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Full-Text Articles in Civil and Environmental Engineering

Waste Wood Biochar As A Potential Agricultural Soil Amendment, Gavin Rahl May 2026

Waste Wood Biochar As A Potential Agricultural Soil Amendment, Gavin Rahl

Honors Theses

Biochar, as a technology, has and continues to be evaluated for a wide variety of purposes including drinking water treatment of heavy metals and air filtration for harmful contaminants. When evaluating the logging industry, a problem has emerged around residual wood waste (slash piles) in the field that biochar production may be able to address. Additionally, agriculture has begun to look for alternatives to nitrate heavy fertilizers that can cause eutrophication in waterways that biochar has the potential to address. In this study, the effect of biochar addition was assessed in agricultural fields with tight margin alfalfa/grass hay crops to …


Modification And Characterization Of Bacterial Cellulose Membranes For The Potential Removal Of Various Contaminants From Water, Madison Skeel May 2026

Modification And Characterization Of Bacterial Cellulose Membranes For The Potential Removal Of Various Contaminants From Water, Madison Skeel

Honors Theses

Bacterial cellulose (BC) has emerged as a promising bio-based material for membrane filtration due to its high purity, interconnected nanofibrillar structure, and tunable physical properties. However, unmodified BC membranes function primarily as passive filtration materials, with performance largely governed by pore size and lacking the ability to effectively interact with dissolved contaminants. This study investigates the modification of BC membranes through a combination of mechanical pressing, chitosan functionalization, and citric acid crosslinking to enhance both structural control and functional performance. BC membranes were synthesized using a kombucha-based system and subsequently purified, mechanically compressed, and chemically modified. Results demonstrated that the …


Phytomining Potential Of Native Rocky Mountain Plants, Halle Cogley May 2026

Phytomining Potential Of Native Rocky Mountain Plants, Halle Cogley

Honors Theses

Standard mining practices of the past have left valuable, critical minerals remaining within mine waste and tailings piles. Phytoremediation, or the use of plants to uptake and store heavy metals, has grown in popularity for these sites. A new technology, phytomining, is being developed that not only offers the benefits of phytoremediation but also allows a new pathway to extract and generate revenue from these untouched critical minerals. Certain plants have been identified as hyperaccumulators with the ability to bioaccumulate a high level of certain minerals in their plant tissue. This study explored different species of native plants within the …


Phytoextraction Potential Of Willows (Salix Spp.) For Common Heavy Metal Contaminants., Johannes Chandler May 2026

Phytoextraction Potential Of Willows (Salix Spp.) For Common Heavy Metal Contaminants., Johannes Chandler

Honors Theses

Phytoextraction is a method for removal and recovery of heavy metals from contaminated substrates using plants. There is a growing need to test, identify, and further understand species effective for phytoextraction to feasibly remove and recover heavy metals. In this study, the phytoextraction capacity of Willow (Salix) species was tested for metal contaminated soils and waters from legacy mining in Butte, Montana. The willows were grown in a hydroponic system in two 8-week long growth trials, employing a 2x2 factorial design of contaminated soil, clay beads, contaminated mine water and uncontaminated water as the media. Heavy metal concentrations (Mn, Zn, …


Geologic And Geochemical Investigation Of The Ruby Graphite Deposit, Mikayla Taylor Dec 2025

Geologic And Geochemical Investigation Of The Ruby Graphite Deposit, Mikayla Taylor

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Ruby Graphite project (RGP, also known as the Crystal Graphite deposit) is located in the southern Ruby Mountains, Beaverhead County. The deposit contains coarse-grained and highly crystalline graphite, which is a sought-after critical commodity in today’s global economy. The graphite is hosted by high-grade meta-sedimentary and meta-igneous rocks that reached peak metamorphism during the ~ 1.7 Ma Big Sky Orogeny. In this study, samples were collected from outcrops, mine dumps, and new (2023) drill core from the Ground Hog and Bird’s Nest locations. Rock types include calcitic marble, biotite-garnet schist, pegmatite, diopside-rich skarn, altered ultramafic intrusions, and a possible …


Increasing Hydrogen Production In Electrolysis With A Magnetic Field, Laurie Battle Apr 2022

Increasing Hydrogen Production In Electrolysis With A Magnetic Field, Laurie Battle

