Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Brazil, Big Hydro, And A Beautiful Monster: “Green” Energy Generation In The Xingu River Basin, Ian F. Hirons

Student Works

Brazil is quickly becoming an influential actor on the world stage of geopolitics. The nation has achieved global economic and environmental recognition due to the extensive development of its hydrological resources in the form of hydroelectric power plants. As the world’s second greatest generator of hydroelectricity, Brazil has proven a staunch adherence to building dams in the large-scale. Though these dams have brought electricity to millions of people across the country, the socio-ecological toll inflicted by their construction has been devastating to natural biomes and local inhabitants. This article traces Brazil’s proclivity for large-scale hydropower to four motivational categories often …

Benefits Of Pre-Construction Analysis: Cet Senior Capstone Expands Understanding Of An Urban Refuge At Gallopnyc Sunrise Stables, Aalaa Mohammed

Publications and Research

For any construction project, there exists a phase of planning known as “pre-construction.” This initial phase of the project provides a definition of the project, identification of potential issues, planning and scheduling, scope, cost estimation, and analysis of needs for the job. My research analyzes a pre-construction case study conducted for Gallop NYC’s Stable in Howard Beach, Queens. The findings suggest that the practice of construction planning is effective in order to avoid delays in construction itself and ensure successful project completion. Supporting literature examines some of the best practices for pre-construction analysis. These include but are not limited to: …

Building Materials And Environmental Indicators For Urban Planning-Exposure, Afrim Syla

UBT International Conference

Sustainable development is a key component in urban studies. The sustainability of buildings has become a headline topic in recent years. Buildings do not exist in isolation from their environment, however, but are integrated with infrastructure. In defining sustainable buildings, the issue arises how to incorporate the influences of not only user behavior, building design and technologies, but the associated infrastructure that comprises the entire built environment. The built environment considered here includes all buildings and infrastructure, and in this context, comprises approximately 10% of global GDP. The building and construction sector alone is not only the largest consumer of …

Eco-Friendly Stabilization Of Sulfate-Rich Expansive Soils Using Geopolymers For Transportation Infrastructure, Xinbao Yu, Anand Puppala, Miladin Radovic, Sayantan Chakraborty, Jungyeon Jang, Oscar Huang

Data

Traditional calcium-based stabilizers, such as lime, to stabilize sulfate-rich expansive soils, are lasting-challenges in geotechnical engineering. The biggest problem with using calcium-based stabilizers is that when calcium and water are exposed to sulfate-rich expansive soils, they form ettringite as an expansive mineral, which causes sulfate-induced heaving. The study aimed to investigate the feasibility of stabilizing sulfate-rich expansive soils using geopolymers for transportation infrastructure. Literature review on sulfate-induced heaving and sulfate-rich soils stabilized with geopolymers suggests a direction for how to stabilize sulfate soils using geopolymers. The engineering tests were conducted to determine the swell, shrinkage, and strength behavior of natural, …

Eco-Friendly Stabilization Of Sulfate-Rich Expansive Soils Using Geopolymers For Transportation Infrastructure, Xinbao Yu, Anand Puppala, Miladin Radovic, Sayantan Chakraborty, Jungyeon Jang, Oscar Huang

Publications

Traditional calcium-based stabilizers, such as lime, to stabilize sulfate-rich expansive soils, are lasting-challenges in geotechnical engineering. The biggest problem with using calcium-based stabilizers is that when calcium and water are exposed to sulfate-rich expansive soils, they form ettringite as an expansive mineral, which causes sulfate-induced heaving. The study aimed to investigate the feasibility of stabilizing sulfate-rich expansive soils using geopolymers for transportation infrastructure. Literature review on sulfate-induced heaving and sulfate-rich soils stabilized with geopolymers suggests a direction for how to stabilize sulfate soils using geopolymers. The engineering tests were conducted to determine the swell, shrinkage, and strength behavior of natural, …

Groundwater Level Mapping Tool: An Open Source Web Application For Assessing Groundwater Sustainability, Steven W. Evans, Norman L. Jones, Gustavious P. Williams, Daniel P. Ames, E. James Nelson

Faculty Publications

Decision makers need an accurate understanding of aquifer storage trends to effectively manage groundwater resources. Groundwater is difficult to monitor and quantify since the data collected from monitoring wells are often available only at irregular and infrequent intervals. We present an open-source web application (app) to visualize groundwater data over time and automatically calculate changes in aquifer storage volume to help managers assess aquifer sustainability. This app uses a novel multi-linear regression (MLR) algorithm to impute missing data for infrequently sampled wells, using correlated data from other wells in the same aquifer. The app uses this MLR-imputed data to spatially …

