Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Feasibility Study Of Solar Generation Facilities: Are Ccr Landfills A Viable Location, Jaden Beachy

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

this report will examine the feasibility of constructing and operating a solar generation facility on a coal combustion residual landfill. The total generation capabilities of a generation facility located near Nashville, Tennessee will be compared to the total cost of construction, including but not limited to Photo-voltaic panels, construction materials and labor.

Effects Of Hurricane Harvey And Irma On State Building Codes, Nathaniel Otermat

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

2017 was one of the worst hurricane seasons on record. Two major hurricanes hit to date; one in Houston, one across the chain of islands South of Florida and then on to Florida directly. What ensued was massive flooding and total destruction of many structures.

To protect against these natural disasters, a set of building codes is in place. While this is effective for most buildings stateside, it is hardly a consideration outside the U.S. Many of the structures built in the islands were built with little regard to any sort of code in mind. Even in the states where …

Basic Highway Workzone Safety, Collin Shamberger

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this essay will be to examine, and provide information detailing work zone safety practices, and maximizing safety in construction zones. This report will examine the functionality of components of a work zone and how they work together, the use of standard construction drawings of work zones, personal protective equipment of workers, possible hazards of work zones, minimizing risks and ultimately work zone safety training. Also this report will provide a spreadsheet which can be used to calculate and layout a construction work zone based on a GPS location.

Winter Maintenance Of Akron Roadways, Kayla Hillegass

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The city of Akron experiences several hundred crashes each winter season due to winter road and weather conditions. The winter maintenance practices of the city follow a guide by the Salt Institute that uses a combination of plowing and salting to clear the roads. This paper provides an understanding of winter maintenance from its beginnings to present day and will discuss how certain practices came to be. Looking at three other cities across the United States with similar characteristics in size or snowfall amount show many similarities with a few new concepts that Akron can consider (e.g., better communication via …

Applying Control Logic To The End Of The Ohio Canal Interceptor Tunnel Based On Downstream Capacity To Reduce Overflow Of Akron’S Wastewater Collection System, William Troyer

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

During the Akron Waterways Renewed Program, the city of Akron is studying ways to improve efficiency in the existing sewer system while also reducing the number and scale of combined sewer overflow (CSO) events. Real time control logic can be developed to reduce CSO events by improving flow and storage capacity. Looking at one point in the system, when the target capacity of the downstream pipe was increased from 20% to 80%, the peak volume of overflow from the Ohio Canal Interceptor Tunnel decreased from 9,067 gallons to 5,965 gallons the total system overflow increased from 10.3 million gallons to …

Probabilistic Regional Landslide Hazard Assessment For The Enguri Dam (Jivari, Georgia), Maria Diletta Acciaro

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Enguri Dam forms a reservoir in a seismically active area in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountain range near Jvari, Georgia. The slopes are steep, highly fractured, and weathered, which make them at risk to failure during or following extreme rainfall events. Hydroelectricity produced by the water retained by the 271-m dam provides almost half of the electricity for the country. The reservoir perimeter is more than 40 km and the surrounding slopes span an area of more than 30 km2. The size of the area and paucity of slope data have made slope-failure hazard assessment of the broader …

Analyzing The Life-Cycle Of Unstable Slopes Using Applied Remote Sensing Within An Asset Management Framework, El Hachemi Y. Bouali

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

An asset management framework provides a methodology for monitoring and maintaining assets, which include anthropogenic infrastructure (e.g., dams, embankments, and retaining structures) and natural geological features (e.g., soil and rock slopes). It is imperative that these assets operate efficiently, effectively, safely, and at a high standard since many assets are located along transportation corridors (highways, railways, and waterways) and can cause severe damage if compromised. Assets built on or around regions prone to natural hazards are at an increased risk of deterioration and failure. The objective of this study is to utilize remote sensing techniques such as InSAR, LiDAR, and …

Viability Of Graywater Reuse In Lesotho’S Lowland Agricultural District, Ryan Wagner

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Water security has become a large issue with populations rising and weather patterns changing to drier and hotter conditions in southern Africa. Lesotho, a mountainous country landlocked by South Africa, is responsible for a large amount of the rainfall in southern Africa. As such, Lesotho provides water to South Africa in exchange for national economic growth. Lesotho, however, is also prone to droughts and with water reserves being sold to South Africa, water security has become a national issue. This study looked at Lesotho’s current water use habits and found that graywater reuse could lead to much more available water. …

