Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Phosphorus Release And Recovery From Simulated Ferric Wastewater Sludge, Aseel Alnimer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Phosphorus (P) is a fundamental element necessary for all life forms and a key component in the fertilizer industry. Meanwhile, the excessive load of P to water bodies due to human activities has the potential to promote eutrophication. Wastewater treatment plants remove P either biologically or chemically and produce P rich sludge which could be a potential renewable source for P. At present, commercial technologies exist for P recovery from biological wastewater sludge. However, P recovery from chemical sludge particularly iron(III)-phosphate (Fe-P) sludge generated in chemical P removal plants that use iron(III) salts remains a challenge.

This study explored, in …

Rapid-Throughput Analysis Of 1,4-Dioxane In Plants By Centrifugal Sampling And Phytoforensic Analysis For Site Delineation And Assessing Enhanced Rhizodegradation, Anthony Eberechukwu Oha

Masters Theses

"Owing to its broad use and environmental persistence, 1,4-dioxane (dioxane) poses a notable threat to public health and is recalcitrant to traditional remedial systems. Dioxane moves readily in an aqueous environment and is an emerging contaminant in drinking water, surface water, groundwater, and wastewater. The extent of dioxane in the biosphere is also difficult to delineate, particularly in the subsurface. Phytoremediation has demonstrated the potential for dioxane groundwater remediation. Recent findings indicate that plant-microbial symbiosis may be more advantageous for limiting potential transport and transfer into plant tissues and the atmosphere. Bioaugmentation of the rhizosphere paired with soil amendments has …

A Literature Analysis Of Microgrid Optimization Studies, Izzy Medeiros

Honors Theses and Capstones

Senior civil engineering student, Izzy Medeiros, is presenting her honors thesis in the form of a literature analysis. Her research involved investigating existing microgrid studies and where there are current gaps in the knowledge. About 40 publications written within the last 20 years were analyzed for their research goals, optimization objectives, and microgrid design, pointing to where this research is currently lacking. Most real studies were conducted in Asia, as Southeast Asia has island communities that need the reliability of a renewable microgrid during extreme weather events. Photovoltaic panels in combination with wind turbines comprise the most common configuration of …

Climate Change And The Law Of National Security Adaptation, Mark P. Nevitt

Faculty Articles

The Department of Defense (DoD) is the largest employer in the world, owns and operates an enormous global real estate portfolio, and emits more Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) than many nations. Entrusted with the national security, the DoD is now threatened by a new enemy—climate change. Climate change imperils national security infrastructure while undermining the military’s capacity to respond to climate-driven disasters at home and abroad. However, legal scholarship has yet to address what I call “the law of national security adaptation” and related questions. For example, how do environmental and climate change laws apply to the U.S. military? What laws …

