Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Exploring Regional And Telecoupled Land Use Change Impacts From Environmental Shocks, Kevin Hill, Liz Wachs, Brady Hardiman, David Yu, Shweta Singh

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Natural disasters or environmental shocks have the potential to disrupt local agricultural systems as well as distant agricultural systems through cascading effects. In this work we selected two distinct environmental shocks and traced their cascading effects on land use change. Quantifying cascading effects is a salient issue because climate change forecasts indicate an increase in frequency and intensity of global environmental shocks. This study incorporated the concept of telecoupled systems involving interrelating ecological, economic and political/social components. A telecoupled framework involving cascading effects was implemented using three approaches. The first approach involved using bilateral agricultural trade matrix data to analyze …

Developing Methods To Characterize Cured-In-Place Pipe (Cipp), Emily N. Conkling, Mahboobeh Teimouri, Andrew Whelton

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) is quickly growing as a method to repair aging water pipes. It’s an attractive option for states’ Departments of Transportation, as CIPP doesn’t require any long term or invasive construction. The exact composition of CIPP is poorly understood, even though CIPP leaching is assumed to be the cause of algal blooms, fish kills, and some human illnesses. The goal of this study was to develop methods to characterize what chemicals are present in uncured and cured CIPP resin and at what magnitude. An exhaust capture system was designed, and the condensate collected from this was extracted using …

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Of Direct And Indirect Solar Water Disinfection Processes In Developing Countries, Jason K. Hawes, Margaret M. Busse, Ernest R. Blatchley Iii

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

In July 2010, the UN General Assembly recognized the universal human right to sufficient water for health and sanitation (UN…, 2010). The reliable disinfection of this water plays a critical role in public health (Carter and Miller, 2005), and this study investigates the use of four ultraviolet (UV) disinfection methods for use in international development and disaster relief. The study focuses on the life cycle impacts of four direct and indirect solar ultraviolet disinfection systems. Direct solar disinfection refers to exposure of water to solar radiation, while indirect solar disinfection collects solar energy and uses this to power a UV …

Evaluating The Two-Stage Ditch As A New Best Management Practice, Andi Hodaj

Open Access Dissertations

A two-stage ditch involves modifications of a traditional drainage ditch to resemble more the features of a natural stream. The idea is to create or simulate extended benches on both sides of the ditch that would develop naturally over a period of time in a stream because of geomorphological processes. Previous research in Indiana and Ohio has shown that two-stage ditches offer the potential to reduce sediment load and extend the interaction time between water and vegetation on the benches allowing larger uptake of nutrients from the vegetation on the extended benches, and increasing the denitrification rates in the bench …

Mapping And Analyzing Energy Use And Efficiency In A Modified Hydroponic Shipping Container, Rachel E. Sparks

Open Access Theses

In urban centers today, vertical farming is becoming a popular alternative to conventional agriculture in an effort to increase local food production and improve urban food security by growing crops using hydroponic methods in controlled environment spaces. More specifically, one vertical method involves growing crops inside refurbished shipping containers, or a “farm-in-a-box” concept, which offers a flexible, mobile, and scalable means of year-round food production in a variety of climates. Despite benefits of producing food locally, some of the concerns associated with these vertical farming systems include high energy consumption from climate control and electric lighting systems as well as …

Influence Of Stormwater Control Measures On Watershed Hydrology And Biogeochemical Cycling, Colin D. Bell

Open Access Dissertations

Urban development replaces vegetation with impervious surfaces and natural drainage channels with pipe networks that quicken flow paths and alter hydrologic regimes. Additionally, the import of food, application of fertilizer to lawns and gardens, and heightened atmospheric deposition increases nutrient availability in urban landscapes. These excess nutrients are ultimately routed to streams through the pipe networks before it can be processed by the vegetation and microorganisms of the landscape. This combination of physical and chemical disturbances impacts stream ecosystems and degrades their ability to perform valuable services such as removal of nutrients, degradation of pollutants, and provision of recreational and …

Reactions Of Graphene Oxide And Buckminsterfullerene In The Aquatic Environment, Yingcan Zhao

Open Access Dissertations

Due to unique physical and chemical properties, carbon-based nanomaterials, including C60 and graphene oxide, now being used in an increasing number of applications. Considering their widespread use, nanoparticles will inevitably find their way to the natural environment. However, their environmental fate and transport have not been intensively explored, resulting in a general lack of knowledge regarding their risk assessment and life cycle exposure concentrations. To this end, this study has investigated: (i) the photo mineralization of aqu/nC60 clusters under photo irradiation, and (ii) environmental transformation of graphene oxide in the aquatic environment. This study shows that CO2 was produced from …