Assessing Exposure To Occupants In An Indoor Space Due To Expirated Aerosols: Application Of Computational Fluid Dynamics, Firoza Binte Omar

Theses and Dissertations

Indoor environment is an important issue for the well-being of the society. In the United States more than 90% people spend their time indoor, indoor air pollution is more culpable than the pollution outside air. Two third of US businesses lose more than $100,000 per year due to workplace related illness. The trend of sharing the work space has an impact on total sick leaves in a company. Infectious particles released by a flu sufferer’s sneezing, coughing or even laughing can be a vital source. A thorough analysis on infectious particles’ transmission and air flow of the space can provide …

Detection Of Multi-Tomato Leaf Diseases (Late Blight, Target And Bacterial Spots) In Different Stages By Using A Spectral-Based Sensor, Jinzhu Lu, Reza Ehsani, Yeyin Shi, Ana Isabel De Castro, Shuang Wang

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Several diseases have threatened tomato production in Florida, resulting in large losses, especially in fresh markets. In this study, a high-resolution portable spectral sensor was used to investigate the feasibility of detecting multi-diseased tomato leaves in different stages, including early or asymptomatic stages. One healthy leaf and three diseased tomato leaves (late blight, target and bacterial spots) were defined into four stages (healthy, asymptomatic, early stage and late stage) and collected from a field. Fifty-seven spectral vegetation indices (SVIs) were calculated in accordance with methods published in previous studies and established in this study. Principal component analysis was …

Evaluation Of Variable Rate Irrigation Using A Remote-Sensing-Based Model, John Burdette Barker, Derek M. Heeren, Christopher M.U. Neale, Daran Rudnick

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Improvements in soil water balance modeling can be beneficial for optimizing irrigation management to account for spatial variability in soil properties and evapotranspiration (ET). A remote-sensing-based ET and water balance model was tested for irrigation management in an experiment at two University of Nebraska-Lincoln research sites located near Mead and Brule, Nebraska. Both fields included a center pivot equipped with variable rate irrigation (VRI). The study included maize in 2015 and 2016 and soybean in 2016 at Mead, and maize in 2016 at Brule, for a total of 210 plot-years. Four irrigation treatments were applied at Mead, including: VRI based …

Integration Of Hydrogeophysical Datasets And Empirical Orthogonal Functions For Improved Irrigation Water Management, Catherine E. Finkenbiner, Trenton E. Franz, Justin P. Gibson, Derek M. Heeren, J. D. Luck

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Precision agriculture offers the technologies to manage for infield variability and incorporate variability into irrigation management decisions. The major limitation of this technology often lies in the reconciliation of disparate data sources and the generation of irrigation prescription maps. Here the authors explore the utility of the cosmic-ray neutron probe (CRNP) which measures volumetric soil water content (SWC) in the top ~ 30 cm of the soil profile. The key advantages of CRNP is that the sensor is passive, non-invasive, mobile and soil temperature-invariant, making data collection more compatible with existing farm operations and extending the mapping period. The objectives …

Dynamic Rops Test For Tractors Over 6,000 Kilograms, Caleb M. Lindhorst, Roger M. Hoy, Santosh Pitla, Michael F. Kocher

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

OECD static tests (Codes 4, 6, 7, and 8) for agricultural rollover protective structures (ROPS) have become accepted standards for evaluating the ability of these structures to protect the operator during tractor rollover events. The strength properties of some materials typically used in ROPS change because of cold weather embrittlement at low temperatures. The static ROPS tests lack the ability to evaluate the strength of these structures during cold weather. The use of the dynamic ROPS test is well noted as a means for proving cold weather embrittlement resistance properties. Unfortunately, application of the OECD dynamic ROPS test (Code 3) …

The Open Source Gaitor Suite For Rodent Gait Analysis, Brittany Y. Jacobs, Emily H. Lakes, Alex J. Reiter, Spencer P. Lake, Trevor R. Ham, Nic D. Leipzig, Stacy L. Porvasnik, Christine E. Schmidt, Rebecca A. Wachs, Kyle D. Allen