การประเมินก๊าซเรือนกระจกระดับเมืองและศักยภาพการลดก๊าซเรือนกระจกเพื่อเข้าสู่ความเป็นกลางทางคาร์บอน กรณีศึกษา จังหวัดสระแก้ว, จิรัชญา จิตรจารุวงศ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาการปล่อยก๊าซเรือนกระจกของจังหวัดสระแก้ว ในปี พ.ศ.2560-2564 ครอบคลุมกิจกรรม 5 ภาคส่วน ได้แก่ ภาคพลังงาน ภาคขนส่ง ภาคของเสีย ภาคอุตสาหกรรม และภาคการเกษตร และคาดการณ์ปริมาณการปล่อยก๊าซเรือนกระจกของจังหวัดสระแก้วในปี พ.ศ.2593 เพื่อนําเสนอมาตรการและศักยภาพการลดก๊าซเรือนกระจก และนำเสนอแนวทางเพื่อเปลี่ยนผ่านสู่ความเป็นกลางทางคาร์บอนในปี พ.ศ.2593 จากผลการศึกษาพบว่า ปริมาณการปล่อยก๊าซเรือนกระจกของจังหวัดสระแก้วในปีฐานคือ พ.ศ.2562 เท่ากับ 1,248,722 ตันคาร์บอนไดออกไซด์เทียบเท่า (2.21 ตันคาร์บอนไดออกไซด์เทียบเท่า/คน/ปี) กลุ่มกิจกรรมที่ปล่อยก๊าซเรือนกระจกมากที่สุดคือภาคพลังงาน คิดเป็นร้อยละ 42.17 รองลงมาคือภาคขนส่ง ร้อยละ 28.53 ภาคเกษตร ป่าไม้ และการใช้ประโยชน์ที่ดิน ร้อยละ 15.06 และภาคการจัดการของเสีย ร้อยละ 14.24 ผลการคาดการณ์การปล่อยก๊าซเรือนกระจกในปี พ.ศ.2593 ของจังหวัดสระแก้วเท่ากับ 1,462,231 ตันคาร์บอนไดออกไซด์เทียบเท่า ในกรณีที่จังหวัดสระแก้วดำเนินการตามมาตรการที่มีศักยภาพตามแผนการลดก๊าซเรือนกระจกของประเทศจะลดก๊าซเรือนกระจกได้ 1,119,718 ตันคาร์บอนไดออกไซด์เทียบเท่า และมีศักยภาพการดูดกลับก๊าซเรือนกระจกจากการเพิ่มพื้นที่ป่าไม้ได้ 217,371 ตันคาร์บอนไดออกไซด์เทียบเท่า หากจังหวัดสระแก้วต้องการเปลี่ยนผ่านสู่ความเป็นกลางทางคาร์บอนในปี พ.ศ.2593 จะต้องดำเนินการมาตรการคาร์บอนต่ำอย่างเข้มข้นเพิ่มเติม เพื่อลดก๊าซเรือนกระจกลงอีก 320,718 ตันคาร์บอนไดออกไซด์เทียบเท่า โดยเพิ่มสัดส่วนการใช้พลังงานทดแทน นโยบายรถยนต์ปล่อยมลพิษเป็นศูนย์ ร่วมกับการสนับสนุนการใช้พลังงานไฮโดรเจนเป็นเชื้อเพลิง การติดตั้งระบบบำบัดน้ำเสียรวมชุมชน การติดตั้งตัวดักจับและกักเก็บคาร์บอนจากโรงไฟฟ้าพลังงานขยะ การหมุนเวียนของเสียกลับมาใช้ประโยชน์ การทำเกษตรอินทรีย์/เกษตรอัจฉริยะ และการทำปศุสัตว์สีเขียว มาตรการเหล่านี้จะช่วยให้จังหวัดสระแก้วลดการปล่อยก๊าซเรือนกระจก ไปจนถึงการปล่อยก๊าซเรือนกระจกเป็นศูนย์ ซึ่งจะทำให้จังหวัดสระแก้วสามารถบรรลุได้ตามเป้าหมายของประเทศ

Comparative Assessment Of Environmental And Post- Occupancy Evaluation Of Green Buildings Vs Conventional Buildings, Wint Thiri Marn

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Due to increasing office space demand and rising rental rates, stakeholders seek cost-effective alternatives that align with sustainability goals. Therefore, green building offers an extensive solution particularly in growing office building rental rates and the need for cost-effective options that are consistent with environmentally conscious goals. Using the IPCC standard, the study assessed emissions across Scope 1 (refrigerant fugitive emissions) and Scope 1 emission from (Wastewater treatment system), Scope 2 (energy consumption emissions), and Scope 3 (emissions from water consumption, and waste generation). Scope 1 emissions are found to vary due to the usage of water-based fire-retardant systems, but they …

