Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Water Stress Index And Stomatal Conductance Under Different Irrigation Regimes With Thermal Sensors In Rice Fields On The Northern Coast Of Peru, Lia Ramos-Fernández, Maria Gonzales-Quiquia, José Huanuqueño-Murillo, David Tito-Quispe, Elizabeth Heros-Aguilar, Lisveth Flores Del Pino, Alfonso Torres-Rua

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

In the face of the climate change crisis, the increase in air temperature negatively impacts rice crop productivity due to stress from water scarcity. The objective of this study was to determine the rice crop water stress index (CWSI) and stomatal conductance (Gs) under different irrigation regimes, specifically continuous flood irrigation treatments (CF) and irrigations with alternating wetting and drying (AWD) at water levels of 5 cm, 10 cm, and 20 cm below the soil surface (AWD₅, AWD₁₀, and AWD₂₀) in an experimental area of INIA-Vista Florida and in six commercial areas of the …

Reliability Improvement In The Traction System Of Tanzania Standard Gauge Railway, Yusufu Katuga

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

In recent years, many African governments have been developing Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to replace the old after becoming absolute, inefficient Meter Gauge System (MGR) to carry more loads at high mileage and speed while combating the oil and environmental crises. With the increase of SGR, the amount of traction systems has grown sharply, the service life of the traction system has increased gradually, and the components of the vehicle traction system have become worn and aged as a result. While Tanzania is transitioning to SGR with its gradually increasing traction systems, reliability improvement becomes a key for the sustainability …

Absorbance Enhancement Of A Treated Tanzanian Kaolin For Removal Of Synthetic Dyes From Water, Samwel Paul Mziray

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The absorbance efficiency of local kaolin clay from Tanzania (Pugu kaolin) has been enhanced to improve its utilization in removal of textile dyes from water. The clay was acid-activated using H2SO4, after calcination at 750oC. Characterization by XRF, XRD, ATR-FTIR and Porosimeter showed kaolinite [Al2Si2O5(OH)4], silica (SiO2) and microcline [KAlSi3O8] as the main phases. Upon acid treatment, silica increased from 44.18% to 58.81% due to the appearance of tridymite, and alumina decreased from 26.70% to 12.74% due to disappearance of the kaolinite. Surface area increased from 15.36 to 149.61 m2/g due to removal of acid-soluble impurities. The chemical composition showed …

Sustainability Of Simplified Sewer Systems: A Case Study Of Vingunguti Urban Settlement, Dar Es Salaam Region In Tanzania, Neema Kijazi

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The universal access to safely managed sanitation remains one of the challenges to achieving the UN SDG target 6.2 in unplanned urban settlements including the Vingunguti area in Dar es Salaam City which is high-density populated. In an attempt to address this challenge, a simplified sewer system was piloted as an option for achieving safely managed sanitation in this particular area. The objective of this study was to assess the sustainability of the piloted simplified sewer system for its potentiality to up-scale and replication in areas with similar sanitation challenges in the country. Methodology involved collection of data on performance …

Steminism: Analyzing Factors That Improve Retention Of Women In Stem, Kira Carter, Jane Kelley, Jason Vasser-Elong, Rc Patterson

Dissertations

Our co-authored research ‘Steminism: Analyzing Factors That Improve Retention for Women as STEM Majors’ analyzed factors that contributed to the retention of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs at Missouri University of Science & Technology (Missouri S&T). Women make up half of the US population, and while careers in (STEM) are an integral part of the US economy, women are underrepresented in these career fields. The purpose of our dissertation is to address the underrepresentation of women in STEM majors. Our methodology included homogeneous sampling to collect qualitative data. More specifically, we consulted with academic advisors and …

Hybrid Hydrolysis And Fermentation Of Prosopis Juliflora Pods For Biohydrogen Production By Dark Fermentation, Gayathri G

Theses and Dissertations

The rapid consumption of fossil fuels has resulted in the energy crisis and many environmental issues, including air pollution and the greenhouse effect. Hydrogen is the independent source of the highest energy content, with 122 KJ g-1. Biohydrogen produced from lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is an excellent alternative fuel for its cleanability, renewability and sustainability. Biohydrogen production from dark fermentation using lignocellulosic biomass provides low cost and a sustainable pathway to utilize a vast amount of waste.

