Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons^™

Uranium Geochemistry In Vadose Zone And Aquifer Sediments From The 300 Area Uranium Plume, John M. Zachara, J. A. Davis, James Mckinley, D. M. Wellman, Chongxuan Liu, N. Qafoku, S. B. Yabusaki

United States Department of Energy: Publications

In 1996, an interim record of decision was issued for the 300-FF-5 Operable Unit on the Hanford Site in southeast Washington State. The record of decision specified the interim remedy as (1) continued monitoring of groundwater and (2) institutional controls to restrict groundwater use. This record of decision was based on a remedial investigation that suggested levels of uranium would decrease with time because of natural geochemical and hydrologic processes. A prediction was made that concentrations of uranium would decrease to the proposed drinking water standard or lower (20 μg/L) in 3 to 10 years from 1993. This prediction has …

Spatial Variation Of Protein, Oil, And Starch In Corn, Samuel G. Mcneill, Michael D. Montross, Scott A. Shearer

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Significant spatial yield variations are known to exist in cornfields with different soil types, topsoil depth, and other variables. Similarly, variations might also be found among the highly valued chemical components (oil, protein, and starch) in corn kernels due to local differences in soil type, fertility, acidity/pH, organic matter, etc. This study quantified the spatial variability of protein, oil, and starch content of corn from two conventional cornfields and two high-oil cornfields. Whole ears were harvested by hand from 20 to 40 randomly selected locations within each field. A differential global positioning system (DGPS) receiver recorded the location of each …

Permeability Of Corn, Soybeans, And Soft Red And White Winter Wheat As Affected By Bulk Density, Michael D. Montross, Samuel G. Mcneill

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Darcy’s law is a function of viscosity, permeability, and velocity and can be used to predict the airflow resistance in granular materials at low air velocities. Permeability also governs the magnitude of natural convection currents during periods of non-aerated grain storage. The permeability of corn, soybeans, soft white winter wheat, and soft red winter wheat were measured as a function of bulk density and moisture content. Air was passed through a column of grain and the flow rate and pressure drop measured. Bulk density and kernel density were also measured to determine the porosity of grain in the test column. …

Airflow Resistance Of Seeds At Different Bulk Densities Using Ergun's Equation, Marek Molenda, Michael D. Montross, Samuel G. Mcneill, Jozef Horabik

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Airflow resistance of grains and oilseeds has been extensively studied. Traditionally the data has been presented using Shedd’s curves. However, this assumes that airflow resistance is independent of grain depth. Grain undergoes compaction during storage that changes the bulk density, porosity, and therefore the airflow resistance. Ergun’s equation is a function of particle size and porosity of the granular material. Airflow resistance by Ergun’s equation was used to predict the pressure drop across a column of corn, soft white winter wheat, soft red winter wheat, and soybeans at three moisture content levels and two bulk densities. The maximum root mean …

Crop Yield Response To Precision Deep Tillage, Larry G. Wells, Timothy S. Stombaugh, Scott A. Shearer

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Experimental precision deep tillage was applied at three sites in central Kentucky with relatively well-drained silt loam soils in no-till crop production. Fields were divided into 0.4 ha (1 ac) grid cells using DGPS mapping. Assessment of soil compaction by machinery traffic was made using multiple soil cone penetrometer measurements and expressed as cone index (CI). Corn, wheat, and soybean yields were depressed in grid cells with CI_avg ≥ 1.5 MPa (218 psi) prior to application of tillage treatments at sites 1 and 3, whereas at site 2, where most of the highest average CI values ranged from 1.44 …

Effect Of Fat And Casein Particles In Milk On The Scattering Of Elliptically Polarized Light, Czarena L. Crofcheck, Jeremie Wade, Janakiraman N. Swamy, Mustafa M. Aslan, M. Pinar Mengüç

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

In this article, we present an experimental approach to determine the milk fat content using scattered light intensity profiles. The elements of the scattering (Mueller) matrix have been shown to provide valuable information about variation of the optical properties of scattering particles. The scattering behavior of fat and casein in terms of the scattering matrix elements was experimentally determined for milk with varying fat levels ranging from 0.05 wt% (skim) to 3.20 wt% (whole). Three of the scattering Mueller matrix elements, specifically S₁₁, S₁₂/S₁₁, and S₃₃/S₁₁, were found to be …

Systematic Framework For Evaluating Treated Wastewater Usage In Agricultural Irrigation, Yasser Kamal Nazzal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A general systematic framework with several sub-frameworks was developed to help managers make informed decisions related to the reuse of treated wastewater in agricultural irrigation. The framework involves the identification and evaluation of the short- and long-term effects of using treated wastewater with some common constituents of concern (e.g. salts and some specific ions, nutrients, heavy metals, organic compounds, and microorganisms) on the environmental elements (crop, soils, surface water, and groundwater), and on the public health. Local and/ or international standards, criteria, and guidelines related to agricultural reuse are applied to the evaluation of the effects. Based on the evaluation …

Preparing For Financial Close (Project Finance), Jeff Kistner

Industrial Agricultural Products Center: Publications and Information

Contents

What Is Project Finance?
Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing
Start Up Stages for Added Value
Comprhensive Business Plan
Items to Consider When Planning a Value-added Project
Proving the Money
Keys to Success
Where Do We Go from Here?

