Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons^™

California Crop And Soil Evapotranspiration, Charles Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The goal of this publication is to provide water users, consultants, water agency personnel, and others throughout California with information that will: (a) help individual water users with irrigation scheduling and system design and (b) help agricultural water agency personnel with water balances and future planning.

The tables in this publication represent the consolidation of results from thousands of annual ET simulations that accounted for crop, rainfall (wet, dry, or “typical”), soil, and irrigation method in each of 13 major ETo zones in California. The annual simulations used daily water balances at the soil surface, crop canopy, and soil root …

Desorption Kinetics Of Radiocesium From Subsurface Sediments At Hanford Site, Usa, Chongxuan Liu, John M. Zachara, Steven Smith, James Mckinley, Calvin Ainsworth

United States Department of Energy: Publications

The desorption of ¹³⁷Cs⁺ was investigated on sediments from the United States Hanford site. Pristine sediments and ones that were contaminated by the accidental release of alkaline ¹³⁷Cs⁺ -containing high level nuclear wastes (HLW, 2 X 10⁶ to 6 X 10⁷ pCi ¹³⁷Cs⁺/g) were studied. The desorption of ¹³⁷Cs⁺ was measured in Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, and NH₄⁺ electrolytes of variable concentration and pH, and in presence of a strong Cs⁺-specific sorbent (self-assembled monolayer on a mesoporous support, SAMMS). ^{137 …}

Recommended Strategies For Odor Control In Confinement Beef Cattle Operations, Kent Tjardes, Alvaro Garcia, Hans Stein, Charles Ullery, Stephen Pohl, Christopher Schmit

SDSU Extension Special Series

Odors coming off a beef feeding operation are generated from three different sources: the feedlot facility, waste storage, and the land where the manure is applied. In some operations, the feedlot facility may also serve as the primary waste storage area. To reduce the total amount of odor generated from a beef feeding operation, odor generation and emission by each of these three sources needs to be reduced.

Telog Pr-31 Water Level Tracker, Stuart W. Styles

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The Irrigation Training and Research Center, working under a technical service agreement with the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) Mid-Pacific Region, has undertaken a performance review of advanced electronic water level measurement technologies in irrigation applications. An example is the Telog PR-31 Level Tracker.

Itrc Weir Stick, Stuart W. Styles

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The Irrigation Training and Research Center, working under a technical service agreement with the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) Mid-Pacific Region, has developed a new weir rule for open-channel flow rate measurement.

Government Highline Canal – A Win-Win Solution, Charles M. Burt, Stuart W. Styles

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The Irrigation Training and Research Center, working under a technical service agreement with the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) Upper Colorado Region, Western Colorado Area Office, performed canal modernization on the Government Highline Canal in the form of automated canal structures, in-system storage, and new operational procedures that could significantly reduce operational spill.

Simultaneous Observations Of Mesospheric Gravity Waves And Sprites Generated By A Midwestern Thunderstorm, D.D. Sentman, E.M. Wescott, R.H. Picard, J.R. Winick, H.C. Stenbaek-Nielsen, E.M. Dewan, D.R. Moudry, F.T. São Sabbas, M.J. Heavner, J. Morrill

United States Department of Energy: Publications

The present report investigates using simultaneous observations of coincident gravity waves and sprites to establish an upper limit on sprite-associated thermal energy deposition in the mesosphere. The University of Alaska operated a variety of optical imagers and photometers at two ground sites in support of the NASA Sprites99 balloon campaign. One site was atop a US Forest Service lookout tower on Bear Mt. in the Black Hills, in western South Dakota. On the night of 18 August 1999 we obtained from this site simultaneous images of sprites and OH airglow modulated by gravity waves emanating from a very active sprite …

Global Optical Lightning Flash Rates Determined With The Forte Satellite, Tracy E. Light, Sean M. Davis, William Boeck, Abram Jacobson, David Suszcynsky

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Using FORTE photodiode detector (PDD) observations of lightning, we have determined the geographic distribution of nighttime flash rate density. We estimate the PDD flash detection efficiency to be 62% for total lightning through comparison to lightning observations by the TRMM satellite's Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS), using cases in which FORTE and TRMM viewed the same storm. We present here both seasonal and total flash rate maps. We examine some characteristics of the optical emissions of lightning in both high and low flash rate environments, and find that while lightning occurs less frequently over ocean, oceanic lightning flashes are somewhat more …