Dark fermentation has considerable potential for hydrogen production because it does not require sunlight, allowing for full-time operation and minimizing bioreactor complexity. The major …

Energy System For Evaluation Of Modification Methods On Energy Transfer Efficiency And Optimization Ofmembranes, Tian Li, Hong Zhou, Wei Ding, Jinjun Wang, Tiancheng Zhang

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Saving energy is crucial for utilizing membrane technology, but there is no energy parameter for understanding the relationships among membrane performance and energy. Here, φ is defined as the energy transfer efficiency of the membrane, and its numerical expression of membrane performance is poor (e.g., in the range of 10⁻²³). The method of modifying membranes is a crucial determinant for developing membrane science, but researchers using current parameters to evaluate modification methods might lead to erroneous conclusions. Hence, the newly established system θ is used to analyze the influence of different modification methods on energy consumption, which not …

Evolution Of Sbs-Modified Asphalt Performance Under Aging And Rejuvenation Cycle Conditions, Ke Shi, Feng Ma, Jenny Liu, Zhen Fu, Ruimeng Song, Dongdong Yuan, Aboudou Wassiou Ogbon

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Improving the poor long-term service performance of rejuvenated SBS-modified asphalt (REF-LT) is highly challenging. In this study, a blend of aged and virgin binders was used to rejuvenate REF-LT and the evolution of the asphalt performance was observed during regeneration and reaging processes. An SBS-modified asphalt (SBM) and base asphalt (BA) were mixed with REF-LT in specified ratios to prepare SBM- and BA-rejuvenated asphalts. The rejuvenated asphalts were subjected to short- and long-term aging. The high/low-temperature rheological properties, fatigue resistance, rejuvenation mechanism, and changes in the functional groups of the rejuvenated and reaged asphalts were characterized using a dynamic shear …

Characterization Of Alkali-Silica Reaction (Asr) Products And C-S-H Using Swir Spectroscopy For Nondestructive Detection Of Asr, Pengfei Ma, Wenyu Liao, Ying Zhuo, Hongyan Ma, Yanping Zhu, Genda Chen

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study explores the feasibility of characterizing alkali-silica reaction (ASR) products and calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H) from short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectroscopy. ASR products and C-S-H samples with different Ca/Si ratios were synthesized and analyzed through XRD, 29Si nuclei magnetic resonance (NMR) and SWIR spectroscopy. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was collected to help interpret the results from the SWIR spectroscopy. The obtained spectroscopic features were applied to quantify the ASR product abundance denoted by the length expansion of mortar bars after an accelerated ASR test. The results show that the SWIR spectra of the synthetic ASR gels are similar regardless of …

Numerical And Experimental Investigation Of Negative Stiffness Beams And Honeycomb Structures, Yasser Darwish, Mohamed A. Elgawady

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Metamaterial structures that exhibit negative stiffness (MSNS) behavior have shown the potential to be used as energy dissipation systems in different applications. Negative stiffness honeycomb structures consist of multiple pre-buckled beams that snapping through from one pre-buckled mode to another buckled mode, when subjected to transverse loads, displaying negative stiffness, and dissipating a significant portion of the input energy. This paper presents finite element models (FEMs) developed to investigate the performance of negative stiffness pre-buckled beams and honeycombs. The FEMs were validated using experimental results of single pre-buckled beams and honeycomb structures. The experimental testing of the pre-buckled beams was …

An Innovative Fracture Plugging Evaluation Method For Drill-In Fluid Loss Control And Formation Damage Prevention In Deep Fractured Tight Reservoirs, Chengyuan Xu, Lei Liu, Yang Yang, Yili Kang, Zhenjiang You