Feasibility Of Cross Laminated Timber Panels In Construction: A Case Study Of Carbon12, Erik John Graber

Construction Management

Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) is an extremely strong engineered wood panel intended for roof, floor, or wall applications. Currently there is little research comparing CLT to steel and concrete, materials CLT hopes to replace This research uses a detailed literary analysis on CLT and case study on Carbon12, a recently constructed CLT structure in Portland, Oregon, to compare the cost and schedule requirements of CLT with a cast-in-place concrete slab. The case study consisted of a detailed analysis of Carbon12, interview with Scott Noble, senior project manager for Carbon12, and a detailed schedule and cost analysis. Results showed that for …

Case Study: Google’S Unique Canopy Styled Construction, Ray A. Cuevas

Construction Management

In today’s rapidly changing world, builders are pushing to implement more sustainable practices and incorporate innovative techniques to integrate green practices into their structures. One of the latest examples of this push towards sustainability is seen in Google’s new headquarters, Charleston East located in Mountain View, California. Combining their widely known mission to provide a positive work environment for their employees with their passion to be more environmentally friendly, Google has set out to create a Living Building with LEED Platinum certification. In order to accomplish this Google has collaborated with Bjarke Ingels Group, Heatherwick Studio, and Hathaway Dinwiddie. The …

A Case Study On Achieving Living Building Challenge Certification On The Ucsd Triton Project, Grayson Farnham

Construction Management

This paper consists of a case study conducted on the UCSD Triton Pavilion project, In San Diego, California. The general contractor on this project is PCL Construction in contract with LMN architecture. The case study evaluates the strategies proposed to help this progressive design build project achieve a Living Building Challenge certification and the costs that would be associated with such implementations. Research and communication with integral employees from PCL Construction helped identify key strategies that ultimately caused the project to not pursue LBC certification and opt to choose a LEED platinum certification instead. In summary the size and scope …

Promoting The Sustainable Utilization Of Groundwater Resources In Ethiopia Using The Integrated Groundwater Footprint Index, Xinyu Lin

Honors Scholar Theses

The country of Ethiopia is highly vulnerable to human-caused climate change and is already suffering from the effects. The predominately rural population relies heavily on small-scale agriculture, with 78% of households having at least one member engaged in the field, yet staple crops are highly susceptible to droughts and other weather shocks. Total and agricultural GDP growth in the country have been strongly linked to inter-annual rainfall variability, of which Ethiopia has among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. A decrease in rainfall since the 1970s has been one of the primary causes of low crop yields, and stresses the immediate …

Extending Water Resources Performance Metrics To River Ecosystems, Belize A. Lane, J. Pablo Ortiz-Partida, Samuel Sandoval-Solis

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

A persistent challenge in integrated water management is the ability to accurately evaluate human and ecological tradeoffs. Two-dimensional (2D) hydraulic models are frequently used to evaluate water management alternatives concerning aquatic species physical habitat needs or preferences. Recent studies have assessed the timing or duration of suitable habitat conditions, but no standardized approach exists to integrate and interpret ecohydraulic model outputs within a water management framework. Such an approach is needed to maximize the information obtained from model outputs and to facilitate communication between river scientists and water managers. This study presents a general framework to aggregate and summarize 2D …

Analyzing More Sustainable Alternatives Than Using Ordinary Portland Cement In Commerical Construction, Brandon A. Sturla Bs

Construction Management

The purpose of this paper is to look at more sustainable alternative options for concrete use for California Commercial Contractors. This paper will analyze the more sustainable options for concrete and come to conclusions on how effective the alternative options are for protecting the environment, encouraging sustainability, maintaining cost effectiveness, and maintaining efficiency in building. This paper provides data on the negative impact concrete use has had on the environment and potential ways to alleviate this. This paper will also analyze how cost-effective the alternative options are to see if the alternative options are realistic and affordable to use in …

Development Of A Quality Control Method And Guidelines For Hot Mix Asphalt Using Recycled Concrete Aggregate, Xiaojun Li, Dingxin Cheng, Kun Zhang, Kanwar M. S. Jakhar, Uday V. Pericherla

Mineta Transportation Institute

Each year, about 122 million tons of aggregates, a major structural component of pavement, are used in asphaltic mixtures in pavement construction. At the same time, aging U.S. infrastructure produces around 200 million tons of demolition waste each year, half of which is concrete debris. Therefore, introducing recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) as hot mix asphalt (HMA) aggregate could not only relieve the disposal pressure but also result in considerable reductions in cost, energy usage, and greenhouse gas emissions in the paving industry. A limited number of studies regarding the use of RCA to substitute virgin aggregate in HMA (RCA-HMA) exist. …

