Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Aeroponic System Optimization For Butterhead Lettuce Growth And Future Sustainability Using Flow Blurring Atomization, Taylor J. Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The global population has grown by 6 billion people over the last century and is trending toward 9.7 billion people by the year 2050. Agriculture accounts for 70% of global fresh water usage. Technology must be developed to accommodate the increase of food production demanded by the growing global population and the subsequent increase in water usage. Aeroponic technology is a water-efficient vertical farming technology that can reduce water usage by 90% by suspending plant roots in air within a controlled chamber and supplying atomized droplets of a water-nutrient solution directly to the roots.

This study simultaneously tests six droplet …

Developing And Testing Low-Cost Air Cleaners For Safer Spaces During Wildfires, Brett William Stinson

Dissertations and Theses

Air cleaning reduces indoor exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) during wildfire events. However, resource and cost restraints may limit access to air cleaning during such an event, as both commercial devices and the high-rated MERV filters that homemade assemblies typically rely upon tend to be expensive and in short supply. With these barriers in mind, we sought to develop and evaluate the potential for air cleaners that use common household fabrics as filtration media. Evaluated designs use a box fan to move air across fabric filters; box fans are inexpensive and readily available to many households. Ultimately, …

Using Bim To Increase The Efficiency Of Energy-Driven Retrofitting Projects, Anne Grego, Shannon Chance, Barry Mcauley

Conference Papers

The building sector is responsible for nearly 40% of global energy consumption. Many existing buildings have poor thermal insulation and low energy performance, hindering sustainability goals. Energy-driven building retrofitting could address this issue and implementing Building Information Modelling (BIM) in retrofitting can reduce process time, costs, and waste associated with such undertakings. Yet, there is a lack of research and insufficient guidance for implementing BIM in energy-driven retrofitting. A BIM framework is presented to enhance decision-making processes during retrofitting. The aims of this study were to (1) identify BIM technologies and methodologies that could address existing barriers and improve efficiency …

Evaporation And Condensation From Epiphytes During Saturated Conditions In A Maritime Live-Oak Forest (Georgia, Usa)., Akosh Raffai

ETD Archive

Most of the rain that falls over land, falls over forests, which cover approximately one-third of global land surface. Significant immediate and wide-ranging impacts are exerted on hydrological, ecological, and societal systems due to canopyrainfall interactions, altering rainwater supply to the surface. All storm-related hydrological processes are impacted by the relative rates that canopy surfaces retain, evaporate, and redistribute rain. Many forest canopies host a community of plants called epiphytes that are generally capable of storing and evaporating substantial water. Epiphytes are comparatively under-researched regarding their role in rainfall partitioning compared to bark and leaves. Skidaway Island in Savannah, Georgia, …

Trace Dna Detection Using Diamond Dye: A Recovery Technique To Yield More Dna, Leah Davis

Master's Theses

This study aspires to find a new screening approach to trace DNA recovery techniques to yield a higher quantity of trace DNA from larger items of evidence. It takes the path of visualizing trace DNA on items of evidence with potential DNA so analysts can swab a more localized area rather than attempting to recover trace DNA through the general swabbing technique currently used for trace DNA recovery. The first and second parts consisted of observing trace DNA interaction with Diamond Dye on porous and non-porous surfaces.

The third part involved applying the Diamond Dye solution by spraying it onto …

An Exploration Of The Application Of Desalination In Disaster Relief, Emma Sager

Senior Honors Theses

This paper aims to explore the application of small-scale desalination systems to provide clean water in the wake of marine natural disasters. A lack of clean water is a devastating impact of many natural disasters. Desalination technologies, both thermal and membrane, show potential for being scaled down and self-powered by renewable energy. Desalination can transform ocean water and contaminated drinking water with a high salt content into drinkable, usable water. While these techniques are not perfected, and the solution to a need for clean water is multifaceted, desalination shows potential. Through further research and ever-advancing technology, small-scale desalination could develop …

Rattus Norvegicus As A Biological Detector Of Clandestine Remains And The Use Of Ultrasonic Vocalizations As A Locating Mechanism, Gabrielle M. Johnston

Master's Theses

In investigations, locating missing persons and clandestine remains are imperative. One way that first responder and police agencies can search for the remains is by using cadaver dogs as biological detectors. Cadaver dogs are typically used due to their olfactory sensitivity and ability to detect low concentrations of volatile organic compounds produced by biological remains. Cadaver dogs are typically chosen for their stamina, agility, and olfactory sensitivity. However, what is not taken into account often is the size of the animal and the expense of maintaining and training the animal. Cadaver dogs are typically large breeds that cannot fit in …

A One-Dimensional Analysis Of A Microbial Fuel Cell For Efficient Acetate Removal And Power Density Output, David Rouhani

