a low-cost, robust, and accurate air quality monitoring device with contactless data transfer using the concept of Internet of Things (IoT). In addition, a user-friendly …

Optimal And Robust Control Problems Of Microalgae Cultivation, Mariana Rodriguez-Jara, Luis A. Ricardez-Sandoval, Carlos E. Ramirez-Castelan, Hector Puebla

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Creating An Automatic Lowering Function For Quarter-Scale Tractor Pulling Sled, Sam Wilkins

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

As the agricultural industry works to continuously integrate innovative technology and improve production efficiency, improved on-board data acquisition and transmission will be necessary for all agricultural machines. To make this a reality, the utilization of controller area network (CAN) technology will be crucial. Therefore, it is important for all agricultural engineers to have foundational knowledge of CAN bus systems and the standards that govern their use in industry. The UNL quarter-scale tractor team regularly utilizes CAN buses on their tractors and testing equipment. One such testing machine is the team’s pulling sled, which uses CAN messages to transport important information …

Non-Destructive Evaluation Of White Striping And Microbial Spoilage Of Broiler Breast Meat Using Structured-Illumination Reflectance Imaging, Ebenezer O. Olaniyi

Theses and Dissertations

Manual inspection is a prevailing practice for quality assessment of poultry meat, but it is labor-intensive, tedious, and subjective. This thesis aims to assess the efficacy of an emerging structured illumination reflectance imaging (SIRI) technique with machine learning approaches for assessing WS and microbial spoilage in broiler breast meat. Broiler breast meat samples were imaged by an in house-assembled SIRI platform under sinusoidal illumination. In first experiment, handcrafted texture features were extracted from direct component (DC, corresponding to conventional uniform illumination) and amplitude component (AC, unique to the use of sinusoidal illumination) images retrieved from raw SIRI pattern images build …

Analyzing Energy Use From Arkansas Public School Buildings, Oscar Morton

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Energy is a key global resource in society and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to the consumption of energy have detrimental effects on the planet. With energy consumption increasing, exponential population growth, and diminishing natural resources necessary for energy production, the relevance of energy efficiency is dramatically increasing. In this project, I analyzed energy usage data from a set of public school buildings from one school district in northwest Arkansas from 2018, before targeted energy efficiency practices were implemented, through 2022 to see if energy usage changed over this short period. The objectives of analyzing energy data were to determine …

Unmanned Aircraft Systems For Precision Meteorology: An Analysis Of Gnss Position Measurement Error And Embedded Sensor Development, Karla S. Ladino

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

The overarching objective of this research was to enhance our comprehension of the three-dimensional precision of meteorological measurements obtained using small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Two complimentary experiments were conducted to achieve this objective.

The first experiment entailed the development and implementation of a system to determine the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) position accuracy on a UAS platform. This system was utilized to assess the static and dynamic accuracy of L1 and L1/L2 GNSS receivers in real-time kinematic (RTK) and non-RTK fix modes. Adjusted two-sample t-tests revealed significant differences in horizontal and vertical error between RTK and non-RTK receivers …

Life Cycle Assessment Of Air Classification As A Sulfur Mitigation Technology In Pine Residue Feedstocks, Ashlee Edmonson

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Sulfur accumulation during biofuel production is pollutive, toxic to conversion catalysts, and causes the premature breakdown of processing equipment. Air classification is an effective preprocessing technology for ash and sulfur removal from biomass feedstocks. A life cycle assessment (LCA) sought to understand the environmental impacts of implementing air classification as a sulfur-mitigation technique for pine residues. Energy demand and material balance for preprocessing were simulated using SimaPro and the Argonne National Laboratory’s GREET model, specifically focusing on comparing the global warming potential (GWP) of grid electricity versus bioelectricity scenarios. Overall, the grid electricity scenario had a GWP impact over 7 …

Techno-Economic Feasibility Of Electrifying Food Markets In Nigeria With Biogas Hybrid Mini-Grids, Demi Temitope Ogunwo

