Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Effect Of Waste Covid-19 Masks On Compaction Characteristics Of Silty-Clay Soil, Sydney K. Lawson

Honors College Theses

The present study aims to explore the effect of adding shredded waste Covid-19 masks to silty-clay soil on the soil’s compaction characteristics for beneficial use in embankment, the subgrade of roadways, or backfill. This was accomplished by using two different types of masks: blue surgical masks and KN95 masks. Both mask types were hand shredded into half-inch sections using safety-scissors. The maximum dry density (MDD) and optimum moisture content (OMC) are the two most important compaction characteristics, and they were determined by the Standard Proctor Compaction Test (ASTM D698 / AASHTO T99). The change of both the MDD and OMC …

Physical And Stochiometric Controls On Nutrient Uptake And Ecosystem Respiration In Contrasting Sites, Jancoba K. Dorley

Civil Engineering ETDs

Meteorological, hydrological, and biogeochemical processes naturally control stream ecosystems. These processes define the frequency and distribution of precipitation and the supply and demand of solutes and particles to support aquatic food chains through space and time. Studies have also found that stream ecosystems are also controlled by anthropogenic activities, which occur on a much shorter timescale. These anthropogenic activities affect stream ecosystems' structure and function from local to planetary changes to the environment. It is essential for scientists and engineers to understand the relationships between naturally occurring processes and those created by human activities for a better interpretation of stream …

Determining The Impacts Of Corn Silage Mixing Ratios On Hydrogen Production From Beef Cattle Manure, Katya Faber-Quimby

Honors Theses

With global warming becoming an increasingly serious threat and a growing population requiring additional energy resources, interest in the production of clean energy from the agricultural sector has surged in popularity. Biohydrogen, also known as green hydrogen, is H₂ that has been produced using renewable energy, such as from agricultural byproducts or waste materials. It presents a promising alternative to nonrenewable resources due to its high potential for energy storage and lack of carbon emissions when used. Cattle manure has been explored as a resource for the production of biohydrogen. Selecting for hydrogen-producing microbes in the manure serves the …

Tracking Perfluoroalkyl Substances From Wastewater Influent To Its Accumulation In Vegetables And Forage Grass, Simon Kozik

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Per and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of chemicals that are persistent in the environment. PFAS was found in wastewater, which can be used after wastewater treatment for irrigation water, and in the biosolids that can be mixed with soils to provide nutrients and generally improve soil quality. This study found when wastewater was used it increases the level of PFAS in vegetables and forage grass. PFAS concentrations were tracked from the influent of the wastewater treatment plant to the effluent, to the irrigation water, to the soil, and finally into the vegetable and forage grass grown on …

Box Packaging Waste Reduction By Largest Area First Fit Algorithm And Minimum Cuboid Estimation Of Irregular Shape Products, Jimmy Kwon, Sungmin Kwon

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Nowadays, packaging waste is a prevalent issue due to the increase in deliveries from online shopping. In this research paper, a new approach to the issue of cardboard box packaging waste is proposed by selecting an optimal box that will contain both regular and irregular products while minimizing wasted volume. The method can be utilized so that packaging workers can select an appropriate, yet sustainable box. For computing a minimal cuboid of irregular objects, the system setup with two cameras is prepared to capture the overhead and sideview images, estimating the box's width, depth, and height in pixels. The proposed …

Bioaerosol Size As A Potential Determinant Of Airborne E. Coli Viability Under Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation And Ozone Disinfection, Weixing Hao, Yue-Wern Huang, Yang Wang

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) and ozone disinfection are crucial methods for mitigating the airborne transmission of pathogenic microorganisms in high-risk settings, particularly with the emergence of respiratory viral pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 and avian influenza viruses. This study quantitatively investigates the influence of UVGI and ozone on the viability of E. coli in bioaerosols, with a particular focus on how E. coli viability depends on the size of the bioaerosols, a critical factor that determines deposition patterns within the human respiratory system and the evolution of bioaerosols in indoor environments. This study used a controlled small-scale laboratory chamber where E. …

Analyzing Video And Isobus Data To Understand Risk And Safety Practices For Roadside Mowing, Nathan Sprague, Timothy Wiegman, J. T. Evans

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

In Indiana, roadside mowing covers 11,200 miles, presenting significant risks. The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) seeks safer methods, including automated evaluations and autonomous robots. Analyzing 120 hours of video and ISOBUS data, we quantify mower interactions with the road and obstacles, finding mowers on -road up to 91% of the time in rural areas and 57% on highways. Key obstacles identified include signs and posts. This research aids in developing risk assessment models and safety evaluations, aiming to improve mowing safety and efficiency, and it supports future development of autonomous mowing technologies.

