Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

The Production Of Water From Saline Aquifers Through Carbon Dioxide Capture And Storage Operations, Kelsey Hunter, Jeffrey Bielicki

CO2 Summit II: Technologies and Opportunities

The gap between an energy sector that relies on fossil fuels and one that relies on renewable resources may be bridged by systems that conserve resources, use closed-looped processes, and reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. CO₂ capture and storage (CCS) technology may reduce CO₂ emissions by injecting CO₂ captured from power plants into deep saline aquifers for sequestration, but these systems have additional water and energy requirements that may impede deployment due to regional water stress and increased energy costs. CO₂ capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) operations that use Active CO₂ Reservoir Management …

Combined Magnesium Oxide/Water Gas Shift-Based Co2 Capture Process, Santosh Ganwal

CO2 Summit II: Technologies and Opportunities

Southern Research is developing a combined magnesium oxide (MgO) CO₂ sorbent/water gas shift (WGS)-catalyst-based CO₂ capture process for integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants. A heat-exchanger reactor with a highly efficient heat management capability is being developed for simultaneous CO₂ capture and WGS to convert CO to CO₂ and H₂ and capture more than 90 % or more of the carbon from coal gasifier syngas. Simultaneous heat management and reaction allows the maintenance of thermodynamically favorable reaction temperatures for both steps. Also, by simultaneously converting the CO to CO₂ over the shift catalyst, …

Techno-Economic Evaluation Of Retrofitting Ccs In An Integrated Pulp And Board Mill - Case Studies, Kristin Onarheim, Stanley Santos, Ville Hankalin, Petteri Kangas, Antti Arasto

CO2 Summit II: Technologies and Opportunities

Urgently reducing global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) could be achieved by carbon sinks or negative emissions, i.e. removing CO₂ from the atmosphere and offsetting historical CO₂ emissions. Negative emissions can be achieved when CO₂ is captured from processes based on biomass feedstock (bio-CCS). Biomass withdraws atmospheric CO₂ through natural processes such as the photosynthesis. Capturing and permanently storing this CO₂ away from the natural carbon cycle enables a withdrawal of CO₂ from the atmosphere. Sustainable growth and harvest of biomass resources is critical to achieve carbon negativity and to allow for sound biomass regrowth. …

Development And Planning For Carbon Dioxide (Co2) Capture, Utilization, And Storage (Ccus) Infrastructure In Geothermal Reservoirs, Julie Langenfeld, Jeffrey Bielicki

CO2 Summit II: Technologies and Opportunities

CO₂ emissions from human activities are a substantial contributor to climate change.¹ To reduce CO₂ emissions on a large scale, CO₂-reduction technologies such as CO₂ capture and storage (CCS) will need to be competitive with current energy technologies.¹ CCS systems are costly due to the equipment, construction, and energy needed to capture CO₂, transport it via a pipeline network, and inject it into deep saline aquifers. In CO₂ capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) systems, the CO₂ is used to produce an economically viable product which could reduce the cost …

Development Of Chemical Looping Combustion Technology For Bio-Ccs Application, Sebastian Teir, Toni Pikkarainen, Eemeli Tsupari, Ikka Hiltunen, Janne Karki, Antti Arasto

CO2 Summit II: Technologies and Opportunities

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is acknowledged as an important technology in cost-efficiently achieving the required greenhouse gas emission reductions this century. Combining biomass combustion with CCS (Bio-CCS; BECCS) offers the possibility of “negative” CO₂ emissions. In the latest IPCC assessment, bio-CCS was found to have an important role to play in climate change mitigation. Many scenario models were not able to achieve the necessary reduction in greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere to 450 ppm CO₂eq by 2100 if key technologies, such as bioenergy, CCS, and their combination were limitedly available (IPCC, 2014).

Chemical looping combustion …

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, Robin Batterham

CO2 Summit II: Technologies and Opportunities

In late 2015 world leaders finalized the landmark Paris Agreement at COP21. Although the agreement represents a historical step toward collaboration on climate, the total amount of emissions reduction commitments is considered insufficient to meet the 2°C, and especially the more ambitious 1.5°C, warming goal. However, history is filled with technological innovations that were once unimaginable. As new technologies come to market, almost regardless of the field of use, costs have continued to fall in real terms. Whether or not we can expect the same from CO2 mitigation technologies will impact whether the world can actually meet its climate commitments …

Minimizing The Energy And Economic Penalty Of Ccs Power Plants Through Waste Heat Recovery Systems, Vaclav Novotny, Monika Vitvarova, Michal Kolovratnik, Zdenek Hrdina

CO2 Summit II: Technologies and Opportunities

Implementation of currently considered and available CCS technologies into fossil power plants brings inevitable technical, energy and economic penalty. This is getting even larger when fossil fuels such as low rank coal are being utilized. All three generally considered CCS technologies were modelled – oxyfuel combustion and ammonia based post-combustion (subcritical power plant with fuel drying) and pre-combustion (IGCC with Rectisol method for CO2 separation).

