Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Quantification Of Emissions From Lawn And Garden Equipment In Central Florida, Megan Leigh Crum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to evaluate the practical limits of EPA's NONROAD 2005 to accurately simulate Central Florida conditions, especially with regard to lawn and garden equipment. In particular we investigated a NONROAD emission inventory using default inputs and then created a locally specific emission inventory. These emission inventories were prepared for Orange, Osceola, and Seminole county and focused only on the VOC and NOx emissions caused by lawn and garden equipment. The model was manipulated to assess its ability to represent this specific category of nonroad equipment for a given airshed first by running a base case …

Hillsborough Filter Pilot Project (2006), Stormwater Academy

BMP Trains Research and Publications

A zeolite filter pilot plant was operated over a 216 day period to evaluate its ability to enhance nitrogen removal from stormwater. When operated at a steady filtration rate of 192 gal/ft2 -day, the zeolite filter was highly effective at removing ammonia, producing an effluent ammonia nitrogen concentration of 0.07 mg/L, and removing 93% of ammonia and 32% of total inorganic nitrogen. A variety of non-steady state experiments demonstrated that the zeolite filter performance was superior to a parallel sand filter under the varying conditions that are common to stormwater management systems. A storm event was simulated by applying a …

Stormwater Irrigation Volume Ii: Cyanobacteria Counts With Toxin Concentrations In Stormwater Ponds And After Biofiltration To Reduce Health Risks (2006), Martin Wanielista

BMP Trains Research and Publications

Algal blooms are a common occurrence in water bodies of all shapes and sizes in the State of Florida as well as all other locations around the world. Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, have proven to be of special concern due to proliferation and potential to produce toxins that are harmful to humans, livestock and wildlife. Casual observations of lakes and stormwater ponds in Florida will confirm algal conditions in many. The health risks and the potential for exposure to harmful and possibly fatal toxins associated with these algal blooms are becoming more evident as more nutrients are discharged to our …

Stormwater Irrigation Volume I: Evapotranspiration And Nitrate Reduction After Biofiltration To Reduce Health Risks, Martin Wanielista, Ewoud Hulstein

BMP Trains Research and Publications

Irrigation of detained stormwater is an option available for volume and pollution control. Volume control is accomplished when detained waters normally discharged from a detention facility are used instead for irrigation. However, a health risk may result if the nitrate in the irrigation water is not attenuated in the plant and soil matrix. The nitrate level in stormwater ponds is generally much less that the health risk specified as 10 mg/L in Drinking water standards. Nevertheless, the fate of nitrate in the soil plant matrix has not been documented. In addition, there are other potential problems associated with not maintaining …

A Derivation Of An Empirical Equation For Estimating The Acoustical Shadow Zone Length Of Roadway Noise Barriers, Wayne Arner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research was to derive an empirical equation that estimates the acoustical shadow zone length (SZL) of roadway noise barriers. The acoustical shadow zone is the area behind a noise barrier of reduced sound levels, generally to some stated level at or near background. The ability to predict the SZL can be used as a method to evaluate the performance, and possibly the design, of roadway noise barriers. The current federally required roadway noise model is the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Traffic Noise Model (TNM). TNM uses insertion loss (IL) to evaluate the effectiveness of a barrier. …

A Non-Isolated Half Bridge Buck-Based Converter For Vrm Application And Small Signal Modeling Of A Non-Conventional Two Phase Bu, Majd Batarseh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is about treatment of the nonbiodegradable organic content of landfill leachate by chemical oxidation combined with biological treatment. It is divided into three parts. In the first part, ferrate was compared to Fenton's reagent for the purpose of removing non-biodegradable organic compounds from mature leachate. Oxidation conditions (time, pH, and dose) were optimized to yield maximum organic removal using two leachate samples from 20 and 12-year old solid waste cells. Results from this research demonstrated that ferrate and Fenton's reagent had similar optimum pH ranges (3-5), but different organic removal capacities, ranging from 54 to 79 % of …