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Locomotive changes are often associated with disease or injury, and these changes can be quantified through gait analysis. Gait analysis has been applied to preclinical studies, providing quantitative behavioural assessment with a reasonable clinical analogue. However, available gait analysis technology for small animals is somewhat limited. Furthermore, technological and analytical challenges can limit the effectiveness of preclinical gait analysis. The Gait Analysis Instrumentation and Technology Optimized for Rodents (GAITOR) Suite is designed to increase the accessibility of preclinical gait analysis to researchers, facilitating hardware and software customization for broad applications. Here, the GAITOR Suite’s utility is demonstrated in 4 models: …

Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Beef Feedlot Surface Materials As Affected By Diet, Moisture, Temperature, And Time, Bryan L. Woodbury, John E. Gilley, David B. Parker, Bobbi S. Stomer

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

A laboratory study was conducted to measure the effects of diet, moisture, temperature, and time on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from feedlot surface materials (FSM). The FSM were collected from open-lot pens where beef cattle were fed either a dry-rolled corn (DRC) diet containing no wet distillers grains with solubles (WDGS) or a DRC diet containing 35% WDGS. The FSM were collected, air-dried or mixed with 3.0 L of water to represent dry or wet conditions, and then incubated at temperatures of 5°C, 15°C, 25°C, or 35°C. Static flux chambers were used to quantify GHG emissions over a 14-day period. …

Surface Detention On Cropland, Rangeland, And Conservation Reserve Program Areas, John E. Gilley

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

One of the factors contributing to overland flow on upland areas is water stored temporarily in a thin sheet on the soil surface as surface detention. This study was conducted to quantify surface detention on selected cropland, rangeland, and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) sites. Surface detention was determined from the recession portion of runoff hydrographs corresponding with the period when rainfall had ceased but runoff continued. The hydrographs were generated from six previously reported rainfall simulation studies conducted on paired 3.7 m wide  10.7 m long plots on which approximately 128 mm of rainfall was applied. Surface detention values …

Evaluation Of The Accuracy Of Machine Reported Can Data For Engine Torque And Speed (J1939), Rodney A. Rohrer, Joe D. Luck, Santosh K. Pitla, Roger M. Hoy

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Most modern off-road machinery use embedded electronic controllers connected to a controller area network (CAN) to broadcast machine information for on-board processes and diagnostics. Commercially available tools can record CAN data for a variety of research and commercial uses. For agricultural tractors, there is an opportunity to create advanced test procedures that are more representative of field operations and that could supplement existing machine performance tests, such as the OECD Code 2 Standard Code for the Official Testing of Agricultural and Forestry Tractor Performance. CAN parameters provide an efficient way to collect tractor performance data during field operations. However, the …

Prediction Of Agricultural Implement Hydraulic Power Requirements Using Controller Area Network Bus Data, Gabriel P. Stoll, Rodney A. Rohrer, Santosh K. Pitla, Joe D. Luck

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

One of the important challenges in agricultural machinery research is the ability to effectively determine power requirements of a given field operation. The Controller Area Network (CAN) Bus, also known as ISOBUS, has proven to be an effective digital tool for tractor and implement data collection. This study attempted to determine implement hydraulic power requirements using a combination of existing public tractor CAN messages and minimal added sensors. The sensor signals were published on the CAN bus for ease of simultaneous sensor signal and CAN message data collection. Based upon the available CAN messages, this study attempted to measure hydraulic …

Effects Of Alternate Wetting And Drying Irrigation Regime And Nitrogen Fertilizer On Yield And Nitrogen Use Efficiency Of Irrigated Rice In The Sahel, Koffi Djaman, Valere C. Mel, Lamine Diop, Abdoulaye Sow, Raafat El-Namaky, Baboucarr Manneh, Kazuki Saito, Koichi Futakuchi, Suat Irmak

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The objectives of this study were to investigate water saving strategies in the paddy field and to evaluate the performance of some of the newly released rice varieties. Field experiments were conducted at Fanaye in the Senegal River Valley during two rice growing seasons in 2015. Three irrigation regimes ((i) continuous flooding, (ii) trigging irrigation at soil matric potential (SMP) of 30 kPa, (iii) trigging irrigation at SMP of 60 kPa) were tested in an irrigated lowland rice field. Irrigation regimes (ii) and (iii) are alternate wetting and drying (AWD) cycles. Four inbred rice varieties (NERICA S-21, NERICA S-44, Sahel …