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis explored the feasibility of electrifying a food market in an urban city in Nigeria with a hybrid biogas-powered mini-grid. Under the Energizing Economies Initiative of the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria, nine markets in the country currently receive constant access to electricity via hybrid mini-grid systems. As a majority of these systems are diesel-solar-battery systems, this thesis explored the use of biogas generators as a substitute for diesel generators in hybrid mini-grids for food markets. A fruit and vegetable market in Ketu, Lagos was used as a case study for the research. The research for this thesis was …

Nondestructive Detection Of Codling Moth Infestation In Apples Using Pixel-Based Nir Hyperspectral Imaging With Machine Learning And Feature Selection, Nader Ekramirad, Alfadhl Y. Khaled, Lauren E. Doyle, Julia R. Loeb, Kevin D. Donohue, Raul T. Villanueva, Akinbode A. Adedeji

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Codling moth (CM) (Cydia pomonella L.), a devastating pest, creates a serious issue for apple production and marketing in apple-producing countries. Therefore, effective nondestructive early detection of external and internal defects in CM-infested apples could remarkably prevent postharvest losses and improve the quality of the final product. In this study, near-infrared (NIR) hyperspectral reflectance imaging in the wavelength range of 900–1700 nm was applied to detect CM infestation at the pixel level for three organic apple cultivars, namely Gala, Fuji and Granny Smith. An effective region of interest (ROI) acquisition procedure along with different machine learning and data processing …

Intelligent Sensors For Sustainable Food And Drink Manufacturing, Nicholas J. Watson, Alexander L. Bowler, Ahmed Rady, Oliver J. Fisher, Alessandro Simeone, Josep Escrig, Elliot Woolley, Akinbode A. Adedeji

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Food and drink is the largest manufacturing sector worldwide and has significant environmental impact in terms of resource use, emissions, and waste. However, food and drink manufacturers are restricted in addressing these issues due to the tight profit margins they operate within. The advances of two industrial digital technologies, sensors and machine learning, present manufacturers with affordable methods to collect and analyse manufacturing data and enable enhanced, evidence-based decision making. These technologies will enable manufacturers to reduce their environmental impact by making processes more flexible and efficient in terms of how they manage their resources. In this article, a methodology …

Design Of Control Logic And The Human-Machine Interface For A Demonstration Plant Growth Chamber Implemented On A Programmable Logic Controller, Rachael Koehler

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This honors thesis covers the planning, development, and implementation of system controls and human-machine interface (HMI) for a demonstration plant growth chamber. The work is a continuation of an ongoing project to be used as an educational and recruiting tool manifesting the skills acquired from the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department at the University of Arkansas’ College of Engineering. This work includes emergency controls, overall design interface, and controls for both the aeration and lighting subsystems of the growth chamber. Overall design interface controls established included development of two user modes, Administrator and Visitor. The Administrator user will have full …

Modeling Energy Flows In Floating In-Pond Raceways Utilizing Solar Power Back-Up, Bo Smith

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

The In-pond Raceway (IPR) is a novel option for production aquaculture, depending on water moving devices to provide constant flow. Device failure may result in catastrophic fish loss, requiring power backup systems to mitigate risk in case of power outages. Because these systems must be dependable and many suitable locations are remote, off-grid solar photovoltaic (PV) systems with battery storage have been considered since they eliminate need for utility power. Such systems can be hard to size and expensive. This study modeled system requirements using an energy balance to determine whether systems could withstand varying loads based on climatological conditions. …

Photovoltaic Systems On Dairy Farms: Financial And Renewable Multi-Objective Optimization (Farmoo) Analysis, Michael Breen, J. Upton, Michael D. Murphy

Publications

No abstract provided.