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are electrochemical devices that utilize microorganisms to convert organic matter into electrical energy. MFCs have been discussed to have potential application for sustainable wastewater treatment due to their ability to generate electricity while simultaneously treating contaminated water. To optimize MFC performance, numerical models can be used to understand the complex electrochemical and biological processes occurring in the system. In this study, a numerical model was developed to simulate the performance of MFCs under varying operating conditions and to investigate the performance of a MFC for treating wastewater fuel. More specifically, the MFC was modeled to oxidize …

Estimating Solar Energy Production In Urban Areas For Electric Vehicles, Shaimaa Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

Cities have a high potential for solar energy from PVs installed on buildings' rooftops. There is an increased demand for solar energy in cities to reduce the negative effect of climate change. The thesis investigates solar energy potential in urban areas. It tries to determine how to detect and identify available rooftop areas, how to calculate suitable ones after excluding the effects of the shade, and the estimated energy generated from PVs. Geographic Information Sciences (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) are used in solar city planning. The goal of this research is to assess available and suitable rooftops areas using …

Simulating Energy Performance Of Buildings: A Study Using Equest And Energy Star® Portfolio Manager, Sabin Wagle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The urgent need for improving building energy efficiency in response to global warming and environmental sustainability has highlighted the importance of practical techniques to optimize energy performance. The study utilizes the eQUEST simulation engine and Energy Star® Portfolio Manager to evaluate retrofit and design parameters and conduct a sensitivity analysis to explore the impact of different parameters on building energy performance. The study develops building energy models in eQUEST using data from two fully operational Distribution centers. It is calibrated using the Normalized Mean Bias Error (NMBE) and Coefficient of Variation of Root Mean Square Error (CV(RMSE)) method, meeting the …

The Rise Of Terrorism In Africa And What It Means For U.S. Policymakers, Bridget Mary Hughes

Master's Theses

This thesis utilizes three case studies to measure the rise of terrorism in Africa. This qualitative data leads the reader to one ultimate question: what does the rise in terrorism in Africa mean for the United States (U.S.) and U.S. policymakers, National Security academia, students in National Security, if anything at all? The answer is: if civilian and military compounds are being targeted by these violent extremists, as these three case studies demonstrate, it is my recommendation that U.S. policymakers cease sending troops to the African theater and, instead, allocate funding to the citizens and nonprofits of the countries whom …

Fragmentation Of Chemically Herded Oil Slicks By Obstacles: Visualizations, Flow Measurements, And Spatial Distributions, Ali Alshamrani

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chemical herders are a promising technique for treatment of oil spills in icy waters at high latitudes. However, obstacles on the water surface such as floating ice affects or interferes with all spill response countermeasures including chemical herder operations by fracturing the contracting oil slick and trapping small oil patches. Chemical herders are likely to be especially useful in containing oil spills in remote, ice-infested Arctic waters, where using booms to contain an oil slick is difficult. Much of the previous research into chemical herder has focused on the effectiveness of different types of chemical herder agents to thicken oil …

Development & Validation Of A Piv System For Obtaining Data From A Uasb Reactor, Camila D' Bastiani, Gerald Gallagher, David Kennedy, Anthony Reynolds

Conference Papers

Anaerobic digestion processes can generate energy in the form of biogas while treating organic wastewater. The efficiency of the treatment, and thus the generation of biogas, is closely linked to the type and design of the reactor, and the technology used. Granular anaerobic digestion technology offers advantages such as a higher loading rate and reduction of the space needed. However, the hydrodynamics inside this type of reactor can be complex due to the presence of solids (granules) and gas (biogas) phases along with the liquid phase (wastewater). This is one of the reasons why the study and optimization of reactors …

Measuring Volatile Emissions From Moss Gametophytes: A Review Of Methodologies And New Applications, Danlyn L. Brennan, Leslie M. Kollar, Scott Kiel, Timea Deakova, Aurélie Laguerre, Stuart F. Mcdaniel, Sarah Eppley, Elliott T. Gall, Todd Rosenstiel

Center for Life in Extreme Environments Publications

Mosses inhabit nearly all terrestrial ecosystems and engage in important interactions with nitrogen-fixing microbes, sperm-dispersing arthropods, and other plants. It is hypothesized that these interactions could be mediated by biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). Moss BVOCs may play fundamental roles in influencing local ecologies, such as biosphere–atmosphere–hydrosphere communications, physiological and evolutionary dynamics, plant–microbe interactions, and gametophyte stress physiology. Further progress in quantifying the composition, magnitude, and variability of moss BVOC emissions, and their response to environmental drivers and metabolic requirements, is limited by methodological and analytical challenges. We review several sampling techniques with various analytical approaches and describe best practices …

