Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Generating Boundary Conditions For Compound Flood Modeling In A Probabilistic Framework, Pravin Maduwantha Mahanthe Gamage

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Flooding in coastal riverine environments is often driven by the combined influence of multiple hydrometeorological flood drivers, including storm surge, rainfall, waves, and river discharge, which is referred to as compound flooding. A robust flood hazard assessment requires simulation of a wide range of flood driver conditions through dynamic compound flood models to capture the variability in resultant flooding. However, such assessments remain limited by the short length of observational records and the high computational cost of physics-based methods used to generate temporally varying boundary conditions. This dissertation develops a statistical framework to characterize compound flood drivers and generate large …

Soil Texture And Organic Matter Influence Hydraulic Performance Of Stormwater Infiltration Systems Across Antecedent Moisture Conditions, Laura E. Andrade Barron

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Stormwater infiltration systems are widely used to improve urban stormwater management by promoting drainage and groundwater recharge while treating nonpoint source pollution such as nutrients in surface runoff. Nutrient removal and hydrologic performance of these systems are closely coupled and both are dependent on characteristics of underlying soils. In this study, laboratory flow-through experiments were conducted using 30 intact cores taken from six soil types with different textures (0.99-16.63% clay content) and organic matter contents (OMC 0.44-93.3%). Measured cumulative fluxes from laboratory experiments were used to calibrate numerical models simulating flow through porous media (HYDRUS-1D). Calibrated models were used to …

Locations Of Outfalls In The Indian River Lagoon And Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida, Kelly M. Kibler, Melinda J. Donnelly, Vincent Encomio, Madison Giuntoli, Manisha Thenuwara, Brice Bennett, Laura Andrade Barron, Mariam Sonbol, Wynter Raine Seppala, Namritha Ramakrishnan, Jennifer Jordan Báez, Beth Orlando, Irene Arpayoglou, Melissa Meisenburg

Indian River Lagoon Shorelines

The spatial dataset: UCF_Outfalls_IRL_LWL.shp was created under grants from the Indian River Lagoon National Estuaries Program and Florida Sea Grant. These projects cumulatively led to creation of a living shoreline restoration prioritization model and hydrodynamic habitat suitability models for 1,550 km (963 miles) of estuarine shorelines in Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and Lake Worth Lagoon (LWL).

The dataset presented here includes the location of outfalls identified throughout the study region and general characteristics of the shoreline where they were identified.

Seagrass Persistence In The Indian River Lagoon And Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida, Kelly Kibler, Melinda Donnelly, Vincent Encomio, Madison Giuntoli, Manisha Thenuwara, Brice Bennett, Laura Andrade Barron, Mariam Sonbol, Wynter Raine Seppala, Namritha Ramakrishnan, Jennifer Jordan Báez, Beth Orlando, Irene Arpayoglou, Melissa Meisenburg

Indian River Lagoon Shorelines

The spatial dataset: UCF_seagrasspersistence_IRL_LWL.shp was created with support from the Indian River Lagoon National Estuaries Program and Florida Sea Grant. These projects cumulatively led to creation of a living shoreline restoration prioritization model and hydrodynamic habitat suitability models for 1,550 km (963 miles) of estuarine shorelines in Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and Lake Worth Lagoon (LWL). The dataset presented herein represents persistence of seagrass throughout waters of the IRL and LWL.

Living Shoreline Prioritization And Hydrodynamic Habitat Suitability Models For Restoration In The Indian River Lagoon And Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida, Kelly M. Kibler, Melinda J. Donnelly, Vincent Encomio, Madison Giuntoli, Manisha Thenuwara, Brice Bennett, Laura Andrade Barron, Mariam Sonbol, Wynter Raine Seppala, Namritha Ramakrishnan, Jennifer Jordan Báez, Beth Orlando, Irene Arpayoglou, Melissa Meisenburg

Indian River Lagoon Shorelines

The spatial dataset: UCF_shorelinemodel_IRL_LWL.shp, was created with support from the Indian River Lagoon National Estuaries Program and Florida Sea Grant. These projects cumulatively led to creation of a living shoreline restoration prioritization model and hydrodynamic habitat suitability models for 1,550 km (963 miles) of estuarine shorelines in Indian River Lagoon and Lake Worth Lagoon.

