Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Municipal Solid Waste Management In Selected Malaysian Islands., Nagendran Periaiah

Student Works (2010-2019)

Rapid developments and tourism related activities in Islands have increased the per capita waste generation that led to increased waste disposal at landfill. To date, islands in Malaysia are generating approximately 400 metric tons of MSW. Approximately 60% of the waste are collected and disposed off in non-sanitary landfills. The remaining 35 % were illegally burned/ dumped and 5 % were dumped into ocean. 100% of landfills in Malaysian islands operate as mere open-dumps that lack proper lining system and without leachate treatment facilities. The vicinities bordering non-sanitary landfill sites became highly polluted due to certain harmful gases/ leachate generated …

Adsorption Of Lead (Ii) By A Non-Living Algal Biomass., Mudher A Hussein

Student Works (2010-2019)

Conventional techniques for removing dissolved heavy metals are only practical and cost-effective when applied to high strength wastes with heavy metal ion concentrations greater than 100 ppm. The possibility of using a non-living algal biomass to solve this problem was studied. Lead(II) was used in this study because it has been reported to cause several disorders in human. The non-living algal biomass was obtained from the filamentous green alga Spirogyra neglecta. The effects of initial concentration and contact time, pH, and temperature on the adsorption of lead(II) by the non-living algal biomass were studied. The equilibrium isotherms and kinetics were …

Municipal Solid Waste Management : A Comprehensive Study In Selangor., Fauziah Shahul Hamid

Student Works (2010-2019)

The disposal of 95% of the 1.4 million tonnes of MSW from Selangor, the fastest developing state in Malaysia, is rapidly exhausting landfill space and is also jeopardizing public health. Therefore, proper planning of waste management based on accurate information is essential. The objectives of this research are to collate data from landfills and to investigate the level of public awareness on waste management issues, to analyze the current pollution impacts of landfills and to propose viable options to improve the waste management system in the state. Nine non-sanitary landfills in Selangor were investigated for waste composition and quantification, detailed …

Risk Analysis Of Light-Frame Wood Construction Due To Multiple Hazards , Yue-Jun Yin

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Light-frame wood buildings are widely built in the United States (U.S.). Natural hazards cause huge losses to light-frame wood construction. This study proposes methodologies and a framework to evaluate the performance and risk of light-frame wood construction.

Performance-based engineering (PBE) aims to ensure that a building achieves the desired performance objectives when subjected to hazard loads. In this study, the collapse risk of a typical one-story light-frame wood building is determined using the Incremental Dynamic Analysis method. The collapse risks of buildings at four sites in the Eastern, Western, and Central regions of U.S. are evaluated. Various sources of uncertainties …

Development Of A Land Use Regression Model To Predict Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations, Teresa Sosa

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Air pollution is a major environmental concern in the El Paso-Juárez region. According to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, SEMARNAT) the city of Juárez is one of the city's in México with the highest atmospheric levels of pollution because of its accelerated and unplanned urban growth. One air pollutant of concern is nitrogen dioxide (NO2) due to its detrimental health effects that have been associated with airway inflammation in healthy people and increased respiratory symptoms in people with asthma. Land use regression modeling is a GIS based approach that seeks to …

Determining The R Values For 12 Inch Deep Z-Purlins And Girts With Through-Fastened Panels Under Suction Loading, Kaye Dee Wibbenmeyer

Masters Theses

"Designing purlins for roof systems attached to through-fastened panels has been a subject well researched in the past. The current design specification uses a simplified approach to the designing of these members where the fully braced moment capacity of such members is multiplied by a reduction factor, commonly referred to as the R-value. This value represents the point in between the fully braced and fully unbraced member behavior. However, the current AISI Specification, S100, only contains R-values for purlins and girts up to 11.5 inches in depth. Since manufacturers are now rolling sections up to 12 inches deep, two confirmatory …

Nonlinear Finite Element Formulation Of The Soil Structure Interaction Through Two Parameter Foundation Model, Taraka Ravi Shankar Mullapudi

Masters Theses

"The response of shallow and raft foundations is having a significant importance due to its complex behavior because of the semi-infinite soil media. Winkler's model is the simplest model to deal with the structure and soil. The Winkler model represents the foundation reaction as proportional to the soil displacement at a particular point, which results in the elasticity of the soil being the only parameter in consideration. But in reality the soil cohesiveness is having a significant contribution in soil structure interaction, and therefore the consideration of coupling effects of Winkler springs need to be accounted. Most of the existing …

The Effectiveness Of The Natural Resource Conservation Service (Nrcs) And Huff Rainfall Distribution Methods For Use In Detention Basin Design, Todd Wayne Dablemont