Moveable Tobacco Curing Frames, George A. Duncan, Larry D. Swetnam, Linus R. Walton

Agricultural Engineering Extension Publications

Moveable (or portable) curing frames offer the tobacco grower another option for successfully reducing labor and costs for producing air-cured tobacco. Reducing labor and costs is essential to continuing profitable tobacco production.

Two designs that use the cantilever-beam concept for supporting two rails of stick tobacco on a central beam are shown and explained in this publication. Further details of construction and covering are shown in the following drawings.

Non-Standard Structure Flow Measurement Evaluation Using The Flow Rate Indexing Procedure – Qip, Stuart Styles

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This paper summarizes the results of a performance evaluation using advanced hydroacoustic rating techniques in irrigation canal systems. Standardized field-tested procedures and technical specifications for index velocity ratings have been developed for rating measurement locations using hydroacoustic flow meters. Water managers and users of advanced electronic flow measuring devices can improve the cost effectiveness, accuracy, and quality control of discharge records, even at sites with complex flow conditions, by observing these recommended guidelines.

Non-Standard Structure Flow Measurement Evaluation Using The Flow Rate Indexing Procedure - Qip, Stuart W. Styles

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This paper summarizes the results of a performance evaluation using advanced hydroacoustic rating techniques in irrigation canal systems. Standardized field-tested procedures and technical specifications for index velocity ratings have been developed for rating measurement locations using hydroacoustic flow meters. Water managers and users of advanced electronic flow measuring devices can improve the cost effectiveness, accuracy, and quality control of discharge records, even at sites with complex flow conditions, by observing these recommended guidelines.

California Energy Commission: Estimated Energy Requirements Under Drought Conditions, Charles M. Burt, Daniel J. Howes

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This study is a continuation of a previous study conducted by ITRC for the CEC summarized in a report titled California Agricultural Water Energy Requirements (ITRC Report No. 03-006), which focused on determining a baseline energy requirement for agricultural sectors as well as analyzing potential future trends in the agricultural water community to predict future energy requirements. This study utilized the data and model developed in the previous analysis in order to quantify the impact of drought conditions on energy requirements of the agricultural water sector.

Farm Dams In Western Australia, David Stanton

Bulletins 4000 -

This bulletin provides practical information on the location and construction of dams on farms in Western Australia. Various types of dam, with diagrams and explanations, are included. Also discussed are the planning considerations, failures and problems, design, construction, maintenance, legal aspects, impacts and risks of dams.

Controller Area Network Based Distributed Control For Autonomous Vehicles, Matthew J. Darr, Timothy S. Stombaugh, Scott A. Shearer

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The goal of this project was to evaluate the potential of a controller area network (CAN bus) to be used as the communication network for a distributed control system on an autonomous agricultural vehicle. The prototype system utilized microcontroller-driven nodes to act as control points along a CAN bus. Messages were transferred to the steering, transmission, and hitch control nodes via a task computer. The task computer utilized global positioning system data to generate appropriate control commands. Laboratory and field testing demonstrated that each of the control nodes could function simultaneously over the CAN bus. Results showed that the task …

Selecting An Air-Cure Tobacco Housing And Curing Facility, George A. Duncan, Larry D. Swetnam

Agricultural Engineering Extension Publications

Once or twice in a lifetime the average tobacco producer faces the decision of what tobacco housing and curing facility he needs to build. For some, this may be to replace a barn that has burned or blown down. For others, the need may arise from an expansion of production by farm acquisition or lease-in of extra poundage.

In all cases, it is important to build the most suitable facility for present and projected production methods. With labor becoming more costly and scarce, labor-saving features are a must Rising material and construction costs continue to increase the initial investment costs …

Multiple-Model Optimization Of Proportional Integral Controllers On Canals, P. J. Van Overloop, J. Schuurmans, R. Brouwer, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Canals or open channels that convey water often consist of pools in series separated by control structures. Successful implementation of water-level control with these structures using decentralized proportional integral (PI) controllers depends heavily on the tuning of the control parameters. These parameters are hard to determine due to the interactions between the pools and the varying flow conditions in the canal. This paper presents a procedure for tuning any linear controller (including decentralized PI controllers) that guarantees stability of the controlled canal. It minimizes a cost function that weights the water-level deviations from the target level against control efforts at …

Measuring Relative Humidity In Agricultural Environments, George A. Duncan, Rich Gates, Michael D. Montross

Agricultural Engineering Extension Publications

Relative humidity is very important for many agricultural environments, such as fruit and vegetable storage facilities, greenhouses, and tobacco curing and handling facilities.