Transformation Of 2-Line Ferrihydrite To 6-Line Ferrihydrite Under Oxic And Anoxic Conditions, Ravi K. Kukkadapu, John M. Zachara, James K. Fredrickson, Steven C. Smith, Alice C. Dohnalkova, Colleen K. Russel

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Mineralogical transformations of 2-line ferrihydrite were studied under oxic and Fe³⁺-reducing conditions to establish the role, if any, of 6-line ferrihydrite (“well” organized ferrihydrite) in the reaction pathway and as a final product. In oxic experiments, concentrated suspensions (0.42 mol/L Fe³⁺ in 0.1 mol/L NaClO₄) of freshly synthesized 2-line ferrihydrite, with and without 3% Ni2+, were aged at an initial pH = 7.2 (unbuffered and unadjusted) and 25°C for more than three years. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Mössbauer spectroscopy measurements were performed on the solids after different aging periods. The primary mineralogical products …

Microbial Reduction Of Structural Fe(Iii) In Illite And Goethite, Hailiang Dong, Ravi K. Kukkadapu, James K. Fredrickson, John M. Zachara, David W. Kennedy, Heather M. Kostandarithes

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Microbial reduction of Fe(III) in illite was studied to evaluate the possibility of microbial utilization of Fe(III) in sedimentary clays and to determine the effects of bioreduction on clay composition and structure. A subsurface bacterium (Shewanella putrefaciens CN32) and illite separates (

Mossbauer And Optical Spectroscopic Study Of Temperature And Redox Effects On Iron Local Environments In A Fe-Doped (0.5 Mol% Fe2o3)18na2o–72sio2 Glass, Ravi K. Kukkadapu, Hong Li, Gary L. Smith, J.D. Crum, Jun-Sik Jeoung, W. Howard Poisl, Michael C. Weinberg

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Local environments of ferric and ferrous irons were systematically studied with Mössbauer (at liquid helium temperature)and ultraviolet–visible–near infrared spectroscopic methods for various 18Na₂O–72SiO₂ glasses doped with 0.5 mol% Fe₂O₃. These were prepared at temperatures of 1300–1600 °C in ambient air or at 1500 °C under reducing conditions with oxygen partial pressures from 12.3 to 0.27 x 10^-7 atmospheres. The Mössbauer spectroscopic method identified three types of local environments, which were represented by the Fe³⁺ sextet, the Fe³⁺ doublet, and the Fe²⁺ doublet. The Fe³⁺ sextet ions were assigned …

Influence Of Electron Donor/Acceptor Concentrations On Hydrous Ferric Oxide (Hfo) Bioreduction, James K. Fredrickson, Sreenivas Kota, Ravi K. Kukkadapu, Chongxuan Liu, John M. Zachara

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria (DMRB) facilitate the reduction of Fe and Mn oxides in anoxic soils and sediments and play an important role in the cycling of these metals and other elements such as carbon in aqueous environments. Previous studies investigating the reduction of Fe(III) oxides by DMRB focused on reactions under constant initial electron donor (lactate) and electron acceptor (Fe oxide) concentrations. Because the concentrations of these reactants can vary greatly in the environment and would be expected to influence the rate and extent of oxide reduction, the influence of variable electron acceptor and donor concentrations on hydrous ferric oxide …

Effect Of Temperature On Cs+ Sorption And Desorption In Subsurface Sediments At The Hanford Site, U.S.A., Chongxuan Liu, John M. Zachara, Odeta Qafoku, Steve Smith

United States Department of Energy: Publications

The effects of temperature on Cs⁺ sorption and desorption were investigated in subsurface sediments from the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site. The site has been contaminated at several locations by the accidental leakage of high-level nuclear waste (HLW) containing ¹³⁷Cs⁺. The high temperature of the self-boiling, leaked HLW fluid and the continuous decay of various radionuclides carried by the waste supernatant have resulted in elevated vadose temperatures (currently up to 72 °C) below the Hanford S-SX tank farm that have dissipated slowly from the time of leakage (1970). The effect of temperature on Cs^{+ …}

Nonlocal Bacterial Electron Transfer To Hematite Surfaces, Kevin Rosso, John M. Zachara, James K. Fredrickson, Yuri Gorby, Steven Smith

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Mechanisms by which dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria utilize iron and manganese oxide minerals as terminal electron acceptors for respiration are poorly understood. In the absence of exogenous electron shuttle compounds, extracellular electron transfer is generally thought to occur through the interfacial contact area between mineral surfaces and attached cells. Possible alternative reduction pathways have been proposed based on the discovery of a link between an excreted quinone and dissimilatory reduction. In this study, we utilize a novel experimental approach to demonstrate that Shewanella putrefaciens reduces the surface of crystalline iron oxides at spatial locations that are distinct from points of attachment.