In-Situ Ammonia Removal Of Leachate From Bioreactor Landfills, Nicole Berge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A new and promising trend in solid waste management is to operate the landfill as a bioreactor. Bioreactor landfills are controlled systems in which moisture addition and/or air injection are used as enhancements to create a solid waste environment capable of actively degrading the biodegradable organic fraction of the waste. Although there are many advantages associated with bioreactor landfills, some challenges remain. One such challenge is the ammonia-nitrogen concentration found in the leachate. The concentrations of ammonia-nitrogen tend to increase beyond concentrations found in leachate from conventional landfills because recirculating leachate increases the rate of ammonification and results in accumulation …

Removal Of Refractory Tkn From An Effluent Wastewater Using Sodium Ferrate, Lucia Lettie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research addresses refractory forms of nitrogen that, even with advanced biological nitrification-denitrification systems are not removed completely from domestic wastewater. TKN (Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen), ammonia plus organic nitrogen, is one of the forms to measure the levels of nitrogen present in effluent wastewaters. Ferrate, a strong oxidant, was used for the treatment of these nitrogen forms with the objective of producing nitrogen compounds that can be removed by subsequent biological processes. Bench-scale experiments were performed on effluent samples taken prior to chlorination from an Orlando, FL wastewater treatment facility, using a biological nutrient removal process. The samples were treated …

Evaluation Of Prefermentation As A Unit Process Upon Biological Nutrient Removal Including Biokinetic And Wastewater Parameters, Terrence Mccue

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation was to provide a controlled comparison of identical continuous flow BNR processes both with and without prefermentation in order to provide a stronger, more quantitative, technical basis for design engineers to evaluate the potential benefits of prefermentation to EBPR in treating domestic wastewater. In addition, the even less understood effect of prefermentation on denitrification kinetics and anoxic phosphorus (P) uptake was studied and quantified. Other aspects of BNR performance, which might change due to use of prefermentation, will also be addressed, including anaerobic stabilization. Potential benefits to BNR processes derived from prefermentation are compared and …

Modeling Of Atmospheric Refraction Effects On Traffic Noise Propagation, Ahmed El-Aassar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traffic noise has been shown to have negative effects on exposed persons in the communities along highways. Noise from transportation systems is considered a nuisance in the U.S. and the government agencies require a determination of noise impacts for federally funded projects. There are several models available for assessing noise levels impacts. These models vary from simple charts to computer design models. Some computer models, i.e. Standard Method In Noise Analysis (STAMINA), the Traffic Noise Model (TNM) and the UCF Community Noise Model (CNM), have been used to predict geometric spreading, atmospheric absorption, diffraction, and ground impedance. However, they have …

Effectiveness And Kinetics Of Ferrate As A Disinfectant For Ballast Water, Andrea L. Jessen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The introduction of aquatic nuisance species (ANS) and bacterial pathogens from discharge of ballast water by sea-faring vessels is an ongoing problem that threatens ecosystems and human health. This study investigates the disinfecting capability of ferrate in a marine environment on several organisms listed in international standards for ballast water management. Organisms were grown in a saline solution and were treated with dosages of ferrate ranging from 0.25-5.0 mg/l. A ferrate dose of 5 mg/l resulted in almost complete kill for all organisms tested. Smaller dosages have also been very effective, particularly if all organic material from the nutrient broth …

The Effects Of Ph On Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal (Ebpr) With Propionic Acid As The Dominant Volatile Fatty Acid (Vfa), Seyed Malekjahani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

pH control is a tool to improve some aspects of Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal (EBPR) process. Filipe et al (2001a, 2001b, and 2001c) found strong evidence that the stability of EBPR systems can be improved by increasing the pH of the anaerobic zone, thereby creating conditions where phosphorus-accumulating organisms (PAOs) are able to take up acetate faster than glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs). They explained this observation by comparing the growth rate of phosphorus-accumulating organisms (PAOs) and glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs) and found that pH has little effect on PAOs growth rate but adversely affects GAOs growth rate when it increases (at pH …