Several scientific instruments measure temperature and relative humidity. The more accurate the instrument, the more it will cost. Devices that are economical for agricultural use in a barn, greenhouse, or a semi-protected environment often do not hold their accuracy over very long periods (six months to a year or longer) if they are used carelessly.

Several instruments that are readily available and affordable for general farm use are described here. Often called hygrometers or hygro-thermometers, some …

Composting For Organic Agriculture, Mona Mohamed Hamdy Mostafa Sayed Ahmed

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Cec Agricultural Peak Load Reduction Program - Water Agencies Final Report, Charles M. Burt, Daniel J. Howes

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

During the winter of 2000-2001, California experienced a severe imbalance in electricity supply and demand that resulted in blackouts and brownouts. The state legislature initiated a number of emergency programs, one of which was Senate Bill 5x. The primary goal of SB 5x is to reduce peak period electric demand throughout California. The California Energy Commission (CEC), acting under authority of Section 5(b) of the legislation, developed the “Agricultural Peak Load Demand Program”. The program was funded in early June 2001, and the Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) of California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo was …

California Energy Commission Agricultural Peak Load Reduction Program Case Study: Kaweah River Power Authority And Tulare Id, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Tulare Irrigation District (TID) is located on the east side of the Central San Joaquin Valley just south of Visalia, CA. The district receives water from Lake Kaweah through Terminus Dam as well as from the Friant-Kern Canal. TID is the single largest partner in the Kaweah River Power Authority (KRPA), which operates Terminus Dam and regulates the discharge from Lake Kaweah.

Comparison Of Measured And Fao-56 Modeled Evaporation From Bare Soil, Andrew J. Mutziger, Charles M. Burt, Daniel J. Howes, Richard G. Allen

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This paper evaluates how well the FAO-56 style soil water evaporation model simulates measurements of evaporation (E) from bare soil. Seven data sets were identified from the literature and in all but one case, the individuals who took the measurements were contacted and they provided the writers with specific weather and soils data for model input. Missing weather and soils data were obtained from online sources or from the National Climatic Data Center. Simulations for three possible variations of soil data were completed and compared. The measured and the FAO-56 simulated E/ETo and cumulative evaporation trends and …

Evaporation Research: Review And Interpretation, Charles M. Burt, Andrew J. Mutziger, Robert G. Allen, Terry A. Howell

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Literature regarding evaporation from soil, wet plant surfaces, and sprinkler droplets was examined, normalized, and interpreted. Much of the evaporation literature is difficult to compare and interpret; this paper offers comparisons and discussions of various findings by others as well as by the writers. Techniques of measuring and estimating evaporation from irrigation and rainfall are discussed. The partitioning between increased evaporation and decreased transpiration from a variety of research is quantified. Factors that impact the various forms of evaporation are listed and quantified. This review and summary will provide practitioners and researchers with theoretical and practical guidance on measurement techniques …

Prediction Accuracy For Projectwide Evapotranspiration Using Crop Coefficients And Reference Evapotranspiration, Richard G. Allen, Albert J. Clemmens, Charles M. Burt, Ken Solomon, Tim O'Halloran

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The Imperial Irrigation District is a large irrigation project in the western United States having a unique hydrogeologic structure such that only small amounts of deep percolation leave the project directly as subsurface flows. This structure is conducive to relatively accurate application of a surface water balance to the district, enabling the determination of crop evapotranspiration (ET_c) as a residual of inflows and outflows. The ability to calculate ET_c from discharge measurements provides the opportunity to assess the accuracy and consistency of an independently applied crop coefficient—reference evapotranspiration (K_c ET₀) procedure integrated over …

Canal Flow Rate Measurement Guidelines – Itrc 2005: Hydroacoustic Meters, Charles M. Burt, Stuart Styles

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

A Hydroacoustic flow meter provides remote velocity sampling and integrated flow measurement based on the physical principle called the Doppler shift. The sensors can either project a continuous or pulsed beam of acoustic signals at angles above the horizontal position of the sensor. Flow velocity is calculated by averaging the measured variations in sound frequency reflected back from particles in the water. Depth is measured with a ceramic-based pressure transducer integrally mounted in a surface mount velocity sensor and the device calculates the flow rate.

