Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Recycling Wastewater For Hydraulic Fracturing By Use Of Nanofiltration Membranes, Haley D. Cleous

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Hydraulic fracturing creates large volumes of produced water, contaminated with organics, suspended solids, and dissolved minerals. This water must either be disposed of in injection wells or treated for reuse. One option is to use a combination of ultrafiltration and nanofiltration to treat this water and reuse it in future hydraulic fracturing wells. The object of this study was to test and characterize commercial nanofiltration membranes. The work done for this project will lead to future work in modifying membranes to improve the rejection of desired components.

Community Analysis Of A Unique Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Plant As Revealed By 454-Pyrosequencing, Meghan Preut

Civil Engineering ETDs

Activated sludge is one of the most commonly applied biological treatment processes for wastewater treatment. The microorganisms grown in activated sludge systems are responsible for the removal and transformation of wastewater contaminants. These bacterial populations are sensitive to wastewater characteristics, plant design and operational parameters. Because the effectiveness of activated sludge relies on microbial activity, a better understanding of the microbial communities and how they respond to constraints may be useful for improving plant performance. Environmental conditions in the activated sludge process are complex and the identification and classification of the communities present has proven a challenge for engineers as …

The Use Of Oxidants For Ndma Precursor Deactivation In Wastewater Treatment, Jaclyn Lauer

All Theses

Water treatment plants in the United States (US) have been switching from chlorination to chloramination in the search for a disinfection process to reduce formation of regulated disinfection by-products (DBPs). Unfortunately, the trade-off is the formation of N-nitrosamines. N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) is the most commonly detected N-nitrosamine in US distribution systems. In the Integrated Risk Information Service (IRIS) database of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), NDMA has been identified to have an estimated 10-6 lifetime cancer risk level at a concentration of 0.7 ng/L in drinking water. N-nitrosamines are currently not regulated by the USEPA; however, are listed on …

Variability In Uv Disinfection Of Municipal Wastewater, Angela Patricia Ortiz

Open Access Theses

Variability in the performance of UV disinfection systems is hypothesized to be attributable to variability in the parameters that influence the overall performance. Predictability of process performance in UV disinfection systems should be possible, if variability in these input parameters can be defined. The objective of this project was to define variability in parameters that are known to affect the performance of UV disinfection systems so as to inform design and operation conditions for a large-scale UV disinfection system that was recently applied at the Belmont facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, and other systems. The present study focused on quantification of …

The Energy Trilogy: An Integrated Sustainability Model To Bridge Wastewater Treatment Plant Energy And Emissions Gaps, A. Adhim A. Altalibi

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

An estimated 4% of national energy consumption is used for drinking water and wastewater services. Despite the awareness and optimization initiatives for energy conservation, energy consumption is on the rise owing to population and urbanization expansion and to commercial and industrial business advancement. The principal concern is since energy consumption grows, the higher will be the energy production demand, leading to an increase in CO2 footprints and the contribution to global warming potential.

This research is in the area of energy-water nexus, focusing on wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) energy trilogy - the group of three related entities, which includes …

On Target For People And Planet: Setting And Achieving Water-Related Sustainable Development Goals, Julie Van Der Bliek, Peter G. Mccornick, James Clarke

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Our specific focus in this book is on securing water for sustainable food production. This links to sustainable water resources management, delivering on the water supply and sanitation requirements and provisioning water for energy and the urban sector. A specific intent is to ensure that the realities in low- and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia are recognized and to provide practical pathways to change that fit these realities and the aspirations of those countries. This will help to prepare for the next step in the SDG [sustainable development goals] process: devolving the SDGs to the national level. It will …

Ion Exchange Nutrient Recovery From Municipal Wastewater, Allen Williams

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Nitrogen and phosphorus discharge is regulated due to eutrophication. Typically ammonium-nitrogen is removed through nitrification which requires energy and phosphorus (P) is removed by metal salt addition to precipitate P. A more sustainable approach may be to implement nutrient recovery to form fertilizers. Most nitrogen fertilizer is formed through the energy intensive Haber-Bosch process. Phosphate rock, a limited resource, is mined for P fertilizer. Discharge regulations and the fertilizer production costs provide an economic driver for recovery. The current project used anionic and cationic ion exchange (IX) to concentrate the nutrients with recovery by struvite precipitation. Previous work lacks direct …

Nutrient Contribution Of The Shallow Unconfined Aquifer To Pineview Reservoir, Thomas Nyanda Reuben

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pineview Reservoir, near Utah’s populous Wasatch Front, could play an important role in modulating water supply as water demands and water uses change in response to increasing population densities. The reservoir’s water quality may decline if nitrogen and phosphorus additions to the reservoir are not controlled. Most of the water flowing into the reservoir in summer and fall is contributed by the shallow ground water. The quantity and quality of the shallow ground water to Pineview Reservoir were studied from February 2010 through November 2011. The objectives were to: 1) increase understanding of nitrogen and phosphorus transport from ground water …