Bench- And Pilot-Scale Corrosion Control Inhibitor Effectiveness Studies For A Community's Blended Surficial And Brackish Groundwater Supply, Paula Campesino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The United States Environmental Protection Agency regulates the lead and copper content of a public water system's finished water at the consumer's tap, through the Safe Drinking Water Act's Lead and Copper Rule (LCR), promulgated in 1991. This rule was recently changed through the LCR Revisions (LCRR), that took effect in 2021. The more stringent requirements of the LCRR motivated the City of Sarasota, Florida (City), to work with the University of Central Florida (UCF) on a study of the municipality's finished water corrosivity. Initially, this evaluation investigated the City's existing finished water corrosivity using linear polarization resistance (LPR) measurements …

Smoke, Air, Fire, Energy (Safe) In Rural California: Critical Reflections On An Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration, Deepti Chatti, Carisse Geronimo, Cassidy Barrientos, Jana Ganion, Malcolm Moncheur, Peter Alstone Phd, Shawn Bourque, Tanya Garcia, Tesfayohanes Yacob

Humboldt Journal of Social Relations

This article provides a synthesis of the interconnected problems of tenuous energy access, wildfires, and exposures to high air pollution in Indigenous communities in rural California through the lens of ongoing collaborative research being carried out by researchers at Cal Poly Humboldt, Schatz Energy Research Center, Karuk Department of Natural Resources, and the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe. The collaboration is funded by the Strategic Growth Council of the state of California, and we hope is the beginning of a longer term relationship between all partners. We are an interdisciplinary team of researchers drawing on energy engineering, air pollution science, and …

Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (Qmra) For Urban Stormwater Reuse After Treatment Through A Bioretention System, Isaac Oluk

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Bioretention, also referred to as a stormwater biofilter, is an extensively used low-impact development technology for both stormwater management and water quality gains. However, little attention has been paid to the acceptability and uncertainty of human health risks associated with the treatment performance of bioretention filter media, and non-potable water reuse scenarios to guide decision-making and system design. This study uses bioretention mechanistic modeling paired with quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) under uncertainty to evaluate human health risks from two reference pathogens – Campylobacter jejuni and Cryptosporidium. Consumption of irrigated green salad, consumption of raw green salad washed with effluent, …

Nanopesticide Influence On Nitrogen Cycling In Soils, Jacob Richardson

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Nanotechnology has several applications in the agricultural industry, as the small size of nanoparticles and high reactivity enables targeted delivery of pesticides and fertilizers to the intended crop. Copper-based nanopesticides such as Kocide, are proposed as a more efficient method for targeted pest control. Despite the potential benefits of nanopesticides, little is known regarding the transport and implications of nanopesticides under long-term inundation conditions often found in downstream wetlands. Specifically, the impact of nanopesticides on microbial nitrogen processes in wetland environments remains unknown. Therefore, this thesis explores the impact of nanopesticides, specifically Kocide, on microbial nitrogen cycles in agricultural and …

Livestock Wastewater And Air Quality Management Using Microalgae, Capacitive Deionization, And Biofilters, Augustina Kwesie Osabutey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wastewaters play a significant role in the negative impact of phosphorus on the environment, such as eutrophication. However, phosphorus is a limiting nutrient essential for life which has gained global attention on productive technologies for phosphorus recovery. Several technologies have been developed for phosphorus removal and recovery from wastewater to help alleviate phosphorus loss to the environment. Capacitive deionization technology, which was earlier developed for water desalination and ion removal, is actively being explored for its ability to remove phosphorus from wastewater. This review describes capacitive deionization technology (CDI) and its various types. Significant attention is given to the use …

Leveraging Data Science To Promote Sustainable Resource Recovery From Organic Waste Streams In Rural Regions, Mohammed Tamim Zaki

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Conventional organic waste management practices such as landfilling contribute to global warming and degrade environmental and human health. Alternatively, organic waste can be treated to recover energy, nutrients, and carbon through resource recovery technologies. Data science could benefit such technologies by improving their efficiency through data-driven process modeling along with reducing environmental and economic burdens via life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA), respectively.