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Hydrogen is an important energy carrier that has no carbon emissions when energy is extracted and also can be used as energy storage to increase the practicality of many renewable energy sources. The prominent methods of hydrogen production make use of fossil fuels, resulting in carbon emissions. Electrolysis is a lesser used technology for hydrogen production in which electricity splits water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen gases. If the electricity is sourced from renewable energies, this process releases little to no carbon and the resulting hydrogen is termed “green hydrogen.” While electrolysis and fossil fuel methods have comparable efficiencies of …


Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #7 [Covering Former Hawthorne School And Aware Early Headstart], Pioneer Technical Services, Inc. Aug 2021

Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #7 [Covering Former Hawthorne School And Aware Early Headstart], Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.


Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #6 [Covering Small World Daycare], Pioneer Technical Services, Inc. Aug 2021

Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #6 [Covering Small World Daycare], Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.


Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #5 [Covering Mcglone Heights And Skating Rink], Pioneer Technical Services, Inc. Jul 2021

Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #5 [Covering Mcglone Heights And Skating Rink], Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.


Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #3 [Covering Emerson Elementary, Headstart (Former Lincoln School), Headstart (Former Monroe School), & Margaret Leary Elementary], Pioneer Technical Services, Inc. Jul 2021

Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #3 [Covering Emerson Elementary, Headstart (Former Lincoln School), Headstart (Former Monroe School), & Margaret Leary Elementary], Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.


Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #4 [Covering Butte Central Elementary & Middle School, Butte Central High School, Butte High School/Annex, East Middle School, Jeremy Bullock Soccer Fields, Webster Garfield School, & Whittier Elementary], Pioneer Technical Services, Inc. Jul 2021

Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #4 [Covering Butte Central Elementary & Middle School, Butte Central High School, Butte High School/Annex, East Middle School, Jeremy Bullock Soccer Fields, Webster Garfield School, & Whittier Elementary], Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.


Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #2 (Covering Highland View Christian School, Hillcrest Elementary, Kennedy Elementary, Silver Bow Montessori, & West Elementary), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc. Jul 2021

Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #2 (Covering Highland View Christian School, Hillcrest Elementary, Kennedy Elementary, Silver Bow Montessori, & West Elementary), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.


Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #1 (Covering Ramsay Elementary School), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc. Jul 2021

Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #1 (Covering Ramsay Elementary School), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.


Butte Reclamation Evaluation System Field Manual, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc. Jul 2021

Butte Reclamation Evaluation System Field Manual, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.


Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Npl Site Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc. May 2021

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Npl Site Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.


2021 Final Butte Reduction Works (Brw) Smelter Area Mine Waste Remediation And Contaminated Groundwater Hydraulic Control Site Phase Iii Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc. Apr 2021

2021 Final Butte Reduction Works (Brw) Smelter Area Mine Waste Remediation And Contaminated Groundwater Hydraulic Control Site Phase Iii Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.


2021 Final Butte Reduction Works (Brw) Phase I Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp) Revision 3. February 2021, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc. Feb 2021

2021 Final Butte Reduction Works (Brw) Phase I Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp) Revision 3. February 2021, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.


Revised Draft Final Butte Reclaimed Areas Maintenance And Monitoring (M&M) Plan In Accordance With Butte Reclamation Evaluation System (Bres), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc. Jan 2021

Revised Draft Final Butte Reclaimed Areas Maintenance And Monitoring (M&M) Plan In Accordance With Butte Reclamation Evaluation System (Bres), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.


Analysis Of Semi-Arid Riparian Environments Using Satellite Imagery, Kira Overin Oct 2020

Analysis Of Semi-Arid Riparian Environments Using Satellite Imagery, Kira Overin

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Semi-arid riparian environments are at risk of being over-exploited or degraded due to increased water usage associated with growing housing demands. Trends surrounding these developments can be monitored using freely available Landsat satellite imagery in conjunction with seasonal stream discharge rates. This project focuses on a stream system located southwest of Ennis, Montana, where population is growing rapidly. It aims to characterize the connection between variable discharge rates in small-scale riparian environments and adjoining vegetation health, while considering possible implications of continued urbanization. Methods for preventing riparian ecosystem degradation and promoting resilience are also discussed.


