Environmental Engineering Commons^™

The River Discontinuum: Applying Beaver Modifications To Baseline Conditions For Restoration Of Forested Headwaters, Denise Burchsted, Melinda Daniels, Robert Thorson, Jason Vokoun

Center for Integrative Geosciences

Billions of dollars are being spent in the United States to restore rivers to a desired, yet often unknown, reference condition. In lieu of a known reference, practitioners typically assume the paradigm of a connected watercourse. Geological and ecological processes, however, create patchy and discontinuous fluvial systems. One of these processes, dam building by North American beavers (Castor canadensis), generated discontinuities throughout precolonial river systems of northern North America. Under modern conditions, beaver dams create dynamic sequences of ponds and wet meadows among free-flowing segments. One beaver impoundment alone can exceed 1000 meters along the river, flood the valley laterally, …

Problem Niekontrolowanego Spalania Odpadów I Pozostałości Roślinnych W Obszarze Wiejskim Na Wybranym Przykładzie, Robert Oleniacz, Barbara Bacik

Robert Oleniacz

This paper presents the results of surveys on the problem of uncontrolled burning of waste in domestic stoves and boilers for central heating and open burning of plant residues in rural areas. The questionnaires were conducted among the inhabitants of one of Polish village (Łąkta Dolna), located in the Malopolska province, in the submontane area. The study comprised 80.2% of all households. As is clear from conducted surveys waste were burned in more than 80% of surveyed houses and more than half of respondents admitted to the open burning of plant residues. The percentage of people burning waste and plant …

Wpływ Zakładu Unieszkodliwiania Stałych Odpadów Komunalnych W Warszawie Na Jakość Powietrza, Robert Oleniacz, Jadwiga Antolak

Robert Oleniacz

The paper presents the results of air quality impact assessment carried out for the Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Plant in Warsaw. As part of the plant is working so far the only municipal solid waste incinerator in Poland. Following the evaluation, including data for the year 2008, it was found that it is a minor source of emissions to air and causes a slight air pollution. The highest maximum one-hour and annual average concentrations caused at ground level are many times lower than the respective reference (or permissible) values and background values for analyzed substances in the air. Increasing the …

Agenda: 2010 World Energy Justice Conference: Emerging Solutions For The Energy Poor: Technological, Entrepreneurial And Institutional Challenges, University Of Colorado Boulder. Center For Energy & Environmental Security, Colorado Journal Of International Environmental Law And Policy

2010 World Energy Justice Conference (November 5)

This conference is a sequel to the 2009 World Energy Justice Conference (WEJC 2009) which began examining ways of mainstreaming safe, clean, and efficient energy for the world's Energy Poor (EP). The EP number two and a half billion people living on less than $1-2 a day who have no access to modern energy services. WEJC 2010 more fully develops these themes. WEJC 2010 will explore how the next round of global warming meetings in Cancun could design new flexibility mechanisms that give credits, for example, for the reduction of black carbon by the adoption of cookstoves, and embrace small …

Culvert Material Cost Comparison, New England Environmental Finance Center

Water

The following tables provide a detailed look at the role that culvert material and culvert diameter play in the overall cost of a culvert replacement project.

Culvert Material Cost Comparison, New England Environmental Finance Center

Economics and Finance

The following tables provide a detailed look at the role that culvert material and culvert diameter play in the overall cost of a culvert replacement project. Table 1 displays the cost per foot purchase price arranged by diameter size for the various culvert materials that are currently available. Table 2 displays the average additional culvert pipe material cost (increased cost to upsize minus original in-kind replacement cost) that would be incurred when upsizing a given diameter of culvert with a 50 foot length by factors of: 200%, 250% and 300%.

Mechanical Properties Of High Blaine Portland Cement, Masoud Rastegar, Kamran Rahmati Shadbad, Ali Hadidi

Masoud Rastegar

No abstract provided.

Pomiary Liczby I Wielkości Cząstek Aerozoli W Powietrzu Miejskim Z Wykorzystaniem Metody Optoelektronicznej, Marek Bogacki, Robert Oleniacz, Marian Mazur, Monika Dziugieł

Robert Oleniacz

In the paper some measurement results of number and size for aerosols particles suspended in air achieved using infrared particle sizer IPS-P (Kamika Instruments) with isokinetic air sampling method were presented. In IPS-P analyzer, with measuring range from 0,4 to 300 μm, is applied optical/electronic measurement method which is determined by dimensions of measurement space by aerosols particles motions in a parallel radiation beam. The research was conducted on the roof of four-storey building in Krakow for various meteorological conditions. Results achieved for measured parameters were analysed in terms of selected meteorological factors influence.