A critical review of 616 peer-reviewed articles published during 2002–2022 was conducted on the use of data science methods in resource recovery from organic waste. Although applications of machine learning (ML) methods have drastically increased …

Fem Eem Dataset: Optimising Retrofitted Insulation For Irish Residential Building Walls, Rakshit D. Muddu, Aimee Byrne, Anthony Robinson Dr.

Datasets

A large number of combinations of Irish wall types, insulation materials, and heating fuel types were produced to compare the multiple variables which influence Optimal Insulation Thickness values. The total cost (TC) and carbon emission (CE) at optimum insulation thickness (OIT) for all combinations of insulation material and three types of fuel are considered. The dataset presents OIT for solid wall, cavity wall and cavity block wall types located in Monaghan, Dublin, and Kerry.

Hdd Dataset: Optimising Retrofitted Insulation For Irish Residential Building Walls, Rakshit D. Muddu, Aimee Byrne, Anthony James Robinson

Datasets

In this study, a thermal-economic analysis was conducted to determine the optimum insulation thickness of retrofitted insulation walls in different regions in Ireland. This was based on the Heating Degree Day method (HDD). This dataset contains optimum insulation thickness, payback period, cost savings and carbon emission for all 25 counties in the Republic of Ireland

Treating Contaminated Water: Predicting Reactivities Of Aqueous Organic Contaminants With Hydrated Electrons, And Development Of A Biogarden To Manage Greywater Discharge In Monteverde, Costa Rica, Rose C. Daily

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Advanced reduction processes (ARPs) that generate highly reactive solvated electrons (e^-_aq) are a promising method for the destruction of conventional and emerging aqueous organic contaminants. While there is a large database of contaminant reactivity with e^-_aq in the literature, there is little information on the detailed elementary mechanisms for reduction of multifunctional group compounds and the impact of those functional groups on reactivity. As it is difficult to determine specific mechanisms through experiments and time consuming to measure reactivity, the development of computational approaches to elucidate mechanisms and predict reactivity is becoming increasingly important. In …

Predicting The Reactivities And Reaction Mechanisms Of Photochemically Produced Reactive Intermediates, Benjamin Barrios Cerda

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Photochemically produced reactive intermediates (PPRIs) such as the hydroxyl radical, carbonate radical (CO₃^•-) singlet oxygen (¹O₂) and triplet state of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (³CDOM^*) are formed in sunlit natural waters upon photoexcitation of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM). PPRIs react with the organic compounds involved in key environmental processes, resulting in transformation products of smaller molecular weight than their parent compounds. Photochemical transformation of these key water constituents due to their reactions with PPRIs may pose potential effects on human and aquatic ecosystems. Consequently, there is a need …

Bioaccumulation Of Polychlorinated Biphenyl Compounds And Mercury In A Mining Impacted Aquatic Ecosystem, Michelle Bollini

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Keweenaw area continues to be influenced by the century of copper mining that ended nearly 50 years ago. This project is focused on Torch Lake, an aquatic ecosystem that has been heavily impacted by mining waste disposal. The watershed has been impaired by mine discharge and tailings, smelter and smokestack plumes, and poor waste disposal practices. The lake is listed as a Great Lakes Area of Concern with beneficial use impairments of restrictions on fish consumption and a degraded benthic community. Polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs) and methylmercury (MeHg) are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances (PBTs). These contaminants pose threats …

Eutrophication On Twin Lakes: Applying A Phosphorus Budget And Shoreline Surveys To Assess Current & Historical Lake Health, Tyler K. Lemahieu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Twin Lakes system, a series of lakes including Lake Gerald and Lake Roland, was historically categorized as oligotrophic but is now mesotrophic having experienced cultural eutrophication. A mass balance phosphorus budget model was constructed for the Twin Lakes system in Houghton, Co. Michigan for the 2022 stratified season. Additional spatial insights were gleaned through a survey of shoreline water quality, which corroborated the model results. The lakes currently experience substantial depletion of hypolimnetic dissolved oxygen during late summer stratification. A budget reveals approximately 22% (6.6 kg) of the current 29.5 kg total phosphorus inputs to Twin Lakes (during the …

