Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Prediction Of The Unburned Carbon Content Of Fly Ash In Coal-Fired Power Plants, Saeid R. Dindarloo, James C. Hower

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Prediction of carbon content in fly ash is a valuable index in both designing and optimizing coal-fired boilers. In this study, methods of multiple regression (MR), decision trees (DT), and support vector regression (SVR) were used for prediction of unburned carbon content of fly ash in a 300-MW power plant with a tangentially fired furnace using a low-NOx concentric firing system. Twenty-one boiler operational and coal petrological variables from 21 experiments in a previous benchmark study were used. A variables correlation matrix was used for feature (independent variables) selection in order to reduce the dimensions (number) of input variables from …

Recycling Of Lignite Coal Fly Ash By Its Conversion Into Zeolites, Silviya Boycheva, Denitza Zgureva, Annie Shoumkova

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

The present study emphasized the conversion of fly ash from lignite coals into zeolites by a double-stage fusion-hydrothermal synthesis. The raw and the converted fly ashes were characterized with respect to their morphology, composition, and crystallinity. The effects of process parameters such as fusion temperature, concentration of the alkaline activator, and the duration of the hydrothermal incubation on the zeolitization process were studied. The experimental results indicate that the fusion temperature does not influence the process mechanism in the range 550–850uC, but it has an acceleration effect. The elevation of the sodium hydroxide/fly ash ratio from 1.6 to 2.0 enhances …

Determining Soil Erosion With Varying Corn Stover Cover Factors, Nicole K. Koeninger

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Since the Dust Bowl, conservation agriculture has become a common practice globally. Because of the rising interest in the use of corn biomass as a feedstock for biofuel production, the effects of corn stover removal on soil erosion were explored. It was hypothesized that selective harvesting strategies would impact soil erosion differently across a variety of slopes. Soil erosion boxes were constructed, and a rainfall simulator with an intensity of 30 mm hr^-1 for 46 min was used to create runoff from slopes of 1, 5, and 10% and three cover factor treatments (no removal and two simulated corn …

Development Of Techniques For Assessing And Restoring Streams On Surface Mined Lands, Whitney Cole Blackburn-Lynch

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Surface mining is a commonly used method for extracting coal in the Appalachian Coalfields of the U.S. This mining practice produces excess spoil or overburden, which is often placed in adjacent valleys resulting in the creation of valley fills. These valley fills bury headwater streams, which in turn can negatively impact downstream ecosystems. In 2008, the University of Kentucky designed and constructed 1,020 m of ephemeral, intermittent and headwater streams on an existing valley fill (Guy Cove) as a proof-of-concept. The goal of the project was to evaluate whether or not a stream recreation could occur on mined lands, particularly …

Characterization Of Two Biochars Derived From Horse Muck And Their Ability To Reduce Pathogen Transport In Soil, David Griffith

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Biochars have been created and characterized from a variety livestock manure biomass including poultry, dairy, and swine. However, no research has been conducted on the physical and chemical makeup of biochar pyrolyzed from horse muck. Two horse muck derived biochars containing either straw (HS) or woodchip (HW) bedding were pyrolyzed at 700°C and characterized for their physical and chemical properties. Tests revealed both biochars had high alkalinity, moderate specific conductivity, and low surface area as compared to other biochars in the literature. HS contained more mineral structures than HW. Scanning electron microscopy presented differences in particle shape, size, and presence …

Evaluation Of Sixteen Reference Evapotranspiration Methods Under Sahelian Conditions In The Senegal River Valley, Koffi Djaman, Alpha B. Balde, Abdoulaye Sow, Bertrand Muller, Suat Irmak, Mamadou K. N'Diaye, Baboucarr Manneh, Yonnelle D. Moukoumbi, Koichi Futakuchi, Kazuki Saito

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Study region: Reference evapotranspiration (ETo) plays a key role in irrigation sys-tems design, water management under irrigated and rainfed production. Underthe sahelian conditions in the Senegal River Valley that receives less than 300 mmannual rainfall, rice crop water use should be estimated for the sustainability of theresource. Study focus: However the Penman–Monteith (PM) equation is revealed the mostaccurate one; it necessitates several climatic parameters that are not always avail-able mostly in the developing countries. The objective of this study was to evaluatethe performance of 16 ETo equations against the ASCE-PM equation under thesahelian conditions at Ndiaye and Fanaye …