Verification Of Faa's Emissions And Dispersion Modeling System (Edms), Anjoli Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Air quality has been a major environmental concern for many years. Recently the issue of airport emissions has presented growing concerns and is being studied in much more depth. Airport emissions come from a variety of point, line and area sources, making emissions modeling for airports very complex and more involved. Accurate air quality models, specific to airport needs, are required to properly analyze this complex array of air pollution sources created by airports. Accurate air quality models are needed to plan for increased growth of current airports and address concerns over proposed new ones. The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) …

Bench Scale Analysis Of Experimental Fouling-Resistent Low Pressure Reverse Osmosis Membranes Using High Organic Surface Water And Synthetic Colloidal Water, Matthew Doan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The utilization of membrane treatment for the production of potable water has become more prevalent in today's industry. As drinking water regulations become more stringent this trend is expected to continue. Widespread use is also a result of membrane treatment being the best available treatment in many cases. While membrane treatment is a proven technology that can produce a consistently superior product to conventional treatment methods, membrane fouling and concentrate disposal are issues that drive up the cost of membrane treatment and can effectively eliminate it from consideration as a treatment alternative. This research focused on membrane fouling. A series …

The Effectiveness Of A Specifically Designed Green Roof Stormwater Treatment System Irrigated With Recycled Stormwater Runoff To Achieve Pollutant Removal And Stormwater Volume Reduction, Michael Hardin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of our greatest threats to surface-water quality is polluted stormwater runoff. In this research, investigated is the use of a green roof irrigated with recycled stormwater runoff to remove pollutants from stormwater runoff and reduce the volume of stormwater runoff leaving developed areas. The green roof properties of interest are the filtration and biological processes as well as the roof's ability to hold water and increase evapotranspiration, reducing the volume of stormwater runoff from the source. Because of the above mentioned reasons the experiment consists of a water quality analysis and a water budget done on several experimental chambers …

Microbial Source Tracking: Tools For Refining Total Maximum Daily Load Assessments (2005), Stormwater Academy

BMP Trains Research and Publications

For over 100 years, indicator bacteria of fecal origin have been used to assess water quality and alert managers to increased risk of the presence of human pathogens. While these indicator organisms, including total coliforms and fecal coliforms, have helped protect public health for decades, they are now being utilized as surrogates for pathogens in total maximum daily load (TMDL) programs that are mandated by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The goal of TMDL assessment, which is carried out by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in Florida, is ultimately to identify the sources of contaminant loading to Florida waters …

Quantifying The Effect Of A Vegetated Littoral Zone On Wet Detention Pond Pollutant Load Reduction (2005), Stormwater Academy

BMP Trains Research and Publications

This report describes an investigation sponsored by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), in which DB Environmental, Inc., with assistance from Community Watershed Fund, evaluated the potential of littoral zone vegetation to enhance contaminant removal performance of a wet detention pond.

For this effort, we constructed an experimental facility at a 1 hectare wet detention pond in Brevard Co, Florida that contained pre-existing littoral vegetation (distinct stands of cattail (Typha sp.) and pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata)) in addition to an unvegetated shoreline. Ten compartments, 3.7 m by 9.0 m, were deployed within the facility, effectively isolating sections of the pond. …

Stormwater Intelligent Control System (2005), Martin Wanielista

BMP Trains Research and Publications

Water restrictions, pollution control, volume balances, and the emergence of stormwater utilities have lead to the development of an automated intelligent system (“I-Water”) for water use and control. With the use of this system, water stored in stormwater ponds or in the surficial aquifer is not discharged to surface waters because it is used to meet water demands, such as, lawn irrigation, environmental protection, agriculture, drinking and industrial uses.