Effect Of Pet Wrapping On Shear Performance Of Corroded Reinforced Concrete Columns, Dawei Zhang, Yuxi Zhao, Weiliang Jin, Tamon Ueda

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

In this paper, an experimental study is presented on the influence of PET warping on shear performance, such as diagonal shear cracking load, peak load, and energy dissipation of RC columns with stirrup corrosion before strengthening. The experimental program involved an electrochemical process to accelerate the migration of chlorides from an external electrolyte into the tested columns, a wetting–drying cycle process with a controlled current to speed up the corrosion of the stirrup in the tested columns, the strengthening of corroded columns with PET warping, and a pseudostatic test to determine the shear capacity of the tested beams. The shear …

Simulation Of Conservation Practice Effects On Water Quality Under Current And Future Climate Scenarios, Carlington W. Wallace

Open Access Dissertations

Analysis of the effects of implementing different conservation practices, as well as increased levels of conservation practices under existing and projected future climate, will determine if current conservation practice recommendations will be sufficient to maintain soil and water resources. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to study four watersheds of different sizes (CCW = 680 km2, F34 = 183 km2, AXL = 42 km 2 and ALG = 20 km2) located in Northeastern Indiana. The overarching goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of various agricultural practices on runoff and agricultural chemical losses under current …

Techniques And Technologies For Decontaminating Chemically Contaminated Premise Plumbing Infrastructure, Karen S. Casteloes

Open Access Theses

Recent large-scale drinking water chemical contamination incidents in Canada and the U.S. have affected more than 1,000,000 people. In all cases premise plumbing has become contaminated and disparate plumbing decontamination approaches have been applied. Premise plumbing components include the service line and piping within the building as well as various appurtenances (i.e., tanks, valves, fixtures). The overall research goal was to identify techniques and technologies that can be used for premise plumbing decontamination. To achieve this goal two separate studies were conducted and are presented as two independent thesis chapters.

The study described in Chapter 1 was designed to understand …

Pollinator Garden, Paige E. Bradley

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

The goal of the project is to increase awareness about global climate change and the necessity of environmentally sustainable practice, particularly among the younger citizens of the Lafayette area. The Lyn Greece Boys & Girls Club extended a hand and offered us land to install a pollinator garden on their campus and an opportunity to meet with the kids one-on-one to promote sustainability ideas and help them understand the basics of gardening. The project is as local as possible, using native plants, no pesticides or herbicides, Bennett's Greenhouse (a local business), and the resources on campus to reach out to …

Kayapo Media Making: Building On-Site Capacity, Kaitlin Harris

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

No abstract provided.

Storm Damage - Murphy's Law, Dale Sedler, Mark Bailey

Purdue Road School

Examination of a disastrous event that required 4 coinciding occurrences happening that individually would likely have resulted in minor or no damage.

Storm Damage - Floating Culverts, Dale Sedler, Mark Bailey

Purdue Road School

A review of buoyancy issues culverts experience due to blockage. Includes discussion of blockage due to floating debris and issues with multiple culverts. Provides information on characteristics that help to determine if a culvert has "floated."

Spatial Variations Of The Methanogenic Communities In The Sediments Of Tropical Mangroves, Hongmei Jing, Shunyan Cheung, Zhi Zhou, Chen Wu, Sanjay Nagarajan, Hongbin Liu

The School of Sustainability Engineering and Environmental Engineering (SEE) Faculty Publications

Methane production by methanogens in mangrove sediments is known to contribute significantly to global warming, but studies on the shift of methanogenic community in response to anthropogenic contaminations were still limited. In this study, the effect of anthropogenic activities in the mangrove sediments along the north and south coastlines of Singapore were investigated by pyrosequencing of the mcrA gene. Our results showed that hydrogenotrophic, acetoclastic and methylotrophic methanogens coexist in the sediments. The predominance of the methylotrophic Methanosarcinales reflects the potential for high methane production as well as the possible availability of low acetate and high methylated C-1 compounds as …

Recovery Of Nutrients From Animal And Human Wastes, Nathaniel E. Kallmyer, Zhe Sun, Kaitlin Harris, Zhi Zhou, Ernest R. Blatchley Iii