Robust Estimates Of Soil Moisture And Latent Heat Flux Coupling Strength Obtained From Triple Collocation, Wade T. Crow, Fangni Lei, Christopher R. Hain, Martha C. Anderson, Russell L. Scott, David P. Billesbach, Timothy Arkebauer

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Land surface models (LSMs) are often applied to predict the one-way coupling strength between surface soil moisture (SM) and latent heat (LH) flux. However, the ability of LSMs to accurately represent such coupling has not been adequately established. Likewise, the estimation of SM/LH coupling strength using ground-based observational data is potentially compromised by the impact of independent SM and LH measurements errors. Here we apply a new statistical technique to acquire estimates of one-way SM/LH coupling strength which are nonbiased in the presence of random error using a triple collocation approach based on leveraging the simultaneous availability of independent SM …

Using Swat To Simulate Crop Yields And Salinity Levels In The North Fork River Basin, Usa, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Daniel E. Storm, Art L. Stoecker

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Crop yields and salinity levels in the North Fork of the Red River (North Fork River) basin, located in southwestern Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle, were analyzed based on the diverse climate in the region. Saline irrigation water is a major problem in the basin. The Elm Fork Creek flows through salt deposits, making the creek and its receiving stream, the North Fork River, too saline to use for irrigation. This greatly reduces the number of hectares that can be utilized for agricultural crops within the basin. A baseline SWAT model was setup, calibrated and validated to simulate streamflow and …

Identifying Intracellular Pdna Losses From A Model Of Nonviral Gene Delivery, Timothy Michael Martin, Beata Joanna Wysocki, Tadeusz Antoni Wysocki, Angela K. Pannier

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Nonviral gene delivery systems are a type of nanocommunication system that transmit plasmid packets (i.e., pDNA packets) that are programmed at the nanoscale to biological systems at the microscopic cellular level. This engineered nanocommunication system suffers large pDNA losses during transmission of the genetically encoded information, preventing its use in biotechnological and medical applications. The pDNA losses largely remain uncharacterized, and the ramifications of reducing pDNA loss from newly designed gene delivery systems remain difficult to predict. Here, the pDNA losses during primary and secondary transmission chains were identified utilizing a MATLAB model employing queuing theory simulating delivery of pEGFPLuc …

Narrow Grass Hedges Reduce Tylosin And Associated Antimicrobial Resistance Genes In Agricultural Runoff, Bhavneet Soni, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, Daniel D. Snow, John E. Gilley, Bryan Woodbury, David B. Marx, Xu Li

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Agricultural runoff from areas receiving livestock manure can potentially contaminate surface water with antimicrobials and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of narrow grass hedges (NGHs) on reducing the transport of antimicrobials and ARGs in runoff after land application of swine manure slurry. Plot-scale rainfall simulation tests were conducted on 0.75 m by 4.0 m plots designed to test three treatment factors: manure amendment (control plots receiving no manure vs. amended plots receiving manure based on 3 times N requirement), NGH (plots with a NGH vs. plots without a NGH), and rainfall …

Surface Energy Balance, Evapotranspiration, And Surface Coefficients During Non-Growing Season In A Maize-Soybean Cropping System, Lameck O. Odhiambo, Suat Irmak

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Surface energy balance components, including actual evapotranspiration (ET), were measured in a reducedtill maize-soybean field in south central Nebraska during three consecutive non-growing seasons (2006/2007, 2007/2008, and 2008/2009). The relative fractions of the energy balance components were compared across the non-growing seasons, and surface coefficients (K_c) were determined as a ratio of measured ET to estimated alfalfa (ET_r) and grass (ET_o) reference ET (ET_ref). The non-growing season following a maize crop had 25% to 35% more field surface covered with crop residue as compared to the non-growing seasons following soybean crops. Net …

Temporal Endogenous Gene Expression Profiles In Response To Lipid-Mediated Transfection, Timothy M. Martin, Sarah A. Plautz, Angela K. Pannier

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background — Design of efficient nonviral gene delivery systems is limited as a result of the rudimentary understanding of the specific molecules and processes that facilitate DNA transfer.

Methods — Lipoplexes formed with Lipofectamine 2000 (LF2000) and plasmid-encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) were delivered to the HEK 293T cell line. After treating cells with lipoplexes, HG-U133 Affymetrix microarrays were used to identify endogenous genes differentially expressed between treated and untreated cells (2 h exposure) or between flow-separated transfected cells (GFP+) and treated, untransfected cells (GFP–) at 8, 16 and 24 h after lipoplex treatment. Cell priming studies were conducted using …

Temporal Endogenous Gene Expression Profiles In Response To Polymer-Mediated Transfection And Profile Comparison To Lipid-Mediated Transfection, Timothy M. Martin, Sarah A. Plautz, Angela K. Pannier

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background Design of efficient nonviral gene delivery systems is limited by the rudimentary understanding of specific molecules that facilitate transfection.

