Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Removal Of Refractory Tkn From An Effluent Wastewater Using Sodium Ferrate, Lucia Lettie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research addresses refractory forms of nitrogen that, even with advanced biological nitrification-denitrification systems are not removed completely from domestic wastewater. TKN (Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen), ammonia plus organic nitrogen, is one of the forms to measure the levels of nitrogen present in effluent wastewaters. Ferrate, a strong oxidant, was used for the treatment of these nitrogen forms with the objective of producing nitrogen compounds that can be removed by subsequent biological processes. Bench-scale experiments were performed on effluent samples taken prior to chlorination from an Orlando, FL wastewater treatment facility, using a biological nutrient removal process. The samples were treated …

Evaluation Of Prefermentation As A Unit Process Upon Biological Nutrient Removal Including Biokinetic And Wastewater Parameters, Terrence Mccue

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation was to provide a controlled comparison of identical continuous flow BNR processes both with and without prefermentation in order to provide a stronger, more quantitative, technical basis for design engineers to evaluate the potential benefits of prefermentation to EBPR in treating domestic wastewater. In addition, the even less understood effect of prefermentation on denitrification kinetics and anoxic phosphorus (P) uptake was studied and quantified. Other aspects of BNR performance, which might change due to use of prefermentation, will also be addressed, including anaerobic stabilization. Potential benefits to BNR processes derived from prefermentation are compared and …

Modeling Of Atmospheric Refraction Effects On Traffic Noise Propagation, Ahmed El-Aassar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traffic noise has been shown to have negative effects on exposed persons in the communities along highways. Noise from transportation systems is considered a nuisance in the U.S. and the government agencies require a determination of noise impacts for federally funded projects. There are several models available for assessing noise levels impacts. These models vary from simple charts to computer design models. Some computer models, i.e. Standard Method In Noise Analysis (STAMINA), the Traffic Noise Model (TNM) and the UCF Community Noise Model (CNM), have been used to predict geometric spreading, atmospheric absorption, diffraction, and ground impedance. However, they have …

Effectiveness And Kinetics Of Ferrate As A Disinfectant For Ballast Water, Andrea L. Jessen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The introduction of aquatic nuisance species (ANS) and bacterial pathogens from discharge of ballast water by sea-faring vessels is an ongoing problem that threatens ecosystems and human health. This study investigates the disinfecting capability of ferrate in a marine environment on several organisms listed in international standards for ballast water management. Organisms were grown in a saline solution and were treated with dosages of ferrate ranging from 0.25-5.0 mg/l. A ferrate dose of 5 mg/l resulted in almost complete kill for all organisms tested. Smaller dosages have also been very effective, particularly if all organic material from the nutrient broth …

The Effects Of Ph On Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal (Ebpr) With Propionic Acid As The Dominant Volatile Fatty Acid (Vfa), Seyed Malekjahani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

pH control is a tool to improve some aspects of Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal (EBPR) process. Filipe et al (2001a, 2001b, and 2001c) found strong evidence that the stability of EBPR systems can be improved by increasing the pH of the anaerobic zone, thereby creating conditions where phosphorus-accumulating organisms (PAOs) are able to take up acetate faster than glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs). They explained this observation by comparing the growth rate of phosphorus-accumulating organisms (PAOs) and glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs) and found that pH has little effect on PAOs growth rate but adversely affects GAOs growth rate when it increases (at pH …

Verification Of Faa's Emissions And Dispersion Modeling System (Edms), Anjoli Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Air quality has been a major environmental concern for many years. Recently the issue of airport emissions has presented growing concerns and is being studied in much more depth. Airport emissions come from a variety of point, line and area sources, making emissions modeling for airports very complex and more involved. Accurate air quality models, specific to airport needs, are required to properly analyze this complex array of air pollution sources created by airports. Accurate air quality models are needed to plan for increased growth of current airports and address concerns over proposed new ones. The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) …

Bench Scale Analysis Of Experimental Fouling-Resistent Low Pressure Reverse Osmosis Membranes Using High Organic Surface Water And Synthetic Colloidal Water, Matthew Doan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The utilization of membrane treatment for the production of potable water has become more prevalent in today's industry. As drinking water regulations become more stringent this trend is expected to continue. Widespread use is also a result of membrane treatment being the best available treatment in many cases. While membrane treatment is a proven technology that can produce a consistently superior product to conventional treatment methods, membrane fouling and concentrate disposal are issues that drive up the cost of membrane treatment and can effectively eliminate it from consideration as a treatment alternative. This research focused on membrane fouling. A series …

