Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Interlayered Thin Film Composite (Itfc) Membranes: The Synthesis And Assembly Of Active Layer From Conjugated Microporous Polymer, Febby Andini

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The pursuit of advanced materials with well-defined structures at sub-1 nm size, multi-functionalities, and superior chemical stability is essential for enhanced separation performance but technically challenging. Limitations of conventional TFC membranes for use in Organic Solvent Nanofiltration (OSN) can be addressed by manipulating the pore size and chemical properties of the film with novel materials. Conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) are promising in a few years because of their highly ordered structure and excellent stability. Porphyrin, one of the basic building blocks, can form a conjugated polymer. Herein, poly(5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)porphyrin) or PTAPP, is considerably selected as an active layer from CMPs using …

2022 Fall Engr333 Poster, Section B, Nicholas Paternoster, Nick Grossman, Jared Ruba, Zac Runhaar, Caleb Styf, Anne Ghata, Micah Lee, Thomas Noble, Liam Austin, Kai Barboza, Mark Bekhet, Jordan Tuter, Jacob Tanis, Sara Vansolkema, Aidan Bakker, Ben Casey, Sarah Maccarthy, Elise Miera, Christine Vanoyen

ENGR 333

• “What would it take to eliminate Calvin's natural gas-related net CO2 emissions?”
• Former Calvin President Michael Le Roy signed the President’s Climate Commitment on Dec 6, 2017
• Pledged carbon neutrality by 2057
• Results so far have been mixed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but gains have come from: Improved lighting efficiency, Reduced enrollment, Renewable electricity is already being tackled through partnerships with companies like Sun FundED.

2022 Fall Engr333 Poster, Section A, Dat Cao, Izuchi Ebeku, Samuel Hoover, Sawyer Masselink, Ian Vanderkooi, Matthew Carlson, Jacob Heeres, Anthony Nykamp, Jacob Vanwyngarden, Nate Anderson, Anna Giboney, Gia Mien Le, Jonathan Washburn, Jess Camp, Ryan Macintyre, Aubree Peters, Alin Stoica, Drew Stoneburner, Claire Sheppard, Alayna Spiering, Reid Veneman, James Viel

ENGR 333

In 2017 President Michael K. Le Roy signed Second Nature’s President Climate Commitment. This commitment outlines that Calvin’s governing body will ensure Calvin University is a carbon neutral educational institution by 2057. In June of 2022, Calvin University’s presidential seat was passed from Dr. Michael K. Le Roy to Dr. Wiebe Boer. In his short time as the president of Calvin University, Dr. Boer has put many projects into motion to help Calvin achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2057. This past fall Dr. Boer tasked the ENGR 333 class with answering the following question: What would it …

2022 Fall Engr333 Project Section B Final Report, Nicholas Paternoster, Nick Grossman, Jared Ruba, Zac Runhaar, Caleb Styf, Anne Ghata, Micah Lee, Thomas Noble, Liam Austin, Kai Barboza, Mark Bekhet, Jordan Tuter, Jacob Tanis, Sara Vansolkema, Aidan Bakker, Ben Casey, Sarah Mccarthy, Elise Miera, Christine Vanoyen

ENGR 333

Sustainability is a multi-faceted grand challenge. One of today’s largest challenges is related to sustainability: CO2 emissions from energy consumption. Calvin University purchases natural gas for the energy services it provides; however, it is a major contributor to the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere. The ENGR 333 section B class was tasked with the question: What would it take to eliminate Calvin’s natural gas-related net CO2 emissions? After many hours of research and calculations, the ENGR 333 section B class answered this question with recommendations such as implementing ground source heat pumps, console heat pumps, air source heat …

Mysteerio: Multi-Regional Environmentally Extended Input-Output Model For United States, Yash Srivastava

All Theses

This research work titled My State Environmentally Extended Regional Input-Output (MYSTEERIO) is based on the concept of multi-regional environmentally extended input-output (MREEIO), which is a combination of lifecycle thinking and economics principles. Numerous studies have highlighted the advantages of using this methodology to determine the environmental impacts associated with economic activities for a region. However, no prior attempt has been made to conduct a state-level analysis for the US. This research work thus tries to estimate the impacts embodied due to the consumption of goods and services at the state level by using the MREEIO principles. Extensive coverage of the …

Microcosm Evaluation Of Natural And Biologically-Enhanced Abiotic Transformation Of Chlorinated Ethenes In Low Permeability Formations, Hao Wang

All Dissertations

Trichloroethene (TCE) is one of the most commonly found hazardous compounds at Superfund sites, especially in groundwater. Its volatility and toxicity pose a threat to drinking water safety and human health. In the past decades, research on the fate of TCE in the environment has shifted to contamination of low-permeability formations, for example fractured bedrock aquifers. TCE back-diffusion from low permeability zones and management of persistent TCE groundwater plumes caused by this long-term source zone pose major challenges for remediation.