After traditional methods of system optimization there was considered another way for increasing system efficiency. CCS technologies produce waste heat streams, which can be converted to electricity by small modular units with unit cost comparable …

Emissions And Deforestation Associated With Household Energy Use: A Case Of The Thulamela Local Municipality, South Africa, Se Uhunamure, Ns Nethengwe, A Musyoki

CO2 Summit II: Technologies and Opportunities

Fuel wood is regarded as a major source of energy around the world, particularly in developing nations forming part of the energy mix. Most rural communities around the world, consider forests as the repository of stored energy. The study focused on the role of fuel wood in deforestation and the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the Thulamela local municipality in South Africa. Information regarding the fuel wood consumption was collected during a manual field survey of 200 households in four villages in the municipality using questionnaires and interviews. The carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions were calculated using the …

Poly(4-Vinylpyridine) As A Platform For Robust Co2 Electroreduction, Irina Cheryshova, Chang Yun, Ponisseril Somasundaran, Sathish Ponnurangam

CO2 Summit II: Technologies and Opportunities

The development of efficient and robust catalysts is critical for the viability of the electrocatalytic conversion of CO₂ into useful chemicals. Herein, we discover a new class of metal-polymer electrocatalysts with incorporated mechanisms of their stabilization which is based on a poly(4-vinyl pyridine). We attribute the outstanding catalytic properties of the new hybrid material to new intrinsic mechanisms of the metal stabilization offered by the N-heteroaromatic polymer. More generally, our study offers a new simple strategy to design and prepare robust CO₂ reduction electrocatalysts

Catalyzing The Carbon Utilization Industry Through The Nrg Cosia Carbon Xprize, Paul Bunje

CO2 Summit II: Technologies and Opportunities

No abstract provided.

Optimal Geothermal Heat Extraction Using Co2, Iti Patel, Jeffrey Bielicki

CO2 Summit II: Technologies and Opportunities

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture and storage (CCS) systems alleviate global climate change through the subsurface storage of CO₂ emission. This CCS technology can be costly, but CO₂ Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) approaches can decrease the cost of CCS, because sequestered CO₂ is used to produce an economically viable commodity. In one CCUS application, CO₂ that is sequestered in sedimentary basins during the CCS process can be used to extract geothermal heat that can then be used to generate a profit^1,2. These CO₂-geothermal systems rely on the temperature of …

Ccs Cost Trends And Outlook, Edward Rubin

CO2 Summit II: Technologies and Opportunities

Based on a review and analysis of recent cost studies, this paper assesses the current costs of CO2 capture and storage (CCS) for new fossil fuel power plants and compares them to costs reported a decade ago in the IPCC Special Report on Carbon dioxide Capture and Storage (SRCCS). The major CCS options include post-combustion CO2 capture at supercritical pulverized coal (SCPC) and natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants, pre-combustion capture at coal-based integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants, and SCPC plants employing oxy-combustion for CO2 capture. Transport and storage options include pipeline and geological storage, including utilization …

Novel Advanced Solvent-Based Carbon Capture Pilot Demonstration, Nathan Brown, Greg Staab, Tyler Silverman, Grayson Heller, Alfred Brown

CO2 Summit II: Technologies and Opportunities

ION Engineering’s advanced solvent is one of the leading second generation solvent systems currently under development for post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture. Throughout small scale pilot testing with coal and natural gas fired flue gas, bench scale pilot and laboratory testing, ION’s advanced solvent has consistently demonstrated 30+% reductions in regeneration energy requirements in comparison to traditional aqueous monoethanolamine (Aq-MEA). These results, in addition to CO₂ solvent carrying capacities 35% higher than Aq-MEA and significantly less solvent degradation, demonstrate that ION’s CO₂ capture technology has the potential to significantly reduce both capital and operating costs.

ION …

Cryogenic Carbon Capture, Larry Baxter, Andrew Baxter, Chris Bence, David Frankman, Chris Hoeger, Aaron Sayre, Kyler Stitt, Skyler Chamberlain

CO2 Summit II: Technologies and Opportunities

Cryogenic Carbon Capture™ (CCC) removes CO2 from flue gas in a bolt on retrofittable, cost-effective, and energy-efficient process. The process also provides grid-level energy storage capable of storing and releasing energy at hundreds of megawatt rates at high efficiency and minimal cost beyond the costs of the carbon capture technology. The energy storage can level daily load fluctuations and responds to intermittent power sources on time scales comparable to solar and wind farms. The technology cools flue gases to their condensation (desublimation) point forming solid CO2, separates the solids from the residual gases, pressurizes the solids, and reheats both streams …

Conference Program, Engineering Conferences International

CO2 Summit II: Technologies and Opportunities

No abstract provided.