The Effectiveness Of A Specifically Designed Green Roof Stormwater Treatment System Irrigated With Recycled Stormwater Runoff To Achieve Pollutant Removal And Stormwater Volume Reduction, Michael Hardin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of our greatest threats to surface-water quality is polluted stormwater runoff. In this research, investigated is the use of a green roof irrigated with recycled stormwater runoff to remove pollutants from stormwater runoff and reduce the volume of stormwater runoff leaving developed areas. The green roof properties of interest are the filtration and biological processes as well as the roof's ability to hold water and increase evapotranspiration, reducing the volume of stormwater runoff from the source. Because of the above mentioned reasons the experiment consists of a water quality analysis and a water budget done on several experimental chambers …

Enhancing Waste Management Through Automatic Control, Aidan O'Dwyer

Conference papers

Meeting environmental requirements is recognised as one of the six 21st century business drivers for automatic control. The proportional integral (PI) and proportional integral derivative (PID) controllers are the most dominant form of automatic controllers in industrial use today. With these techniques, it is necessary to adjust the controller parameters according to the nature of the process. Thus, for effective control of a heating, cooling and air-conditioning (HVAC) application, for example, specific values need to be chosen for the P, I and D parameters, which will be different for the values required to control, for example, a distillation column. This …

Nonintrusive Mapping Of Near-Surface Preferential Flow, R. S. Freeland, Lameck O. Odhiambo, J. S. Tyner, J. T. Ammons, W. C. Wright

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

A unique survey protocol has been developed that maps near-subsurface preferential flow using integrated ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and a differential geographical positioning system (DGPS). The survey protocol consists of a mobile GPR system that spirals outward along a prescribed course, continuously gathering subsurface data for an extended period. Metered water is applied to a centrally located water-ponding ring, after first capturing the initial dry-state pattern signatures. The water radiates outward beneath the surface as it follows preferential flow pathways, which the GPR instrumentation spiraling above highlights. After data are collected, pre- and post-water time-elapsed images profiles are segmented by pattern …

Hydrodynamics And Morphology In The Ems/Dollard Estuary: Review Of Models, Measurements, Scientific Literature, And The Effects Of Changing Conditions, Stefan A. Talke, Huib E. De Swart

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Ems estuary has constantly changed over the past centuries both from man-made and natural influences. On the time scale of thousands of years, sea level rise has created the estuary and dynamically changed its boundaries. More recently, storm surges created the Dollard sub-basin in the 14th -15th centuries. Beginning in the 16th century, diking and reclamation of land has greatly altered the surface area of the Ems estuary, particularly in the Dollard. These natural and anthropogenic changes to the surface area of the Ems altered the flow patterns of water, the tidal characteristics, and the patterns of sediment deposition …

Coupled Oceanic-Atmospheric Variability And U.S. Streamflow, Glenn A. Tootle, Thomas C. Piechota, Ashok Singh

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

A study of the influence of interdecadal, decadal, and interannual oceanic-atmospheric influences on streamflow in the United States is presented. Unimpaired streamflow was identified for 639 stations in the United States for the period 1951–2002. The phases (cold/negative or warm/positive) of Pacific Ocean (El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)) and Atlantic Ocean (Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)) oceanic-atmospheric influences were identified for the year prior to the streamflow year (i.e., long lead time). Statistical significance testing of streamflow, based on the interdecadal, decadal, and interannual oceanic-atmospheric phase (warm/positive or cold/negative), was performed by …

Microbial Source Tracking: Tools For Refining Total Maximum Daily Load Assessments (2005), Stormwater Academy

BMP Trains Research and Publications

For over 100 years, indicator bacteria of fecal origin have been used to assess water quality and alert managers to increased risk of the presence of human pathogens. While these indicator organisms, including total coliforms and fecal coliforms, have helped protect public health for decades, they are now being utilized as surrogates for pathogens in total maximum daily load (TMDL) programs that are mandated by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The goal of TMDL assessment, which is carried out by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in Florida, is ultimately to identify the sources of contaminant loading to Florida waters …

Heavy Metal Adsorption On Iron Oxide And Iron Oxide-Coated Silica : Macroscopic, Spectroscopic, And Modeling Studies, Ying Xu

Dissertations

To accurately model metal mobility and bioavailability in soils and sediments, systematic sorption studies are needed using representative and well-characterized minerals. Two important surfaces are iron oxide and silica, which are ubiquitous and associated with one another in the environment playing important roles in metal distribution. The objectives of this research are to develop models for predicting speciation and mobility of toxic trace metal ions in groundwater, soils, and sediments when competing ions are present. A model system for soils and sediments, iron oxide-coated silica, was synthesized; the degree of coatings was highly sensitive to the particle size of silica …

Tunnel Geology As Seen By Geologists: Manhattan, New York City, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Stanley Schleifer, Masud Ahmed, Alan R. Slaughter, Belal A. Sayeed, Dorean J. Flores, Mario Jo-Ramirez