The dataset presented herein includes:

1. shoreline data from >15,000 transects collected in the field,
2. shoreline wave climate data created through hydrodynamic modeling and frequency analysis of historic data,
3. categorization of potential risk for shoreline boat wake impact,
4. persistence of seagrass within 210 m of the shoreline, …

Salinity Effects On Cu(Ii) Bioremediation By Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Microalgae, Jennifer Hughes

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Microalgae offer a sustainable approach to wastewater treatment by removing pollutants such as excess nutrients, CO₂, and heavy metals. Among various species, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii shows strong potential in removing Cu(II) ions from wastewater. In addition, salinity stress in C. reinhardtii has been linked to morphological and metabolic changes that enhance lipid and phytochemical production. While salinity stress has been studied for enhancing biofuel production, its impact on microalgal removal of heavy metals, particularly Cu(II), remains largely unexplored. Understanding how varying salinity conditions affect both algal growth and the efficiency of Cu(II) remediation could provide critical insights for improving integrated wastewater …

Florida Statewide Coastal Restoration Guide, Melinda J. Donnelly, Matthew Martin, Christen Fleming, Kelly Kibler, Linda Walters, Patrick Shearer, Lauren Jennison, Erika Lin, George Zaragoza

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The Statewide Coastal Restoration Guide (SCRG) is a comprehensive planning resource developed through a collaboration between Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), University of Central Florida (UCF), and Resource Environmental Solutions (RES) to strengthen and unify shoreline restoration efforts across Florida. With over 4,500 miles of estuarine shoreline, Florida’s coasts are vital to the state’s ecological health, economic prosperity, and community resilience. However, they face increasing threats from sea level rise, stronger storms, erosion, habitat degradation, and development. The SCRG responds to these challenges by providing science-based, non-regulatory guidance for implementing resilient, nature-based restoration strategies that protect both ecosystems and …

Novel Nanomaterial-Based Platforms For Bio-Electrochemical Sensing And Photocatalytic Treatment Of Contaminants Of Emerging Concern In Water, Jonghyun Baik

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation presents the development of novel nanomaterial-based platforms for bio-electrochemical sensing and photocatalytic treatment of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in water, including heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and microcystin toxins. Conventional detection and remediation methods are often costly, time-consuming, and impractical for field use. To overcome these limitations, in this dissertation, five distinct platforms were designed, developed, and evaluated under various water conditions.

First, a microbial fuel cell (MFC)-based biosensor was developed for detecting heavy metals (Cu²⁺ and Hg²⁺) and PAHs (benzene and xylene). The system exhibited rapid, linear …

Performance Comparison Of Low-Cost Sensors Across Six Cities Of Continental United States, Md Hasibul Hasan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

In the field of air quality measurement, low-cost sensors have been extensively used for capturing high-resolution spatial and temporal pollutant concentrations. However, data accuracy and the impact of environmental conditions particularly temperature and relative humidity, remain a significant issue. Careful sensor calibrations against reference instruments are necessary for ensuring data accuracy and validity. This study investigated the effectiveness of multiple calibration methodologies (linear calibration, 3rd order polynomial calibration, and Random Forest, RF) for low-cost air quality sensor calibration across six cities (Atlanta, Portland, Riverside, Sacramento, New York City, and Phoenix) in the United States. The data for this study is …

Comparing Hydrogen Peroxide And Sodium Perborate Ultraviolet Advanced Oxidation Processes For 1,4-Dioxane Removal From Wastewater Effluent, Tulsi Shukla

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Ultraviolet advanced oxidation processes were compared using sodium perborate (UV/NaBO3 AOP) or hydrogen peroxide (UV/H2O2 AOP) for 1,4-dioxane removal from tertiary wastewater effluent. Both UV/H2O2 and UV/NaBO3 AOPs were also tested with the addition of acetic acid. Results revealed that sodium perborate performed similarly to hydrogen peroxide – the UV/NaBO3 AOP with 6 milligrams per liter (mg/L) as H2O2 resulted in 43.9 percent 1,4-dioxane removal, while an equivalent UV/H2O2 AOP showed 42.8 percent removal. Although the oxidants performed similarly, NaBO3 is an average of 3.3 times more expensive than H2O2. However, the solid form of NaBO3 can provide a major …

Exploring A Lab-Scale Cascade Upflow Bioreactor System For Nitrogen Removal Via Biosorption Activated Media, Alejandra Robles Lecompte

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Many Best Management Practices (BMPs) have been developed to reduce excessive nutrients in stormwater runoff and mitigate harmful algal blooms in downstream receiving water bodies. This study demonstrates a new BMP by comparing two green sorption media (i.e., specialty adsorbents) for nutrient removal in cascade upflow biofiltration systems operated in parallel. The proposed filtration technology can control hydraulic gradients, prevent clogging and settlements, and increase hydraulic loading while removing more nutrients in an integrated physicochemical and microbiological treatment process. The two green sorption media being tested in this study include zero-valent-iron and perlite-based green sorption media (ZIPGEM) and biochar, iron, …