Evaluation Of Hydrodynamic Effects Of Waterway Restoration On An Estuarine Ecosystem, Megan Kramer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Estuaries are hydrodynamically complex for they are influenced by tidal forces, freshwater flows, salinity variations, and often intricate coastal land morphology. Furthermore, many estuaries are subject to constant anthropogenic stresses due to dense coastal populations, which are expected to be exacerbated by changing climate trends. The 1,800 home residential Manchester Waterway (MW) community located in Charlotte Harbor (along the Gulf of Mexico in Southwest Florida), is interested in improving boat access by restoring a previous connection between the local waterway and the harbor, separated by a barrier peninsula. The proposed connections aim to reduce boat traffic and travel time through …

Building Performance - Societal Drive, Programme And Symposium, Joseph Little, Patrick Daly

Articles

Society is increasingly looking at the construction industry to mitigate the environmental crisis and solve the housing crisis through wholesale embrace of three broad sets of challenges. The MSc in Building Performance (Energy Efficiency in Design) (MSc BP(EED)) was created in 2017 to provide significant upskilling in the knowledge, skills, and software applications of building design professionals so that they can meet these challenges, while creating compliant, sustainable, super-low energy, new and renovated buildings. The delivery of the programme supports upskilling of employed building design professionals at Masters level, encouraging a minority to develop their capacity and interest in research …

Mathematical Model Of The Efficiency Of Investments Aimed In The Implementation Of Water-Saving Technologies

Irrigation and Melioration

In Uzbekistan, research work is being carried out aimed at improving the economic mechanisms for the introduction of water-saving technologies for irrigating agricultural crops. At the same time, the issues related to the analysis of the effectiveness of the use of water-saving technologies when irrigating cotton, the development of mathematical methods for assessing the effectiveness of investments, as well as their introduction into practice have not been sufficiently studied. This article provides a mathematical model of the efficiency of investments aimed at introducing water-saving technologies. The results of a numerical experiment of a mathematical model show that the introduction of …

Efficient Use Of Water Resources In The Basins Of Small Rivers, F. Gapparov, M.F. Gafforova

Irrigation and Melioration

The article provides a recommendation for the efficient use of water resources in the basins of small foothill rivers. The research was carried out on the example of the Govasay river basin located in the northern part of the Fergana Valley. The efficiency factor of the canal has been determined and a technical assessment has been given for the management of water resources in the river basin; the efficiency of the canal is 65-75%. A program for the operational management of water resources in The Govasay river basin and a GIS map of water consumers in the Govasay river basin …

Model Of Groundwater Level Control Using Horizontal Drainage, A. Arifjanov, M. Otaxonov, Z. Abdulkhaev

Irrigation and Melioration

The article describes the main factors affecting the rise in the level of groundwater in the city of Fergana and ways to eliminate them. Currently, in order to reduce the negative impact of rising groundwater levels on the environment, crops, buildings and structures, as well as underground utilities, it is proposed to design horizontal drainage in urban areas and a mathematical model has been developed for changing the groundwater level. For this, long-term data from observation wells were analyzed and the hydraulic parameters of horizontal drainage were selected taking into account the hydrogeology of the area. Taking into account the …

Results Of Proximate Analysis Of Energy Use Of Municipal Solid Waste, N.N. Abduganiev

Irrigation and Melioration

In the modern industrialized world, various raw materials are processed and used for human consumption. While some of the raw materials are converted into the desired product, the rest is thrown into the environment as waste. It is known that solid waste is a type of biomass that is formed in the course of human life. The article presents the results of a preliminary analysis of studies on the use of solid waste energy in the Urta-Chirchik district of the Tashkent region. Sorting results showed that the total volume of municipal solid waste in the district consists mainly of wood …

Shredding Of Cotton Stalks Under The Action Of Toothpicks In A Combined Unit, B. Khudayarov, U. Kuziev, B. Sarimsakov, М. Kholbutaev

Irrigation and Melioration

The article presents materials devoted to the justification of the parameters of the crown-wheel of the combined aggreagate. The technological process of work and the design of the working part, which is crushed by crushing cotton stalks, without breaking them, laying them on the movement of the unit, has been substantiated and developed. The optimal parameters of the crown-wheel and the tooth are determined by solving the regression equations that determine the optimal values of the vertical load on the teeth and its working quality. The results of theoretical and experimental research show that the amount of crushing of cotton …

Influence Of Electrophysical Methods On The Processes Of Root Formation Of Grapes, N.M. Markayev

Irrigation and Melioration

The article describes the possibilities of electrophysical processing before planting cuttings during vegetative cultivation of grape seedlings. The processes of root formation in cuttings using the electrophysical method in the article Acceleration of the process of root formation in cuttings of black raisins, treated at 71 V/m and an electric field strength of 15 hours, and an increase in the viability, quality, growth and survival of rooted seedlings up to 16.67-34% Presented the results of experiments on the increase and methods of electrotechnological processing of grape cuttings. The result of the study is the analysis and results of the processes …

