Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Visualization Of Real-Time Displacement Time History Superimposed With Dynamic Experiments Using Wireless Smart Sensors And Augmented Reality, Marlon Frank Agüero Injante

Civil Engineering ETDs

Wireless Smart Sensor (WSS) process field data and inform structural field engineers and owners about the infrastructure health, condition, and safety. Engineers acquire the data and investigate changes on displacements under loads to make informed choices and prioritize decisions concerning maintenance, required repairs, and infrastructure replacements. However, reliable data collection and access to displacement information in the field in real-time under loads remains a challenge. The displacement data provided by the WSS in the field undergoes additional processing, and it is seen at a different location, at the decision-making headquarters. If inspectors were able to observe structural displacements in real-time …

Chemical Interfacial Reactions Affecting The Speciation And Solubility Of Uranium In Organic-Rich Environments, Carmen A. Velasco

Civil Engineering ETDs

The aim of this dissertation was to investigate the interfacial reactions between uranium (U) and natural organic matter NOM) affecting the solubility, adsorption, and precipitation of U in organic-rich environments. The chemical interactions between U and NOM are not well understood, which justified the following research objectives: 1) Identify the effect of pH on U speciation and the organic functional chemistry in mineralized deposits from the Jackpile Mine.; 2) Identify the precipitation of U(VI) and NOM as a function of pH (2, 4 and 7); 3) Identify changes in DOM chemistry due to the reaction of NOM and U at …

Evaluating Public Transit Accessibility In Albuquerque, New Mexico: A Fixed-Route Bus Service Analysis, Risa E. Gutierrez

Civil Engineering ETDs

This research analyzed how residential accessibility to fixed-route bus service in Albuquerque, New Mexico varies by distance, income level, and headway. A literature review investigated components of travel that might deter people from using public transit such as travel distance, sidewalk condition or availability, bus headway, lack of active travel in today’s society, personal and traffic safety, and access equity. Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping was used to determine if low-income neighborhoods have better or worse access to ABQ Ride bus stops relative to medium- or high-income neighborhoods. Residential land use was divided into three economic classes based on 2018 …

Thermal Mapping And Evaporation Estimation Of Cochiti Lake Using Landsat 8 Imagery, Claudia Jimenez Arellano

Civil Engineering ETDs

Satellite remote sensing (RS) techniques have revolutionized the study of spatial and temporal processes in environmental science and water resources engineering. This study was focused on advancing the understanding of RS techniques to provide estimates of spatial variability of surface water temperature and corresponding evaporation rates for open water.

Evaporation plays a crucial role in water budgets, which is critical knowledge for water management, especially in arid environments. However, there are few methods to estimate its spatial variability, which is relevant because water does not evaporate equally everywhere on a large waterbody. Hence, we cannot assume the calculations of evaporations …

Effect Of Membrane Aging And Operating Conditions On The Rejection Of Trace Organics For Potable Reuse, Jose Pedro Hernandez

Civil Engineering ETDs

The aim of this study is to provide a better understanding of the effect that membrane degradation and operating conditions have on the removal of selected organic compounds via reverse osmosis (RO). Originally, the study included laboratory experiments in which ESPA2-LD membranes from Hydranautics were to be chemically damaged and the passage of the suite of trace organics through the membranes was to be evaluated. Unfortunately, the degradation experiments were cut short due to lab closures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The study then changed direction to provide insight into the role operating conditions have on the removal of trace …

Introducing The Self-Cleaning Filtration For Water Quality Sensors (Sc-Flawless) System, Aashish Sanjay Khandelwal

Civil Engineering ETDs

Sensor-based, semi-continuous observations of water quality parameters have become critical to understanding how changes in land use, management, and rainfall-runoff processes impact water quality at diurnal to multi-decadal scales. While some commercially available water quality sensors function adequately under a range of turbidity conditions, other instruments, including those used to measure nutrient concentrations, cease to function in high turbidity waters (> 100 NTU) commonly found in large rivers, arid-land rivers, and coastal areas. This is particularly true during storm events, when increases in turbidity are often concurrent with increases in nutrient transport. Here, we present the development and validation of …

