Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Liquid Phase Nano Metal Catalyzed Dechlorination Of Chlorinated Organic Compounds, Omneya El-Sharnouby

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

1,2-Dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) is among the most prevalent groundwater chlorinated organic compounds (COCs) found at hazardous sites throughout the world. Given its pervasive contamination and adverse health effects, there is considerable interest in developing novel remediation technologies for successfully treating 1,2-DCA along with other COCs from water sources. Chemical reduction by nano zero valent iron (monometallic (nZVI) or bimetallic (Pd-nZVI)) has proven to be a successful field applicable technology, yet it has failed in degrading such a recalcitrant compound as 1,2-DCA.

In this study, the development of a field applicable nano metal based technology capable of degrading 1,2-DCA was carried out. …

Combined Analysis Of Tide- And Wave-Induced Water Table Fluctuations For Structural Characterization Of A Coastal Aquifer, Victoria A. Trglavcnik

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Understanding of coastal hydrogeology is essential for the assessment, management, and protection of coastal groundwater resources. Coastal groundwater is often an important source of drinking water for coastal communities but can be contaminated by saltwater or human-derived contaminants. The groundwater table in coastal aquifers fluctuates in response to various oceanic pressure forces acting at the shoreline, including tides, individual waves, and offshore storms. Measurements of water table fluctuations in response to tides and waves can be used to characterize coastal aquifers and provide important insight into the hydraulic properties and structure, including the connectivity between the aquifer and ocean. Most …

Fate Of Benzalkonium Chlorides In Natural Environment And Treatment Processes, Adnan Hossain Khan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Benzalkonium chlorides (BACs) are a type of cationic surfactant and are highly adsorptive to negatively charged surfaces during the wastewater treatment process. They can, therefore, enter the aquatic environment via the suspended organic matter in wastewater effluents, and the terrestrial environment through the application of biosolids as a soil amendment for crop production or by the use of reclaimed wastewater for irrigation. This research investigated the fate of the two most commonly used BACs, benzyl dimethyl dodecyl ammonium chloride (BDDA; C₁₂-alkyl chain) and benzyl dimethyl tetradecyl ammonium chloride (BDTA; C₁₄-alkyl chain), individually and in mixture in …

Multiscale Wind Modelling For Sustainability And Resilience, Djordje Romanic

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The research presented herein is a mix of meteorological and wind engineering disciplines. In many cases, there is a gap between these two fields and this thesis is an attempt to bridge that gap through multiscale wind modelling approaches. Data and methods used in this study cover a multitude of spatial and temporal scales. Applications are in the fields of sustainability and resilience. This relationship between multiscale wind modelling and sustainability and resilience is investigated examining several case studies of three different developments: urban, rural and coastal.

An urban wind modelling methodology is proposed and applied for a specific development …

The Effects Of Furfural On Biological Hydrogen Production In Batch And Microbial Electrolysis Cell, Hyeongu Yeo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Furfural inhibits biohydrogen production and numerous studies has been carried out on detoxification of furfural to enhance biofuel production. Electrochemical detoxification of furfural is a new approach to remove furfural without the degradation of sugars. However, there is limited information on the effects of the degradation products of furfural on biohydrogen production in batch tests and the impact of furfural on anode-respiring bacteria (ARB) in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs). This study investigated the effect of furfural and its derivatives, furfuryl alcohol (FFA) and 2-furoic acid (FA), on biohydrogen production. The impact of furfural on hydrogen production in MECs was also …

Evapotranspiration From Extensive Green Roofs: Influence Of Climatological Conditions, Vegetation Type, And Substrate Depth, Maria Eloisa Sia

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Green roofs are gaining popularity worldwide as a low impact development tool to mitigate increasing stormwater runoff within dense urban areas. Evapotranspiration (ET) is the key hydrologic process governing the capacity of a green roof to retain rainfall as it regenerates available water storage space in the green roof substrate (soil) between rainfall events. To date, there are limited data on how the interaction between different climatological conditions and design parameters (e.g., vegetation type, substrate depth) affect ET rates. This currently limits the ability to optimize green roof design for stormwater management. In this field study, the impact of climatological …

Anaerobic Digestion And Co-Digestion Of Thickened Waste Activated Sludge (Twas) And Food Waste (Fw), Mohammad M I Chowdhury

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study aimed at assessing the impact of ultrasonication on the anaerobic digestibility of thickened waste activated sludge (TWAS) in anaerobic fluidized bed reactor (AnFBR), determining the unbiodegradable fraction of TWAS, and exploring co-digestion of food waste (FW) and TWAS. Two lab-scale AnFBRs treating TWAS were studied to explore the impact of ultrasonication (US) in the break down and reuse of scum for methane production. At an organic loading rate (OLR) of 4.7 kg COD/m³-d and 480 kJ of US energy, COD and VSS destruction efficiencies were 65% and 63%, respectively roughly 20% higher than the control reactor …

Starx Technology For Waste Oil Sludge Treatment Investigated With Numerical Modelling, Rebecca L. Solinger