Resonant Metagratings For Spectral And Angular Control Of Light For Colored Rooftop Photovoltaics, Floris Uleman, Andrea Cordaro, Andrea Alù, Albert Polman

Advanced Science Research Center

We designed semitransparent metagrating supercells that enable control over the spectrum and directivity of incident light for applications in photovoltaics with tailored angular appearance. The building block of the supercells is a 100–120 nm wide and 175 nm tall silicon nanowire that shows a strong Mie resonance around λ = 650 nm. By arranging the resonant Mie scatterers into metagratings of increasing pitch (675–1300 nm), we created a Lambertian-like scattering distribution over an angular range of choice. The millimeter-sized metasurfaces were fabricated using electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching. The fabricated metasurface nearly fully suppresses specular reflection on resonance …

Internet Of Things Based Wireless Sensor Network And Advanced Machine Learning Models For Precision Agriculture, Ahmed El-Magrous

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies assumed that the world population would reach 10.3 billion by 2070. This will require more land for housing; simultaneously resulting in a loss of land for agricultural purposes. However, the new generations also need food, and the lack of new agrarian land is a critical reason that leads researchers and producers to improve daily agriculture practices by using precision agriculture concepts and technologies to increase yield and crop quality. This work represents the design, development, and testing of a customizable and cost-effective Weather-Soil Sensor Station (W-SSS) for use in Precision Agriculture based on high accuracy sensors, wireless communication, …

Design Of Remote Datalogger Connection And Live Data Tweeting System, Zachary Wofford

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Low-Impact Development (LID) is an attempt to sustainably respond to the potential hazards posed by urban expansion. Green roofs are an example of LID design meant to reduce the amount of runoff from storm events that are becoming more intense and less predictable while also providing insulation to buildings. LID has not yet been widely adopted as it is often a more expensive alternative to conventional infrastructure (Bowman et. al., 2009). However, its benefits are apparent. The University of Arkansas Honors College awarded a grant to research the large green roof atop Hillside Auditorium. One part of this grant is …

A Theoretical Model Of Underground Dipole Antennas For Communications In Internet Of Underground Things, Abdul Salam, Mehmet C. Vuran, Xin Dong, Christos Argyropoulos, Suat Irmak

Faculty Publications

The realization of Internet of Underground Things (IOUT) relies on the establishment of reliable communication links, where the antenna becomes a major design component due to the significant impacts of soil. In this paper, a theoretical model is developed to capture the impacts of change of soil moisture on the return loss, resonant frequency, and bandwidth of a buried dipole antenna. Experiments are conducted in silty clay loam, sandy, and silt loam soil, to characterize the effects of soil, in an indoor testbed and field testbeds. It is shown that at subsurface burial depths (0.1-0.4m), change in soil moisture impacts …

Improving Retrievals Of Crop Vegetation Parameters From Remote Sensing Data, Nathaniel Levitan

Dissertations and Theses

Agricultural systems are difficult to model because crop growth is driven by the strongly nonlinear interaction of Genotype x Environment x Management (G x E x M) factors. Due to the nonlinearity in the interaction of these factors, the amount of data necessary to develop and utilize models to accurately predict the performance of agricultural systems at an operational scale is large. Satellite remote sensing provides the potential to vastly increase the amount of data available for modelling agricultural systems as a result of its high revisit time and spatial coverage. Unfortunately, there have been significant difficulties in deploying remote …

Linking Lignin Source With Structural And Electrochemical Properties Of Lignin-Derived Carbon Materials, Wenqi Li, Yan Zhang, Lalitendu Das, Yikai Wang, Mi Li, Namal Wanninayake, Yunqiao Pu, Doo Young Kim, Yang-Tse Cheng, Arthur J. Ragauskas, Jian Shi

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Valorization of lignin to high-value chemicals and products along with biofuel production is generally acknowledged as a technology platform that could significantly improve the economic viability of biorefinery operations. With a growing demand for electrical energy storage materials, lignin-derived activated carbon (AC) materials have received increasing attention in recent years. However, there is an apparent gap in our understanding of the impact of the lignin precursors (i.e., lignin structure, composition and inter-unit linkages) on the structural and electrochemical properties of the derived ACs. In the present study, lignin-derived ACs were prepared under identical conditions from two different lignin …