Methods Polyplexes using 25-kDa polyethylenimine (PEI) and plasmid encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) were delivered to HEK 293T cells. After treating cells with polyplexes, microarrays were used to identify endogenous genes differentially expressed between treated and untreated cells (2 h of exposure) or between flow-separated transfected cells (GFP+) and treated, untransfected cells (GFP–) at 8, 16 and 24 h after lipoplex treatment. Cell priming studies were conducted using pharmacologic agents to alter endogenous levels of the identified differentially expressed genes …

Vulnerability Of Crops And Native Grasses To Summer Drying In The U.S. Southern Great Plains, Naama Raz-Yaseef, Dave P. Billesbach, Marc L. Fischer, Sebastien C. Biraud, Stacey A. Gunter, James A. Bradford, Margaret S. Torn

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The Southern Great Plains are characterized by a fine-scale mixture of different land-cover types, predominantly winter-wheat and grazed pasture, with relatively small areas of other crops, native prairie, and switchgrass. Recent droughts and predictions of increased drought in the Southern Great Plains, especially during the summer months, raise concern for these ecosystems. We measured ecosystem carbon and water fluxes with eddy-covariance systems over cultivated cropland for 10 years, and over lightly grazed prairie and new switchgrass fields for 2 years each. Growing-season precipitation showed the strongest control over net carbon uptake for all ecosystems, but with a variable effect: grasses …

A Sustainable Slashing Industry Using Biodegradable Sizes From Modified Soy Protein To Replace Petro-Based Poly(Vinyl Alcohol), Yi Zhao, Yuzhu Zhao, Helan Xu, Yiqi Yang

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Biodegradable sizing agents from triethanolamine (TEA) modified soy protein could substitute poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) sizes for high-speed weaving of polyester and polyester/cotton yarns to substantially decrease environmental pollution and impel sustainability of textile industry. Nonbiodegradable PVA sizes are widely used and mainly contribute to high chemical oxygen demand (COD) in textile effluents. It has not been possible to effectively degrade, reuse or replace PVA sizes so far. Soy protein with good biodegradability showed potential as warp sizes in our previous studies. However, soy protein sizes lacked film flexibility and adhesion for required high-speed weaving. Additives with multiple hydroxyl groups, nonlinear molecule, …

Sustainable And Hydrolysis-Free Dyeing Process For Polylactic Acid Using Nonaqueous Medium, Suxin Xu, Jiangang Chen, Bijia Wang, Yiqi Yang

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

A sustainable and hydrolysis-free dyeing process was developed for polylactic acid (PLA) fibers. PLA is a biobased alternative to petroleum based polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is the most widely used textile fiber. However, the hydrolytic degradation of PLA fibers under the conventional aqueous dyeing conditions limited its applications in textile industry. A new solvent dyeing process was developed using liquid paraffin as a nonaqueous dyeing medium. High quality dyed PLA fabrics were obtained without consuming water and auxiliaries. Minimal strength loss of dyed fibers was achieved by postheat setting treatment. The 3R principle (reduce, reuse, and recycle) was implemented to …

Robust And Flexible Films From 100% Starch Cross-Linked By Biobased Disaccharide Derivative, Helan Xu, Hazal Canisag, Bingnan Mu, Yiqi Yang

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

In this research, oxidized sucrose, a novel aldehyde-based green cross-linker, endowed starch films with substantial improvement in both tensile strength and elongation, whereas many other cross-linkers did not. Starch films are usually weak, brittle, and highly moisture sensitive, and thus have restricted industrial applications. Cross-linking is one of the most common methods to tackle these problems. However, most of the available cross-linkers are either toxic, expensive, or with low cross-linking efficiencies. Oxidized sucrose is a green cross-linker with multiple aldehyde groups per molecule to cross-link starch molecules via forming hemiacetals/acetals. The starch films cross-linked with oxidized sucrose had tensile strength …

Chitosan-Alginate Scaffold Cell Culture System And Related Methods, Miqin Zhang, Forrest Kievit, Matthew Chi-Hang Leung, Stephen Florczyk

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Methods for culturing cancer cells in vitro using a three dimensional scaffold, scaffolds that include the cultured cancer cells, and methods for using the cultured cancer cells and the scaffolds that include the cultured cancer cells in anticancer therapeutic drug development.