Relating Asphalt Concrete’S Pore Structure To Its Durability, Mohiuddin Ahmad

Civil Engineering ETDs

Most of the pavements in the USA are constructed using asphalt concrete (AC). AC changes its property over time due to moisture intrusion and aging. These two factors deteriorate AC significantly, and they are considered as the most important durability measures of AC. Moisture enters a pavement in both liquid and vapor form through the permeable pores that are interconnected. Similarly, oxygen, which is required for the aging process, access an asphalt concrete pavement through the connected pore. However, none of the previous studies correlated AC’s pore structure to the flow of moisture, moisture damage, and aging. In this study, …

Spatial Analysis Of Bias Corrected Rainfall Data Sets Within Albuquerque, New Mexico Metropolitan Area, Cassy Scarlott- Mcclintock

Civil Engineering ETDs

The Next Generation Radar (NEXRAD) was implemented as one of the first network-wide operational radar- estimated precipitation products in the United States in 1988. The algorithms within this system bring drastic advancements to operational flood forecasting when compared to prior radars and even rain gage systems. The objectives were; (1) to determine how radar plays a role in estimating precipitation by comparing rainfall accuracy to other sources such as calibrated radar data and gage data within Albuquerque, New Mexico and (2) to determine if distance from the radar affects estimation of rainfall. The sets of data compared were from: (1) …

Post-Wildfire Geomorphic Stream Response In Six New Mexican Watersheds, Aljaz Praznik

Civil Engineering ETDs

Wildfire causes severe physical changes to watersheds, which then leads to geomorphic changes in the burned watersheds. In New Mexico and the southwestern U.S., flooding is a common response after a wildfire, due to higher water runoff from the hillslopes and sediment erosion rates. These flood events change the erosion and deposition characteristics of a stream, which can result in the deposition of a large amount of sediment near the communities living downstream. The objective of this research was to analyze and compare post-fire geomorphic stream response caused by six different wildfires in New Mexico with the goal to create …

Biogeochemical Processes Affecting Arsenic (As) Release And Bioavailability Near Abandoned Mine Wastes, Cherie L. Devore

Civil Engineering ETDs

The aim of this dissertation was to investigate the biogeochemical processes affecting the mobilization and bioavailability of arsenic (As) from mining-impacted sediments to surface water sources and plants. The Cheyenne River Watershed has been affected by mining legacy for several decades. The biogeochemical cycling of As on tribal land is not well understood, which justified the following research objectives: 1) Investigate the effect of competing anions on the release of As from sediments exposed to oxidizing conditions; 2) Evaluate chemical and microbiological processes affecting the release of soluble As, Fe, and Mn from contaminated sediments under laboratory controlled aerobic and …

Combining High-Frequency Sensor Data And Nutrient Addition Experiments To Identify Uptake Dynamics In Streams, Justin Rae Nichols

Civil Engineering ETDs

Nutrient enrichment has led to impaired waterways across the globe with an estimated 90% of waterways in the U.S. being negatively impacted from anthropogenic sources. In the past 30 years, there has been significant focus on studying nutrient uptake within fluvial systems. However, there are still critical knowledge gaps about the controls of nutrient dynamics and how these processes scale. This study combined the results from traditional instantaneous nutrient addition experiments and sensor data averaged over ±5 days from the time of addition to determine mechanisms that affect nutrient dynamics in two contrasting streams within the same watershed, over almost …

Resilience Engineering: Theory And Practice, Michaela Jones

Civil Engineering ETDs

Civil and environmental engineering works at the interface of humans and the natural environment, making the environment hospitable for people and limiting adverse anthropogenic impacts on the ecosystem. Such socioecological systems are often complex and highly interconnected, and traditional engineering interventions focused on optimizing system elements result in unanticipated consequences. Resilience engineering utilizes a holistic methodology grounded in systems analysis and adaptation. This work broadly explores the concept of resilience engineering and contextualizes the approach using the case study of the Rio Chama. The resilience of the watershed is characterized in terms of its response to both traditional and resilience …

Human-Infrastructure Interfaces (Hii) Enabled Using Augmented Reality (Ar), Dilendra Maharjan