Transport Of Multiple Tracers In Variably Saturated Humid Region Structured Soils And Semi-Arid Region Laminated Sediments, M.A. Mayes, P.M. Jardine, T.L. Mehlhorn, B.N. Bjornstad, J.L. Ladd, John M. Zachara

United States Department of Energy: Publications

The processes governing physical nonequilibrium (PNE)—coupled preferential flow and matrix diffusion—are diverse between humid and semi-arid regions, and are directly related to climate and rock/sediment type, and indirectly related to subsequent soil profile development. The fate and transport of contaminants in these variably saturated undisturbed media is largely a function of the influence of PNE processes. Large cores of laminated silts and sands were collected from the US Department of Energy Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in semi-arid south central Washington. Additional cores of weathered, fractured interbedded limestone and shale saprolite were collected from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) …

Murdock, Nebraska, Groundwater Flow And Transport Modeling In Support Of Long-Term Monitoring, Applied Geosciences And Environmental Management Section Environmental Research Division, Argonne National Laboratory

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Fall 2002 Assignments:
• Update all models to MODFLOW-2000
• Re-calibrate original Murdock steady-state groundwater flow model to November 25, 1998 observed water levels (Phase 1 hydrology)
• Determine time when climatological/hydrolic regime changed in eastern Nebraska. Groundwater levels observed in 2002 are significantly lower than all values observed previously (1997-1999). Palmer Hydrologic Drought Index.
• Determine appropriate groundwater level data for calibration of new (Phase 2) groundwater flow model representing current hydrologic regime (avg. of 2002 observations)
• Re-evaluate/recalculate initial CCl₄ concentrations for MT3D-99 solute transport model calibration – 1996/97 concentration data. Too much CCl₄ mass …

Modeling Sugarbeet Quality Variables From Satellite Images And Canopy Spectral Indices, Subodh Kulkarni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Remote sensing was used to model crop quality from measurements of canopy spectra. Three indices of canopy characteristics, derived from satellite image data, were tested for relationship to whole-field sugarbeet quality. Quality was quantified as recoverable sucrose per ton of harvested sugarbeets. Quality data were extracted from the year 2002 Field Database of the Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Co-operative, (SMBSC), Renville, Minnesota. Linear regression models utilizing canopy indices and changes in canopy indices over time were tested for relationship to sugarbeet quality for four classes of sugarbeets. Classes of sugarbeet tested represented fields planted to a mix of varieties resistant …

Quantifying The Effects Of Small-Scale Heterogeneities On Flow And Transport In Undisturbed Cores From The Hanford Formation, M. N. Pace, M. A. Mayes, P. M. Jardine, T. L. Mehlhorn, John M. Zachara, B.N. Bjornstad

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Accelerated migration of contaminants in the vadose zone has been observed beneath tank farms at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford Reservation, Richland, WA. This paper focuses on quantifying hydrologic processes that control the fate and transport of contaminants in the unsaturated sediments beneath the Hanford tank farms. The experimental approach involved the use of field relevant, long-term unsaturated nonreactive transport experiments in undisturbed sediments from the Hanford Formation. Undisturbed sediment cores were collected from a laminated fine-grained sand unit within the Hanford Formation in both the vertical direction (flow cross bedding) and the horizontal direction (flow bedding parallel). Laboratory-scale …

Deformation Of A Peridynamic Bar, S. A. Silling, M. Zimmermann, R. Abeyaratne

United States Department of Energy: Publications

The deformation of an infinite bar subjected to a self-equilibrated load distribution is investigated using the peridynamic formulation of elasticity theory. The peridynamic theory differs from the classical theory and other nonlocal theories in that it does not involve spatial derivatives of the displacement field. The bar problem is formulated as a linear Fredholm integral equation and solved using Fourier transform methods. The solution is shown to exhibit, in general, features that are not found in the classical result. Among these are decaying oscillations in the displacement field and progressively weakening discontinuities that propagate outside of the loading region. These …