English title: Number and size measurements …

Application Of The Coastal Storm Impulse (Cosi) Parameter To Predict Coastal Erosion, Robert Aaron Walker

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A new coastal storm-strength parameter, the Coastal Storm Impulse (COSI) parameter, was introduced at the 2006 International Conference of Coastal Engineering (ICCE) in San Diego and further discussed at the ICCE 2008 in Hamburg. COSI is based on the conservation of linear, horizontal momentum to combine storm surge, wave dynamics, and currents over the storm duration. Both tropical storms (hurricanes) and extra-tropical storms (northeasters) can produce similar COSI parameters. Potential implications of such a storm classification system include the evaluation of potential coastal erosion and coastal infrastructure, as well as providing a universal storm strength indicator that is directly tied …

Energetyka Niskoemisyjna, Wojciech M. Budzianowski

Wojciech Budzianowski

No abstract provided.

Construction Cost Models, Barry Dikeman

Economics and Finance

The following are a series of cost estimate models similar in format to a typical engineer’s estimate that were developed in support of our financial impact assessment report for LD 1725. The models us current material costs, labor costs, and equipment costs for the region to provide a comparative cost analysis of seven culvert replacement scenarios. The models provide information about what the cost impact of LD 1725 would be for typical culvert replacements in Maine. However, due to the inherent restrictions of the cost modeling framework we were not able to include the abundance of variables that would be …

Effects Of 2000-2050 Global Climate Change On Ozone And Particulate Matter Air Quality In The United States Using Models-3/Cmaq System, Yun-Fat Lam

Doctoral Dissertations

The Models-3/Community Multi-scale Air Quality modeling system (CMAQ), coupled with Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) atmospheric General Circulation Model (GCM), fifth Generation Mesoscale Model system (MM5), and Goddard Earth Observing System-CHEMistry (GEOS-Chem), was used to simulate atmospheric concentration of ozone and particulate matter over the continental United States 12-km and 36-km (CONUS) domains at year 2000 and year 2050. In the study, GISS GCM model outputs interfaced with MM5 were utilized to supply the current and future meteorological conditions for CMAQ. The conventional CMAQ profile initial and boundary conditions were replaced by time-varied and layer-varied GEOS-Chem outputs. The future …

An Investigation For The Need Of Secondary Treatment Of Residential Wastewater When Applied With A Subsurface Drip Irrigation System, Boone S. Hillenbrand

Masters Theses

The objective of this study was to investigate the need for domestic wastewater to receive secondary treatment when being applied to the soil by subsurface drip irrigation (SDI). SDI uniformly distributes wastewater into the soil, which optimizes the soil’s chemical, physical, and biological capacity to remove waste constituents. Because of these advantages, many regulatory jurisdictions are allowing SDI at sites that previously were prohibited from using conventional trench-based soil application systems because of shallow soil restrictions. However, most of these regulatory agencies also require that the wastewater receives secondary treatment (dissolved organic carbon reduction) before the SDI system. At issue …

Analytical Solutions For Efficient Interpretation Of Single-Well Push-Pull Tracer Tests, Junqi Huang, John A. Christ, Mark N. Goltz

Faculty Publications

Single-well push-pull tracer tests have been used to characterize the extent, fate, and transport of subsurface contamination. Analytical solutions provide one alternative for interpreting test results. In this work, an exact analytical solution to two-dimensional equations describing the governing processes acting on a dissolved compound during a modified push-pull test (advection, longitudinal and transverse dispersion, first-order decay, and rate-limited sorption/partitioning in steady, divergent, and convergent flow fields) is developed. The coupling of this solution with inverse modeling to estimate aquifer parameters provides an efficient methodology for subsurface characterization. Synthetic data for single-well push-pull tests are employed to demonstrate the utility …

Evaluating The Impacts Of Water Conservation Policies On Water Demand, Availability And Outdoor Water Use In The Las Vegas Valley, Kamal Qaiser

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Las Vegas Valley, located in the arid Southern Nevada region, with a growing population, limited water resources, and a prolonged drought, faces a challenge in meeting its future water needs. Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), the main water management agency in the Valley, is focusing on water conservation to reduce water demand. Current water use is 945 lpcd (250 gpcd) which SNWA aims to reduce to 752 lpcd (199 gpcd) by 2035. Presently the indoor outdoor water use proportion is about 40:60 in the Valley. An important component of the Valley's supply are the return flow credits which SNWA …

Investigation Of Potential Pathways And Multi-Cycle Bioregeneration Of Ion-Exchange Resin Laden With Perchlorate, Mohamadali Sharbatmaleki

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Ion-exchange (IX) is possibly the most feasible technology for perchlorate removal and perchlorate-selective and non-selective IX resins are commercially available for this purpose. The use of both resins has shortcomings. Selective resins are incinerated after one time use, and non-selective resins produce a regenerant waste stream that contains high concentration of perchlorate. A process involving directly contacting of spent IX resin containing perchlorate with perchlorate-reducing bacteria (PRB) to bioregenerate the resin has been developed and proven recently. In this process PRB biodegrade perchlorate ions which are attached to the functional groups of the resin.