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Lost circulation, resulting from the undesired loss of drilling fluid into formation fractures, stands as a significant technical obstacle in the exploration and production of oil, gas, and geothermal reservoirs. Effective mitigation of this challenge requires the development and application of robust experimental evaluation methods to assess the effectiveness of fracture plugging. The traditional approach to fracture plugging evaluation relies on a uniform evaluation index and experimental parameters for various lost circulation types. Unfortunately, this practice frequently results in inconsistent performance of loss control formulas during laboratory experiments and field tests. To address this issue, this paper introduces an innovative …

Blood Lead, Cadmium And Hair Mercury Concentrations And Association With Soil, Dust And Occupational Factors In E-Waste Recycling Workers In Bangladesh, Sarker Masud Parvez, Farjana Jahan, Jaynal Abedin, Mahbubur Rahman, Shaikh Sharif Hasan, Nafisa Islam, Nirupam Aich, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Zahir Islam, Masatake Fujimura, Rubhana Raqib, Luke D. Knibbs, Peter D. Sly

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background: Electronic waste (e-waste) recycling activities release toxic metals, which pose substantial hazard to the environment and human health. We evaluated metal concentrations in biological and environmental samples, and examined the associations between biological lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) with soil and dust metals, and other possible determinants, among populations exposed and non-exposed to e-waste in Bangladesh.

Methods: A total of 199 e-waste workers and 104 non-exposed individuals were recruited. We measured blood Pb (BPb) and Cd (BCd) concentrations and total Hg (THg) from hair samples. Data were collected on occupational, and behavioral factors. We fitted …

A Systematic Review Of Fourth Industrial Revolution Technologies In Smart Irrigation: Constraints, Opportunities, And Future Prospects For Sub-Saharan Africa, Joshua Wanyama, Erion Bwambale, Shafik Kiraga, Abia Katimbo, Prossie Nakawuka, Isa Kabenge, Isaac Oluk

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies has revolutionized agricultural practices worldwide. However, their application in the context of sub-Saharan Africa remains a critical challenge. This study presents a systematic review that investigates the potential of 4IR technologies in smart irrigation. Sub- Saharan Africa faces multiple agricultural challenges, exacerbated by climate change, water scarcity, and inefficient irrigation practices. The need for sustainable, water-efficient, and data-driven irrigation systems is urgent to ensure food security and economic development in the region. This study addresses a crucial knowledge gap by assessing the constraints, opportunities, and prospects of implementing 4IR technologies for smart …

Advanced Shape Memory Alloy Fibers Designed To Enhance Crack Closure And Re-Centring Performance In Cement-Based Composites, Ayoub Dehghani, Farhad Aslani

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Crack-closing and re-centring attributes were observed in cementitious composites utilising segmented pseudoelastic shape memory alloy fibres (S-PSMAFs) developed in this study. S-PSMAFs, produced via laboratory deep drawing, displayed notable strain recovery capacity during detwinning and martensite phases in direct cyclic tensile tests. Cementitious composites incorporating S-PSMAFs at 0.5%, 0.75%, and 1.0% dosages underwent testing in static and cyclic flexure using both unnotched and notched beams. Results were compared with steel fibre (SF) reinforced specimens. Digital image correlation (DIC) provided full-field strain maps and crack propagation data. The cyclic testing allowed assessment of crack-closing and re-centring behaviour at varying deflections post-cracking …

Buckling Behavior Of Thin Wall Stiffened Cylindrical Shells Through Ml Techniques, Fnu Tabish, Muhammad Hamza Karim, Rajesh Godasu, Iraj H.P Mamaghani