Monitored natural attenuation (MNA) is a cost-effective remediation strategy that has gradually gained acceptance by regulators. Compared to extensive active …

Biodegradation Of Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether And Tert-Butyl Alcohol Using Bioaugmentation With Biowish® Aqua, Elizabeth Villanueva

Master's Theses

Aqua, a commercial product manufactured by BiOWiSH® Technologies, was utilized in this research to study its effectiveness to biodegrade methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and tert-butyl alcohol (TBA). Microcosms containing varying concentrations of MTBE and TBA as well as a growth media and mineral salt solution were examined. Analytical instrumentation used in this study included the use of a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC/MS) to determine concentrations of MTBE and TBA and a spectrophotometer to extrapolate approximate active biomass concentrations in each experiment. Four different environmental conditions were tested for both MTBE and TBA. The environmental conditions tested for each contaminant included: …

Sulfonated Styrene Grafted Sebs/Abs Made By Additive Manufacturing For Ion Exchange Applications, Avianna Elaine Gallegos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

An interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) for cation exchange applications was synthesized from a blend of styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene (SEBS) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), which was 3D printed, grafted with crosslinked polystyrene (PS), and sulfonated. A method for styrene grafting was applied to reduce the damage to polymer phases caused by the sulfonation reaction. Styrene and divinylbenzene monomers were introduced to the IPN and induced with heat treatment to polymerize in situ. The graft copolymerization reaction was enhanced with varying quantities of benzoyl peroxide as a chemical initiator. The samples were subsequently sulfonated with chlorosulfonic acid in dichloroethane and functionalized for ion …

The Rise Of Terrorism In Africa And What It Means For U.S. Policymakers, Bridget Mary Hughes

Master's Theses

This thesis utilizes three case studies to measure the rise of terrorism in Africa. This qualitative data leads the reader to one ultimate question: what does the rise in terrorism in Africa mean for the United States (U.S.) and U.S. policymakers, National Security academia, students in National Security, if anything at all? The answer is: if civilian and military compounds are being targeted by these violent extremists, as these three case studies demonstrate, it is my recommendation that U.S. policymakers cease sending troops to the African theater and, instead, allocate funding to the citizens and nonprofits of the countries whom …

The Living Breakwaters Pdr Efforts Econcrete Resource Analysis, Guianina Ferrari, Shervon Stephens, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy impacted 443,000 people and caused nearly $19 billion (about $58 per person in the US) worth of damage within New York City. As part of the New York City infrastructure reparation plan, the Living Breakwaters project in Tottenville addressed coastal resilience, allocating $100M of public funds to a series of artificial breakwaters by the southwest coast of Staten Island. Each breakwater is constructed and designed to mitigate water flow in storm events. ECOncrete, a primary element of the breakwater, is a specialty cast cementitious product that is marine organism-friendly that encourages biocalcification and photosynthesis. …

Nexuscapes: A Landscape Approach For A Transdisciplinary Water-Energy-Food Nexus Decision-Making Process, Fortino Acosta

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study develops a reliable transdisciplinary framework for complex ecological and social systems by characterizing, mapping, typifying, assessing, and testing enhanced water-energy-food nexus scenarios under critical time constraints, specialized skills, or sensitive data accessibility. Detached management of limited essential resources like fresh water, reliable energy from renewable sources, and nutritious food can jeopardize regional economies and governance. Using a novel landscape approach, this study recommends a decision-making the framework focused on the circular economy that induces collaboration among diverse sectors and brings strategic coordination, specificity, and magnitude to the proposed solutions. The study elaborates on a decision-making tool that integrates …

Influence Evaluation On Near-Road Concentrations Of Pm2.5 During Covid-19 Pandemic, Marcos Alan Banda Morales