Heterogeneous Electron-Transfer Kinetics With Synchrotron 57fe Mossbauer Spectroscopy, J. E. Amonette, Ravi K. Kukkadapu, E. E. Alp, W. Sturhahn, T. S. Toellner

United States Department of Energy: Publications

In the first known kinetic application of the technique, synchrotron ⁵⁷Fe-Mössbauer spectroscopy was used to follow the rate of heterogeneous electron transfer between aqueous reagents and a solid phase containing Fe. The solid, a synthetic ⁵⁷Fe-enriched Fe (III)-bearing pyroaurite-like phase having terephthalate (TA) in the interlayer [Mg₃Fe (OH)₈(TA)_0.5 • 2H₂O], was reduced by Na₂S₂O₄ and then reoxidized by K₂Cr₂O₇ by means of a novel flow-through cell. Synchrotron Mössbauer spectra were collected in the time domain at 30-s intervals. Integration of the …

Secondary Mineralization Pathways Induced By Dissimilatory Iron Reduction Of Ferrihydrite Under Advective Flow, Colleen M. Hansel, Shawn G. Benner, Jim Neiss, Alice Dohnalkova, Ravi K. Kukkadapu, Scott Fendorf

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Iron (hydr)oxides not only serve as potent sorbents and repositories for nutrients and contaminants but also provide a terminal electron acceptor for microbial respiration. The microbial reduction of Fe (hydr)oxides and the subsequent secondary solid-phase transformations will, therefore, have a profound influence on the biogeochemical cycling of Fe as well as associated metals. Here we elucidate the pathways and mechanisms of secondary mineralization during dissimilatory iron reduction by a common iron-reducing bacterium, Shewanella putrefaciens (strain CN32), of 2-line ferrihydrite under advective flow conditions. Secondary mineralization of ferrihydrite occurs via a coupled, biotic-abiotic pathway primarily resulting in the production of magnetite …

Inhibition Of Bacterial U(Vi) Reduction By Calcium, Scott Brooks, James K. Fredrickson, Sue Carroll, David Kennedy, John M. Zachara, Andrew Plymale, Shelly Kelley, Kenneth Kemner, Scott Fendorf

United States Department of Energy: Publications

The rapid kinetics of bacterial U(VI) reduction and low solubility of uraninite (UO_2,cr) make this process an attractive option for removing uranium from groundwater. Nevertheless, conditions that may promote or inhibit U(VI) reduction are not well-defined. Recent descriptions of Ca-UO₂- CO₃ complexes indicate that these species may dominate the aqueous speciation of U(VI) in many environments. We monitored the bacterial reduction of U(VI) in bicarbonate buffered solution in the presence and absence of Ca. XAFS measurements confirmed the presence of a Ca- U(VI)-CO₃ complex in the initial solutions containing calcium. Calcium, at millimolar concentrations …

A Portable Eddy Covariance System For The Measurement Of Ecosystem–Atmosphere Exchange Of Co2, Water Vapor, And Energy, Dave P. Billesbach, M.L. Fischer, Margaret S. Torn, J.A. Berry

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

To facilitate the study of flux heterogeneity within a region, the authors have designed and field-tested a portable eddy covariance system to measure exchange of CO2, water vapor, and energy between the land surface and the atmosphere. The combination of instrumentation used in this system allows high precision flux measurements without requiring on-site infrastructure such as prepositioned towers or line power. In addition, the system contains sensors to measure a suit of soil, climatic, and energy-related parameters that are needed to quality control the fluxes and to characterize the flux footprint. The physical design and instrument packaging used in the …

Discrete Element Modelling Of The Abrasive Dehulling Process Of Sorghum And Millet, E. L. Lazaro

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The abrasive dehulling process of sorghum and millet was modelled using a three-dimensional discrete element model. The model was validated by comparison between experimental and simulation results. Good correlation between experimental and simulation results was obtained. Several numerical experiments were also carried out using the developed model to investigate the influence of mill and grain parameters on dehulling of sorghum and millet. The simulated results correlated well with experimental results from literature. The developed model therefore provides a simple and cheap tool, which can be used to study the dehulling process in more detail than, is currently possible using the …