Publications and Research

Current exploratory boring operations in and around Manhattan, New York City are providing geologists and geotechnical engineers with a plethora of new and interesting geological information, which has not been previously reported. The rocks encountered, mostly medium to high-grade metamorphic rocks, with both mafic and felsic intrusives, are highly variable in competency and mechanical durability. One of the most frequently encountered rock types is a garnetiferous-muscovite-biotite schist which grades into schistose gneiss and displays a wide variety of structural, compositional, and textural attributes. Metamorphic minerals showing the variable degree of metamorphism include graphite, talc, garnet, kyanite, tourmaline, emory, and occasionally …

Quantifying The Effect Of A Vegetated Littoral Zone On Wet Detention Pond Pollutant Load Reduction (2005), Stormwater Academy

BMP Trains Research and Publications

This report describes an investigation sponsored by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), in which DB Environmental, Inc., with assistance from Community Watershed Fund, evaluated the potential of littoral zone vegetation to enhance contaminant removal performance of a wet detention pond.

For this effort, we constructed an experimental facility at a 1 hectare wet detention pond in Brevard Co, Florida that contained pre-existing littoral vegetation (distinct stands of cattail (Typha sp.) and pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata)) in addition to an unvegetated shoreline. Ten compartments, 3.7 m by 9.0 m, were deployed within the facility, effectively isolating sections of the pond. …

Analysis Of Per Capita Expenditures Of Suburbanizing Communities In Maine, New England Environmental Finance Center

Economics and Finance

This study analyzes per capita expenditure trends among selected fast-growing Maine towns from 1970-2004. The ten communities studied are termed as “suburbanizing” towns. This term is used to describe towns that over the past 30-40 years have been in the process of transition from rural to suburban – in terms of their population and housing densities, their forms of government, and the services they provide, as well as other characteristics.1 Such towns are of particular interest because they have been absorbing a healthy percentage of the state’s population growth during this time period, often at the expense of Maine’s service …

Stormwater Intelligent Control System (2005), Martin Wanielista

BMP Trains Research and Publications

Water restrictions, pollution control, volume balances, and the emergence of stormwater utilities have lead to the development of an automated intelligent system (“I-Water”) for water use and control. With the use of this system, water stored in stormwater ponds or in the surficial aquifer is not discharged to surface waters because it is used to meet water demands, such as, lawn irrigation, environmental protection, agriculture, drinking and industrial uses.

The drop in groundwater levels and the increasing use of reclaimed water illustrates a need for alternative water supplies. Ground water depletion is occurring which is adding to the destruction of …

Waldo Lake Research In 2004, Mark D. Sytsma, John Rueter, Richard Petersen, Roy Koch, Scott A. Wells, Michelle Wood, Yangdong Pan, Robert Leslie Annear, Aaron Hook, Laura Johnson, Rich Miller, Amanda Murphy, Terry Stoltz

Center for Lakes and Reservoirs Publications and Presentations

The Willamette National Forest has worked with Portland State University, Center for Lakes and Reservoirs (PSU) and the University of Oregon (UO) to investigate ecosystem changes, provide guidance on long-term monitoring methods, assess monitoring data, develop predictive water quality models, and conduct research that will lead to better protection and understanding of the Waldo Lake ecosystem. This report summarizes the second year of collaborative PSU-UO research at Waldo Lake. Research has focused on understanding physical, chemical and biological characteristics of Waldo Lake across a range of spatial and temporal scales. Research tasks that continued from 2003 into 2004 included temperature …

Development Of Adsorption Filtration Process For Virus Removal For Drinking Water Treatment, Vishal Vijay Gawarikar

Dissertations

Recent monitoring studies have indicated that many ground water (GW) sources would benefit from the development of effective technologies for removing viruses. Although reverse osmosis can achieve high log removal it is not economical. The main objective of this study is to test and validate a novel adsorption filtration (AF) technology for removing viruses from GW sources for drinking water production in New Jersey.

The convective diffusion of viruses to adsorbent particle surfaces in flow packed beds (FPB) enhances their removal efficiency if the adsorbent particle size can be decreased to about 100 microns. The development of effective virus removal …

Excavated Tanks And Hillside Dams, Martyn Keen

Natural resources published reports

An excavated tank is an earth structure on near level land used to impound water, in which a percentage of the storage capacity is below ground level. It includes similar structures constructed on sloping land, referred to as 'hillside dams'. These are specific types of the group of water-impounding structures known as 'farm dams'.