The drop in groundwater levels and the increasing use of reclaimed water illustrates a need for alternative water supplies. Ground water depletion is occurring which is adding to the destruction of …

Development Of A Graphical User Interface For Cal3qhc Called Calqcad, Sheetal Gawalpanchi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the major sources of air pollution in the United States metropolitan areas is due to automobiles. With the huge growth of motor vehicles and, greater dependence on them, air pollution problems have been aggravated. According to the EPA, nearly 95% of carbon monoxide (CO ) (EPA 1999) in urban areas comes from mobile sources, of which 51% is contributed by on road vehicles. It is well known fact that, carbon monoxide is one of the major mobile source pollutants and CO has detrimental effects on the human health. Carbon monoxide is the result of mainly incomplete combustion of …

Stormwater Irrigation Of Saint Augustine Grass: Nitrogen Balance And Evapotranspiration, Ewoud Hulstein

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A change in surface condition of a watershed, which is usually caused by development, can have measured effects on the naturally occurring hydrologic cycle and nitrogen cycle. This could result in environmental problems, such as reduced springflow and eutrophication. In an effort to address these issues, a combination of best management practices (BMPs) can be adhered to. The practice of using excess stormwater as a source for irrigation is proposed as a BMP for the minimization of impacts by development to the hydrologic and nitrogen cycles. To study the proposed BMP, a field experiment was installed in an outdoor location …

Effects Of Reduced Ras And Volume On Anaerobic Zone Performance For A Septic Wastewater Biological Phosphorous Removal System, Daniel Magro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Enhanced Biological Phosphorous Removal (EBPR) performance was found to be adequate with reduced Return Activated Sludge (RAS) flows (50% of available RAS) to the anaerobic tank and smaller than typical anaerobic zone volume (1.08 hours hydraulic retention time or HRT). Three identical parallel biological nutrient removal (BNR) pilot plants were fed with strong, highly fermented (160 mg/L VFAs), domestic/industrial wastewater from a full scale wastewater treatment facility (WWTF). The pilot plants were operated at 100%, 50%, 40% and 25% RAS (percent of available RAS) flows to the anaerobic tank with the remaining RAS to the anoxic tank. In addition, varying …

The Effect Of Free Chlorine And Chloramines On Lead Release In A Distribution System, Ferdinand Vasquez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total lead release in drinking water in the presence of free chlorine and chloramine residuals was investigated in field, laboratory and fundamental investigations for finished waters produced from ground (GW), surface (SW), saline (RO) and blended (B) sources. Field investigations found more total lead was released in the presence of chloramines than in the presence of free chlorine for RO and blended finished waters; however, there were no statistical differences in total lead release to finished GW and SW. Laboratory measurements of finished waters oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) were equivalent by source and were not affected by the addition of more …

Numerical Modeling Of Dissimilatory Iron Reduction In Sediments At A Field Site, Chun-Wen Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study is to identify the 'universal' rate formulations with scaled-dependent parameters for the biological reduction of hematite. Three possible rate formulations were proposed to describe the bioreduction rate of hematite, and two kinds of simulation were conducted to validate the formulations and parameters with both batch and column experimental data: a reaction-based biogeochemical (batch) modeling with BIOGEOCHEM 1.0 and a reactive biogeochemical transport (column) modeling via HYDROGEOCHEM 4.0. Based on the results of simulations, only the dual Monod kinetic with inhibition rate formulation with respect to the concentrations of lactate, ßFeOOH, and Fe2+ under certain …

Mechanisms Of Nanofilter Fouling And Treatment Alternatives For Surface Water Supplies, Charles Robert Reiss

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the role of individual fouling mechanisms on productivity decline and solute mass transport in nanofiltration (NF) of surface waters. Fouling mechanisms as well as solute mass transport mechanisms and capabilities must be understood if NF of surface waters is to be successful. Nanofiltration of surface waters was evaluated at pilot-scale in conjunction with advanced pretreatment processes selected for minimization of nanofilter fouling, which constituted several integrated membrane systems (IMSs). Membrane fouling mechanisms of concern were precipitation, adsorption, particle plugging, and attached biological growth. Fouling was addressed by addition of acid and antiscalent for control of precipitation, addition …