Comparing Phosphorus Removal Efficiencies And Mechanisms Via Two Cost-Effective Specialty Adsorbents In A Cascade Upflow Filtration System, Sydney Kilgus-Vesely

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Finding solutions to treat water that contains phosphorus is an important effort due to the harmful impacts it presents to both human health and the environment. Phosphorus is considered a limiting factor in water oftentimes and therefore controls the growth of algal bloom in a water body. The increase of algal populations due to wastewater effluent, stormwater runoff, and agricultural discharge in Florida waters has a direct link to the event of harmful algal blooms such as red tide in coastal regions, eutrophication of waterbodies, and fish kills. Finding low cost, energy efficient, and low maintenance green sorption media (GSM) …

Developing Cost-Effective Specialty Adsorbents To Meet The Emerging Challenges Of Pollutant Removal In Surface Water Systems, Diana Ordonez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The production of clean water is emphasized under the United Nations goals for sustainable development (SDGs), enlightening the acute need of developing new sustainable technologies in all disciplines. SDGs have urged all engineers in the 21st century to mitigate pollution of drinking water sources and prevent all receiving waterbodies from the impact of agriculture discharge, wastewater effluent, and stormwater runoff. Current water matrix constituents of concern include traditional pollutants (i.e., total nitrogen and total phosphate), natural organic matters (i.e., total organic carbon (TOC), tannic acid), heavy metals (i.e., copper, calcium), and harmful algae toxins (i.e., microcystin), as well as contaminants …

Bench- And Pilot-Scale Corrosion Control Inhibitor Effectiveness Studies For A Community's Blended Surficial And Brackish Groundwater Supply, Paula Campesino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The United States Environmental Protection Agency regulates the lead and copper content of a public water system's finished water at the consumer's tap, through the Safe Drinking Water Act's Lead and Copper Rule (LCR), promulgated in 1991. This rule was recently changed through the LCR Revisions (LCRR), that took effect in 2021. The more stringent requirements of the LCRR motivated the City of Sarasota, Florida (City), to work with the University of Central Florida (UCF) on a study of the municipality's finished water corrosivity. Initially, this evaluation investigated the City's existing finished water corrosivity using linear polarization resistance (LPR) measurements …

Polyelectrolyte Functionalized Forward Osmosis For Water Reclamation From Synthetic Spacecraft Wastewater, Alina Ripp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This study investigated the application of a polyelectrolyte (PE)-assisted metallic iron nanoparticle-integrated forward osmosis (FO) membrane to treat synthetic spacecraft wastewater comprising urea, ammonium carbonate, and linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS). The draw solution (MgSO4) diluted via the FO operation was further treated using a nanofiltration (NF) membrane aimed at producing potable quality water by the FO-NF hybrid process. A cellulose triacetate FO membrane was functionalized by layer-by-layer deposition of polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) followed by incorporating zero valent iron nanoparticles (ZVINP) within the "bilayers". It required 14 bilayers to ensure a uniform coating as demonstrated via scanning …

Hydrodynamic Limitations To Mangrove Seedling Retention In Subtropical Estuaries, Kelly M. Kibler, Christian Pilato, Linda Walters, Melinda Donnelly, Jyotismita Taye

Flow-biota Interaction and Natural Infrastructure Design

Mangrove forest sustainability hinges upon propagule recruitment and seedling retention. This study evaluates biophysical limitations to mangrove seedling persistence by measuring anchoring force of two mangrove species (Rhizophora mangle and Avicennia germinans). Anchoring force was measured in 362 seedlings via lateral pull-tests administered in mangrove forests of two subtropical estuaries and in laboratory-based experiments. Removal mechanism varied with seedling age: newly-established seedlings failed due to root pull-out while seedlings older than 3 months failed by root breakage. Anchoring force of R. mangle seedlings was consistently and significantly greater than A. germinans (GLM: p = 0.002), however force to …

Hydrodynamic Signatures Of Recreational Boat Wakes And Their Influence To Sediment Entrainment Along The Shoreline Of A Shallow Estuary, Kelly M. Kibler

Predicting Boat Wake Bank Erosion Risk

Wave energy from recreational boat wakes is associated with erosion and degradation of shoreline ecotones. However, wake effects are often assumed to be negligible when boating lanes are located far from shore. In this study, field experiments were conducted to characterize hydrodynamics of recreational boat wakes at the shoreline of a shallow estuary as offshore sailing-line distance varied from 50 to 200m. Results indicate that wake events were considerably more energetic than ambient conditions, with an average 20% increase in wave height, 190% increase in near-bed orbital velocity, and 110% increase in wave-induced shear stress. Wake events generated farther from …