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

SARS-CoV-2, also known as COVID-19, was discovered in Wuhan, China in late 2019and spread rapidly worldwide in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic and its quarantine periods influenced the number of people using their vehicles and the number of miles traveled, which correspondingly influenced the air quality of urban areas. The influence of the restrictions caused by the quarantine period on air quality differs from location to location. Previous research accounted for countries, but no research was done at the state level individually. This research attempts to evaluate the transportation-related air quality during the COVID-19 pandemic period using data from the Texas …

Direct Potable Reuse Piloting: Optimizing Chloramination, Operationalizing Ultrafiltration, And Understanding Zero Liquid Discharge Options, Marcela Carolina Herrera

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A pilot study was deployed at the John T. Hickerson Water Reclamation facility to analyze the viability of high recovery direct potable water reuse (DPR), aiming for zero liquid discharge (ZLD). This pilot consists of a chloramination system and ultrafiltration (UF) as pretreatment for reserve osmosis (RO) followed by UV-peroxide, granular activated carbon (GAC), and concentrate-enhanced recovery reverse osmosis (CERRO). Stabilizing the chloramination and UF system was the first step to ensure efficiency during the downstream processes. The formation of monochloramine is essential for the mitigation of biofouling of the UF membranes. The formation of monochloramine occurs by specific liquid …

A Case Study In Design, Construction, And Operation Of A Meromictic Solar Pond In Texas, Usa, Bianca Paola Meneses Brassea

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Over the last four decades, meromictic solar ponds have been the subject of limnological studies and engineering research. A case of practical interest is the salinity gradient solar pond (SGSP). SGSP science and technologies have been systemically advanced in El Paso, Texas. This dissertation aims to share lessons learned in designing, constructing, and operating the El Paso Solar Pond, a NaCl-based solar pond that achieved high-temperature performance over two decades, commencing in 1984. Many of the practical lessons learned have not been published and are thus not readily available in archival journals, and this contribution provides a remedy. The value …

Mango Surface Color Features Measurement Using Digital Image Processing, Md Towfiqur Rahman, Goutom Kumar, Md Abdul Momin

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Summary

Postharvest processing of agricultural produce is still done the conventional way in Bangladesh. Manual grading of agricultural produce, especially fruits and vegetables, is laborious and costly due to acute shortage of labor during the peak season, as well as difficulty maintaining the product quality. Machine vision system (MVS) applications are widely used nowadays as a non-destructive and cost-effective technology for automatically grading and sorting large volumes of produce in the packing house according to size, shape, color, texture, and surface defects. In this study, a simple MVS was constructed measuring different color features of mango fruit surface as a …

Framework For The Use Of Extended Reality Modalities In Aec Education, Barbara Oliveira Spitzer, Jae Hoon Ma, Ece Erdogmus, Ben Kreimer, Erica Ryherd, Heidi Diefes-Dux

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The educational applications of extended reality (XR) modalities, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), have increased significantly over the last ten years. Many educators within the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) related degree programs see student benefits that could be derived from bringing these modalities into classrooms, which include but are not limited to: a better understanding of each of the subdisciplines and the coordination necessary between them, visualizing oneself as a professional in AEC, and visualization of difficult concepts to increase engagement, self-efficacy, and learning. These benefits, in turn, help recruitment and retention efforts …

Ligand-Promoted Dissolution Of Uranyl Phosphate Across Scales, Brennan Ferguson

All Dissertations

The formation of uranyl phosphate precipitate is a remediation strategy because the low solubility of uranyl phosphate minerals, like chernikovite, limits the mobility of uranium in contaminated soils. However, organic ligands can complex with aqueous metal cations to form more soluble species. For example, citrate is a commonly occurring organic ligand produced by plants and microbes that increases the solubility of uranium and therefore the dissolution of uranyl phosphate minerals in the uranyl phosphate-citrate system. This effect is an important control on the mobility of uranium in organic-rich, and near-surface vegetated environments. Nevertheless, key aspects of the citrate-uranyl phosphate system …

Sustainability And Health Impacts Of Pulse Crops In The United States Using Life Cycle Assessment, Prathamesh A. Bandekar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Environmental sustainability and human health impact of pulses produced and consumed in the United States was assessed using life cycle assessment (LCA). The study included three objectives 1) to estimate environmental impact of current production and consumption practices in the United States using attributional LCA; 2) to estimate environmental and human health impact of iso-caloric diets containing varying amounts of pulses using Hybrid-LCA and Combined Nutritional and Environmental-LCA (CONE-LCA); and 3) to estimate environmental impact of increased demand for pulses using consequential LCA. Scope of the study varied for each objective with system boundary encompassing cradle-to-grave activities for objective 1 …