Development Of Multiple Growth Strategies For Use In Developing Traffic Forecasts: A Robustness Approach, Deogratias Eustace, Eugene R. Russell, E. Dean Landman

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

Decisions that may be based on misleading forecasts may lead to a misallocation of funds and to under-performing projects during construction and operation. Poor projections of demographic and socioeconomic data are usually cited as the major source of poor traffic assignment projections and hence, unfavorably conceived planning and construction of street and highway infrastructure facilities.

This report evaluated the accuracy of long range projections by using a transportation study done the in 1970s, projecting transportation demand 20 years into the future. The projected travel model inputs were compared with what actually happened after the horizon year had been reached and …

Modeling Groundwater Flow And Contaminant Transporting Fractured Aquifers, Jason M. Bordas

Theses and Dissertations

The hybrid discrete fracture network/equivalent porous medium (DFN/EPM) model was selected for analysis and application to simulate a contaminated site in this study. The DFN/EPM was selected because it appeared to have the potential to aid decision making by remedial project managers at contaminated DoD fractured aquifer sites. This model can use data that are typically available at a site while incorporating the important processes relevant to describing contaminant transport in a fractured medium. The model was applied to simulate the operation of a pump-and-treat remedial action at a trichloroethene-contaminated fractured aquifer at Pease AFB. The model was able to …

An Evaluation Of Wind Turbine Technology At Peterson Afb, Randy C. Combs

Theses and Dissertations

Wind energy technology is a viable source for attaining the emission reduction and renewable energy use goals set forth by the executive office. In accordance with Executive Orders, the Air Force must reduce greenhouse emissions and energy consumption, and expand the use of renewable energy sources within its facilities nation-wide by year 2010. This mandate requires that the Air Force look at alternative electrical production and rely more on such renewable energy resources as wind power. The specific problem addressed by this research is whether on-site wind energy generation can be more economically feasible than the conventional energy consumption at …

An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Environmental Management And Environmental Compliance At Marine Corps Installations, Bevin J. Keen

Theses and Dissertations

Environmental compliance on military is challenging for a number of reasons, including the complexity of regulations, and the variety of operations which impact the environment. At times, public concerns and penalties stemming from environmental issues has infringed upon the United States Marine Corps' (USMC) ability to use all installation resources without restriction. This thesis examines which facets of environmental management are closely associated with high levels of compliance. Five variables of interest: Total Compliance, Total Management, Audit Management, Policy Management, and Training Management were isolated from 1998-2004 USMC environmental audit data, and subjected to statistical analysis. Through the examination of …

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 …

An Investigation Into Palladium-Catalyzed Reduction Of Perchlorate In Water, Eric G. Barney

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, application of a catalytic reactor to facilitate chemical reduction of perchlorate was investigated. Palladium-coated pellets were used as the catalyst, and formic acid was used as the reductant. Reactor performance was evaluated under a variety of operating conditions (influent pH, reductant concentration, residence time). Very little perchlorate reduction was observed under any operating condition. At best, approximately 8% perchlorate reduction was observed. This small reduction efficiency is clearly not sufficient for environmental treatment applications. Perchlorate strongly adsorbed to the catalyst at low pH (3 - 3.3). At higher pH (4 - 10), little adsorption was observed. This …

Validation Of An Innovative Groundwater Contaminant Flux Measurement Method, Seh J. Kim

Theses and Dissertations

The ability to measure groundwater contaminant flux is increasingly being recognized as crucial in order to prioritize contaminated site cleanups, estimate the efficiency of remediation technologies, measure rates of natural attenuation, and apply proper source terms to model groundwater contaminant transport. An innovative mass flux measurement method using horizontal flow treatment wells (HFTWs) was developed recently to compensate for the disadvantages of other flux measurement methods that are being used. Flux measurement methods can be categorized as either point methods or integral methods. As the name suggests, point methods measure flux at a specific point or points in the subsurface. …

Removal Of Cyclohexane From A Contaminated Air Stream Using A Dense Phase Membrane Bioreactor, Michael G. Roberts

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine the ability of a dense phase membrane bioreactor to remove cyclohexane, a volatile organic compound in JP-8 jet fuel, from a contaminated air stream using a biologically active film for degradation. The research answered questions regarding applications of membrane bioreactors, the ability of cyclohexane to diffuse through a dense phase membrane, growth of a viable microbial culture, and determination of the performance capabilities of the reactor. To answer these questions, a literature review was conducted and laboratory experiments were performed. Through the design, construction, and testing of the dense phase membrane bioreactor …

Site Assessments, Martyn Keen

Natural resources published reports

The processes of collecting and recording site data as part of the preliminary tasks leading to a landscape or project design.

This standard applies to landscape and project designs for catchments of any size. Designs include: the installation of conservation earthworks; revegetation; land use planning; or implementation of erosion and sediment control practices. The design may also include any combination of the above