Improving Urban Resilience And Sustainability Via Multi-Scale Urban Food-Energy-Water-Waste Nexus Analysis, Andrea Valencia Marin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Urban sustainable development requires an in-depth and holistic understanding of the complex Food-Energy-Water-Waste (FEWW) nexus facing population growth, climate change, economic development, and pollution control. Following the United Nations (UN) 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), goal 11 aims for sustainable cities and communities to be resilient, sustainable, and safe cities to achieve social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Explicitly, SDG target 11.3 concentrates on inclusive and sustainable urbanization for sustainable planning and management. As the UN Food System program aims for inclusive, sustainable, and resilient network, promoting sustainable food systems becomes a necessity to echo social, economic, and environmental sustainability. The …

A Novel Antibody-Dependent Mc-Lr Detecting Biosensor For Early Warning Of Harmful Algal Blooms (Habs), Stephanie Stoll

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Microcystins (MCs) are toxins produced by cyanobacteria commonly found in harmful algal blooms (HAB) occurring in many surface waters. Due to their toxicity to humans and other organisms, the World Health Organization (WHO) set a guideline of 1 µg/L for microcystin-leucine-arginine (MC-LR) in drinking water. However, current analytical techniques for the detection of MC-LR such as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are costly, bulky, time-consuming, and mostly conducted in a laboratory, requiring highly trained personnel. Therefore, an analytical method that can be used in the field for rapid determination is essential. In this study, an Anti-MC-LR/MC-LR/Cysteamine …

Application Of Biologically Activate Carbon For Treatment Of Sulfide-Laden Groundwater, Jessica Cormier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Small-system water purveyors must overcome many challenges to provide an adequate and safe water supply to its consuming public. This dissertation reports on research related to the application of biologically activated carbon (BAC) media filters for the treatment of well water to remove disinfection by-product (DBP) precursor matter, measured as dissolved organic carbon (DOC), at two treatment plants serving a small community water system. Four research questions were investigated individually in discrete, yet interconnected studies at two water treatment facilities processing groundwater that contained hydrogen-sulfide (~1.2 mg/L) and dissolved organic carbon (~2.0 mg/L). The first study revealed that BAC filters …

Using Iphone Significant Location Data To Improve Air Pollution Exposure Estimation, Elizabeth Eastman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

An accurate estimation of human exposure to ambient air pollution is crucial for air pollution health studies. Time-activity patterns may introduce substantial uncertainties in exposure estimation. As smartphones are becoming increasingly popular and their ownership is becoming ubiquitous in the US. Virtually all smartphones can collect location data, and such data is continuously somewhere. Therefore, it is clear that such stored location data has the potential to be used for characterizing an individual's time-activity patterns for air pollution health studies. However, studies on the accuracy and feasibility of using a smartphone's location data in air pollution exposure estimation are still …

Evaluating Source Water Quality, Pretreatment, And Particulate Mass Transport In A Nanofiltration Membrane Process, Courtney Powell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This document details the source and occurrence of particulates in a nanofiltration (NF) process, considers the implementation of additional pretreatment to improve feedwater quality, and investigates the impact of submicron particles on membrane performance. Much of this research was performed in cooperation with the City of Boynton Beach (City) at the West Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and stemmed from particulate fouling concerns in the pretreatment and NF membrane processes. The water quality of the individual wells that supply the West WTP was evaluated to identify the source of particulates which overload the pre-filters (5-μm cartridge filters) and may contribute to …

The Effect Of Polyelectrolyte Modification Of Ultrafiltration Membranes On Fouling Resistance And Rejection Of Contaminants Of Emerging Concern, Kunal Olimattel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This research attempted to leverage the unique properties of poly (allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH)/poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) bilayer coatings to enhance antifouling and antimicrobial properties of a commercially available ultrafiltration (UF) membrane as well as the removal of PFOA and PFOS—the two CECs that most frequently represent the class of PFAS. The effects of selected water matrix components (humic acids [HA] and cations) on PFOA and PFOS removals were also investigated when using the functionalized membrane. PAH/PAA films were first deposited on the membrane using a fluidic layer by layer (LbL) technique and then crosslinked, followed by embedding of the silver …

Evaluating Ozone And Granular Activated Carbon Treatment For Control Of Disinfection By-Product Formation For A Central Florida Groundwater Supply, Devon Higgins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