Civil Engineering ETDs

The modern industrial society is built upon the productivity of advanced computing and agile machines assisting the human workforce to perform their tasks more effectively, accurately and efficiently. The industrial revolution termed as "Industry 4.0" is based on the intelligence of machines working with humans in a collaborative work-space. Contrarily, infrastructure management has relied on the human for making day to day decisions. New emerging technologies can assist during infrastructure inspections, to quantify structural condition with more objective data. However, today's’ owners agree in trusting the inspector's decision in the field over data collected with sensors. If data collected in …

Retrofit Of Corroded Corrugated Metal Culverts Using Gfrp Slip-Liner, Rahulreddy Chennareddy

Civil Engineering ETDs

Culverts are water conveyance structures, typically used to allow water flow and maintain a balance between the flow streams without interrupting structures such as highways and bridges. Corrugated metal pipes (CMPs) have been used as culverts in North America since the 1950s because of their low cost and simple construction method. Today, the corrosion of CMPs is a major problem faced by all U.S. Departments of Transportation. There is an urgent need to provide an efficient solution, one that is corrosion-resistant, to retrofit thousands of corroded CMPs across the country. High specific strength, high strength to weight ratio, corrosion resistance, …

Source-Separated Urine Nitrification And Ion Accumulation In Sub-Irrigated Planters Using Domestic Wastewater, David A. Forrest

Civil Engineering ETDs

Wastewater reuse is a field at the crux of the food-energy-water nexus. This nexus is a modern attempt at qualifying relationships between resource availability and stewardship, and the choices and needs of market-driven culture. This study aims to develop simple low-tech systems to use domestic wastewater or source-separated urine, treated onsite, for domestic container garden water and nutrient supply. Four experiments were conducted to assess specific aspects of this technology to help develop relevant stages in this reuse chain.

The objective of the first experiment was a proof of concept to assess compatibility of sub-irrigated planters (SIP) with treated domestic …

Synthesis & Characterization Of Polymer-Modified Calcium Silicate Hydrate For Wellbore Applications, Jeremy J. Starr

Civil Engineering ETDs

Calcium Silicate Hydrate (C-S-H) acts as the primary binding material that is mainly responsible for the strength and durability of concrete. C-S-H constitutes approximately 67% of hydrated ordinary Portland cement by volume. C-S-H forms with a range of stoichiometric formula dependent on many factors such as CaO/SiO₂ ratio. The continued rise of hydrocarbon exploration in the United States has developed the need for improved wellbore cementing materials. Binders with good bond strength to steel and rock interfaces, low shrinkage, and high cracking strength are sought by the oil and gas industry. The incorporation polymers and nano materials has evolved …

Implementations Of Resilience Engineering For Natural System Disturbances: A Panarchical Perspective, Mark Charles Stone Victoria Jaramillo

Civil Engineering ETDs

This body of work seeks to advance knowledge of resilience and resilience engineering (RE) from a practical and theoretical perspective. Three distinct applications of resilience and RE that align two fundamental frameworks are presented. The first application, a vulnerability assessment, exemplifies the largest scale of panarchy and the measuring aspect of RE. The second application, a Bayesian network approach, exemplifies the intermediate scale of panarchy and the modeling aspect of RE. The third application, an engineering design project using analytical hierarchy process (AHP), exemplifies the smallest scale of panarchy and the building aspect of RE. Studying these applications enriches understanding …

The Development Of A Novel Experiment On Confined, Flattened Brazilian Disks To Correlate Damage And Permeability In Brittle Geo-Materials, Samuel H. Boyce

Civil Engineering ETDs

This research develops a novel experiment using flattened Brazilian disks under confining pressure with concurrent permeability measurements and acoustic emission monitoring. The purpose of this work is to correlate damage and permeability in brittle geo-materials. Two series of tests are performed on concrete and one series on tuff, under a range of confining stresses between 2.76 and 13.79 MPa. Tests were continued beyond peak stress conditions, capturing data in the post-peak region. The acoustic emission data (cumulative energy and counts) are used to identify damage thresholds and track the progression of microscopic damage. This quantified damage is then correlated to …