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Removal of nitrogen- and phosphorus-containing molecules from wastewater is necessary to prevent excessive growth of algae and resulting chemical changes to bodies of water. Of wastewater components, urine contains relatively high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus, the majority of which is ultimately present as ammonia and phosphate. Separation and stabilization of these nutrients may also allow for their reuse as fertilizer. Before the nutrients may be stored, they must be stabilized. At least a portion of ammonia-N must be converted to nonvolatile nitrogen. This may be achieved by using ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (AOB and NOB, respectively) to convert ammonia …

Membrane Pre-Treatment Using Chemical Disinfectants In Halide Impaired Waters, Holly M. Haflich, Kun Huang, Amisha D. Shah, John Howarter, Logan Kearney

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The use of membrane filtration processes for desalination, water reuse, and water reclamation techniques are becoming more prevalent given freshwater shortages. However, the treatment of these waters is challenging because of the membranes used in these processes. During nanofiltration and reverse osmosis the membranes undergo biofouling. Reverse osmosis and nanofiltration are high-pressure membrane filtration techniques that treat seawater, brackish waters, and industrial wastewaters. Because of the biofouling, the polyamide thin film needs to be pretreated with chlorine (HOCl/ OCl-) as a disinfectant, but this damages the polyamide membrane. When the free chlorine is in the presence of halide-impaired waters, it …

Development And Application Of Quantitative Methods For Ecosystem Services, Rebecca A. Logsdon

Open Access Dissertations

Ecosystem services are benefits that people receive from the environment. Despite recent exponential increases in ecosystem service research, the ecosystem service framework has made little impact on policy and land management decisions, especially in the United States. Two of the main limitations for a lack of ecosystem service considerations in both policy and land management decisions are a need for more advanced quantification methods and the lack of engagement of key stakeholders who are responsible for making land management decisions. This research seeks to address these two limitations by testing and improving quantification methods of ecosystem services and by evaluating …

Numerical Characterization Of Convective Heat Transfer Of Low-Rise Buildings, Ranchi Chen

Open Access Theses

The convective heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) is an important parameter to evaluate the efficiency of building-integrated photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) system and the energy exchange within the turbulent atmospheric boundary layer. Reynolds-average Navier-Stokes approach has been frequently used to predict the CHTC at the surface of low rise roof but incapable of predicting transient behavior of separation, reattachment and recirculation both on the windward and leeward surface. However, Large Eddy Simulation approach (LES) could provide accurate flow field and temperature field around the low rise building. ^ The current study uses Large Eddy Simulation with Smagorinsky-Lily model and the Shear Stress Transport …

Improvement Of Simulating Bmps And Lid Practices In L-Thia-Lid Model, Yaoze Liu

Open Access Dissertations

Best management practices (BMPs) and low impact development (LID) practices are popular approaches used to reduce the negative impacts of urbanization on hydrology and water quality. To assist planners and decision-makers in urban development projects, user-friendly tools are needed to assess the effectiveness of BMPs and LID practices on water quantity and quality. To address this need, the Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment-LID (L-THIA-LID) model was enhanced with additional commonly used BMPs and LID practices represented in the model, improved approaches to estimate hydrology and water quality, and representation of practices in series. The tool was used to evaluate the performance …

Photochemistry Of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes In The Aquatic Environment, And Their Extraction From Soils, Somayeh Beigzadehmilani

Open Access Dissertations

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a class of engineered nanoparticles, composed of an array of sp2 carbon atoms arranged as fused benzene rings. Due to their exceptional electrical, mechanical, and physical properties, CNTs find applications in construction, aerospace, and medical industries. In the United States, CNTs already had an annual production of 2,000 tons in 2011. This rate of annual production indicates that CNTs will find their way into the environment, which will result in certain environmental exposure. Yet, there have not been sufficient and definitive studies on the health and environment effects of CNTs. For example, additional information regarding environmental …

International Water And Food Security Development: Performance Evaluation And Assessment Of Research Needs At Multiple Scales, Caitlin Anne Grady

Open Access Dissertations

Water and food security remain the top development challenges of the decade, and perhaps the century. Since the Millennium Development Goals were established in 2000, billions of people have obtained access to more food, better nutrition, improved water, and basic sanitation facilities worldwide. This progress has been accomplished through the dedication of international organizations, non-governmental organizations, country-level governments, private corporations, and individuals at international, regional, and local scales. Truly tremendous strides have been made in water and food provisioning for humans worldwide. These past two decades have also seen the largest population growth on record, the highest rates of childhood …