Bionanotechnology And The Future Of Glioma, Peter A. Chiarelli, Forrest M. Kievit, Miqin Zhang, Richard G. Ellenbogen

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Designer nanoscaled materials have the potential to revolutionize diagnosis and treatment for glioma. This review summarizes current progress in nanoparticle‑based therapies for glioma treatment including targeting, drug delivery, gene delivery, and direct tumor ablation. Preclinical and current human clinical trials are discussed. Although progress in the field has been significant over the past decade, many successful strategies demonstrated in the laboratory have yet to be implemented in human clinical trials. Looking forward, we provide examples of combined treatment strategies, which harness the potential for nanoparticles to interact with their biochemical environment, and simultaneously with externally applied photons or magnetic fields. …

Nanoparticle Mediated Silencing Of Dna Repair Sensitizes Pediatric Brain Tumor Cells To Y-Irradiation, Forrest M. Kievit, Zachary R. Stephen, Kui Wang, Christopher J. Dayringer, Jonathan G. Sham, Richard G. Ellenbogen, John R. Silber, Miqin Zhang

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Medulloblastoma (MB) and ependymoma (EP) are the most common pediatric brain tumors, afflicting 3000 children annually. Radiotherapy (RT) is an integral component in the treatment of these tumors; however, the improvement in survival is often accompanied by radiation-induced adverse developmental and psychosocial sequelae. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop strategies that can increase the sensitivity of brain tumors cells to RT while sparing adjacent healthy brain tissue. Apurinic endonuclease 1 (Ape1), an enzyme in the base excision repair pathway, has been implicated in radiation resistance in cancer. Pharmacological and specificity limitations inherent to small molecule inhibitors of Ape1 …

Integrating Ecological And Engineering Concepts Of Resilience In Microbial Communities, Hyun-Seob Song, Ryan S. Renslow, Jim K. Fredrickson, Stephen R. Lindemann

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Many definitions of resilience have been proffered for natural and engineered ecosystems, but a conceptual consensus on resilience in microbial communities is still lacking. We argue that the disconnect largely results from the wide variance in microbial community complexity, which range from compositionally simple synthetic consortia to complex natural communities, and divergence between the typical practical outcomes emphasized by ecologists and engineers. Viewing microbial communities as elasto-plastic systems that undergo both recoverable and unrecoverable transitions, we argue that this gap between the engineering and ecological definitions of resilience stems from their respective emphases on elastic and plastic deformation, respectively. We …

Underwater Sound Transmission Through Arrays Of Disk Cavities In A Soft Elastic Medium, David C. Calvo, Abel L. Thangawng, Christopher N. Layman Jr., Riccardo Casalini, Shadi F. Othman

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Scattering from a cavity in a soft elastic medium, such as silicone rubber, resembles scattering from an underwater bubble in that low-frequency monopole resonance is obtainable in both cases. Arrays of cavities can therefore be used to reduce underwater sound transmission using thin layers and low void fractions. This article examines the role of cavity shape by microfabricating arrays of disk-shaped air cavities into single and multiple layers of polydimethylsiloxane. Comparison is made with the case of equivalent volume cylinders which approximate spheres. Measurements of ultrasonic underwater sound transmission are compared with finite element modeling predictions. The disks provide a …

Methane Production By A Packed-Bed Anaerobic Digester Fed Dairy Barn Flush Water, Sean Richard Thomson

Master's Theses

Packed-bed digesters are an alternative to covered lagoon digesters for methane production and anaerobic treatment of dilute wastewaters such as dairy barn flush water. The physical media of packed-beds retain biofilms, often allowing increased treatment rates. Previous studies have evaluated several types of media for digestion of dilute wastewaters, but cost and media fouling have setback commercial development. A major operational cost has been effluent recirculation pumping.

In the present effort, a novel approach to anaerobic digestion of flush dairy water was developed at pilot-scale: broken walnut shells were used as a low-cost packed-bed medium and effluent recirculation was replaced …

United States Patent Application Publication, John H. Posselius, Christopher A. Foster, Santosh Pitla, Scott A. Shearer, Joe D. Luck, Michael P. Sama, Rodrigo S. Zandonadi

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

A multiple robot control architecture including a plurality of robotic agricultural machines including a first and second robotic agricultural machine. Each robotic agricultural machine including at least one controller configured to implement a plurality of finite state machines Within an individual robot control architecture (IRCA) and a global information module (GIM) communicatively coupled to the IRCA. The GIMs of the first and second robotic agricultural machines being configured to cooperate to cause said first robotic agricultural machine and said second agricultural machine to perform at least one agricultural task.