SDSU Data Science Symposium

Stiffened cylindrical shell buckling strength mainly depends on the geometric and stiffness properties. A detailed parametric study was conducted to investigate the influence of these properties on the stiffened aluminium cylindrical shell buckling strength. The proposed framework involves an integration of finite element method and various machine learning techniques. The dataset obtained from the eigenvalue buckling analysis of 350 numerical simulations using ANSYS workbench 2022; however, the FE simulation of ten ring-stiffened cylindrical specimens was initially substantiated by experimental work conducted in the literature. 350 sample specimens were categorized into seven groups based on the no. of stiffeners varying from …

Wearable Mxene-Graphene Sensing Of Influenza And Sars-Cov-2 Virus In Air And Breath: From Lab To Clinic, Yanxiao Li, Zhekun Peng, Jiaoli Li, Congjie Wei, Shangbin Liu, Weixing Hao, Huanyu Cheng, Casey Burton, Yang Wang, Yue-Wern Huang, Chang Soo Kim, Fang Yao Stephen Hou, Donghyun (Bill) Kim, Chenglin Wu

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The rapidly expanding severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its variants demand a continuous monitoring method through portable and wearable devices. Utilizing the rich surface chemistry and high chemical-to-electrical signal conversion of 2D MXene-graphene heterostructure thin films, a field-effect-transistor (FET) sensor, which has a flexible substrate to be assembled onto the mask and combines with a Bluetooth system for wireless transmission is developed, to detect the influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses in air and breath. At first, the developed sensors are examined in the laboratory through direct contact with sensing targets in solution form. The results show a low …

Synergistic Effect Of Macro Synthetic Fiber And Shrinkage-Reducing Admixture On Engineering Properties Of Fiber-Reinforced Super-Workable Concrete, Jingjie Wei, Nima Farzadnia, Kamal H. Khayat

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study aims to enhance fiber-reinforced super-workable concrete (FR-SWC) by optimizing the system of shrinkage-reducing admixture (SRA) and macro-synthetic fiber (MSF) for low shrinkage and uncompromised mechanical properties. A factorial design approach was employed to model the effect of fiber content, SRA dosage, and combined ratios of two types of MSF on performance of FR-SWC. MSF content had the greatest impact on mechanical properties, followed by SRA and MSF combination. Using MSF increased equivalent flexural strength ratio by 310% compared to the control mixture, regardless of MSF combination and SRA. SRA had the most significant effect on drying shrinkage, followed …

From Pumping To Deposition: A Comprehensive Review Of Test Methods For Characterizing Concrete Printability, Ali Fasihi, Nicolas A. (Ali) Libre

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

3D concrete printing (3DCP) technology has gained significant attention in the construction industry due to its potential to revolutionize the way buildings are designed and constructed. However, successful application of 3DCP requires robust standard test procedures to characterize the printability of concrete. Printability is a measure of workability for a printing material in the 3DCP process, which is characterized by pumpability, extrudability, and buildability. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the test methods that could be used for material characterization during various printing steps, including pumping, extrusion, and layer deposition. The underlying mechanisms relevant to each step, key governing …

Reliability-Based Analysis Of Horizontal Curve Design By Evaluating The Impact Of Vehicle Automation On Roadway Departure Crashes And Safety Performance, Omar Al-Sheikh, Seyed Hooman Ghasemi, Mohammad Jalayer

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

Roadway departure (RwD) crashes are significant safety concerns, especially at horizontal curves. The design of these curves plays a crucial role in mitigating RwD crashes. Thus, a thorough understanding of the interaction between driver behavior, vehicle automation, and geometric design is vital. Substantive safety, which emphasizes the inherent safety in a road's design and function, serves as the foundation of our approach. Building on this, the study employs a safe system approach to investigate the performance of horizontal curves under both non-automated and partially automated conditions, using a reliability-based analysis focusing on Stopping Sight Distance as the primary driver demand. …

Simple Sars-Cov-2 Concentration Methods For Wastewater Surveillance In Low Resource Settings, Mohammad Dehghan Banadaki, Soroosh Torabi, Alexus Lori Rockward, William Strike, Ann Noble, James W. Keck, Scott M. Berry