Performance Evaluation Of Lightweight Normal And Geopolymer Foamed Concrete Using Palm Oil Fuel Ash As Partial Replacement Of Binder, M .E. Alnahhal Ahmed

Student Works (2020-2029)

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) have a detrimental effect on the environment and this had led many researchers to search for other alternatives in the form of sustainable cementitious materials. The depletion of natural resources and dumping the industrial by-products and waste materials are serious concern to our environment. This research focusses on the performance of using a palm oil industrial by-product, namely, palm oil fuel ash (POFA), as a partial replacement for OPC and fly ash (FA) in lightweight normal foamed concrete and lightweight geopolymer foamed concrete, respectively. Thus, using 10, 20, and 30% POFA …

Teaching Across Disciplines: A Case Study Of A Project-Based Short Course To Teach Holistic Coastal Adaptation Design, Pamela K. Judge, Jane A. Buxton, Thomas C. Sheahan, Eleanor R. Phetteplace, David L. Kriebel, Elisabeth M. Hamin Infield

Engineering, Computing & Construction Management Faculty Publications

Climate change has led to the need for innovation in resilient infrastructure and the social policies which will support those. This requires greater interdisciplinary interactions and knowledge building among emerging professionals. This paper presents a case study of a pilot short course intended to immerse graduate students in the design of resilient infrastructure using place-based and interdisciplinary active team learning. This course helps graduate students bridge the gap between research and practice on the social science and engineering of resilient infrastructure for coastal adaptation. The intellectual framework for the course (the Adaptive Gradients Framework) provides a holistic evaluation of adaptation …

Covid-19 And Public Transportation: Current Assessment, Prospects, And Research Needs, Alejandro Tirachini, Oded Cats

Journal of Public Transportation

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a great challenge for contemporary public transportation worldwide, resulting from an unprecedented decline in demand and revenue. In this paper, we synthesize the state-of-the-art, up to early June 2020, on key developments regarding public transportation and the COVID-19 pandemic, including the different responses adopted by governments and public transportation agencies around the world, and the research needs pertaining to critical issues that minimize contagion risk in public transportation in the so-called post-lockdown phase. While attempts at adherence to physical distancing (which challenges the very concept of mass public transportation) are looming in several countries, the latest …

Understandings Of "Global Responsibility’ Expressed By Civil Engineers Working In London, Shannon Chance, Inez Direito, J. Mitchell

Conference papers

This paper discusses the term ‘global responsibility’, how it emerged and why, and analysis of interview data collected from nine civil engineers working in London regarding their understandings of the term. Professional Bodies often take the lead in envisioning change, by identifying the direction their professionals should take to help address society’s evolving needs and aspirations. Often, such Bodies charge academia with addressing society’s evolving needs through research, outreach, and preparing the next generation of professionals. In the UK, leaders in civil engineering have pressed for individual and collective action to facilitate sustainable development and decrease occurrence of corruption. Nevertheless, …

Systems Analysis For Sustainability Assessment Of Biogas And Bio-Ch4 Production From Food Waste And Dairy Manure Mixtures In The Us, Sharath Kumar Ankathi

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The purpose of the dissertation is to relate systems analysis for bioenergy to identify optimum configurations for improved scenarios and to make better decisions in a systems perspective.

Chapter 1 is a review of the literature to identify the state of the knowledge in terms of systems analysis for anaerobic digestion (AD) bioenergy systems. The key outcomes from this review showed that anaerobic digestion of mixtures of food waste and animal manure has great potential to achieve economic and environmental benefits compared to other treatments of organic waste materials, such as landfilling or conventional manure management.