Sustainability Of Water And Wastewater Infrastructure: Using A Public-Private Partnership Model For Project Financial Assessment, Rebecca Werner Trotter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To supplement current and future budget shortfalls for improvements to water and wastewater infrastructure, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs or P3) are being advocated by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and others as a practical mechanism to ensure financial sustainability. A PPP involves a partnership between a government entity and a concessionaire--consisting of one or more private companies acting as a single, private incorporation--who make an agreement on funding, building, and operating a usually government-provided service, such as drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. This is different from a traditional contract between a government entity and a contractor because the concessionaire …

Odor Monitoring At Wastewater Treatment Plants, Natasha Halageri

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is notable for its toxicity and corrosion is one of the major sources of odor in wastewater treatment plants. Evaluation of existing or potential odor problems requires knowledge of the type of compounds likely to cause such problems and the mechanism of their formation in wastewater systems which is discussed in this paper. For the present study, the East Bank wastewater treatment plant was chosen since it is the largest wastewater treatment facility within Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. To combat the odor problems in this facility, a monitoring program was designed and developed to characterize the …

Sudden Increase And Regrowth Of Fecal Coliforms And Escherichia Coli In Wastewater Biosolids After High Solids Centrifugation, Gordon G. Araujo

Master’s Theses

Treatment plants that operate either thermophilic or mesophilic anaerobic digesters with centrifugal dewatering processes have consistently observed densities of fecal coliform and Escherichia coli, both indicator bacteria, that decrease during digestion but then increase after dewatering and storage. The increases have been characterized as two separate phenomena to explain this observation: 1) “Sudden Increase,” or SI, which is defined as the increase that occurs immediately after dewatering and 2) “regrowth,” which is defined as an increase during storage of cake samples over a period of hours or days. The SI observation appears to be more prevalent with biosolids that are …

Investigation Of A Commercial Product (Biowish™) For Nitrogen Management, Eva Lee

Master's Theses

Abstract

Investigation of a Commercial Product (BiOWiSH­­^TM) for Nitrogen Management

Eva Lee

BiOWiSH–Aqua, which has the capability of treating nitrogen from wastewater through bioaugmentation, is a commercial product consisting of a blend of microorganisms developed by BiOWiSH Technologies. A study of the treatment of nitrogen compounds (i.e. , , and ) using Biowish–Aqua was conducted using small scale experiments (flask experiments) and large scale experiments (column reactor experiments). In this work, column reactors were created to test Biowish–Aqua’s nitrogen treating capabilities by providing enough depth to simulate the dissolved oxygen gradient that can be observed in a pond. …

Duckweed Uptake Of Phosphorus And Five Pharmaceuticals: Microcosm And Wastewater Lagoon Studies, Jonathan Bay Farrell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utah State University students under the direction of Dr. R. Ryan Dupont, Environmental Engineering, have been enthusiastically involved in researching ways to improve wastewater treatment at the nearby Wellsville Municipal Sewage Lagoons. Wellsville City, along with several other Cache Valley communities, has experienced some problems with their current wastewater facility, particularly with phosphorus removal, which will become more difficult to address as the population increases in the future. Excessive phosphorus causes unappealing algae blooms in ponds and reservoirs while also posing a threat to local fish. Brittany Wilkes, Brett Housley, and Naho Orita first looked into reducing phosphorus discharge by …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Three Utah Wastewater Treatment Facilities In Removing Pharmaceuticals And Personal Care Products, Oksana Roth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The occurrence of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) in surface waters has become a growing concern within the last decade although the first mention of human PPCPs in the environment goes back to late 1970s. Pharmaceuticals include prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and veterinary drugs. Personal care products include products such as lotions, fragrances, and soaps. In addition to traditional personal care products, the term PPCPs has been adopted to represent a wide variety of chemicals used in consumer products including plasticizers and fire retardants. Wastewater effluents are thought to be the main source of PPCPs in surface waters since …

Development And Application Of An F/M Based Anaerobic Digestion Model And The Rt-Ribosyn Molecular Biology Method, Matthew Raymond Cutter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A simple anaerobic digestion model has been developed for a continuously-stirred tank reactor (CSTR), which links the specific biogas production rate to the food/microorganism ratio (F/M). The model treats the various microbial populations involved in the sequential biological processes involved in anaerobic digestion as a composite and links the entire biomass specific growth rate directly to the specific biogas production rate. The model was calibrated by determining the specific gas production rate for a range of F/M values using a municipal wastewater seed sludge. The model predictions for steady-state biogas production rates were compared to observed biogas production and volatile …