Nutrient Runoff Following Swine Manure Application, Seth J. Lamb

Department of Environmental Engineering: Theses and Other Student Research

A field study was completed to compare the effects of land application methods, swine growth stage, and varying flow rates following the application of varying amounts of swine manure to 0.75-m by 2.00-m long plots. Three different manure sources were used to represent key different growth stages including growers, finishers, and sows and gilts. The different swine manures were applied in May and Jun 2011 to meet a 1 year nitrogen (N) requirement for corn. Three different land application methods were used to apply the swine manure, broadcast, incorporation, and injection. Runoff water quality was measured during three 30 minute …

Reply To ‘Co2 Emissions From Crop Residue-Derived Biofuels’, Adam Liska, Haishun Yang, Matthew P. Pelton, Andrew E. Suyker

Adam Liska Papers

The soil organic carbon (SOC) model that we used was parameterized with data from arable land under normal farming conditions in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia, but the equation is insensitive to changes in tillage, soil texture and moisture. The model has reasonable accuracy, however, in predicting changes in SOC, residue remaining and CO₂ emissions from initial SOC, carbon inputs from residue, and daily temperature; the shoot-to-root ratio used in the geospatial simulation was 0.29 (that is, root carbon is 29% of total aboveground carbon), which did not underestimate carbon input to soil (Supplementary Figure 2 in Ref. …

Soil Carbon Accumulation Under Switchgrass Barriers, Humberto Blanco-Canqui, John E. Gilley, Dean E. Eisenhauer, Paul J. Jasa, Alan L. Boldt

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The benefits of grass barriers or hedges for reducing offsite transport of non-point-source water pollutants from croplands are well recognized, but their ancillary benefits on soil properties have received less attention. We studied the 15-yr cumulative effects of narrow and perennial switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) barriers on soil organic C (SOC), total N, particulate organic matter (POM), and associated soil structural properties as compared with the cropped area on an Aksarben silty clay loam (fine, smectitic, mesic Typic Argiudoll) with 5.4% slope in eastern Nebraska. Five switchgrass barriers were established in 1998 at ~38-m intervals parallel to the crop rows …

Emission Of Volatile Organic Compounds After Land Application Of Cattle Manure, Bryan Woodbury, John E. Gilley, David B. Parker, David B. Marx, Daniel N. Miller, Roger A. Eigenberg

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Beef cattle manure can serve as a valuable source of nutrients for crop production. However, emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) after land application may pose an odor nuisance to downwind populations. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of land application method, diet, soil moisture content, and time since manure application on VOC emissions. Manure was collected from feedlot pens where cattle were fed diets containing 0, 10, or 30% wet distillers grains with solubles (WDGS). Land application methods included surface-applying manure (i.e., no-tillage) or incorporating manure using disk tillage. The effects of soil moisture content on VOC …

Sustainable Development Of Biogas Resources In East Africa Using Transdisciplinary Design Models, Christopher M. Limiac

Open Access Theses

Installation of anaerobic digestion systems in urban developing communities has the potential to address multiple problems related to energy and sanitation in a combined systems approach. Anaerobic digesters are used to generate a relatively clean and rich source of energy in the form of biogas to address energy poverty issues. The design resources available for anaerobic digestion projects must be improved to provide greater technical support and project transparency. In order to develop holistic solutions to grand challenges like energy poverty, engineers must be prepared to operate with the complexities of diverse environments. Globalization and the improvement of transdisciplinary project …

Investigating Antibiotic Resistance Levels Of Salmonella Internalized In Lettuce Leaves, Jason B. Thomas

McNair Scholars Research Journal

Contamination of food crops by the human pathogen Salmonella is a food safety threat worldwide. Though using treated wastewater for irrigation is a sustainable practice, it may introduce trace levels of Salmonella that may contaminate food crops. Salmonella could develop resistance to antibiotics present in wastewater. The overall goal of the project is to increase the understanding of the public health risk associated with the use of treated wastewater to irrigate food crops. The objective of this particular study is to determine the antibiotic resistance level of Salmonella internalized in lettuce leaves. In this experiment, thirty-six plants of the lettuce …