California Energy Commission Agricultural Peak Load Reduction Program Case Study: North Kern Wsd, Charles M. Burt, Daniel J. Howes

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The North Kern Water Storage District (NKWSD) is located just north of Bakersfield in Kern County and encompasses nearly 60,000 acres. The district receives water from the Kern River as well as groundwater pumping to supply its users.

Role Of Branching On The Structure Of Polymer Brushes Formed From Comb Copolymers, Peng Tian, David Uhrig, Jimmy W. Mays, Hiroshi Watanabe, S. Michael Kilbey, Ii

United States Department of Energy: Publications

The distinguishing feature of a polymer brush at equilibrium is the stretched configuration of the chains that results from tethering the polymer chains by one end at the solid-fluid interface. The stretched configuration of the chains and the crowded nature of the interfacial layer is the origin of many of the useful properties of polymer brushes: these layers resist compression and aggregation, effectively dissipate shear stresses, and respond reversibly to changes in their solution environment.

Maldi-Tof Ms Characterization Of Carboxyl-End-Capped Polystyrenes Synthesized Using Anionic Polymerization, Haining Ji, William K. Nonidez, Rigoberto C. Advincula, Grant D. Smith, S. Michael Kilbey Ii, Mark D. Dadmun, Jimmy W. Mays

United States Department of Energy: Publications

A comparative study of three strategies used to synthesize well-defined carboxyl-end-capped polystyrenes is reported. Structural characterization was carried out using a combination of thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). For the reaction of polystyryl anions with 4-bromo-1,1,1-trimethoxybutane, in addition to the major product, Bu-PS-CH₂CH₂CH₂COOH, four byproducts were observed. Their mass values suggest the following structures: Bu-PS-H, Bu-PS-CH₃, Bu-PS-CH₂CH=CH-CHO, and Bu-PS-CH₂CH₂CH₂- CO-PS-Bu. The reaction of polystyryl anions with succinic anhydride generated the targeted compound, Bu-PS-CO-CH₂CH₂COOH, …

Ferrous Hydroxy Carbonate Is A Stable Transformation Product Of Biogenic Magnetite, Ravi K. Kukkadapu, John M. Zachara, James K. Fredrickson, David W. Kennedy, Alice C. Dohnalkova, David E. Mccready

United States Department of Energy: Publications

An ~1:1 mixture of ferrihydrite and nanocrystalline akaganeite (β-FeOOH; 10–15 nm) was incubated with Shewanella putrefaciens (strain CN32) under anoxic conditions with lactate as an electron donor and anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS) as an electron shuttle. The incubation was carried out in a 1,4-piperazinediethanesulfonic acid (PIPES)-buffered medium, without PO³₄– at circumneutral pH. Iron reduction was measured as a function of time (as determined by 0.5 N HCl extraction), and solids were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron microscopy, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The biogenic reduction of Fe³⁺was rapid; with 60% of the total Fe (Fe_TOT) reduced …

Control Of Fe(Iii) Site Occupancy On The Rate And Extent Of Microbial Reduction Of Fe(Iii) In Nontronite, Deb P. Jaisi, Ravi K. Kukkadapu, Dennis D. Eberl, Hailiang Dong

United States Department of Energy: Publications

A quantitative study was performed to understand how Fe(III) site occupancy controls Fe(III) bioreduction in nontronite by Shewanella putrefaciens CN32. NAu-1 and NAu-2 were nontronites and contained Fe(III) in different structural sites with 16 and 23% total iron (w/w), respectively, with almost all iron as Fe(III). Mössbauer spectroscopy showed that Fe(III) was present in the octahedral site in NAu-1 (with a small amount of goethite), but in both the tetrahedral and the octahedral sites in NAu-2. Mössbauer data further showed that the octahedral Fe(III) in NAu-2 existed in at least two environments- trans (M1) and cis (M2) sites. The microbial …

Effects Of Sediment Iron Mineral Composition On Microbially Mediated Changes In Divalent Metal Speciation: Importance Of Ferrihydrite, D. Craig Cooper, Andrew L. Neal, Ravi K. Kukkadapu, Dale Brewe, Aaron Coby, Flynn W. Picardal

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Dissimilatory metal reducing bacteria (DMRB) can influence geochemical processes that affect the speciation and mobility of metallic contaminants within natural environments. Most investigations into the effect of DMRB on sediment geochemistry utilize various synthetic oxides as the Fe^III source (e.g., ferrihydrite, goethite, hematite). These synthetic materials do not represent the mineralogical composition of natural systems, and do not account for the effect of sediment mineral composition on microbially mediated processes. Our experiments with a DMRB (Shewanella putrefaciens 200) and a divalent metal (Zn^II) indicate that, while complexity in sediment mineral composition may not strongly impact the …