Vu Villa Structural Design And Rehabilitation, Kolby Sukut Oct 2019

Vu Villa Structural Design And Rehabilitation, Kolby Sukut

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Vu Villa is a bar and pizzeria which has operated out of the first floor of the Campana building in Butte, Montana since 1967. Construction of the Campana building started in 1894 and was completed before the end of the 19th century. The Campana building is a two-story building which primarily consists of exterior brick masonry walls and wood framing on the interior. Within the last several decades significant sag has been identified in the second-floor of the building as well as an adjacent staircase. In addition, renovation activities have been discussed for the upstairs which would involve …


Enhancing The Efficiency Of Electrokinetic Remediation Through The Use Of Complexing Agents, Timothy Driscoll Jul 2019

Enhancing The Efficiency Of Electrokinetic Remediation Through The Use Of Complexing Agents, Timothy Driscoll

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Electrokinetic remediation was accessed as a viable remediation technology for heavy metal contamination modeled after contamination present in Butte, MT caused by over a century of hard rock mining. The remediation technology was assessed at a laboratory scale using copper sulfate (CuSO4) as a model compound of mine tailing contamination, and an artificial soil to control for variables outside the scope of work. This thesis designed a laboratory scale experiment that produced consistent results and could be easily repeated. The system design also included a method for managing the waste material produced during experiments. Following the experimental design, …


Experimental Investigation Of The Thermochemical Reduction Of Arsenite And Sulfate: Low Temperature Hydrothermal Copper, Nickel, And Cobalt Arsenide And Sulfide Ore Formation, Nicholas Allin Apr 2019

Experimental Investigation Of The Thermochemical Reduction Of Arsenite And Sulfate: Low Temperature Hydrothermal Copper, Nickel, And Cobalt Arsenide And Sulfide Ore Formation, Nicholas Allin

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Experiments were conducted to determine the relative rates of reduction of aqueous sulfate and aqueous arsenite (As(OH)3,aq) using foils of copper, nickel, or cobalt as the reductant, at temperatures of 150ºC to 300ºC. At the highest temperature of 300°C, very limited sulfate reduction was observed with cobalt foil, but sulfate was reduced to sulfide by copper foil (precipitation of Cu2S (chalcocite)) and partly reduced by nickel foil (precipitation of NiS2 (vaesite) + NiSO4·xH2O). In the 300ºC arsenite reduction experiments, Cu3As (domeykite), Ni5As2, or CoAs (langisite) …


Remediation Investigation And Feasibility Study For “Inplace” Mine Waste Influenced Grove Gulch, Butte, Mt, Westley Lund Oct 2018

Remediation Investigation And Feasibility Study For “Inplace” Mine Waste Influenced Grove Gulch, Butte, Mt, Westley Lund

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Historical mining activities in Butte, Montana contributed to the deposition of heavy metal contaminated mine waste/tailings along the tributary streams of the Clark Fork River. These tributary streams, Silver Bow Creek (SBC), Blacktail Creek (BTC), and Grove Gulch make up the headwaters of the Clark Fork River, which flows through western Montana. SBC is currently impaired for arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), zinc (Zn), and sedimentation (MTDEQ, 2016). BTC is the headwaters of SBC, while Grove Gulch discharges into BTC. Grove Gulch is an intermittent stream south of Butte, that is approximately 6 miles in …


Evaluation Of Continuous, Low-Intensity Ultraviolet Irradiation For Biofilm Prevention, Stephanie Conrad Oct 2018

Evaluation Of Continuous, Low-Intensity Ultraviolet Irradiation For Biofilm Prevention, Stephanie Conrad

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Biofilms occur when planktonic bacteria attach to a surface, forming a sticky, extracellular matrix that makes them difficult to remove. Biofilms are especially troublesome in water filtration membrane systems due to their strong adhesive properties. Once attached, biofilms cause a decrease in water production (biofouling) and an increase in membrane degradation. Traditional cleaning methods use harsh chemicals and require modules being taken offline, which reduces water production rates. Moreover, despite current cleaning efforts, irreversible biofouling inevitably leads to membrane module replacement. The implementation of low-intensity UV irradiation for biofilm prevention could decrease waste and increase production. However, while much is …


Development Of A Uav-Based System To Monitor Air Quality Over An Oil Field, Siwen Liu Oct 2018

Development Of A Uav-Based System To Monitor Air Quality Over An Oil Field, Siwen Liu