Small Scale Water Filtration Project, Elaine Yang, Lang Ming, Alex Tees, Lauren Galle, Tristan Coffey, Andria Tattersfield, Colin Brock

PSU High School Innovation Challenge

Access to clean drinking water is a large problem that our world is facing today. Consuming contaminated water can lead to the spread of water-borne illnesses. Populations without the security of water struggle to develop, as seen predominately in Africa. As Oregonians prepare for life after a major earthquake which could devastate the infrastructure that delivers clean water to our homes, a water filtration system should be part of a family’s emergency preparedness plan.

There are a large variety of processes for achieving fresh water. Combining all of the necessary components to lead to clean water is a complex process, …

De La Salle Sensor, Shayla Adams, Geraldine Hernandez, Gloria Joseph, Elias Taylor, Elli Cooney

PSU High School Innovation Challenge

There is a huge amount of water being wasted and with climate change causing widespread water shortages, it is important that the people of Portland become more water conscious. With the our product, it will help you become aware of your water bill and the amount of water you use with a built in calculator.

Puddl: Gamifying Water Conservation, Quince Assenberg, Jack Chen, Denny Glenn, Jessica Lam

PSU High School Innovation Challenge

As the global population surges, the demand for fresh water will only increase. With no technological breakthrough on the horizon, it is more important than ever to conserve water and not waste this precious resource. Water conservation is a serious issue, and will only become more severe as global warming worsens. As the global temperature increases, and rainfall becomes more sporadic, it will be important for communities to find new ways to save water. This push has already been made in certain areas in the united states, California, where they were forced to reduce their water consumption by 25%.

Through …

Larc: Local Agricultural Resource Conservation, Dash Justice, Josh Davis, Sid Crumble, Ashlie Kinney

PSU High School Innovation Challenge

In America today, over 75% of the nation’s water is used in the irrigation of agriculture. The main users -- and abusers -- of water in the United States are farmers. In addition, many areas in the U.S. are facing drought conditions, especially in western states. Also, while the drought conditions in California are receding, water shortage as an issue demands a long term solution.

Isolated Water Circulation And Filtration System, Adrik Gurganus, Mellonie Mwawai, Wysteria Cedillo-Nielsen, Morgan Rekart, Zander Hoffman

PSU High School Innovation Challenge

One big issue we are addressing is the large amount greywater produced by average households around the country. Still, the main problem is that, in areas affected by drought such as California, people have little available clean water, and this system will greatly benefit these people directly. The Isolated water system uses a filtration combined of organic materials, soaps, dirt, foods and sink to filter out the grey used water. Since the water system is not connected with the local water system if there were a natural disaster the owner would have free access to a water source while the …

Residential Greywater Recycling System, Sophia Bui, Clare Clark, Anthony Hoang, Kim Le, Skyler Mishler, Janette Soler, Teresa Tran

PSU High School Innovation Challenge

In a typical household, a majority of the fresh water is utilized by the shower, bathroom sinks and laundry. Water exiting from these fixtures is considered greywater. This is wasteful because the greywater is being combined with blackwater making it unusable. If greywater could be separated and captured, it can be reused for other purposes. We came to the conclusion that greywater is able to be recycled and reused for flushing excreta.

A Genetic Approach To Designing A Novel Biological Sensor To Monitor Water Contamination, Cynthia Bui, Anissa Rosbaugh, Israel Gonzalez, Julie Lu, Colin Kuhns, Joel Crandall, Alyssa Faulk, Miriam Nguyen

PSU High School Innovation Challenge

Many cities across the country have experienced extreme water problems. The City of Portland has issued several water boiling advisories due to E. coli contamination. Additionally, there has been incidents of serious contaminants like lead leaching in water systems (Flint, Michigan). The Portland Water Bureau does not use a water treatment plant due to the quality of our water sources; a chlorination plant is used to chlorinate the water from the Bull Run Watershed (our main water source). Not having a water treatment plant makes Oregon more prone to a prolonged absence of potable water should the supply be contaminated. …

Aqua Band, Jessica Peterson, Sam Behrens, Michael Desimone, Aiden Nelson, Alexandra Leamy

PSU High School Innovation Challenge

People drown all of the time. Whether it's a young child playing in the river or a college student partying on a boat, there is always the danger of drowning. It is not always easy to tell if somebody is drowning. If you are a parent, you won’t always be watching your kids. When you look away and they start drowning, there is no safe way to be alerted of your child’s situation.