Spatiotemporal Trends In Particle-Associated Microbial Communities In A Chlorinated Drinking Water Distribution System, Madison Haddix

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Bacteria can survive treatment and enter drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs), or enter DWDSs through intrusion or maintenance work on the system. DWDSs can also be suitable environments for bacterial regrowth. Many factors can affect the microbial community composition of DWDSs, including various spatiotemporal, hydraulic, and water quality parameters. Although most bacteria within DWDSs are harmless, opportunistic pathogens, such as Legionella pneumophila, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Mycobacterium avium, can inhabit DWDSs and premise plumbing and are the leading cause of waterborne disease outbreaks in developed countries. Previous studies have attempted to establish relationships between various parameters and microbial …

Development Of A Framework To Support Community-Scale Nutrient Recovery For Local Crop Fertilization And Production, Scott A. Lopez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nutrient and resource recovery (NRR) has become increasingly crucial as regions face deteriorating sanitation infrastructures, limited support, and growing environmental challenges. Implementing region-specific NRR technologies and systems could provide effective circular economy insights into addressing these challenges. Because of the multidisciplinary challenges associated with the design and implementation of NRR strategies, various government and local decision-makers need to collaborate effectively in the decision-making process. Structured decision-making (SDM) methodologies are practical when determining the most appropriate NRR strategy for nutrient-rich waste streams. However, applications of computational SDM limited because of the vast amounts of data that are needed to analyze the …

Simulating Energy Performance Of Buildings: A Study Using Equest And Energy Star® Portfolio Manager, Sabin Wagle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The urgent need for improving building energy efficiency in response to global warming and environmental sustainability has highlighted the importance of practical techniques to optimize energy performance. The study utilizes the eQUEST simulation engine and Energy Star® Portfolio Manager to evaluate retrofit and design parameters and conduct a sensitivity analysis to explore the impact of different parameters on building energy performance. The study develops building energy models in eQUEST using data from two fully operational Distribution centers. It is calibrated using the Normalized Mean Bias Error (NMBE) and Coefficient of Variation of Root Mean Square Error (CV(RMSE)) method, meeting the …

Using Modflow To Assess Groundwater Storage Enhancement Via A Floodplain Infiltration Basin, Lindsay Henning

All Master's Theses

Delaying groundwater discharge into rivers until it is critically needed during baseflow conditions provides promise for lowering elevated stream temperatures and improving habitat for aquatic species. Increasing groundwater storage may accomplish this in locations where excess spring runoff can be captured and allowed to infiltrate into the subsurface for later beneficial use, a process known as Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR). Here, MAR via an infiltration basin is considered at a site along the Teanaway River in central Washington State. The effects of simulated ephemeral ponds of sizes varying from 554 m³ to 2430 m³ (0.449 acre-feet to 1.97 …

A Theoretical And Computational Model For Aquaponics Systems, Isabella M. Digiulio

Honors Theses

Aquaponics, a sustainable farming technique combining the principles of aquaculture and hydroponics, suffers from uncertainty in its optimal operating conditions, preventing large-scale adoption of this technology. Relying on experimentation or full-scale testing to address these uncertainties is an approach that is material, labor, time, and cost intensive. As a result, aquaponics would benefit from a complete computational model of the system. This would allow for information to be gained without long and expensive experiments, but rather with knowledge of system operations and a modeling software package. In this study, the Activated Sludge Model 1 (ASM1) matrix framework, traditionally used in …

Optimizing Sample Collection And Data Interpretation For Effective Wastewater-Based Epidemiology In Combined Sewer Systems, Christopher Allen Anderson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