Masters Theses

"This thesis focuses on the effectiveness of the NRCS and Huff rainfall distribution methods for use in detention basin design. This study required the use of HEC-HMS, hydrologic modeling software, in order to analyze the distribution methods. Three separate detention basins and their watersheds were modeled for this study. The watersheds were analyzed for both undeveloped and developed conditions. The parameters analyzed include detention basin inflow, detention basin outflow, watershed peak discharge, and detention basin storage capacity. The determination of detention basin effectiveness was based upon these parameters. The NRCS distribution method is widely used; however, many who use it …

Calibration Of Resistance Factors For Axial Capacity Of Driven Pile Into Missouri Soil, Mulugeta Abay Kebede

Masters Theses

"Over the past two decades the load resistance factor design (LRFD) has been accepted by the American Association for Transportation and Highway Officials (AASHTO) for the design of bridges. This approach is now gaining widespread popularity in the United States for substructure bridge design, including the design of driven pile foundations, as the states calibrate the geotechnical resistance factors for local geological conditions and practices. This study presents the geotechnical resistance factors calibrated for axially driven pile using the first-order reliability method (FORM) for the target reliability index of 2.33 and 3.0 based on 64 end-of-drives (EOD) and 22 beginning-of …

Experimental And Modeling Comparison Of Modular Photovoltaic-Thermal Solar Panels, Nicole C. Annis

Masters Theses

"Three different prototype photovoltaic-thermal panels using water as the cooling fluid were tested simultaneously. The first two panels (Panel A and B) consisted of a highly conductive thermal sheeting and different sized copper tubing. The third panel (Panel C) consisted of copper tubing with an aluminum fin. Thermal images were used to verify the heat transfer across the panels and compare the amount of heat radiating off the back of the photovoltaic-thermal panels versus the standard photovoltaic paneleaf Three A type panels were thermally connected in series. Three photovoltaic panels were also tested for an electrical comparison. The purpose of …

Innovative Concrete Bridging Systems For Pedestrian Bridges: Implementation And Monitoring, Kurt Edward Bloch

Masters Theses

"Two precast, prestressed pedestrian bridges were designed for rapid construction in Rolla, MO, utilizing high-strength concrete (HSC) and high-strength self-consolidating concrete (HS-SCC) with a target 28 day compressive strength of 68.9 MPa (10,000 psi) and release compressive strength of 24.1 MPa (3,500 psi). In addition, a glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bar reinforced deck panel system was utilized in one of the two deck panels on each bridge.

Material properties were tested for compression, elastic modulus, modulus of rupture, splitting tensile strength, creep, and shrinkage following ASTM standards. Instrumentation systems within the spandrel beams and precast deck panels were implemented …

Analysis Of Nationwide Intercity Travel Demand On The Us Transportation Network, Tao Li

Masters Theses

"In this thesis, three issues about the intercity travel demand on the US transportation network are addressed. The final one is the estimation of the domestic passengers' delay cost. A scheme is designed by assuming that costs incurred by flight delays relative to the original flight schedules are imposed at passengers' final destination airports. It is applied to estimate the total domestic delay cost of year 2007 and reasonable results arc obtained. The second one is the air travel demand estimation. Two route-based optimization models are proposed to estimate the travel demand based on available data. It is shown that …

Evaluation Of Variable Speed Limits Using A Genetic Algorithm Approach To Calibrate A Vissim Model, Brian Joseph Schaefer

Masters Theses

"The variable speed limit (VSL) system has been adopted on more and more roadways across the globe as an engineering tool for controlling traffic flow, particularly during congestion situations. An important and fundamental question raised among traffic engineers is: Are the costs of installing and operating variable speed limits really justified? In order to answer this question, this thesis measures the effectiveness of the VSL system applying the VISSIM microscopic simulation model to a non-recurrent congestion situation. For the analysis, a section of interstate was modeled in VISSIM and calibrated so that the simulated results closely reproduce the observed data …

An Assessment Of Delivery Risks In Transportation Projects, Velvet Fitzpatrick, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

A large number of uncertainties exist in the delivery of highway projects, and it is important to describe the extent so that budgeting and programming can be carried out in a manner that duly accounts for such uncertainties. The study investigates the sources of delivery variability (risk factors) that occur in the period between project proposed date and the letting date. Data on 366 highway projects were collected from the Indiana Department of Transportation Management Information Portal. Using statistical and econometric techniques, the data was analyzed to identify the potential risk factors and to determine the magnitude and direction of …

Characterization Of Legacy Organic Carbon In A Culturally Eutrophic Lake : The Role Of The Historic Carbon Deposition In The Time Course And Extent Of Lake Recovery , Phillip A. Depetro

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The time course of lake recovery after a reduction in external loading of nutrients is often controlled by conditions in the sediment. Remediation of eutrophication is hindered by the presence of legacy organic carbon deposits, that exert a demand on the terminal electron acceptors of the lake and contribute to problems such as internal nutrient recycling, absence of sediment macrofauna, and flux of toxic metal species into the water column. Being able to quantify the timing of a lake’s response requires determination of the magnitude and lability, i.e., the susceptibility to biodegradation, of the organic carbon within the legacy deposit. …