Conditions, Criteria And Principles For Creating An Agri-Cultural Land Market In Uzbekistan, A.R. Nurnazarov

Irrigation and Melioration

The article analyzes the prerequisites for creating a market for agricultural land in the Republic of Uzbekistan, special attention is paid to land reform, land degradation (reduction of the bonitet score from 60 in 1991 to 50 or more at present, pasture degradation by 20-30%) and increase in economic from their use, the role of land rent in payments for land. 6 basic principles for creating a land market have been established and systematized, the relationship between X-rays and water in the irrigated farming zone, the role of the market in increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the use of …

Economic Assessment Of The Effect Of Family Income On Students' Disciplines, Sh.A. Muratov

Irrigation and Melioration

The importance of higher education in scientific research, its role in poverty reduction and population growth has been studied theoretically. Also, when using the data of social surveys conducted by 538 respondents (students) studying in higher education institutions, they were awarded the Order of the logistics regulator in the economic assessment of the factors influencing the rate of mastery of disciplines. Factors influencing the acquisition of subjects by students: the main income of the family comes from non-farm (69,9 %), sex (52,2 %), studying at a higher education institution on a state grant (108,8 %), the student's course of study …

Innovative Rotor Casing And Leveling Apron For Combined Tillage Machine, A.A. Akhmetov, L.B. Muratov

Irrigation and Melioration

Investigations of the design of a combined machine equipped with an innovative casing and a leveler apron are presented, and the parameters of the leveler apron are substantiated. It was experimentally established that when the height of the drawing prism is exceeded by more than 200 mm, due to the falling of the crumbling part of the soil onto the rotor, the soil is thrown forward in the direction of the machine. Therefore, to eliminate soil waste, it is necessary either to reduce the height of the drag prism, or to increase the distance between the rotor and the leveling …

Ensuring The Uniformity Of Movement Of The Working Bodies Of The Machine For Processing Ridges In The Depth Of Travel, А. Tukhtakuziev, K.G. Abdulkhaev

Irrigation and Melioration

The article theoretically investigates the issue of identifying ways to ensure the deepening of the working bodies of the machine for processing ridges to a given processing depth and its required uniformity of stroke. The research results show that the deepening of the working bodies of the ridges processing machine to a given processing depth and its required uniformity is provided mainly due to the correct choice of the vertical distance from its reference plane to the lower connection points. The novelty of the conducted research lies in the fact that an analytical dependence has been obtained that allows us …

Develepment Of Land Market In Eastern European Countries And Experience For Uzbekistan, A.R. Nurnazarov

Irrigation and Melioration

The article examines the experience of the formation of the agricultural land market in Eastern European countries since the 90 s of the twentieth century, the problems and features of its devel-opment, the impact of the land market on the economies of countries. Particular attention is paid to the transformation of land ownership, methods of land privatization, land pricing, restrictions on land purchase, regulation of land relations in market conditions, issues of granting the right to pur-chase land to foreign individuals and legal entities, requirements for land owners for the presence of a special agricultural education or 3-5 years of …

The Developmet Of Competences Via Techniques For Enhancing Esp (English For Specific Purposes) Vocabulary Of Learners, G. Eshchanova

Irrigation and Melioration

In the article a recent trend in higher education is ESP (English for Specific Purposes) courses is discussed. These courses are designed around students’ needs based on their field of study. The goal is to strengthen students’ proficiency and help them to get ready to cope with everyday situations and deal with professionals in many fields such as: engineering, medicine, education and IT. There are many training sessions organized by international experts whose goal is to train local teachers to teach these courses successfully. In order to develop an ability to learn new vocabulary, for both general English and technical …

Development Of Girls’ Sports, A.R. Khodjanov, V.V. Mahmudov

Irrigation and Melioration

The article addresses current issues of higher education, taking into account its specifics. She has been providing appropriate advice on improving girls' physical well-being. The use of opportunities and qualities has an impact on the creation of comfortable conditions for female athletes. For girls involved in sports, the creation of impressive quality and possible conditions is considered. As a result, the girls-athletes of our institute took 2-3 places in the district and city qualifying rounds of chess, table tennis and won a ticket to the republican stage. At the republican stage, 2 female students of our team took 4th place …

The Imrovement Of Esp Teaching Via Methodical Provision At Technical Institution: Specializm-Oriented English Via Agriculture, G. Eshchanova, U. Nullaev

Irrigation and Melioration

In the given article the ways that ESP combines subject matter and English language teaching is discussed. This approach can be highly motivating for students because students are able to apply what they learn in their English classes to their main field of study, whether it be law, computing, business, tourism, etc. Being able to use the vocabulary and structures that they learn in a meaningful context reinforces what is taught and increases their motivation. Nevertheless, ESP concentrates more on language in context than on teaching grammar and language structures. Additionally, the ways of teaching English in ESL classes and …