Crop Evapotranspiration, Irrigationwater Requirement And Water Productivity Of Maize From Meteorological Data Under Semiarid Climate, Koffi Djaman, Michael O'Neill, Curtis K. Owen, Daniel Smeal, Komlan Koudahe, Margaret West, Samuel Allen, Kevin Lombard, Suat Irmak

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Under the semiarid climate of the Southwest United States, accurate estimation of crop water use is important for water management and planning under conservation agriculture. The objectives of this study were to estimate maize water use and water productivity in the Four Corners region of New Mexico. Maize was grown under full irrigation during the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2017 seasons at the Agricultural Science Center at Farmington (NM). Seasonal amounts of applied irrigation varied from 576.6 to 1051.6 mm and averaged 837.7 mm and the total water supply varied from 693.4 to 1140.5 mm. Maize actual evapotranspiration was …

Hydrologic Evaluation Of Residential Rain Gardens Using A Stormwater Runoff Simulator, A. R. Anderson, T. G. Franti, D. P. Shelton

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Engineered bioretention cells with underdrains have shown water quality and hydrologic benefits for abating urban stormwater problems. Less is known about the hydrologic performance of residential rain gardens that rely on in situ soil infiltration as the primary mechanism of volume control. Eleven residential rain gardens in Lincoln, Nebraska, were evaluated using a variable-rate stormwater runoff simulator. A volume-based water quality volume (WQV) design storm of 3.0 cm was applied to each rain garden as an SCS Type II runoff hydrograph until the system began overflowing to test the rain gardens for surface and subsurface storage capacity, drawdown rate, ponding …

Registration For Optical Multimodal Remote Sensing Images Based On Fast Detection,Window Selection, And Histogram Specification, Xiaoyang Zhao, Jian Zhang, Chenghai Yang, Huaibo Song, Yeyin Shi, Xingen Zhou, Dongyan Zhang, Guozhong Zhang

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

In recent years, digital frame cameras have been increasingly used for remote sensing applications. However, it is always a challenge to align or register images captured with different cameras or different imaging sensor units. In this research, a novel registration method was proposed. Coarse registration was first applied to approximately align the sensed and reference images. Window selection was then used to reduce the search space and a histogram specification was applied to optimize the grayscale similarity between the images. After comparisons with other commonly-used detectors, the fast corner detector, FAST (Features from Accelerated Segment Test), was selected to extract …

Impact Of Eastern Redcedar Proliferation On Water Resources In The Great Plains Usa—Current State Of Knowledge, Chris B. Zou, Dirac Twidwell, Christine H. Bielski, Dillon T. Fogarty, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Patrick J. Starks, Rodney E. Will, Yu Zhong, Bharat Sharma Acharya

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

In the Great Plains of the central United States, water resources for human and aquatic life rely primarily on surface runoff and local recharge from rangelands that are under rapid transformation to woodland by the encroachment of Eastern redcedar (redcedar; Juniperus virginiana) trees. In this synthesis, the current understanding and impact of redcedar encroachment on the water budget and water resources available for non-ecosystem use are reviewed. Existing studies concluded that the conversion from herbaceous-dominated rangeland to redcedar woodland increases precipitation loss to canopy interception and vegetation transpiration. The decrease of soil moisture, particularly for the subsurface soil layer, …

Investigation Of Organic Solvents’ Effects On Kenaf (Hibiscus Cannabinus L.) Biomass Conversion In Subcritical Water, Bahar Meryemoglu, Arif Hasanoglu, Mehtap Kurtulus, Sibel Irmak

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Kenaf biomass was hydrolyzed under subcritical water conditions in the presence of various organic solvents. The solvents tested were tetrahydrofuran (THF), acetone, xylene (mixed isomers) and methanol. The organic compounds released into hydrolysates, total organic contents, water-soluble total phenols, and the molecular weight distributions of the polysaccharides in the hydrolysates, solid residues leftover after hydrolysis and gaseous products formed during the solubilization process were determined. The results showed that organic solvents significantly enhanced the dissolution of kenaf biomass (methanol < (omp)xylene ≤ acetone ~ tetrahydrofuran). The hydrolysis percentage was found to be between 75-82% depending on the type of the solvent. Hydrolysis yield and total organic carbons released into hydrolysates highly differed when the solubilization process was performed under carbon dioxide pressure and this effect considerably varied based on the type of solvent used in hydrolysis process. The main gas product formed during hydrolysis process was carbon dioxide with ~80% composition. Morphological measurements of the solid biomass residues left after hydrolysis showed substantial degradations with increasing number of pores on the biomass surfaces.