Accuracy Of Nitrate Hysteresis And Flushing For Agricultural Watersheds In The Midwest, Noah Rudko, Sara K. W. Mcmillian, Jane Frankenberger, François Birgand

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

Storm event-based metrics, such as hysteresis (HI) and flushing (FI), are used to differentiate nitrate pathways and sources, which is essential for watershed management. Estimations of these event-based metrics typically use high frequency (15-minute – hourly) measurements, but daily data are also used due to their greater availability. To date, there has been no study assessing how using lower frequency samples affect the accuracy of HI and FI, which could skew interpretation of potential nutrient pathways and sources. We used continuous measurements of nitrate collected at 9 watersheds throughout the Midwest spanning 448 storms. HI and FI were estimated from …

Evaluating The Environmental Impacts Of U.S. Historical Oil Spill Incidents, Yiming Liu, Hua Cai

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

Exposure to risks associated with the production and usage of products, particularly oil, poses significant threats to both ecological systems and human health. Notable examples include the Gulf War Oil Spill (1991) and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (2010). However, numerous smaller-scale oil spills, which collectively contribute to substantial oil releases, often remain overlooked. To fill this gap, our study first developed a detailed oil spill incidents database, covering 1967 to 2023. We quantified the released amount (RA) of oil spills recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Subsequently, we utilized life cycle impact indicators in ReCiPe to …

Sustainable Water Treatment Systems In The La Vega Region Of The Dominican Republic, Hannah Fulton, Justina Thomae, Jorge Del Angel, Ramin Ansari, Karina Peate, Rylan Elliott, Adam Spieth, Thalia May, Morgan Jung, Ernest R. Blatchley Iii, Rebecca C. Johnson

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

Purdue University's service-learning course, Water Supply in Developing Countries (WSDC) is dedicated to ensuring access to safe drinking water in the La Vega region of the Dominican Republic. The focus in the current academic year is to enhance the functionality, sustainability, and independence of community-based water treatment systems installed by previous WSDC students. Despite the construction of four water systems since 2012, operational challenges ensued, rendering them currently inoperable. Our objective is to learn from past mistakes, restore the systems and ensure their continuous functionality. During the fall semester, class members assessed repair needs in two communities with existing systems, …

Properties Of Portland Cement Concrete Incorporating Basalt-Based Pozzolanic Cement, Rana Khalil

Theses and Dissertations

Over the last decade, the world's population has increased dramatically. Due to this growth, the demand for concrete and Portland cement, in return, have increased. Manufacturing of Portland cement is an energy-intensive process that, alone, contributes to about 8% of global CO2. For decades, efforts have been exerted to reduce the harmful environmental impacts of Portland cement by reducing its use in concrete as well as considering alternate binders that may fully or partially replace it. This study aims to assess the properties of concrete incorporating a novel basalt-based pozzolanic cement. To meet this objective, four sets of concrete mixtures …

Assessing Adoption Barriers Of Sustainable Packaging In Egypt, Carol Ramses Morgan

Theses and Dissertations

Sustainable packaging has become an essential part of business decisions and corporate directions. With the rise of environmental damages due to improper waste management and unsustainable practices, businesses have a major responsibility to analyze their products’ life cycles and redesign them with sustainability in mind. Applying sustainable packaging could save companies large amounts of resources, therefore cutting costs, while also achieving the legal and social duty as a corporation towards society and the environment. Many developing countries, with specific focus on Egypt, have recently focused on legislative and corporate decisions in order to encourage more sustainable practices. Egypt’s new Waste …

Applicability Of Using Bio-Receptive Concrete For Building Facades In Egypt, Gina Roupheil

Theses and Dissertations

The significant increase in carbon dioxide emissions caused by the construction industry is detrimental to our planet. This is rapidly increasing with the urbanization of cities that is gradually taking its toll on the available green spaces, which help in balancing such emissions. Recently, researchers have been trying to make use of bio-receptivity to create biomaterial systems that could be spread on building envelopes and support the growth of small plant species and microorganisms to establish on. Out of those materials, comes the concrete as a promising material for bio-colonization.

Within this context, this study aims at investigating the applicability …

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 …

Analyses For Assessing The Centreline Translation, Asymmetrical Wind-Field, And Velocity Fluctuations Of Tornado Vortices, Niall C. Bannigan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Tornadoes present an ever-increasing threat to communities worldwide, especially those with geographic conditions that place them in the path of several tornadoes annually. These conditions are likely to be exacerbated by ongoing trends in the climate. As such, it is necessary to move towards experimental and numerical tornado-like vortex studies that allow for more advanced simulation methods. Novel techniques for tracking and analysing tornado vortices simulated at high spatial and temporal resolution are presented herein. Significant wandering of the tornado's position and large peaks in the velocity field can be captured, demonstrating tangential gusting at more than 1.5 times the …