Optimization And Enhancement Of Co2 Sequestration In Industrial Wastes For Environmental Applications, Maisa El Gamal, Ameera F. Mohammad

All Works

This paper explores carbon capture and storage (CCS) through carbide lime waste (CLW), a by-product of acetylene production, under different conditions. This process is specifically designed to provide an onsite waste management solution for several industries that can easily be integrated into existing systems. In addition, the effect of the carbonation process on collected solids morphology and average particle size was studied. The structural and chemical characteristics of the carbonated carbide lime samples were investigated using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, TGA analysis, and Raman spectroscopy. The effect of carbonation conditions on the total dissolved solids and change in pH …

2022 Fall Engr333 Seminar Presentation, Jordan Tuter, Aidan Bakker, Samuel Hoover, Jessica Camp

ENGR 333

File for student presentation on Carbon Neutrality for Calvin University, given by students in the Fall 2022 class of ENGR333.

Data-Driven Analysis For Facility Management In Higher Education Institution, Ashish Kumar Pampana, Jungho Jeon, Soojin Yoon, Theodore J. Weidner, Makarand Hastak

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM) and Unplanned Maintenance (UPM) are the most common types of facility maintenance. This paper analyzes current trends and status of Facility Management (FM) practice at higher education institutions by proposing a systematic data-driven methodology using Natural Language Process (NLP) approaches, statistical analysis, risk-profile analysis, and outlier analysis. This study utilizes a descriptive database entitled "Facility Management Unified Classification Database (FMUCD)" to conduct the systematic data-driven analyses. The 5-year data from 2015 to 2019 was collected from eight universities in North America. A preprocessing step included but was not limited to identifying common data attributes, cleaning noisy …

Application Of Uas‑Based Remote Sensing In Estimating Winter Wheat Phenotypic Traits And Yield During The Growing Season, Kianoosh Hassani, Hamed Gholizadeh, Saleh Taghvaeian, Victoria Natalie, Jonathan Carpenter, Jamey Jacob

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Phenotyping approaches have been considered as a vital component in crop breeding programs to improve crops and develop new high-yielding cultivars. However, traditional field-based monitoring methods are expensive, invasive, and time-intensive. Moreover, data collected using satellite and airborne platforms are either costly or limited by their spatial and temporal resolution. Here, we investigated whether low-cost unmanned/unoccupied aerial systems (UASs) data can be used to estimate winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) nitrogen (N) content, structural traits including plant height, fresh and dry biomass, and leaf area index (LAI) as well as yield during different winter wheat growing stages. To achieve …

Investigation Of Mechanical Properties Of Recycled Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites Reinforcing Cement, Caleb Mull, Fnu Archie, Harry Lee, Guyuan Zhang

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

The usage of fiber-reinforced polymer composites in various fields has increased significantly due to their advantageous physical and mechanical properties. However, the sustainability of composite parts has not been fully solved for a long time. Most end-of-life (EOL) composite parts have been landfilled without recycling due to the recycling cost and lack of application of recycled composites. Mechanical composite recycling that shred the EOL composite part and reuse it for downgraded applications is one of the most commonly used recycling processes for the EOL composite part. In this research, mechanical composite recycling process was demonstrated for the construction application. The …

Biochar Amended Biological Systems For Enhanced Landfill Leachate And Lignocellulosic Banana Waste Treatment, Xia Yang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biochar is an inexpensive and environmentally friendly carbonaceous pyrolysis byproduct with a high surface area, pore volume, and adsorption capacities for inorganic and organic compounds. The goal of this dissertation is to evaluate the feasibility of biochar application in biological treatment systems for enhanced waste management. Three major objectives guided this research to provide a compressive understanding of biochar enhancement effects on biological treatment systems for contaminant removal, energy recovery, and environmental impacts as well as essential factors influencing biochar production and properties.

