Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Restoring Capacity In Compromised Glued Laminated Beams, Cole Moller

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

After structural fires are extinguished, presuming the structure is not a total loss, structural wood members can be inspected for residual properties. Through this research, we explored alternative methods aimed at keeping structurally compromised wood member’s in service when they would otherwise warrant replacement. For this study, we used 24F-V8 DF/DF glued laminated beams that had been loaded to their max capacity; both non-fire damaged and fire damaged. In situations where physical and mechanical changes occur, and the beam warrants individual replacement, a new restoration procedure could be used to salvage the member. Salvaging the member could mean to keep …

Procedural Treatment Options To Address Intermittent Pentachlorophenol Effluent Exceedances At A Former Wood-Treatment Site In Butte, Montana, Travis Dunkle

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Montana Pole and Treating Plant in Butte, Montana treated wood with preservatives, mainly pentachlorophenol (PCP), which had been dissolved in a carrier fluid. Accidents and careless handling spilled large quantities of the fluid on the site, contaminating the vadose zone and groundwater. This site has been undergoing remediation since it was added to the CERCLA National Priorities List in 1987. Pentachlorophenol and dioxin are the contaminants of concern. Remediation technologies have included soil removal and installation of two water recovery trenches that collect groundwater, which is then pumped through a granular activated carbon (GAC) water treatment system. There were …

Application Of Qual2k Model To Macrophyte Rich Silver Bow Creek, Dylan Uecker

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Silver Bow Creek (SBC, Blacktail Creek to Warm Springs Creek) is a small urbanized stream in western Montana (MT) identified as impaired for nitrate, total nitrogen and total phosphorus on the 2014 303(d) list. Enrichment of SBC occurs primarily from a single municipal point source that results in excessive primary production, macrophyte growth, large diel waterquality swings, and nightly hypoxic conditions that likely impair aquatic life uses. The objective of this study is to apply QUAL2K (a surface water-quality model) to a 5.6 km long reach of SBC to predict in-stream dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations under different nutrient loading scenarios. …

Characterization Of Heavy Metal Removal From Aqueous Solutions Using Natural Fiber Impregnated With Metallic Nanoparticles, Samantha Hutchenson

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Heavy metals are found in varying concentrations in anthropogenically influenced water sources including waste water discharge from mining operations. The heavy metals need to be removed to meet applicable discharge standards and to eliminate potential health effects. There has been substantial research recently in the field of water treatment technologies to produce low-cost materials that have metal-binding capabilities. The goal of this research is to characterize the toxic metal removal capabilities of a novel, low cost water treatment system.

This research uses a natural fiber substrate and incorporates specific nanometallic particles to remove toxic heavy metals from water. Natural fiber …

A Life Cycle Assessment Of A Diesel Generator Set, Kelly Benton

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Today, nearly every industry needs a continuous power supply, as data loss can be more expensive than the capital expenditure for the backup power equipment. The demand for emergency standby power (ESP) generator sets is on the rise because of increasing industrialization. With increased industrialization comes a societal concern about the issue of natural resource depletion and environmental degradation. In response, manufacturing companies are providing more sustainable solutions in their products and processes. In this work, the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology has been applied to quantify the energy demands of each life cycle stage of an ESP generator set …

Characterizing Sources Of Nutrient Loading And Heavy Metals And Developing Best Management Practices For Grove Gulch In Butte, Mt, Garrett Craig

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Silver Bow Creek (SBC) – the headwaters for the Clark Fork River – is impaired for total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP), as well as several heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, and mercury. Blacktail Creek (BTC) is the main tributary of SBC, with Grove Gulch entering BTC before it discharges into SBC. Grove Gulch flows approximately six miles before entering BTC approximately 75 feet upstream of Lexington Avenue, and the stream drains primarily open, rolling range, a historic metal milling site (Timber Butte zinc mill) and a reclaimed mine waste repository that is now Copper Mountain Recreation …

Effects Of A Beaver Pond In Southwestern Montana On Metals Concentration And Loads, William J. Drury, Martin Lorenzo

Environmental Engineering

A 400-m² beaver pond on Cabbage Gulch (Deer Lodge County, MT) was investigated for its retention of total recoverable (TR) and dissolved arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and total suspended solids (TSS) during three storm water runoff events in the summer of 2013. Water samples were collected and flow rates were measured at monitoring stations above and below the pond. Decreases in TR metals concentrations were -17 percent for As (that is, As concentrations increased), 10 percent for Cu, 7 percent for Pb, and 27 percent for Zn. Total recoverable metals retained in the …