Chapter 2 focuses on …

Internet Of Things For Sustainable Mining, Abdul Salam

Faculty Publications

The sustainable mining Internet of Things deals with the applications of IoT technology to the coupled needs of sustainable recovery of metals and a healthy environment for a thriving planet. In this chapter, the IoT architecture and technology is presented to support development of a digital mining platform emphasizing the exploration of rock–fluid–environment interactions to develop extraction methods with maximum economic benefit, while maintaining and preserving both water quantity and quality, soil, and, ultimately, human health. New perspectives are provided for IoT applications in developing new mineral resources, improved management of tailings, monitoring and mitigating contamination from mining. Moreover, tools …

Achieving Sustainability Through Reducing Construction Waste During The Design Process: A Value Management Perspective, Ayman Ahmed Ezzat Othman, Sherouk Mohamed Abdelrahim

Architectural Engineering

Purpose:

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of Value Management towards achieving sustainability through reducing the construction waste during the design process.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve the abovementioned aim, a research methodology consisting literature review and survey questionnaire is designed to achieve the following objectives: first, building a comprehensive understanding of the research topic through reviewing literature related to the nature of the construction industry, waste in construction, sustainability, the design phase and Value Management; second, presenting and analysing two case studies to validate the role of Value Management towards reducing waste in construction projects; third, conducting …

Macro - And Microstructure Evaluation And Field Applications Of Concrete With Recycled Glass Pozzolan, Marija Krstic

Dissertations and Theses

Concrete is the most used material in the world, second only to water. Conventional concrete is produced with Portland cement (PC). The production of cement is an energy intensive operation that has raised significant environmental concerns, since one ton of cement generates an equal ton of CO₂. In the USA about 90 million tons of cement are used annually, with 3 million tons used in New York. Most contemporary concrete applications for buildings and infrastructure use high-performance concrete (HPC) mixtures which are produced by replacing a percentage of cement with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), consisting mainly of fly-ash …

Public Perception Of Different Planting Techniques Using Augmented Reality, Sultana Quader Tania

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this study was to measure public perception of the different planting techniques (block and matrix), which are used at visitor information centers (VICs) and other rights of way (ROW) areas. The main factors that affect public perception of planting techniques were identified through an extensive literature review and qualitative survey from four welcome centers in the state of Georgia. The ranking of those indicators, based on public preferences, was discovered through a quantitative survey. During the first phase of the quantitative survey, images of block and matrix were used. An iOS-based user-friendly and cost-effective augmented reality (AR) …

Hvac System Energy Audit For Leverett Elementary School, Connor Smalling

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Leverett Elementary School is located in Fayetteville, AR. The school needs significant upgrades to its infrastructure. The Fayetteville Public School District has voted to pursue an Energy Services Performance Contract (ESPC) in order to finance the desired upgrades to Leverett Elementary, among other schools in the district.

The scope of this thesis was to perform an energy audit on the existing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. By using an energy modeling software, eQuest, the building and the existing base system were modeled to determine utility consumption. Three different HVAC system alternatives were analyzed against the base system by …

Feasibility Of Reclaimed Lumber In Construction, Ernest Michael Banchero

Construction Management

As sustainable building becomes more and more prevalent in the construction industry, builders and homeowners are experimenting more with different kinds of building materials. The focus of this paper is on reclaimed wood. One can find reclaimed wood almost anywhere, in an old barn, lumber yards, basically any place that has valuable wood that is not being used. This wood is then taken to a mill and cleaned up. Imperfections are removed, nails are taken out, and any finish that will be used is applied. Reclaimed wood has grown in popularity in construction projects over the last few decades. The …

Green Up Pavement Rehabilitation Design Tool, Dragos Andrei, Robert E. Kochan, Jose H. Perez

Mineta Transportation Institute

While designers produce pavement rehabilitation recommendations every day, for projects of all sizes, most designers have little information on the environmental impact of their recommendations. This research developed a new decision tool, called the “Green Up Pavement Rehabilitation Design Tool,” to allow the comparison of different rehabilitation solutions in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and to encourage sustainable practices such as materials recycling and the use of permeable, cool, and quiet pavement surfaces. The project aligns with the major goal of California Senate Bill 1, which is “to address deferred maintenance on the state highway system and the local street …

Sustainable Solutions, Fall/Winter 2020, Issue 41

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Improving The Sustainability Of The Built Environment By Training Its Workforce In More Efficient And Greener Ways Of Designing And Constructing Through The Horizon2020 Bimcert Project, Barry Mcauley, Avril Behan

Conference papers

The construction industry consumes up to 50% of mineral resources excavated from nature, generates about 33% of CO2 present in the atmosphere and is responsible for 40% of total global energy through both construction and operation of buildings. The realisation that current pervasive construction practices now face globalization, sustainability, and environmental concerns, as well as ever-changing legislation requirements and new skills needed for the information age has resulted in technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) becoming a key enabler in navigating these barriers. To assist in overcoming these barriers, a number of funding initiatives have been put in place …

Environmentally Responsible Land Use, Spring/Summer 2010, Issue 22

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Communities, Fall/Winter 2010, Issue 21

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Building, Spring/Summer 2009, Issue 20

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.