Effect Of Moisture And Loading Orientation On The Mechanical Properties Of Sorghum And Millet, E. L. Lazaro

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Uniaxial compression properties of sorghum and millet grain at different moisture contents (12–25% dry basis) and at different kernel orientation were investigated. These included: modulus of deformability, maximum compressive force, deformation and toughness at grain break point. Individual grain kernels of two varieties of sorghum, (Dionje and Jumbo) and one variety of pearl millet, (IM) at 12, 15, 20, and 25% moisture content dry basis (mc.db), were quasi-statically loaded using a J.J.universal tensile testing machine to their breaking point. The modulus of deformability, maximum compressive force required to initiate grain rupture and the grain toughness (energy absorbed at break point …

Properties Of Rice Husk Particle Boards Bonded By A Blend Of Tannin-Cnsl Resin, J. V. Tesha

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

There are vast quantities of agricultural residues available in Tanzania. Rice husk being amongst those residues is reported to have low resistance to alkalis, high silica content, and have short fibres. These factors have made rice husks not attractive raw materials in panels’ production. However, it has been demonstrated that rice husks can be used to develop panel products of low cost and good performance if appropriate indigenous technologies and affordable binders that can bind siliceous materials are used.

This paper provides a summary on the study of the effectiveness of the binding characteristics of a blend of natural adhesive …

Auger Timing Effects On Performance Of A Combine Unloading System, Todd Philip Cole

Open Access Master's Theses (through 2010)

Performance effects were measured on a combine unloading system using three different auger timing settings.Performance measures included maximum startup torque, mean operating torque, standard deviation of the operating torque, flow rate of grain through the system, and mechanical damage to the grain.The performance effects were measured with the system unloading corn and soybeans.

The data were statistically analyzed to check for interactions between the grains and differences between the timings.Using an alpha value of 0.1 it was found that timing 1 for both grains had a 3% (<2.4 L/s) higher flow rate over timings 2 and 3.Timings 1 and 2 for both grains had higher maximum startup torque, about 10% (60 N·m) more torque required than timing 3.In soybeans, timings 2 and 3 also had the smallest standard deviation in operating torque, about 30% (20 N·m) less than timing 1.We were unable to detect any differences in mechanical damage to corn or soybeans as a result of unloading auger timing.These findings suggest that timing 3, with the cross augers lagging 90° behind the vertical unloading auger, may require less maximum startup torque and less variation in torque for the cross augers to effectively fill the loosely filled space left after the vertical auger lifts the grain without extra torque effects of having the augers push against each other as they do in timing 1.

Advisor: Michael F. Kocher

Benchmarking Of Flexibility And Needs 2002: Survey Of Non-Federal Irrigation Districts (California Department Of Water Resources), Stuart W. Styles, Daniel Howes

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

ITRC interviewed irrigation district personnel from 17 agricultural districts throughout California. Data were analyzed to determine the degree of water delivery flexibility provided to farmers and the extent of existing and planned district modernization. This report did not include irrigation districts with long-term federal contracts.

Mechanical Properties Of Corn And Soybean Meal, Marek Molenda, Michael D. Montross, Jozef Horabik, Ira Joseph Ross

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Ground corn and soybean meal are common ingredients in feed mixes. The knowledge of their mechanical properties is important to the feed manufacturer and consumer. Changes in these properties can lead to abnormally high or low levels of active ingredients in finished feed, thus decreasing its quality. Mechanical properties of wheat, corn meal, and soybean meal were investigated using a modified direct shear apparatus. The moisture content (wet basis), uncompacted bulk density, and particle density were: 10.4%, 733 kg/m³, and 1410 kg/m³ for soft red winter wheat; 11.4%, 583 kg/m³, and 1350 kg/m³ for …

A Mechanical System For Soil Reconstruction, John Patrick Fulton, Larry G. Wells, Timothy D. Smith

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

One of the most perplexing problems associated with reclaiming surface–mined lands is excessive compaction of soil due to the heavy earthmoving equipment used during the reclamation process. Over the years, some innovative material handling schemes have been devised to limit vehicle traffic during reclamation on reconstructed soil. However, final grading operations can often create root–limiting bulk densities, which affect plant growth and yield. The purpose of this article is to describe a mechanism designed at the University of Kentucky whereby mine soil can be reconstructed without introducing compaction caused by surface traffic in order for the soil to sustain desirable …