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) measures pathogens in wastewater to monitor infectious disease prevalence in communities. Due to the high dilution of pathogens in sewage, a concentration method is often required to achieve reliable biomarker signals. However, most of the current concentration methods rely on expensive equipment and labor-intensive processes, which limits the application of WBE in low-resource settings. Here, we compared the performance of four inexpensive and simple concentration methods to detect SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater samples: Solid Fraction, Porcine Gastric Mucin-conjugated Magnetic Beads, Calcium Flocculation- Citrate Dissolution (CFCD), and Nanotrap® Magnetic Beads (NMBs). The NMBs and CFCD methods yielded the highest …

Interdependencies Between Wildfire-Induced Alterations In Soil Properties, Near-Surface Processes, And Geohazards, Farshid Vahedifard, Masood Abdollahi, Ben A. Leshchinsky, Timothy D. Stark, Mojtaba Sadegh, Amir Aghakouchak

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The frequency, severity, and spatial extent of destructive wildfires have increased in several regions globally over the past decades. While direct impacts from wildfires are devastating, the hazardous legacy of wildfires affects nearby communities long after the flames have been extinguished. Post-wildfire soil conditions control the persistence, severity, and timing of cascading geohazards in burned landscapes. The interplay and feedback between geohazards and wildfire-induced changes to soil properties, land cover conditions, and near-surface and surface processes are still poorly understood. Here, we synthesize wildfire-induced processes that can affect the critical attributes of burned soils and their conditioning of subsequent geohazards. …

Advancing Occupational Health In Mining: Investigating Low-Cost Sensors Suitability For Improved Coal Dust Exposure Monitoring, Mirza Muhammad Zaid, Nana Amoah, Ashish Kakoria, Yang Wang, Guang Xu

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Exposure to coal dust in underground coal mines poses significant health risks to workers, including the development of diseases such as coal workers' pneumoconiosis and silicosis. Current available methods for monitoring coal dust exposure are expensive and time-consuming, necessitating the exploration of alternative approaches. Low-cost light scattering particulate matter sensors offer a promising solution, and its development in recent years has demonstrated some success in air quality monitoring However, its application in sensing coal particles is limited partially due to that the operating condition in a mine is different than the atmosphere. Thus, the objective of this paper is to …

Pilot Study On Improving Crash Data Accuracy In Kentucky Through University Collaboration, Michael A. Fields, Eric Green, Robert Kluger, Xu Zhang, Kirolos Haleem

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Without high-quality crash data and robust interpretive/analytical tools to analyze these data, transportation agencies will struggle to develop evidence-based strategies for improving road safety. Crash narratives are one element of crash reports that pose especially acute interpretive challenges. These narratives supplement coded data and give an account of incidents authored by responding law enforcement officers. Despite their value, conducting manual reviews of the 150,000+ crash reports and narratives issued in Kentucky each year is not feasible. To address this challenge, reviewers examined approximately 8,000 crash narratives from calendar year 2020 using a proprietary web-based quality control tool to identify discrepancies …

Advancing Universal Id Through Demonstration Of Enabling Technologies, Joseph Crabtree, Andrew Martin, Jeeyen Koo, Brian Beaven

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this project was to install, demonstrate, and evaluate two candidate technologies that could be used to achieve “Universal ID” (i.e., having a unique, electronically readable identifier on every commercial motor vehicle in the United States). The two technologies selected for this demonstration represent (1) a potential low-cost near-term solution (simple RFID tags and roadside readers) and (2) a potential future solution that leverages technology that is anticipated to be installed on all future vehicles to support a variety of connected-vehicle (CV) applications. For this demonstration project, both types of roadside reader technology were installed at three existing …