A Study Of International Wastewater Challenges And Policy In The Tijuana River Watershed, Gloria Ann Villaverde

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Since the 1930s, untreated and undertreated sewage from Tijuana, Baja California, México has been released into the Tijuana River Watershed causing contamination of the water supply, crops, the Tijuana Estuary and California beaches. Passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has exacerbated the problem by causing population and industrial growth explosions for which there have been insufficient services to meet the needs of the people. The waters of the Tijuana River flow (from México) north over the International Border, into the Tijuana Estuary, discharge out to the Pacific Ocean and often flow north, up the California Coast; therefore, …

Precipitation Of Phosphate Minerals From Effluent Of Anaerobically Digested Swine Manure, Alex Y. Lin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Swine production represents approximately 40% of the world's meat production, and its wastes contain high concentrations of organic carbon, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P). Anaerobic digestion is an increasingly popular technology for treating animal wastes while simultaneously generating energy. Its propagation and ability to solubilize organic N and P make adding a struvite recovery process attractive. Recovering struvite (MgNH4PO4) from anaerobically digested swine waste can address global P shortages, meet P discharge guidelines, and produce slow-release fertilizer, which can be sold for revenue.

Anaerobic digesters were operated with at organic loading rates of 3.4-3.9 g volatile solids per liter per …

The Effectiveness Of Anaerobic Baffled Reactor And Rotating Biological Contactor In Batik Wastewater Treatment, Augustinus Ignatius Kristijanto, Widhi Handayani, Purwanti Asih Anna Levi

Makara Journal of Technology

Batik is one of popular arts of Indonesia. The batik industries in Sragen, Central Java, are prepared to compete in global market. In order to realize that objective, batik products should fulfill some qualifications, one of which is “environmental friendliness”. As batik production is usually generating wastewater which pollutes the environment, the technology of wastewater treatment should be developed to solve the problem. This preliminary study has been done to assess the effectiveness of anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) and rotating biological contactor (RBC) in batik wastewater treatment. In 40 days of treatment period, the ABR performance in reducing pollutants showed …

Dissolved Organic Matter Characterization And Impact On Mercury Binding In An Urbanizing Watershed, Mykel Mendes

Master's Theses

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems, interacting with and controlling the bioavailability and transport of mercury (Hg) and other trace metals through complexation. The complexation of ionic Hg (Hg²⁺) with DOM can either limit methyl mercury (MeHg) bioavailability or increase MeHg production by stimulating microbial growth. While substantial investigations have examined Hg-DOM interactions in forested ecosystems, little research has been conducted on the Hg-DOM relationship within an urbanized river setting subjected to various anthropogenic sources. The various runoff and pollutant sources vary in DOM quality and character. Three sources of organic matter from the North …

Comprehensive Analysis Of Effluent Organic Matter From Five Wastewater Treatment Plants In Connecticut And Comparison To Natural Organic Matter, Matthew L. Quaranta

Master's Theses

Natural organic matter is an important driver of biotic and abiotic processes in aquatic environments. Wastewater treatment plants discharge a substantial amount of organic matter into the environment; however effluent organic matter has not been well studied. In this study, traditional organic geochemical techniques were applied to characterize effluent organic matter. Effluent organic matter was isolated by DAX8 (hydrophobic fraction) and XAD4 (transphilic fraction) Amberlite resins. Extraction efficiencies of effluent organic matter by DAX8 resins ranged from 18 to 42 percent as a result of larger content of hydrophilic organic matter than natural organic matter. Average organic matter molecular weights …

Pharmaceuticals And Personal Care Products In Ground Water From Municipal Lagoon Treatment, Teresa Nicholas

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are biologically active, organic chemicals that are introduced into the environment through wastewater streams. These chemicals are being found in the environment in trace concentrations and are of concern due to their unknown potential for harm to the health and welfare of the environment. The hypothesis is that during the course of wastewater treatment in a municipal lagoon system from a small community, PPCPs are seeping into ground water resulting in chronic low exposure in the environment. The objective of this work was to study a specific wastewater lagoon treatment system in Mountain Home, …

Slides: Development Of Shale: Water Resource Concerns And Policy Considerations, Katy Dunlap

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

Presenter: Katy Dunlap, Eastern Water Project Director, Trout Unlimited, Inc., Burdett, NY

24 slides

Isolation And Characterization Of Bacteria From Extended Aeration Wastewater Treatment Plants., Randy Chin Kok Fei

Student Works (2010-2019)