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 …

Impact Of Particle Size On Biomethane Recovery From Organic Waste, Geethalakshmi Sonaimuthu

Major Papers

As per the 2021 data from Canada's Greenhouse Gas Inventory, emissions from Canadian landfills constituted 19% of the nation's methane emissions. Shifting organic waste away from landfills and employing controlled anaerobic digestion not only facilitates the efficient capture and utilization of this renewable energy source but also extends the operational lifespan of landfills. In the Leamington-Kingsville (L-K) area, where greenhouse vegetable cultivation is prominent, substantial quantities of tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers are produced. Unfortunately, a significant portion of the organic waste generated by this sector currently ends up in landfills. Anaerobic digestion (AD) presents a viable option for managing …

Design And Development Of An Inert Controlled Environmental Chamber For Evaluation Of Contaminant Mass Transfer, Brian Magnuson, Zachary Limaye

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Pestel And 3r Waste Management Model For Construction Companies Operating In Central Tanta: A Comprehensive Construction And Demolition Waste Management Model, Moaaz Ali Bastaweesy, Mahmoud Ahmed Zaki, Marwa Ahmed Kamer Eldawla

Journal of Engineering Research

Due to a recent economic boom, Tanta's construction sector has seen fast expansion, which has resulted in high construction and demolition waste (C&DW) creation and waste management operations that lag below international best practices. The current study uses PESTEL analysis, a thorough environmental screening method, to first identify and evaluate significant external and internal elements that may have an impact on C&DW management in a top Central Egyptian construction business. Then, this firm is the topic of a case study that applies the 3R (reduce-reuse- recycle) principles. The offered context-specific current international practices, the described current firm practices, and the …

The Ecological Responses To Hydroperiod Of Wetland Plant Species Determined By Manipulated Soil Surface Elevation (Marsh Organs), Brandon Wolff

LSU Master's Theses

As sea level rise, subsidence, and abandonment of natural deltaic processes due to a highly engineered Mississippi River continue to threaten Louisiana’s coastal wetlands, the need for a system-wide understanding of natural wetland land-building and preservation processes has never been greater. A key component of any wetland is the ever-changing water environment that periodically floods and dries the marsh platforms. The flooding depth, duration, and frequency, known as the hydroperiod, along with salinity and soil fertility are key determining factors of vegetation and marsh types at a particular location. Different types of vegetation will have different growth characteristics such as …

Converting Mass And Energy Balance Chemical Engineering Concepts Into Fundamentals Of Environmental Engineering (Enve 210), Kaycie Lane

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This evaluation of teaching examined the Fall 2023 semester of ENVE 210: Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering. The purpose of this study was to change the format of the class from a lecture-based to a flipped classroom approach through the use of pre-lectures, in-class problem sets and group work activities. In addition, this study aimed to better adapt chemical engineering textbook content related to mass and energy balances to environmental engineering by creating new environmental engineering specific and sustainable development problems. The study learning outcomes proved difficult to implement and evaluate in a hybrid distance learning class and will require future …

Quantitative Sustainable Design Of Urban Tree Soil Cells For Stormwater Management, Jamaya Wilson

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Urban trees are critical assets to cities around the world. They act as a green infrastructure system to provide various environmental, economic and social benefits to their surrounding environments. However, the quality of life of urban trees is severely threatened by uncontrolled urbanization and climate change. The compaction of urban soils to meet the structural stability requirements for buildings and pavements directly restricts tree growth. Soil cells are green infrastructure placed in tree wells to transfer active and static loads to pavements. This allows for reduced soil compaction and increased tree root expansion. However, because the technology is still in …

Organic Fouling Mitigation In Forward Osmosis Technology Through The Use Of Oscilatting Alternating Current Electric Fields, Logan Werner

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Forward osmosis (FO) is the term given to osmosis in water filtration applications. FO has many advantages to conventional membrane filtration processes. The lack of external pressure needed to force solvent through the membrane is dramatically decreased in FO, resulting in a lower cost of operation compared to reverse osmosis. Lower external pressures also result in decreased fouling on the membrane surface and improved permeate flux. Fouling is one of the foremost challenges within the membrane filtration industry and is one of the biggest contributors to operating costs. While FO results in less fouling than RO, fouling remains a major …

Statistical Analysis For Water Quality Data Using Anova (Case Study- Lake Burullus Influent Drains), Mohamed Hussein Hegazy

Civil Engineering

Lake Burullus is considered one of the most valuable northern lakes in Egypt due to its unique ecological system and special location. Over the past four decades, the lake has suffered from high contamination levels due to expansion in fish farming and increasing of agricultural drainage water entering the southern side of the lake through eight influent drains. This research aims to assess the current situation of the lake’s influent drains. For this purpose, two types of statistical analysis, Mean average method, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used. The water quality conditions for six major drains (Therah (Tira), Nashart, …