Channel Movement, Error Analysis, And Impacts For Neighboring Landowners: A Lower Bear River, Ut Case Study, Russell Babb, Kellie Shawn, Todd Brown, Ayman Alafifi, David Rosenberg

Spring Runoff Conference

The Bear River Fellows program is a unique learning experience for undergraduate students giving hands-on experience in collecting, synthesizing, and analyzing environmental and ecological data. The Bear River is an important resource that provides water to farms, reservoirs, wetlands, wildlife, and hydropower generation. Because of the river’s value, it is important to understand how the Bear River channel moves and how that affects the surrounding landscape, which is a topic of interest for local land owners but especially conservationists in protecting wetlands and river ecology. We collected hydrological, topologic, and vegetative data from three persisting research sites along an 8 …

Field Tests Of Cement Fly-Ash Steel-Slag Pile Composite Foundation, Bing Zhang, Shuai Cui

Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering Publications

Steel slag is one of the main waste materials in the steelmaking process. As a result, a tremendous amount of steel slag is produced and deposited into storing yards every year. Recycling of the abandoned steel slag is of great environmental and economic value. This study investigates the usage of steel-slag concrete with fly ash as a kind of composite foundation pile material, which can be applied to multi-pile composition foundations for ground improvement involving different pile types. The micromorphology of the concrete, which uses steel slag as aggregate, is analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The bearing characteristics of …

Seasonal Flow Rates Along The Lower Bear River, Ut, Todd Keniry, Dahlia Curiel, Dylan Anderson, Ayman Alafifi, David E. Rosenberg

Spring Runoff Conference

The goal of this research is to identify how flow on the Bear River in Cache Valley has changed over the last three years and how flow changes seasonally. Identifying flows is important to manage water resources along the Bear River. We collected and processed water pressure data every 30 minutes using HOBO transducers at two sites in Cache Valley (Morton, just downstream of highway 142, and Confluence which is located at the confluence of the Bear and Cub Rivers) south of the Idaho‐Utah border in 2015. We also measured flow and water stage up to three times per year …

Estimating The Probability Of Vegetation To Be Groundwater Dependent Based On The Evaluation Of Tree Models, Isabel C. Pérez Hoyos, Nir Y. Krakauer, Reza Khanbilvardi

Publications and Research

Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems (GDEs) are increasingly threatened by humans’ rising demand for water resources. Consequently, it is imperative to identify the location of GDEs to protect them. This paper develops a methodology to identify the probability of an ecosystem to be groundwater dependent. Probabilities are obtained by modeling the relationship between the known locations of GDEs and factors influencing groundwater dependence, namely water table depth and climatic aridity index. Probabilities are derived for the state of Nevada, USA, using modeled water table depth and aridity index values obtained from the Global Aridity database. The model selected results from the performance …

Decay Of Pressure Fluctuation In The Hyporheic Zone Around A Cylinder, Timothy Calappi, Carol J. Miller

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research Publications

Erosion around a submerged cylinder is a well-studied problem, and is of particular interest in bridge pier scour applications. Particles erode when lift and drag forces overcome a critical threshold. These forces are typically studied from above the water-riverbed interface and are related to geometry and surficial processes. The present study maps hyporheic pressure fluctuations as they are related to surface water velocity fluctuations. Relatively, high-pressure events in the subsurface promote a destabilizing force from within the riverbed and increase the potential for the mobilization of sediment. Differential pressure transducers were fitted within a vertical cylinder in a movable bed …

Assessing The Performance Of A Soy Methyl Ester -Polystyrene Topical Treatment To Extend The Service Life Of Concrete Structures, D'Shawn G. Thomas

Open Access Theses

Experimental results show that soy methyl ester (SME), a derivative of soy bean oil, along with the incorporation of polystyrene (PS) is a non-toxic, biodegradable and renewable material that can be used effectively as a topical concrete surface treatment. While, concrete sealants and topical surface treatments can be used to extend to durability of concrete structures, it is difficult to predict the durability of concrete structures sealed with a sealant or topical surface treatment. This is due to a lack of necessary model inputs that can be used to address the durability of concrete structures treated with these materials. In …

Development And Evaluation Of A Watershed-Scale Hybrid Hydrologic Model, Younghyun Cho

Open Access Dissertations

A watershed-scale hybrid hydrologic model (Distributed-Clark), which is a lumped conceptual and distributed feature model, was developed to predict spatially distributed short- and long-term rainfall runoff generation and routing using relatively simple methodologies and state-of-the-art spatial data in a GIS environment. In Distributed-Clark, spatially distributed excess rainfall estimated with the SCS curve number method and a GIS-based set of separated unit hydrographs (spatially distributed unit hydrograph) are utilized to calculate a direct runoff flow hydrograph, and time-varied SCS CN values and conditional unit hydrograph approach for different runoff depth-based flow convolution are also used to compute long-term rainfall-runoff flow hydrographs. …