Evaluation Of Toxic Cyanobacteria In Central Florida Stormwater Ponds, Robert Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Algal blooms are a common occurrence in water bodies of all shapes and sizes throughout the United States and countries around the world. The State of Florida is no exception to this phenomenon. Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, have proven to be of special concern due to its proliferation and potential to produce toxins that are harmful to humans, livestock and wildlife. A casual drive along the roads and in the neighborhoods of central Florida will confirm algal conditions in many areas. The potential for exposure to harmful and possibly fatal toxins associated with these algal blooms are becoming more evident …

Hydrogen Sulfide Flux Measurements And Dispersion Modeling From Constr, Sangho Eun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Odor problems are a common complaint from residents living near landfills. Many compounds can cause malodorous conditions. However, hydrogen sulfide (h2s) has been identified as a principal odorous component from construction and demolition (c&d)debris landfills. Although several studies have reported the ambient concentrations of h2s near c&d landfills, few studies have quantified emission rates of h2s. The most widely used and proven technique for measuring gas emission rates from landfills is the flux chamber method. Typically the flux chamber is a cylindrical enclosure device with a spherical top which limits the gas emission area. Pure zero grade air is introduced …

Predicting Air Quality Near Roadway Intersections Through The Applicat, Brian Kim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With substantial health and economic impacts attached to many highway-related projects, it has become imperative that the models used to assess air quality be as accurate as possible. The United States (US) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently promulgates the use of CAL3QHC to model concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) near roadway intersections. This model uses steady-state and macroscopic methods to model the physical phenomena (e.g., emission rates, atmospheric dispersion, etc.) occurring at intersections. These methods are not straightforward and unintuitive for the users. Therefore, this project investigated the possibility of developing a model that is theoretically more realistic and flexible …

Degradation Of Halogenated Aliphatic Compounds In Sequential Anaerobic, Scott Hoxworth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to utilize an alternating anaerobic/aerobic sequence to biologically transform perchloroethylene to non-hazardous end products such as ethylene, CO2 and H2 using a single microbial consortia in a methanogenic and/or a homoacetogenic environment followed by a aerobic methanotrophic environment. Reductive dechlorination of PCE and TCE to cDCE and VC in an anaerobic environment is typically carried out by methanogens, sulfidogens, or homoacetogens but often (e.g. in-situ) leads to an accumulation of daughter compounds (cDCE, VC) which are more toxic than their parent compounds (PCE, TCE). Furthermore, PCE is resistant to degradation in aerobic environments while …

Dewatering Of Biosolids By Sodium Ferrate, Andrea Rios

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the liquid form of ferrate for dewatering of biosolids from wastewater treatment facilities. Two different ferrate products prepared using calcium hypochlorite and sodium hypochlorite were used. Samples of anaerobic digested sludge and waste activated sludge with solids content of 2.1% and 0.95 %, respectively were conditioned with both products to evaluate and compare their effectiveness. Centrifugation and filtration of the sludge after conditioning were used. For centrifugation the volume reduction and the turbidity of the supernatant after centrifugation were evaluated. For filtration, the Capillary Suction Time test was used. The optimum …

Field Evaluation Of Ultrasound Enhancement Of Permeable Treatment Walls, Aamod Sudhakar Sonawane

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research was to demonstrate the application of ultrasound to field sites having problems with precipitation build up and corrosion. PTW s are passive reactive walls containing zero-valent iron metal for in-situ remediation of contaminated groundwater. However, loss of reactivity over time due to build up of corrosion and other precipitates on the iron surface is a major concern. Ultrasound energy has been established as an effective tool for revitalizing iron surface. This research applied ultrasound energy to a zero-valent iron wall constructed below the ground surface to remove precipitates and iron corrosion, increasing iron reactivity. Two …