Biointerfacial Studies Of Nitrifying Biofilms On Physically And Chemically Modified Surfaces, Philip Marley Roveto

Civil Engineering ETDs

Interactions between bacteria and surfaces during the initiation of biofilm formation are complex phenomena with significant and wide-ranging implications for nutrient cycling, ecosystem and human health, and the remediation of anthropogenic pollutants. Nitrifying biofilms are currently used for ammonia removal in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) systems. As well-studied biofilms, they can serve as models towards understanding crucial aspects of biofilm engineering. The overall objective of this research was to better understand how variations in specific surface chemistries and topographical features affect nitrification rates and microbial populations in an effort to develop technologies for improved productivity. The experimental approach was to …

Recovery Of Gypsum & Magnesium Hydroxide From Brackish Water By Chemical Precipitation, Sugam Tandukar

Civil Engineering ETDs

Exhaust gases from coal combustion contain contaminants such as sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrous oxide (NO_x), and traces of other pollutants such as arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), nitrate (NO₃), and selenium (Se). Exhaust gas scrubbers are used to limit the emissions of these constituents to air. Treating exhaust gases to remove SO₂ is referred to as flue gas desulfurization (FGD), and the most common method is the use of wet scrubbers using limestone slurries. The limestone slurry is recycled multiple times in the scrubber, and to limit the concentration of dissolved constituents, a …

Multi-Year Water Quality Data Reveal Highly Variable Timing And Magnitude Of Metabolism And Physicochemical Drivers In An Aridland River Network, Betsy Marie Summers

Civil Engineering ETDs

Streams and rivers process and transport carbon to downstream systems and are important components of global and regional carbon budgets. Ecosystem functions, including gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER), can be used to improve understanding of carbon cycling and ecosystem health in lotic systems. Whole-stream metabolism (GPP and ER) has been studied extensively in headwater streams. However, we know less about the variability in GPP and ER in aridland rivers and tributary streams despite being globally abundant and vulnerable systems to changing climate. This dissertation explores temporal and spatial variation of GPP and ER in a montane stream …

An Investigation Of Runoff Sources To Headwater Streams And Implications For Hydropower Projects Using Stable Isotope Analyses, Paulina Lima

Civil Engineering ETDs

The purpose of this research is to investigate the predominant sources and processes that influence runoff in the watersheds that interact with hydraulic structures in different climate systems. The predominant sources in three basins were analyzed: The San Juan-Chama River System in the USA, the Manduriacu, and Coca Codo Sinclair hydropower systems in Ecuador. This field study is based on the identification of the predominant sources in the watershed by the comparison of the isotopic signature between the seasonal variation of water sources to the surface water samples in different stream order tributaries. The results exposed that there are three …

Organic/Inorganic Interfacial Interactions Affecting Metal Reactivity: Water Treatment And Sensor Applications, Mohamed Nabil Shaikh

Civil Engineering ETDs

The aim of this dissertation was to investigate the interactions occurring at the organic – inorganic interface between solid media and aqueous contaminants for water treatment and sensor applications. The gaps in current literature on these interfacial organic-inorganic interactions must be bridged in order to develop advanced water treatment and monitoring technologies for improving water quality and thus, restore and protect the contaminated water resources. As a part of this dissertation, manganese oxides-based composites and electrospun polymer mats were developed and investigated for gaining mechanistic insights of organic (bisphenol A and acetaminophen) and inorganic (uranium) contaminants removal, respectively. These reactions …

Effects Of Coefficient Of Thermal Expansion On Unbonded Concrete Overlay Design And Performance, Gauhar Sabih

Civil Engineering ETDs

With the deterioration of highway pavements across the country, more emphasis is being laid on the rehabilitation of existing pavements. Unbonded concrete overlay (UBCO) is a cost-effective technique used to rehabilitate damaged concrete pavements. The design and performance of UBCO rely on various properties of concrete, of which coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) is an important one. Concrete CTE has a direct impact on the design and performance of rigid pavements and overlays. CTE regulates the magnitude of curling and related stresses that impact the performance of overlays with regards to cracking, faulting and pavement roughness. Previous research revealed that …