Eco-Design Integration Into New Product Development Processes: Comparison Between Lca Software And Cad-Integrated Tools, Maria I. Hernandez Dalmau

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

The constant growth of environmental concerns and in order to satisfy the increasing population demands, designers have started to integrate eco-design parameters in early design stages. The technological development that happened in the last decade has started to integrate LCA methods within CAD tools, allowing non-geometric data to be integrated in a typical geometrical model. The main research interest of this thesis is focused on the evaluation of the use of these emerging CAD tools, as tools capable to evaluate the futures environmental impacts of products and processes. This thesis studies through three comparative case studies if SolidWorks Sustainability as …

High Voltage Rear Electric Drivetrain Design For A Parallelthrough-The-Road Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Adam Garrett Fogarty

Open Access Theses

Purdue University was selected as one of 15 universities to participate in a three year Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC) called EcoCar2: Plugging Into the Future. The vehicle built by the Purdue team was a Parallel-Through-The-Road Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PTTR PHEV). The vehicle utilized a B20 diesel powertrain to power the front wheels, as well as a custom electric drivetrain to power the rear wheels. Using this vehicle during the final year of the competition, the team was successful in placing 4th overall as well as 2nd in the category of Well-To-Wheel (WTW) Greenhouse Gas Emissions. A stock 2013 …

A New Passive Surface Water Flux Meter For Simultaneous Measurement Of Contaminant And Water Fluxes In Streams And Rivers, Stephen A. Sassman

Open Access Dissertations

A passive surface water flux meter (PSFM) for measurement of contaminant concentration/flux in rivers and streams is described and tested. The novel PSFM design was developed for portability and ease of adaptability for a variety of contaminant classes. Although previous designs have been evaluated under constant flow conditions, the PSFM has never been used for measurement of pesticides or hormones and this is the first time that it has been tested under transient flow. Discharge through the PSFM is assessed by measuring miscible displacement of alcohol tracers from granular activated carbon (GAC). The tracer retardation factors (R) measured by miscible …

Irrigation With Treated Wastewater: Potential And Limitations, Anne Dare

Open Access Dissertations

As the world population increases and resources become more coveted, water emerges as a key component to global food security. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is among the driest regions in the world: containing just one percent of the world's freshwater resources. An increasing population creates greater quantities of wastewater and demands greater quantities of food, so an obvious connection arises. However logical wastewater reuse may be for bridging the irrigation supply-demand gap in this arid region, significant limitations prevent widespread adoption. The overall goal of this research is to take a holistic view of the limitations facing …

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 …

A Fesability Analysis Of A Novel Constructed Wetland Design Tool For Arusha, Tanzania, Michael R. Sheehan

Open Access Theses

While water is a resource necessary for all life, in Tanzania alone over 20 million people who live in rural areas have no access to improved water sources. Water stress is a major concern in rural Tanzania, where annual potential evaporation can outpace precipitation by hundreds of mm per year. There is a significant need for improved access to water sources for Tanzanians living in rural regions of Arusha. To improve access to water, both water quantity and quality need to be addressed in a treatment system. Various water collection and treatment systems were compared and contrasted through the lens …

Hydrologic Impacts Due To Land Cover Change In The Yellowwood Lake Watershed, Emily Maria Stewart

Open Access Theses

The Yellowwood Lake watershed in Southern Indiana has experienced land cover change due to forest harvest throughout the last century. A group of local stakeholders have identified sedimentation into the lake and surface erosion as major concerns for the watershed. The main objective of this study is to better understand how forest harvest methods applied within the watershed effect hydrologic and soil erosion processes. Such knowledge is required to develop a more comprehensive plan to protect the watershed. ^ The Distributed Hydrology-Soil-Vegetation Model (DHSVM) was used for this analysis. This is a physically based, distributed hydrology model that simulates the …

Systematic Analysis Of Drainage Events In Free Draining And Managed Subsurface Drainage Systems, Guy Bou Lahdou

Open Access Theses

Understanding the hydrologic controls that regulate outflow from free and managed subsurface drainage systems during drainage events can offer improved insight on the overall functioning and effectiveness of the systems so that they can be better managed or retrofitted to increase their environmental benefits. This study used drainage, precipitation, water table, and soil moisture data from a monitoring site located in east central Indiana to investigate the event hydrology of 22 drainage events in free and managed subsurface drainage systems. Relationships between event drainage volume, drain flow hydrograph metrics, column soil moisture, water table depth, and precipitation characteristics were explored …