In this study, three different wastewater treatment plants (STP1, STP2 and STP3) were sampled in Klang Valley. STP1 exhibited the best activated sludge health with healthy Sludge Volume (SV), Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids (MLSS) and Mixed Liquor Volatile Suspended Solids (MLVSS). STP2 were constantly disrupted by the mechanical failures which caused its dissolved oxygen (DO) to decrease whereas STP3 was troubled by the inadequate alkalinity in its mixed liquor causing acidic condition in aeration tank. The acidic condition resulted in pin-floc problem and contributed to high Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and low SV. Influent at STP3 was also found to …

Water Allocation For Agricultural Use Considering Treated Wastewater, Public Health Risk, And Economic Issues, Ahmed E. Al-Juaidi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Increasing demand on limited water resources calls for more efficient and improved approaches to maximize the benefits of water use. Typically, agricultural water use has the largest share among all water use sectors. Therefore, finding the best agricultural water management alternatives to maximize profit and reduce financial and other related risks under limited water availability is essential. Treated wastewater is an important alternative source of agricultural water which has the potential to reduce the stress on freshwater sources from urban and industrial sectors. Thus, further research on optimal agricultural water management is needed to find the best management alternatives that …

Bioflocculation For Control Of Wastewater Pond Microalgae, Daniel Thomas Frost

Master's Theses

Investigates several hypotheses regarding the use of bioflocculation as a harvesting method for wastewater pond microalgae. Research performed on pilot-scale high rate ponds (HRPs) on the California Central Coast.

Bifidobacteria In Feces And Environmental Waters, Regina Lamendella, Jorge W. Santo Domingo, Catherine A. Kelty, Daniel B. Oerther

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Bifidobacteria have been recommended as potential indicators of human fecal pollution in surface waters even though very little is known about their presence in nonhuman fecal sources. The objective of this research was to shed light on the occurrence and molecular diversity of this fecal indicator group in different animals and environmental waters. Genus- and species-specific 16S rRNA gene PCR assays were used to study the presence of bifidobacteria among 269 fecal DNA extracts from 32 different animals. Twelve samples from three wastewater treatment plants and 34 water samples from two fecally impacted watersheds were also tested. The species-specific assays …

Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Alternative Ferrate (Vi) Synthesis Formulas As Disinfectants For Wastewater And River Water, Rachelle Ginart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ferrate (VI) has been studied as an alternative chemical to disinfect water and wastewater in recent years. The disinfection effectiveness of two different wet oxidation ferrate (VI) synthesis formulas in wastewater and Econlockhatchee River water was evaluated. Ferrate (VI) is synthesized by addition of ferric chloride to a mixture of sodium hydroxide and calcium hypochlorite (refer to U.S. Patent 6,790,429). One ferrate (VI) synthesis formula uses below the stoichiometric requirement of hypochlorite (Low Chlorine Formula) while the other ferrate (VI) synthesis formula uses more than the stoichiometric requirement of hypochlorite (Standard Chlorine Formula). For applications requiring low chlorine residual effluent …

Lipid Productivity Of Algae Grown On Dairy Wastewater As A Possible Feedstock For Biodiesel, Ian C. Woertz

Master's Theses

The objective of this thesis is to develop a biological wastewater treatment system that utilizes algal growth to simultaneously create renewable energy in the form of biodiesel and digester biogas, remove polluting nutrients, and abate greenhouse gases. Research under the Department of Energy Aquatic Species Program during 1978-1996 concluded that cultivating algae for biofuels was cost prohibitive at that time and that an integrated approach should be studied that combined wastewater treatment with algal biofuel production. Nutrient removal, in particular nitrogen and phosphorus, from wastewater is a growing regulatory need and the use of algae cultivation could create a unique …

Catalytic Wet Air Oxidation Of Mono Azo Dye Orange Ii: Catalyst Selection, Reaction Kinetics, And Modeling, Pinar Ozdural

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Wastewaters generated as byproducts of dyeing processes are not treatable with conventional methods. It has been estimated that among the 900,000 tons of different dyes produced annually in the world, approximately 10–15% are lost in wastewater streams during manufacturing and processing operations. Once in rivers and streams, dyes cause major problems, such as reducing light penetration, or displaying toxic effects on aquatic life. Therefore, it is essential that dyes are removed from wastewaters before being discharged into the environment.

This study focuses on the catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of Orange II, a mono azo dye used in large amounts …

Airlift Assisted Wastewater Treatment, Brian Sidney Johnson

LSU Master's Theses

Static low density media (SLDM) filtration has been received with great admiration in the aquaculture industry and consequently spawned into the domestic wastewater setting on the pilot scale. This method of granular filtration uses plastic beads to facilitate the roles of both clarification and biofiltration into one compact unit. The fundamental operating principles utilized in this form of treatment can be greatly enhanced when they are coupled with self contained recirculation from airlift pumps. Recirculation of this type in a SLDM unit has the ability to provide multiple passes of the substrate in the wastewater through the bead bed to …