Blacktail Creek Preliminary Nutrient Study, Seth Reedy

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Blacktail Creek Preliminary Nutrient Study report includes the data from various local engineering firms, governmental agencies, and Montana Tech graduate students. This data was used to identify the gaps in water quality data pertaining to nutrients in Blacktail Creek. Based on the data gaps, a preliminary stream length nutrient sampling campaign was conducted at three different flow stages. Another goal of this project was to outline a nutrient sampling and analysis plan for future use. Therefore, this report attempts to establish a current baseline data for total nitrogen and total phosphorous in Blacktail Creek.

A Hydrogeologic Evaluation Of The Waterloo Area In The Upper Jefferson River Valley, Montana, Nicole Brancheau

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Upper Jefferson River is one of the most dewatered rivers in Montana. The river exists in an intermontane basin filled with sediment transported from the Highland Mountains to the west, the Tobacco Root Mountains to the east, and the Jefferson River from the south. The Upper Jefferson River Valley is highly dependent on the Jefferson River as the main industry in the valley is agriculture. A majority of the valley is irrigated and used to grow crops, and a good portion is also used for cattle grazing. The residents of the Upper Jefferson River Valley use the aquifer as …

Identification Of Non-Point Sources Of Nutrient Loading And Proposed Best Management Practices For Browns Gulch, Silver Bow County, Mt, Sarah Hamblock

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Nutrients are essential to support stream ecosystems, however, if present in excess may lead to growth of algal blooms, excessive aquatic weeds, and alteration of natural aquatic ecosystems. Silver Bow Creek (SBC), the headwater stream of the Clark Fork River, is listed as impaired for nutrients (total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP)), by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Browns Gulch is a major tributary to SBC, and drains agricultural and forested lands. To meet target nutrient TMDL concentrations in SBC, the tributary load inputs of TN and TP must be reduced by 93% in Browns Gulch. To identify …

Nitrogen Removal In Biological Wastewater Treatment Plant, Courtney Greyn

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Wastewater treatment and disposal is an integral part of mining operations. Water must be carefully managed to prevent waterborne contaminants from entering the surrounding environment. Mining companies rely on regulatory compliance and social acceptance to continue operations. The Stillwater Mining Company operates two underground mines in southern Montana, the Stillwater Mine and the East Boulder Mine, to extract platinum group metals from the J-M Reef geological formation. The East Boulder Mine operates an on-site wastewater treatment plant to remove waterborne contaminants from the water pumped to the surface from the underground mining operations. The main contaminant of concern at the …

Aqueous Zinc Removal Using Nanoparticle Treated Natural Fibers, Daniel Zieske

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The objective of this thesis research is to evaluate and enhance a recently developed water treatment technology. The technology was previously successful in removing airborne mercury from coal fired power plant flue gas, and has since been demonstrated to remove aqueous copper and cadmium. The technology uses natural coconut fibers impregnated with metal nanoparticles using a proprietary technique. A series of batch tests determined that both the treated and untreated natural fibers were capable of removing over 90% of aqueous zinc from a synthetic solution made by dissolving ZnCl2 salts in deionized water. Further testing with a bench scale continuous …

An Environmental And Hydrogeological Investigation In The South Hebgen Basin, Montana, Joe Schmechel

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

This study was conducted to develop a hydrogeologic framework, and address water quality concerns in the South Hebgen Basin, near the town of West Yellowstone, Montana. The main goals of this research were to: (1) Develop a conceptual model of groundwater flow within the confined aquifer. (2) Use naturally occurring chemical tracers to investigate the confined aquifer’s extent and the connectivity. (3) Identify the influence of geothermal features on water chemistry. (4) Identify water quality issues related to arsenic (As) and fluoride (F^-). Long-term static water elevation plots and surface water flow, combined with water ion chemistry were …

Integration Of Qual2kw And Arcgis For Silver Bow Creek, Montana, Michael S. Potts

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The purpose of this project is to take preliminary steps towards the development of a QUAL2Kw model for Silver Bow Creek, MT. These preliminary steps include initial research and familiarization with QUAL2Kw, use of ArcGIS to fill in geospatial data gaps, and integration of QUAL2Kw and ArcGIS. The integration involves improvement of the QUAL2Kw model output through adding functionality to the model itself, and development of a QUAL2Kw specific tool in ArcGIS. These improvements are designed to help expedite and simplify the viewing of QUAL2Kw output data spatially in ArcGIS as opposed to graphically within QUAL2Kw. These improvements will allow …

Gloria Slope Approach - Monitoring Plant Community Changes In Mountain Ecosystems, Jarle I. Holten, Sverre Lundemo, Ph.D.