Containerization Of Seafarers In The International Shipping Industry: Contemporary Seamanship, Maritime Social Infrastructures, And Mobility Politics Of Global Logistics, Liang Wu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation discusses the mobility politics of container shipping and argues that technological development, political-economic order, and social infrastructure co-produce one another. Containerization, the use of standardized containers to carry cargo across modes of transportation that is said to have revolutionized and globalized international trade since the late 1950s, has served to expand and extend the power of international coalitions of states and corporations to control the movements of commodities (shipments) and labor (seafarers). The advent and development of containerization was driven by a sociotechnical imaginary and international social contract of seamless shipping and cargo flows. In practice, this liberal, …

Quaternary Ammonia Compounds In Disinfectant Products: Evaluating The Potential For Promoting Antibiotic Resistance And Disrupting Wastewater Treatment Plant Performance, Zihao Lu, Anna K. Mahony, William A. Arnold, Christopher Marshall, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are a class of compounds that were widely used as disinfectants during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to be used as disinfecting agents. After consumer usage, QAC concentrations are diluted in wastewater as they enter wastewater treatment plants. At sub-inhibitory concentrations, QACs may have unintended repercussions, including increased antibiotic resistance and inhibition of process performance in wastewater treatment plants. This review first summarizes how QACs inhibit bacteria and then highlights the mechanisms by which QACs can promote antibiotic resistance in general. Reported environmental concentrations of QACs are compared to concentrations that are suspected to impact antibiotic …

Measurements Of The Effective Stress Coefficient For Elastic Moduli Of Sandstone In Quasi-Static Regime Using Semiconductor Strain Gauges, Vassily Mikhaltsevitch, Maxim Lebedev

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Numerous experimental and theoretical studies undertaken to determine the effective stress coefficient for seismic velocities in rocks stem from the importance of this geomechanical parameter both for monitoring changes in rock saturation and pore pressure distribution in connection with reservoir production, and for overpressure prediction in reservoirs and formations from seismic data. The present work pursues a task to determine, in the framework of a low-frequency laboratory study, the dependence of the elastic moduli of n-decane-saturated sandstone on the relationship between pore and confining pressures. The study was conducted on a sandstone sample with high quartz and notable clay content …

Life Cycle Assessment Of Hydrothermal Carbonization: A Review Of Product Valorization Pathways, Andrea Ogunleye, Joseph Flora, Nicole Berge

Faculty Publications

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) has the potential to be a sustainable and environmentally beneficial approach for organic waste treatment. It is likely that HTC product use will dictate the viability of large-scale HTC facilities; therefore, understanding the viability and environmental implications associated with HTC product valorization pathways is critical. The overall goal of this review is to gain an understanding of how HTC product valorization is currently being modeled in life cycle assessment studies, and to use such information to assess current research and/or data needs associated with product valorization. To accomplish this, a review of existing HTC literature was conducted …

Identification Of Early Opportunities For Simultaneous H2 Separation And Co2 Storage Using Depleted Coal Seams, Masoud Aslannezhad, Mohammad Sayyafzadeh, Stefan Iglauer, Alireza Keshavarz

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Hydrogen (H2) production by steam methane reforming (SMR) is an economically viable technique on a commercial scale. However, this process produces large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), which eventually negates the benefits of employing H2 as an industrial input and clean energy carrier. This issue has led to increasing interest in capturing CO2 emissions from SMR to produce H2. This study proposes and investigates the use of coalbed methane (CBM) resources for separating the mixture of H2 and CO2 gases. The competitive adsorption mechanism in CBM not only can separate the H2 gas from the mixture but also results into …

Construction Software: Use, Selection, And Performance In Low-Bid Contracting, David R. Cazares

Construction Management

The qualitative research included in this study evaluates the use, selection, and perceived gaps of current construction software suits in low-bid contracting. In addition, the data aims to provide merit to the correlation between construction software use and company performance. The intended stakeholders of this study include entrepreneurs in software development and construction, along with researchers looking to gather knowledge pertaining to this niche industry. Through a Google Forms questionnaire distributed via email, participants provide insight on the current status quo. The study’s responses show clear trends in the types of software currently in use and the subsequent reasons for …