A pilot investigation that compared ozone oxidation with an integrated ozone and granular activated carbon (GAC) process for the control of regulated disinfection by-products at the University of Central Florida's water plant located at the Orlando campus has been completed. Treatment effectiveness was measured by monitoring the parameters pH, temperature, non-purgeable dissolved organic carbon (DOC), ultraviolet absorbance at a wavelength of 254 nm (UV254), specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA), excitation emission matrices (EEMs) and the associated formation of the DBP chemical groups total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). Groundwater that contained an average of 2.5 milligrams per liter (mg/L) DOC …

The Effects Of Critical Micelle Concentration And Environmental Factors On Oil Separation In Simulated Bilgewater Emulsions, Kelsey Rodriguez Doran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Improved bilgewater treatment is necessary because of technological challenges often faced when meeting existing ocean discharge criteria regulations. Since bilgewater is a waste mixture including hydraulic oils, cleaning agents, and seawater, the success of its management is largely attributed to understanding oil-in-water emulsion characterizations. However, the study of bilgewater emulsions is complex due to the multivariate nature of real-shipboard samples. The objective of this study is to develop the relationship between parameters commonly found in bilgewater and emulsion stability. This work is a continuation of a 3-year research project supported by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP). Previous …

Combining Multivariate Statistical And Numerical Modeling For Coastal Hazards Analysis, Victor Malagon Santos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Increased population density along the world's coastlines is driven by the wide range of services provided by costal systems, such as transportation, fisheries, trade, and tourism. Despite offering fundamental services, coastal systems are exposed to a range of natural hazards such as riverine and/or coastal flooding, and erosion, thus robust risk analyses are needed to protect coastal ecosystems, infrastructure, and people dwelling in proximity to the shoreline. Numerical and multivariate statistical models have become crucial tools in coastal risk management to support robust risk analyses, and their combined use provides many benefits in the analysis of coastal hazards. This dissertation …

Investigating The Removal Of Total Trihalomethanes In Tray And Spray Aeration Processes At Two Central Florida Groundwater Treatment Facilities, Zachary Protas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

An investigation has been completed that assessed the efficiency of tray and spray aeration processes on the removal of regulated total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) at two publicly owned potable groundwater treatment facilities located in Polk County, Florida: the Providence and Van Fleet water treatment plants (WTPs). Finished water from each of these facilities was fed to a pilot-plant that could be operated as either a tray, spray, or combined configuration. A series of four pilot aerator configurations were tested at each WTP. Test 1 evaluated the tray aerator operated in a recirculated multiple-pass mode. It was shown that three passes across …

The Use Of Physically Based Models And Ensemble Forecasting For Storm Surge Risk Assessment In A Changing Climate, Jeane Camelo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Storm surge has been the deadliest and costliest hurricane induced hazard in the coastal United States. In order to save property and lives, emergency managers must issue advisories guided by numerical models in a timely manner. However, these surge models are highly dependent on weather forecasts which contain uncertainties themselves as hurricanes traverse through the waters before making landfall. This dissertation aims to understand the contribution of uncertainties in hurricane properties, particularly the wind intensity which can contribute to uncertainties in storm surge models. Investigating these properties through numerical modeling is both computationally and time intensive. However by developing a …

Incinerator Ash Characterization - Implications For Elevated Temperature Landfills, Angel Villarruel-Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The occurrence of temperatures in municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill gas (LFG) extraction systems in excess of 55°C is a problem that has gained much attention in the solid waste industry, both domestically and globally. Facilities which frequently experience such temperatures are termed Elevated Temperature Landfills (ETLFs), and recent research conducted at the University of Central Florida (UCF) has provided strong evidence that ash, both MSW incinerator ash (MSWIA) and coal combustion ash (CCA), when co-disposed with unburned MSW, provides materials which are able to participate in abiotic exothermic reactions that may lead to the development or sustainment of ETLFs. …

Index-Based Approach With Remote Sensing For The Assessment Of Extreme Weather Impact On Watershed Vegetation Dynamics, Kushan Bellanthudawage

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Spatial technologies such as satellite remote sensing can be used to identify vegetation dynamics over space and time, which play a critical role in earth observations. Biophysical and biochemical features associated with vegetation cover can then be used to elucidate climate change impact such as floods and droughts on ecosystem that may in turn affect watershed-scale water resources management. Unlike single flood or drought event, intermittent extreme weather events may exert more physiological and biological pressures on the canopy vegetation. This study aims to investigate the climate change impacts on canopy vegetation, which occurred from March 2017 to October 2017 …