Guest Lectures

The research described in this presentation is part of the Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA) whose purpose is to establish and maintain a global, long-term observation network in alpine environments.

Despite changes in mountaintop-vegetation due to recent climate change being observed throughout the world, trends are not consistent. Moreover, as plant communities can be impacted by several different factors, it is important to be able to separate what is due to climate change and what is due to e.g. changes in grazing pressure (see additional file below).

Engineers Without Borders El Salvador Project, Patrick Jentz

TECHxpo

This is a report on an Engineers Without Borders project located in San Juan El Espino, El Salvador. For this project, EWB Montana Tech is working to mitigate an erosion problem that is making it difficult for children to travel to school.

Naming A Mountain Peak - Montana Tech Peak, Jon Craig, Larissa Watson

Posters

While conducting research to measure and confirm the elevation of Silver Bow County's highest point, Table Mountain, a group of Montana Tech students came across a heretofore unnamed peak designated as Peak 10131 (which denotes it's height).

Space Utilization For The Boulder Cemetery, Ray Woods, Aaron Peters, Bill Rees, Jacob Schutz

Posters

The purpose of this project in Boulder, Montana was to determine how much usable space was left in the cemetery for future burials and to locate old burial sites where headstones no longer exist.

Effects Of Oxygen Content Of Admitted Gases In Sulfide Flotation, Brian J. Boyle

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

No abstract provided.

Methods Of Studying The Effects Of Frothers, Frank L. Bazzanella

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

No abstract provided.

Studies In Modulation Of Interfacial Reactions For Certain Sulphide Minerals, Robert Owen Beyaert

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

No abstract provided.

Habit Modification Of Naclo3 With Nai, William A. Coghlan

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

No abstract provided.

Production Of Standard-Grade Ferromanganese In An Electric Arc Furnace, Force F. Baney Jr.

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

The investigations conducted in this project were essentially concerned with the effects of various compositions of two different slag systems upon the increased recovery of manganese in a standard-grade ferromanganese.

Investigation Of The Ternary System Silver-Aluminum-Indium (Ag-Al-In), Elvin H. Beardslee

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

This thesis paper contains material pertaining to & preliminary investigation of the ternary system Ag-Al-In. Procedures in this preliminary investigation are discussed in detail.

Preliminary Examination Of The Aluminum Corner Of The Ternary System Aluminum-Silver-Indium (A1-Ag-In), Jerome J. Blake

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

In this paper the author attempts to lay the groundwork for future work on the Al-Ag-In system.

Increased Corrosion Of A 304 Stainless Steel Upon Bending, William C. Tiddy

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

No abstract provided.

Identification Of Nonmetallic Inclusions In Armco Ingot Iron With Polarized Light, Frank E. Panisko

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

No abstract provided.

The Hydrometallurgy Of Uranium, John E. Cesarani

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

No abstract provided.

Crystal Habit Modification Of Sodium Chlorate, Michael R. Keegan

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

All single crystals have a particular habit or morphology. The crystal habit refers to the relative degree of development of crystallographic planes into surfaces which make up the external appearance of the single crystal.

In this paper, NaClO3 is used as a parent crystal. Its simple cubic habit is modified to tetrahedral by the use of impurities of SO4=, S2O3=, Cr2O7=, and NO3-. The degree of habit change is studied as a function of impurity concentration and temperature. The problem and phenomena are explained in terms of surface chemistry and thermodynamics.

Physico-Chemical Principles Of Sixteenth Century Metallurgy, Robert E. Johnson

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

Following a review of sixteenth century metallurgical literature and a discussion of Gibbs free energy, this thesis discusses thermodynamic considerations of galena (PbS) reduction by iron from a lead assay of this period. The importance of fluxes in this assay is emphasized. The discussion covers both equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions at 1100 degrees Celsius. Possible substitutes for iron are also covered.

Information from twenty-one small controlled lead assays is correlated with the thermodynamic discussion to determine the purpose of each constituent in the assay.