Near Infrared Fluorescent Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes As Tissue Localizable Biosensors, Nicole M. Iverson, Michael S. Strano, Nigel F. Strano, Thomas P. Mcnicholas

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

A nanosensor for detecting an analyte can include a sub strate, a photoluminescent nanostructure, and a polymer interacting with the photoluminescent nanostructure. The nanosensor can be used in in vivo for biomedical applications.

Nitric Oxide Sensors For Biological Applications, Nicole M. Iverson, Eric M. Hofferber, Joseph A. Stapleton

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Nitric oxide (NO) is an essential signaling molecule within biological systems and is believed to be involved in numerous diseases. As a result of NO’s high reaction rate, the detection of the concentration of NO, let alone the presence or absence of the molecule, is extremely difficult. Researchers have developed multiple assays and probes in an attempt to quantify NO within biological solutions, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. This review highlights many of the current NO sensors, from those that are commercially available to the newest sensors being optimized in research labs, to assist in the understanding and …

Evaluation Of Critical Nitrogen And Phosphorus Models For Maize Under Full And Limited Irrigation Conditions, Koffi Djaman, Suat Irmak

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Proper nitrogen (N) fertiliser application rates and timing of application, coupled with optimum irrigation management can improve the sustainability of maize production and reduce the risk of environmental contamination by nutrients. The impact of full and limited irrigation and rainfed conditions on in-season maize (Zea mays L.) shoot biomass nutrient concentration and critical N and phosphorus (P) indices were evaluated using a combination of measured nutrients and critical N and P models in south central Nebraska in 2009 and 2010. Four irrigation treatments [fully-irrigated treatment (FIT), 75% FIT, 60% FIT and 50% FIT) and rainfed] were imposed. Irrigation regimes …

Phenotypic Responses To Interspecies Competition And Commensalism In A Naturally Derived Microbial Co-Culture, Nymul Khan, Yukari Maezato, Ryan S. Mcclure, Colin J. Brislawn, Jennifer M. Mobberley, Nancy Isern, William B. Chrisler, Lye Meng Markillie, Brett M. Barney, Hyun-Seob Song, William C. Nelson, Hans C. Bernstein

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The fundamental question of whether different microbial species will co-exist or compete in a given environment depends on context, composition and environmental constraints. Model microbial systems can yield some general principles related to this question. In this study we employed a naturally occurring co-culture composed of heterotrophic bacteria, Halomonas sp. HL-48 and Marinobacter sp. HL- 58, to ask two fundamental scientific questions: 1) how do the phenotypes of two naturally co-existing species respond to partnership as compared to axenic growth? and 2) how do growth and molecular phenotypes of these species change with respect to competitive and commensal interactions? We …

Impact Of Vegetative Treatment Systems On Multiple Measures Of Antibiotic Resistance In Agricultural Wastewater, Lisa M. Durso, Daniel N. Miller, Christopher G. Henry

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Wastewater is an important vector of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes (ARB/G). While there is broad agreement that ARB/G from agricultural (ag) wastewaters can be transported through the environment and may contribute to untreatable infectious disease in humans and animals, there remain large knowledge gaps surrounding applied details on the types and amounts of ARB/G associated with different agricultural wastewater treatment options and different ag production systems. This study evaluates a vegetative treatment system (VTS) built to treat the wastewater from a beef cattle feedlot. Samples were collected for three years, and plated on multiple media types to …

Special Issue: Microbial Community Modeling: Prediction Of Microbial Interactions And Community Dynamics, Hyun-Seob Song

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Microbial communities are networks of species, the interaction structure of which dynamically reorganizes in a varying environment. Even in a static condition, community dynamics are often difficult to predict due to highly nonlinear interspecies interactions. Understanding the fundamental principles of microbial interactions is therefore key for predicting and harnessing community function and properties. As extensively reviewed previously, mathematical models and computational methods that can predictively link interactions to community behaviors are indispensable tools for achieving this goal [1].