Although its feasibility has been proven, …

A Life Cycle Cost Analysis Of Large-Scale Thermal Energy Storage Technologies For Buildings Using Combined Heat And Power, Kenneth Gaine, Aidan Duffy

Conference Papers

Buildings account for approximately 40% of energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in developed economies, of which approximately 55% of building energy is used for heating and cooling. The reduction of building-related GHG emissions is a high international policy priority. For this reason and because there are many technical solutions for this, these polices should involve significant improvements in the uptake of small-scale energy efficient (EE) systems. However the widespread deployment of many technologies, must overcome a number of barriers, one of which is a temporal (diurnal or seasonal) mismatch between supply and demand. Costeffective thermal storage solutions have …

Współspalanie Odpadów W Suchym Piecu Cementowym A Emisja Dwutlenku Siarki I Chlorowodoru, Robert Oleniacz

Robert Oleniacz

The paper presents an assessment of the impact of waste co-combustion in a cement kiln on air emissions of HCl and SO2 recorded continuously. The subject of the research was cement kiln (dry method) with a capacity of 8500 Mg/day, equipped with a four cyclone heat exchangers and a calciner with an additional chamber for co-incineration. In the analysed period alternative fuels (mainly waste) were used in various amounts ranging up to about 35 kg / Mg clinker (with the heat substitution up to 20%) in the kiln and calciner. Chlorine and sulfur inputs to the process were up to …

Western Woburn Greenway Study, Jennifer H. Masters, Bryan C. Aldeghi, Eric C. Kells, Maureen C. Pollock, Rebekah Lynne Decourcey, Carol Waag, Youjin Kwon, Kathryn E. Ostermier, Patrick T. Mcgeough, Ryan Patrick Ball

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

In spring 2010, the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts Amherst was asked to complete a landscape planning study, the “Western Woburn Greenway Study” for the City of Woburn, MA. The study was undertaken by a team of graduate students, supervised by Professor Jack Ahern. The goals of that study are as follows.

The City of Woburn currently has two large parcel groups of undeveloped land, Whispering Hill (the north focus area) and Winning/Shannon Farms (the south focus area) that are, or may become, available for acquisition (see “Scope of Project” below). The first …

The Costs Of Residential Water Scarcity In Cyprus: Impact Of Climate Change And Policy Options, Theodoros Zachariadis

Theodoros Zachariadis

This paper presents an assessment of the costs of water scarcity in Cyprus, today and in the next twenty years, accounting also for the effect of projected climate change in the region. We focus on the residential sector, accounting also for tourism and industry. Using a simple demand function we first compute total scarcity costs in Cyprus for the entire period 2010¡V2030 for three scenarios of future water demand. Our central estimate shows that the present value of total costs due to water shortages in this period will amount to 72 million Euros (at 2009 prices), and if future water …

Assessment Of Impacts To Hydroclimatology And River Operations Due To Climate Change Over The Colorado River Basin, William Paul Miller

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation investigated the impacts of climate change to the hydroclimatology and river and reservoir management operations within the Colorado River Basin. Preliminary research indicated observed warming trends throughout the Colorado River Basin and corresponding seasonal trends to the magnitude and timing of runoff in the Colorado River Basin. Subsequent research investigated the changing character of precipitation and corresponding impacts to streamflow over the Colorado River Basin. Analysis of snowpack telemetry (SNOTEL) stations over the American West and Colorado River Basin indicated decreasing trends in annual snowpack, often at least at the 95% confidence interval. A shorter snowpack season was …

Ion-Exchange (Ix): Arsenic And Chromium Removal From Brines And Removal Of Inorganic Contaminants By Specialty Resins, Behrang Pakzadeh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Although ion exchange is highly efficient in removing inorganic contaminants, similar to other water treatment technologies, ion exchange has some drawbacks that need to be studied further. Three issues related to drawbacks of ion-exchange resins in water treatment were addressed in this research. The first issue was the influence of anionic inorganic co-contaminants including nitrate, Cr(VI), Se(VI), and As(V) on the performances of nitrate and perchlorate specialty (selective) resins in water treatment. It was found that nitrate can be removed from waters using perchlorate specialty resins, but the resin is poorly regenerated. Perchlorate was not easily removed from either nitrate …

A Comparison Of Biocolloid And Colloid Transport In Single Saturated Rock Fractures, Junlei Qu

Sarah E Dickson

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Mechanical Circulation On Water Column Stability And Dissolved Oxygen In Stratified Lakes, Paal Engebrigtsen

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Surface circulators have been used in wastewater and industrial lagoons for many years, but only recently have they been designed for lakes and reservoirs as a water quality management tool. Their relatively low capital investment and operational costs make them an attractive chemical free option for ameliorating the symptoms of eutrophication. Little research has been conducted on their effectiveness in impacting water quality. Today many lake managers are waiting for independent research on surface circulators' performance before installing such systems.