COVID-19 has spurred growth in the science surrounding wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) pertaining to the detection of severe acute respiratory virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in waste streams as an early warning signal for public health. However, the highly variable wastewater environment has made it difficult to standardize an approach for sampling and analysis, especially in locations using combined sewer infrastructure. This study addresses knowledge gaps of WBE via three specific aims: (1) to compare diurnal fluctuations of SARS-CoV-2 and the human fecal indicator, pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influent samples collected during dry versus wet weather conditions; …

Joint Probability Analysis Of Extreme Precipitation And Water Level For Chicago, Illinois, Anna Li Holey

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

A compound flooding event occurs when there is a combination of two or more extreme factors that happen simultaneously or in quick succession and can lead to flooding. In the Great Lakes region, it is common for a compound flooding event to occur with a high lake water level and heavy rainfall. With the potential of increasing water levels and an increase in precipitation under climate change, the Great Lakes coastal regions could be at risk for more frequent and severe flooding. The City of Chicago which is located on Lake Michigan has a high population and dense infrastructure and …

การกำจัดสารอินทรีย์และไนโตรเจนควบคู่กับการผลิตโพลีไฮดรอกซีแอลคาโนเอตด้วยจุลินทรีย์เชื้อผสมร่วมกับการเติม Thauera Mechernichensis Tl1, นวภัทร ช่อทอง

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้ศึกษาการผลิตพลาสติกชีวภาพชนิดโพลีไฮดรอกซีแอลคาโนเอต (พีเอชเอ) ควบคู่กับการกำจัดสารอินทรีย์และไนโตรเจน ด้วยจุลินทรีย์สายพันธุ์ผสมร่วมกับการเติม Thauera mechernichensis TL1 ในอัตราส่วน 97.5 : 2.5 % g MLVSS ภายใต้สภาวะที่มีอาหารเกินพอสลับกับขาดแคลน (feast and famine conditions) ภายในถังปฏิกรณ์แบบกึ่งเท (sequencing batch reactor) จำนวน 2 ถัง โดยในถังปฏิกรณ์ที่ 1 มีการเติมอากาศตลอดเวลาทั้งช่วงที่มีอาหารเกินพอ และช่วงที่ขาดแคลนอาหาร (aerobic feast/famine) และในถังปฏิกรณ์ที่ 2 มีการเติมอากาศเฉพาะช่วงอาหารเกินพอ และปล่อยให้เกิดสภาวะแอน็อกซิกในช่วงขาดแคลนอาหาร (aerobic feast/anoxic famine) กำหนดค่าอายุสลัดจ์ (SRT) 10 วัน และรอบการเดินระบบ (cycle time) ระยะเวลา 2 วัน โดยใช้อะซิเตท 1,000 mgCOD/L เป็นแหล่งคาร์บอน โดยมีความเข้มข้นแอมโมเนียเริ่มต้น 70 mgN/L และศึกษาความสามารถในการสะสมพีเอชเอสูงสุดของตะกอนจุลินทรีย์ในระบบทีละเทแบบเติมแหล่งคาร์บอนต่อเนื่อง (fed-batch reactor) ผลการศึกษาพบว่า ถังปฎิกรณ์ที่ 1 ผลิต พีเอชเอได้สูงสุดที่ในรอบการเดินระบบที่ 28 โดยมีปริมาณ 10.04 % ของน้ำหนักเซลล์แห้ง และมีประสิทธิภาพในการกำจัดสารอินทรีย์ 88.1 ± 1.3% แต่ไม่มีประสิทธิภาพในการกำจัดไนโตรเจน ส่วนถังปฎิกรณ์ที่ 2 ผลิตพีเอชเอได้สูงสุดที่ในรอบการเดินระบบที่ 35 โดยมีปริมาณ 8.37 % ของน้ำหนักเซลล์แห้ง มีประสิทธิภาพในการกำจัดสารอินทรีย์ 87.6 ± 1.7% และมีประสิทธิภาพในการกำจัดไนโตรเจน 78.0 ± 2.0% และได้ศึกษากลุ่มประชากรจุลินทรีย์ในระบบด้วยเทคนิค 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing (MiSeq) พบว่า จุลินทรีย์กลุ่ม Thauera …