Integrated Building Assessment To Enable Retrofit Design, Fabrication And Verification: A Drone-Based Approach, Paul Crovella

SyracuseCoE Research Brief Series

Buildings account for approximately 40% of annual greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. In New York State, approximately 80% of residential and commercial buildings were constructed before the emerging energy codes in the 1970s [1]. Therefore, there is a significant need for affordable and scalable building retrofit solutions with low embodied emissions to meet the targets in the NYS Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019. A building energy audit is the initial step to quantify a building's energy performance and reveal its energy-saving potential. However, performing a high-level energy audit requires detailed field analysis and is often …

Direct Blue 86 Textile Dye Removal From Aqueous Solution Using Rice Husk-Based Adsorbent, M. Zulbahari M. Zua, Muhammad Raza Ul Mustafa, Mohamed Hasnain Isa, Teh Sabariah Binti Abd Manan, Naimah Ibrahim, Rozeana Hj Md Juani, Wida Susanty Hj Suhaili, Asmaal Muizz Sallehhin Bin Hj Mohammad Sultan, Zuliana Binti Hj Nayan

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Adsorption by activated carbon is an effective method of dye removal. However, due to high production and regeneration costs of activated carbon, various studies on low-cost adsorbents have been conducted. Agricultural waste such as rice husk (RH) is seen to be a good adsorbent for dye removal. Moreover, rice husk is readily available. In this study, rice husk-based adsorbents were prepared by chemical and thermal treatments. Standard curve (colour vs absorbance) for Direct Blue 86 (DB 86) was prepared to determine the concentration of dye before and after adsorption. The adsorption potential of the adsorbent for textile dye DB 86 …

Seasonal Variability On Microplastic Polutions In Water And Sediment Of Ciliwung River, Hefty Clarissa Wilyalodia, Elgrytha Victoria Tybeyuliana, Alloysius Pamurda Dhika Mahendra, Mochamad Adhiraga Pratama, Suphia Rahmawati, Fajri Mulya Iresha, Setyo Sarwanto Moersidik

CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development

Microplastics, recognized as emerging contaminants, have been detected in numerous rivers globally. This study focuses on the Ciliwung River in Jakarta, examining the influence of seasonal variations—specifically the rainy and dry seasons—on microplastics' concentration, types, and colors. Sampling was conducted during November 2022 (dry season) and March 2023 (wet season) using a plankton net for water (10 liters) and an Ekman grab sampler for sediment (400 mililiters). Microplastic abundance was analyzed following the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) adaptation method, and their material characteristics were identified using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) testing. Results revealed a notable seasonal impact: …

Assessing The Feasibility And Mechanism Of Destructive Removal Of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) From Water, Kaushik Vinaykumar Londhe

Dissertations

One of the most pertinent challenges faced by the drinking water community is the widespread contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These anthropogenic chemicals have been ubiquitously used in everyday products such as carpets, stain repellents, dyes, shampoos, non-stick cookware as well as in aqueous firefighting foams. PFAS are linked with adverse health effects in humans such as thyroid disease, obesity, immunological and reproductive disorders and linked to cancer in adults and low birth weight and developmental defects in infants.

Conventional water treatment technologies have proven to be largely ineffective in PFAS remediation, due to their extreme stability and …

A Spatiotemporal Analysis Of Organic Pollutants Contamination In Ciliwung River, Indonesia, Mochamad Adhiraga Pratama, Dorothy Marsha Constantine

CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development

Ciliwung River is one of many rivers on Java Island which is polluted by waste from domestic, commercial/industrial, and agricultural activities. The rapid population growth caused changes in land use. Along with population growth and the development of human activities in various sectors, river pollution became a serious problem for humans. The purpose of this study is to conduct a spatiotemporal analysis of the concentration of pollutant in Ciliwung River and its correlation with the trend of land use changes to determine the factors that dominantly influence river pollution. The analysis was carried out on the parameters of organic pollutants …

Recommendations On Flood Management At Cengkareng Drain Estuary In Enhancing Estuary Resilience To Compound Hazard, Athena Hastomo, Evi Anggraheni, Adi Prasetyo, Dwita Sutjiningsih

CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development

Jakarta's coastal region, characterized by dense settlements and industrial zones, faces significant flood risks due to land subsidence and rising sea levels, exacerbated by human activities and climate change. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) project, which proposes embankments along Jakarta's coast for enhanced flood resilience. Focusing on the Cengkareng Drain estuary, two-dimensional HEC-RAS simulations were employed. This study incorporates various factors such as precipitation, tides, waves, rising sea levels, and land subsidence to model extreme flood scenarios. The analysis reveals key strategies to improve flood management. Firstly, introducing new pumping stations and …