The Occoquan Reservoir was the primary site for a study conducted to examine the influence of surface circulation on water …

Sustainable Portland: Implementation Series 3, New England Environmental Finance Center

Climate Change

This report is the third in a series of efforts by students at the Muskie School of Public Service, Community Planning and Development Master’s program, in a core class called “Sustainable Communities.” In this course students seek to understand principles of sustainability and how efforts to implement Sustainability programs can become more successful. The report assembles term papers students completed on particular efforts by municipalities, universities, and other groups to achieve sustainability goals. Students worked on each project in a service learning format with real world clients. They were asked to fashion their papers around lessons learned by other organizations …

Input-Output Analysis Of Irish Construction Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Adolf Acquaye, Aidan Duffy

Articles

Ireland is committed to limiting its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 113% of 1990 levels over the period 2008-12 and to 84% of 2005 levels by 2020 under the Kyoto Agreement and the EU’s ’20 20’ by 2020 respectively. National policies have targeted many industry sectors but have failed to directly tackle GHG emissions associated with construction activity. This paper estimates energy and GHG emissions intensities of the Irish construction sector and subsectors and estimates its contribution to Irish national emissions. This information is used to identify and assess the impacts of policy measures which would result in a reduction …

Conference Proceedings 3rd International Scientific Conference On “Energy Systems With It” At Alvsjö Fair In Association With Energitinget March 16-17 2010, Dr. Erik Dahlquist, Dr. Jenny Palm

Dr. Erik Dahlquist

2010 “The Energiting” is performed for the 12th time. The International Scientific conference is arranged for the 3rd time. The organisers are Swedish Energy Agency, Mälardalen University and the Research School for Energy Systems with LiU, KTH, UU and CTH. The first topic will be “Energy systems” covering use of renewable energy sources, energy conversion and process efficiency improvement with new technologies, as well as societal aspects of the introduction of new technologies. The second topic is “Energy and IT”. This covers energy and load management, interaction between production, distribution and “consumption”, usage of data for decision support and control, …

Proteomic Analysis Of Ethene-Enriched Groundwater Microcosms From A Vinyl Chloride-Contaminated Site, Adina S. Chuang, Yang Oh Jin, Laura S. Schmidt, Yalan Li, Samuel Fogel, Donna Smoler, Timothy E. Mattes

Adina Howe

Contamination of groundwater with vinyl chloride (VC), a known human carcinogen, is a common environmental problem at plastics manufacturing, dry cleaning, and military sites. At many sites, there is the potential to cleanup VC groundwater plumes with aerobic VC-oxidizing microorganisms (e.g., methanotrophs, etheneotrophs, and VC-assimilating bacteria). Environmental biotechnologies that reveal the presence and activity of VC-oxidizing bacteria in contaminated groundwater samples would provide valuable lines of evidence that bioremediation of VC is occurring at a site. We applied targeted shotgun mass spectrometry-based proteomic methods to ethene-enriched groundwater microcosms from a VC-contaminated site. Polypeptides from the enzymes alkene monooxygenase (EtnC) and …

2010 Nebraska Water Monitoring Programs Report, Marty Link

Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality: Reports

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) is charged with monitoring, assessing, and to the extent possible, managing the state’s water resources. The purpose of this work is to protect and maintain good quality water and encourage or execute activities to improve poor water quality. Monitoring is done on the over 18,000 miles of flowing rivers and streams, our greater than 280,000 acres of surface water in lakes and reservoirs, and the vast storage of groundwater in Nebraska’s aquifers.

Assessment Of The Impact Of Using Alternative Fuels In A Cement Kiln On The Emissions Of Selected Substances Into The Air, Robert Oleniacz

Robert Oleniacz

The chapter presents the results of analyses concerning the impact of using alternative fuels in one of the Polish cement plants on the volume of continuously measured emissions into the air for the following substances: carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), nitric oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2), hydrogen chloride (HCl), gaseous and volatile organic compounds expressed as total organic carbon (TOC), and total dust. The analyses covered a 15-month period of the operation of a dry cement kiln, approximately 100m-long, equipped with four-stage cyclone exchangers and a calciner, constituting an additional chamber for waste co-combustion. The results obtained confirmed the …