Characterizing The Effects Of Turbulence On Sediment Oxygen And Sediment Nitrate Demand Using Flow-Through Reactors, Brandon J. Ellefson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Onondaga Lake has received the municipal effluent and industrial waste from the city of Syracuse for more than a century. Historically, 75 metric tons of mercury were discharged to the lake by chlor-alkali facilities. These legacy deposits of mercury now exist primarily in the lake sediments. Under anoxic conditions, methylmercury is produced in the sediments and can be released to the overlying water. Natural sedimentation processes are continuously burying the mercury deeper into the sediments. Eventually, the mercury will be buried to a depth where it no longer has an impact on the overlying water. In the interim, electron acceptor …

The Relationship Between Information Technology And Construction Productivity, Dong Zhai

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Over the past decades, information technology has been impacting industries, economics, the way of life and even the culture throughout the world. Productivity has been attracting much attention as an important indicator of economics, and numerous researchers have investigated the relationship between information technology and productivity. Construction is one of the largest industries in the United States, but little research has been conducted to investigate the relationship between information technology and construction productivity.

The major objective of this dissertation is to determine the degree (if any) to which information technology usage, specifically the use of information technology to automate and …

Integration Of The Regression-Based Land Use Model And The Combined Trip Distribution-Assignment Transportation Model, Meiwu An

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Regional growth caused the emergence of traffic congestion and pollution in the past few decades, which have started to affect small urban areas. These problems are not only related to transportation system design but also to land use planning. There has been growing recognition that the relationship between land use and transportation needs to be understood and analyzed in a consistent and systematic way. Integrated urban models have recently been introduced and implemented in several metropolitan areas to systematically examine the relationship between land use and transportation. The general consensus in the field of integrated urban models is that each …

Effluent Organic Nitrogen (Eon): Bioavailability And Photochemical And Salinity-Mediated Release, Deborah A. Bronk, Quinn N. Roberts, Marta P. Sanderson, Elizabeth A. Canuel, Patrick G. Hatcher, Rajaa Mesfioui, Katherine C. Filippino, Margaret R. Mulholland, Nancy G. Love

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The goal of this study was to investigate three potential ways that the soluble organic nitrogen (N) fraction of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents, termed effluent organic N (EON), could contribute to coastal eutrophication - direct biological removal, photochemical release of labile compounds, and salinity-mediated release of ammonium (NH₄+). Effluents from two WWTPs were used in the experiments. For the bioassays, EON was added to water from four salinities (∼0 to 30) collected from the James River (VA) in August 2008, and then concentrations of N and phosphorus compounds were measured periodically over 48 h. Bioassay results, based …

Chemical Compatibility Of Soil-Bentonite Cutoff Wall Backfills Containing Modified Bentonites, Matthew D. Mckeehan

Master’s Theses

This study examined the chemical compatibility of several model soil-bentonite(SB) backfills with an inorganic salt solution (CaCl2). First, bentonite-water slurry was created using a natural sodium-bentonite, as well as two modified bentonites –multiswellable bentonite (MSB) and a “salt-resistant” bentonite (SW101). Once slurries that met typical construction specifications had been created using the various bentonites,the model SB backfills were prepared for each type of bentonite. These backfills werealso designed to meet conventional construction and design requirements. The SB backfills were then subjected to permeation with tap water and/or CaCl2 solutions of various concentrations in order to evaluate the compatibility of the …

Assessing Annual And Seasonal Spatial Variability Of Ambient Pm10 Using Linear Regression Analysis In A United States-Mexico Urban Sprawl, Mario Ivan Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As air quality issues grow progressively in the consciousness of the global community, stakeholders are pressing for epidemiologic studies of air pollution. The effects of chronic exposure to ambient air pollution remain a difficult challenge due to its substantial small-scale spatial variation. Recent approaches to assess intra-urban exposure have employed the use of proximity-based assessment, interpolation methods, emission-meteorological models, dispersions models, and land-use regression (LUR) models.

This thesis assesses the spatial variability of ambient particulate matter (PM10) obtained by five self-governing models for the area of El Paso. Using multiple linear regression analysis five regression-based equations were developed to predict …

Controlling Features And Processes For Radionuclide Release From Unsaturated Zone Geological Repositories, Lubna K. Hamdan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the long run, nuclear waste packages will fail gradually due to localized and general corrosion and radionuclides will be transported to the accessible environment by ground water.