Application Of Cation Exchange And Nanofiltration To Treat Flue Gas Desulfurization Wastewater, Ayush R. Shahi

Civil Engineering ETDs

Application of Cation Exchange and Nanofiltration to Treat Flue Gas Desulfurization Wastewater

Ayush Raj Shahi

Bachelor’s in engineering in Civil Engineering

Master of Science in Civil Engineering

ABSTRACT

Flue gas emitted from coal-fired power plants is one of the major sources of sulfur and nitrogen oxides emissions to the atmosphere. Flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) is a pollution prevention method that is employed to meet regulatory requirements using scrubbers.

FGD wastewater contains high concentrations of dissolved salts which limit options for recycling and reuse. This thesis focused on treating FGD wastewater with a combination of ion exchange (IX), precipitation, and nanofiltration (NF) …

Evaluating Sustainable & Equitable Financing For Pedestrian Infrastructure Maintenance And How The Quality Of Pedestrian Infrastructure Affects The Choice To Walk, Alexis Corning Padilla

Civil Engineering ETDs

In many communities, pedestrian infrastructure is poorly maintained. One challenge is finding sustainable and equitable funding since many municipalities across the country require adjacent property to maintain and repair sidewalks adjacent to their property. These policies are difficult to enforce, may place a high cost on lower-income households, and may be partly responsible for the poor condition of many sidewalks. Therefore, in the first part of this research, we evaluated three alternatives for financing the maintenance of sidewalks in Albuquerque, New Mexico: increasing the gross receipts tax, the gasoline excise tax, or the property tax. We concluded that any of …

Application Of Cation Exchange And Nanofiltration To Treat Flue Gas Desulfurization Wastewater, Ayush R. Shahi

Civil Engineering ETDs

Flue gas emitted from coal-fired power plants is one of the major sources of sulfur and nitrogen oxides emissions to the atmosphere in the world today. Although coal use has decreased, it is still a major contributor to such emissions. The Clean Air Act in the United States established regulations for coal-fired power plants to limit SO_x and NO_x emissions into the atmosphere. To meet regulatory requirements, power plants have been using scrubbers to limit their air emissions. Flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) is a pollution prevention method that is employed to limit sulfur dioxide emissions directly in the environment …

Is Transportation Planning Effective? A Critical Review Of Long-Range Regional Transportation Planning In The United States, Razieh Nadafianshahamabadi

Civil Engineering ETDs

The Federal-Aid Highway Act requires urban areas with a population greater than 50,000 to create Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to ensure that funding for transportation projects and programs are based on a continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive planning process. A major responsibility of each MPO is the creation of a long-range transportation plan (LRTP) that addresses the transportation needs of a metropolitan region over the next twenty years or more. While long-range regional transportation planning goals have grown to include a wide range of concerns and technical methods for evaluating planning scenarios have advanced substantially over the past 50 years, there …

Low Loading Gold Vapor Deposited Electrode For High Sensitivity As (Iii) Detection, Tybur Casuse

Civil Engineering ETDs

The objective of this thesis is to develop a method for detection of arsenite, As (III), using a thin film of gold (Au) vapor deposited onto carbon paper as an electrode. Currently, availability of drinking water arsenic (As) concentration information for rural communities is diminished due to high cost per sample analysis and limited access to analytical laboratories which can accurately determine concentrations near the 10 maximum contaminant level (MCL) set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The use of a minimal amount of gold aids in decreasing the cost of an electrode. …

Assessment Of Project Risks In Fast-Track Construction Projects, Claudia Garrido Martins

Civil Engineering ETDs

Fast-tracking has been extensively used to respond to demands for reduced construction project delivery times. Unique risks arising from the overlapping of activities can threaten the project. A framework is proposed to assess project risks in fast-track construction projects to better understand the intersection of fast-track, risks, and construction. The research used a commercial construction renovation project as a case study, semi-structured interviews, simulation and optimization methods to identify risks of overlapping activities, classify the risks, evaluate the impact of risks and risk mitigation actions, and optimal combinations to minimize the risk impact and mitigation costs. This study resulted in …