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The growth of hydraulic fracturing has pushed the whole petroleum industries forward. As a result, gas (mainly methane [CH4]) emissions have significantly increased over the past decades (Macey et al., 2014). Gas leaks can occur at almost all stages of a petroleum production process, such as drilling, fracking, and refining. For years, ground-based air quality monitoring has been conducted around production sites. An improved understanding of air quality would be enabled by supplementing ground-based with airborne monitoring. The latter would involve the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to carry a compact, portable air monitoring system. The purpose of this …


Reliability, Laying The Groundwork In Theory And In Practice, Nicholas Smith Apr 2018

Reliability, Laying The Groundwork In Theory And In Practice, Nicholas Smith

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Soils do not have specific properties like materials such as concrete and steel. The goal of this project is to measure these specific properties through field and laboratory tests-and to show how the information relates to engineering analysis and design.


Reliability Analysis Of Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Walls, Michael Powers Oct 2017

Reliability Analysis Of Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Walls, Michael Powers

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Geosynthetic reinforced soil walls have been widely used for earth retention and stabilization in many geotechnical applications. In the traditional design of geosynthetic reinforced soil walls, Allowable Stress Design (ASD) is used to address the uncertainties. However, it cannot explicitly consider the uncertainties in a systematic way in the design process; especially geotechnical uncertainties are typically at high levels and problem-specific. Traditional methods usually result in over-conservativeness, inconsistence, and empiricism in the design practice. Recently there has been a trend of the application of reliability methods for design of geosynthetic reinforced soil walls to explicitly address uncertainties in the design …


Performance-Based Contracting For Rest Area Maintenance, Michael Powers Oct 2017

Performance-Based Contracting For Rest Area Maintenance, Michael Powers

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

To maintain rest area stops in the United States, three methods are used. They are the In-House method, Method-Based Contracting (MBC), and Performance-Based Contracting (PBC). In recent years, the PBC method has become increasingly popular because this method reduces the strain of managing In-House employees or MBC contracts, generates more business in the public sector, can increase the level of service (LOS), and generally reduces the costs of maintaining rest area stops up to 5%. In the United States, no less than 15 states use the PBC method to maintain their rest area stops, and the results from switching to …


Evaluation Of The Fertilization Properties Of Algal Biomass And Assessment Of Koh-Induced Flocculation Of Pw95 Algal Cells, Olakunle Ogunsakin Jul 2017

Evaluation Of The Fertilization Properties Of Algal Biomass And Assessment Of Koh-Induced Flocculation Of Pw95 Algal Cells, Olakunle Ogunsakin

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Microalgae from the Coal Bed Methane (CBM) ponds of the Powder River Basin (PRB) in Southeastern Montana have the potential to be utilized as fertilizer for use on the economically important plants of Montana. Three very important economic field crops of Montana (winter wheat - Triticum aestivum, potato - Solanum tuberosum, and flax - Linum usitatissimum) were used for the fertilization experiments. Isolates of unicellular green algae - PW95 (sequenced as Neospongiococcum sp.) from the CBM ponds, and blue-green microalgae – Cyanobacteria (Anabaena Cylindrica) were cultured in the laboratory and the cells were concentrated using gravity sedimentation. Nutrient analysis of …


2017 Asc Bidding Competition – Heavy Civil, Shandy Holm, Kenneth Hunter, Kendra Jackson, Carlos Martinez, Jacob Nistler, Katherine Schuler Apr 2017

2017 Asc Bidding Competition – Heavy Civil, Shandy Holm, Kenneth Hunter, Kendra Jackson, Carlos Martinez, Jacob Nistler, Katherine Schuler

Proceedings of the Annual Montana Tech Electrical and General Engineering Symposium

We represent the 2017 Montana Tech Heavy Civil Team. Our senior design project consisted of competing in the Region 6 ASC (Associated Schools of Construction) Heavy Civil Bidding Competition in Sparks, Nevada. The competition required a full year of preparation. The fall semester was composed of planning, practicing, and gathering resources. The spring semester involved traveling to Sparks, Nevada, and performing in the competition. Preparing for the competition involved practice bids, where the team studied various aspects of heavy civil construction. Time was devoted to developing presentation skills, and different team bonding exercises encouraged unit cohesion. Finally, our preparation culminated …