Two main failure scenarios are expected for the waste packages: Flow-through model and bathtub model; in the flow-through model water flows through the waste container, while in the bathtub model water pools inside the waste package. The Department of Energy, in their performance assessment of the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain, excluded the bathtub model from their analysis and assumed the diffusion and advection to be in the same direction in the …

Impact Of Moisture Content And Density On Stiffness-Based Acceptance Of Geomaterials, Lourdes Guadalupe Pacheco

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Modulus-based quality management of compacted layers has been considered by a number of highway agencies. Even though simple in concept, the paradigm shift from density to modulus for quality acceptance has generated some technical and institutional challenges. One of these complications is that for a given density, the modulus can vastly vary depending on the moisture content at the time of compaction and at the time of acceptance. The results of a systematic study carried out to qualify and quantify the impact of compaction moisture content, moisture content at the time of field testing and density on the modulus and …

A Risk Analysis Framework For Toll Road Revenue Forecasts, Gabriel Alejandro Valdez Ceniceros

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the United States, the shortage for traditional public sector funding sources for a safer and more effective highway infrastructure has made it more increasingly difficult for transportation agencies to keep up with the increasing demand. As a consequence, transportation agencies are considering a number of alternatives to raise funds such as charging tolls or cooperating with the private sector. One of the most important steps when analyzing the feasibility of a toll road is the traffic forecast process. However, the uncertainty of the traffic forecast has become apparent across the U.S. as evident in the common overestimation of traffic …

Reclamation Of Salt From Brine Springs, Tejaswini Anand

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Sodium-chloride brine underlies the shallow subsurface and discharges in springs and streams at numerous locations in Kent and Stonewall Counties in Central Texas. These discharges eventually flow into the Salt Fork of the Brazos River, lowering the quality of this important surface water resource. One potentially cost effective solution for the problem of excess salt loading to the Brazos River by brine spring discharge is to intercept brine groundwater discharges and either treat or evaporate the water. We have examined the energetic of desalinating and evaporating the water from the brine to produce marketable salt products and distilled water. Our …

Decision Support Tools For Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Planning, Luis David Galicia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Systems have been gained popularity in the United States and worldwide as a cost-effective solution of mass transit. There are certain elements and characteristics that such a system should accomplish to be considered a BRT. However, a uniform definition, defined phases to be deployed, and a reliable methodology to estimate ridership are not well structured and clear yet. The purpose of this research was to help BRT stakeholders with an effective method to plan and assess BRT projects. The first goal of this research was to provide a comprehensive description of the essential characteristics of BRT …

Low Impact Development (Lid) Structures For Groundwater Management And Watershed Protection In The Amrc10 Watershed, El Paso Texas, Ricardo Sabino Marmolejo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The AMRC10 watershed was modeled in HEC-HMS and in Green Values. Theoretical storm water conveyance and capture models were tested in these programs along with several Low environmental Impact Development features to determine their applicability and performance at this site. Lots should all be designed with all roof downspouts draining into raingardens, at least half of all lawns should be natural landscaping using local vegetation, porous pavement should be used for all driveways, sidewalks and non-street pavement and drainage to the stormwater conveyance structures should make use of drainage swales instead of storm water pipes. To manage runoff three detention …

Applicability Of Mepdg For India Based On Texas Pavement And Environmental Conditions, Vamsi Krishna Pinnamaneni

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Indian pavement design guide uses empirical models which were adopted and modified from US design guides. As with any empirical model, the prediction capabilities are limited to the conditions for which it was developed. In USA, Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) has been recently developed to account for increase in truck traffic and minimize premature failure of pavements. Since the new design uses mechanistic approach, it is expected that the design guide can better predict performance of pavements. In addition, mechanistic approach allows use of design guide for different pavement and environmental conditions by calibrating model parameters for …

Effects Of Unbalanced Approach Volumes On Roundabout Operations, Marilyn Valdez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Modern roundabouts are increasingly popular in the United States due to their advantages in improving safety and reducing delay at intersections. A roundabout is an intersection in which traffic enters the intersection and travels in a circular counterclockwise motion around a center island. In a roundabout, priority is given to vehicles traveling in the circular roadway, and incoming traffic at the roundabout approach must yield to the circulating traffic. If there is an unbalance in approach volume, the approaches with higher input volumes may dominate the circulating flow preventing vehicles the other approaches to enter the roundabout. This may consequently …

Probabilistic Analysis Of Concrete Fracture, Mustafa Abushaala Aldalinsi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

It is well known to civil engineers that fatigue leads to the bulk of structural failures. In plain and reinforced concrete structures, fatigue might account for excessive deformation, excessive of crack widths, de-bonding of reinforcement and rupture of the reinforcement, all of these can lead to structural collapse. Fatigue crack propagation can be a method to predict a remaining life of a structures. Herein will show some works that have been done in order to analyze the fatigue crack growth for plain concrete specimen. The goals of this study are to estimate the critical crack length and remaining life of …