Reduced Metal Nanocatalysts For Selective Electrochemical Hydrogenation Of Biomass-Derived 5-(Hydroxymethyl)Furfural To 2, 5-Bis(Hydroxymethyl)Furan In Ambient Conditions, Baleeswaraiah Muchharla, Moumita Dikshit, Ujjwal Pokharel, Ravindranath Garimella, Adetayo Adedeji, Kapil Kumar, Wei Cao, Hani Elsayed-Ali, Kishor Kumar Sadasivuni, Naif Abdullah Al-Dhabi, Sandeep Kumar, Bijandra Kumar

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Selective electrochemical hydrogenation (ECH) of biomass-derived unsaturated organic molecules has enormous potential for sustainable chemical production. However, an efficient catalyst is essential to perform an ECH reaction consisting of superior product selectivity and a higher conversion rate. Here, we examined the ECH performance of reduced metal nanostructures i.e., reduced Ag (rAg) and reduced copper (rCu) prepared via electrochemical or thermal oxidation and electrochemical reduction process, respectively. Surface morphological analysis suggests formation of nanocoral and entangled nanowire structure formation for rAg and rCu catalysts. rCu exhibits slight enhancement in ECH reaction performance in comparison to the pristine Cu. However, the rAg …

Cost-Benefit Analysis Of Increased Water Treatment Plant Service Goals On Reducing Water Quality Risk, Briton Polen, Kendra Sanner

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

To treat water to make it safe to drink, disinfection processes are used in water treatment plants. These disinfection processes produce disinfection byproducts (DBPs) through the reaction of organic matter and the disinfectant, such as chlorine. DBPs have been shown to pose a cancer risk to consumers. In this report, the focus is on two types of DBPs, trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). The cancer risks associated with DBPs are analyzed through ingestion and inhalation pathways. Ingestion and inhalation consist of common water uses like drinking, cooking, or bathing. In addition to this, DBPs have been shown to increase …

Impact Of Eastern Redcedar Encroachment On Water Resources In The Nebraska Sandhills, Yaser Kishawi, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Troy E. Gilmore, Dirac Twidwell, Tirthankar Roy, Nawaraj Shrestha

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Worldwide, tree or shrub dominated woodlands have encroached into herbaceous dominated grasslands. While very few studies have evaluated the impact of Eastern Redcedar (redcedar) encroachment on the water budget, none have analyzed the impact on water quality. In this study, we evaluated the impact of redcedar encroachment on the water budget in the Nebraska Sand Hills and how the decreased streamflow would increase nitrate and atrazine concentrations in the Platte River. We calibrated a Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT model) for streamflow, recharge, and evapotranspiration. Using a moving window with a dilate morphological filter, encroachment scenarios of 11.9%, 16.1%, …

Complab V1.0: A Scalable Pore-Scale Model For Flow, Biogeochemistry, Microbial Metabolism, And Biofilm Dynamics, Heewon Jung, Hyun-Seob Song, Christof Meile

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Microbial activity and chemical reactions in porous media depend on the local conditions at the pore scale and can involve complex feedback with fluid flow and mass transport. We present a modeling framework that quantitatively accounts for the interactions between the bio(geo)chemical and physical processes and that can integrate genome-scale microbial metabolic information into a dynamically changing, spatially explicit representation of environmental conditions. The model couples a lattice Boltzmann implementation of Navier–Stokes (flow) and advection–diffusion-reaction (mass conservation) equations. Reaction formulations can include both kinetic rate expressions and flux balance analysis, thereby integrating reactive transport modeling and systems biology. We also …