In Objective 1 a low-cost hybrid Constructed Wetland (CW) system modified with biochar/zeolite was developed for enhanced …

Techno-Economic Analysis Of Atmospheric Water Harvesting Across Climates, Natalie Gayoso

Civil Engineering ETDs

Drinking water scarcity is a global challenge as ground water and surface water availability diminishes. The atmosphere is an alternative freshwater reservoir that has universal availability and an abundance of water within the air. This makes the atmosphere a great source to capture drinking water. In order to effectively perform Atmospheric Water Harvesting (AWH) we need to 1) understand how different climate regions (e.g., arid, temperate, and tropical) drive the amount of water being produced, and 2) determine the cost to purchase, operate, and power AWH. This research pairs thermodynamics with Techno-Economic Analysis, a method of analyzing the economic performance …

Secure Cloud-Based Iot Water Quality Gathering For Analysis And Visualization, Soin Abdoul Kassif Baba M Traore, Maria Valero, Amy Gruss

KSU Proceedings on Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Water quality refers to measurable water characteristics, including chemical, biological, physical, and radiological characteristics usually relative to human needs. Dumping waste and untreated sewage is the reason for water pollution and several diseases to the living hood. The quality of water can also have a significant impact on animals and plant ecosystems. Therefore, keeping track of water quality is a substantial national interest. Much research has been done for measuring water quality using sensors to prevent water pollution. In summary, those systems are built based on online and reagent-free water monitoring SCADA systems in wired networks. However, centralized servers, transmission …

Canopycam – An Edge-Computing Sensing Unit For Continuous Measurement Of Canopy Cover Percentage Of Dry Edible Beans, Wei-Zhen Liang, Joseph Oboamah, Xin Qiao, Yufeng Ge, Robert M. Harveson, Daran Rudnick, Jun Wang, Haishun Yang, Angie Gradiz

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Canopy cover (CC) is an important indicator for crop development. Currently, CC can be estimated indirectly by measuring leaf area index (LAI) using commercially available hand-held meters. However, it does not capture the dynamics of CC. Continuous CC monitoring is essential for dry edible beans production since it can affect crop water use, weed, and disease control. It also helps growers to closely monitor “yellowness”, or senescence of dry beans to decide proper irrigation cutoff timing to allow the crop to dry down for harvest. Therefore, the goal of this study was to develop a device – CanopyCAM, containing software …

Corrosion Performance Of Carbon And Galvanized Steel In Calcium Silicate Cement, Maria Cardoso

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The concrete manufacturing industry has faced challenges with reducing carbon dioxide emissions as it currently produces about 8% of the world’s anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. With global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations being higher than ever, the solution is urgent. Due to this, a more sustainable type of concrete has been proposed.Calcium silicate cement (CSC) composed of essentially the same raw materials as ordinary portland cement (OPC) cures through the consumption of carbon dioxide rather than hydration like OPC. CSC is being explored as a potential alternative to OPC, however, there is little to no information on its corrosion related durability. …

Spatiotemporal Metabolic Network Models Reveal Complex Autotroph-Heterotroph Biofilm Interactions Governed By Photon Incidences, Poonam Phalak, Hans C. Bernstein, Stephen R. Lindemann, Ryan S. Renslow, Dennis G. Thomas, Michael A. Henson, Hyun-Seob Song

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Autotroph-heterotroph interactions are ubiquitous in natural environment and play a key role in controlling various essential ecosystem functions, such as production and utilization of organic matter, cycling of nitrogen, sulfur, and other chemical elements. Understanding how these biofilm metabolic interactions are constrained in space and time remains challenging because fully predictive models designed for this purpose are currently limited. Toward filling this gap, here we developed community metabolic network models for two autotroph-heterotroph biofilm consortia (termed UCC-A and UCC-O), which share a suite of common heterotrophic members but have a single distinct photoautotrophic cyanobacterium (Phormidesmis priestleyi str. ANA and …

Phytoextraction Of Lead (Pb) Contaminated Soil By Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum L): Impact Of Bap And Nta Applications, Genna Hart, Austin Gilly, Marina Koether, Thomas Mcelroy, Sigurdur Greipsson

Faculty Articles

The accumulation of Pb deposits in soil is a growing global concern. Soil remediation options include phytoextraction that involves the use of plants and associated soil microorganism. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a second-generation bioenergy crop was used in this study due to its ability to produce high biomass and grow in metal polluted soils. Plants were grown in Pb-contaminated soil (5,802.5 mg kg−1) in an environmentally controlled greenhouse. Plants were treated with exogenous application of the plant growth regulator (PGR) benzylaminopurine (BAP) or complete foliar nutrient solution (Triple-12®) twice a week until harvested. Plants also received the soil fungicide propiconazole …