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Growing stockpiles of industrial liquid waste stored in lagoons are an outstanding problem worldwide. Self-sustaining Treatment for Active Remediation (STAR) is an emerging technology based on smouldering combustion that has been successfully deployed for in situ remediation of field sites (Grant et al., 2016). STAR is currently being developed as an ex situ treatment system (STARx) for industrial wastes by intentionally mixing them with sand. One engineering concept for STARx is the “hotpad”, for which some initial experiments have been conducted. However, a thorough experimental investigation is challenging due to the cost and time associated with each experiment. This work …

Hydraulic And Electrokinetic Delivery Of Remediants For In-Situ Remediation, Ahmed I. A. Chowdhury

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Nano-scale zero valent iron (nZVI) has shown promising mobility and in-situ reactivity with chlorinated volatile organic compounds when injected into saturated porous media. The current study evaluated nZVI mobility and subsequent reactivity with in-situ contaminants in a variably saturated porous media. The nZVI particles, synthesized onsite at subzero temperatures, demonstrated complete trichloroethene (TCE) degradation within the target area. Furthermore, a three dimensional finite difference model (CompSim) was utilized to investigate nZVI mobility in variably saturated zones. Model predicted well head data were in very good agreement with field observations. Simulation results showed that the injected slurry migrated radially outward from …

Removal Of Target Ppcps From Secondary Effluent Using Aops And Novel Adsorbents, Venkateswara Reddy Kandlakuti

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Atenolol (β-blocker), Clofibric Acid (Lipid regulators) and Diclofenac (Anti-inflammatory) are the drugs widely used and reported to have adverse effects on fish and other organisms. These drugs are found at trace levels in lakes, rivers and sewage treatment plants and conventional treatment plants are ineffective to eliminate these at those levels. A high resolution LC-MS/MS was used to quantify these drugs at low levels. Various advanced oxidation methods were used for the present research to eliminate these drugs from secondary effluent. Complete removal of PPCPs was achieved by synthesizing immobilized TiO2 on a stainless steel mesh and using a combination …

Soil Aquifer Treatment For Wastewater Reclamation In A High Water Demand Society, Diego J. Velasquez

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Water resources around the world are under increasing pressure from the rapidly growing demands of rising population and industrialization. Furthermore, changes in global weather patterns are expected to intensify its current and future stresses. In the present study, knowledge and perceptions towards wastewater reclamation for potable and non-potable uses were investigated by the used of an on-line survey distributed amongst the university community at Western university. Subsequent statistical analysis of the results was performed using IBM-SPSS software. Survey results show that member of the university community are more likely to accept reclaimed wastewater for applications that do not involve drinking …

Evaluation Of Voc Degradation In Photo-Catalytic Air Reactors: Tio2 Immobilization, Energy Efficiency And Kinetic Modeling, Cristina S. Lugo Vega

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The high VOC emissions from anthropogenic sources are detrimental to both the environment and humans, contributing with ground-level ozone and particle matter formation. Heterogeneous photocatalysis provides significant potential for VOC degradation. However, the approaches to be used for photocatalyst immobilization in scaled and highly efficient photoreactors are still not well established. Furthermore, there is a lack of reported photonic efficiencies and a shortage of required methods to establish these efficiencies.

To address these issues, this PhD Dissertation reports the study of photonic efficiencies, TiO₂ immobilization on a stainless steel mesh and kinetic models in a scaled-up Photo-CREC-Air Reactor. Acetone …

Automated Control Flaw Generation Procedure: Cheakamus Dam Case Study, Bogdan Pavlovic

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis deals with the problem of aging hydropower infrastructure systems and system components, a problem that is very common across Canada. Flaws of common risk analysis methods are noted, and the need for new risk analysis approaches is identified. System dynamics simulation method is introduced as an implementation mechanism for the System Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA). STPA and its adaptation to complex hydropower systems are explained thoroughly. Fuzzy logic is used to model operator’s decision making. The main objectives of the research include the development of an automated generic approach that implements STPA and fuzzy logic for the investigation …

Catalytic Conversion Of Fructose, Glucose And Industrial Grade Sugar Syrups To 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural, A Platform For Fuels And Chemicals, Sadra Souzanchi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) as a versatile and polyfunctional compound derived from dehydration of biomass has attracted increasing attentions in research over the past decades. HMF is an important intermediate and platform chemical, which can be converted into different useful chemicals as well as the promising biofuels. It can be obtained from acid-catalyzed dehydration of different C₆-based carbohydrates such as glucose, fructose, sucrose and cellulose.

In this thesis, a cost-effective process for catalytic conversion of simple sugars (particularly glucose and fructose) and industrial grade sugar syrups to HMF was studied in a novel biphasic continuous-flow tubular reactor using inexpensive heterogeneous …

Hydrothermal Liquefaction Of High-Water Content Biomass And Waste Materials For The Production Of Biogas And Bio-Crude Oil, Laleh Nazari

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Growing interest in renewable energies due to shrinking reserves of fossil fuels and climate change concerns have led to extensive research towards gaseous and liquid fuels production from renewable energy resources such as biomass and wastes. Energy generation from municipal and industrial wastes such as wastewater sludge is also environmental friendly way to deal with large volume of waste disposal with the additional advantage of eliminating part of the indirect greenhouse gas emissions from energy crops-derived biofuels.

In this thesis, a novel process for co-production of biogas and bio-crude oil from high-water-content wastewater sludge through hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) treatments is …

Identification Of Groundwater Discharge Along The Shoreline Of Large Inland Lakes In Southern Ontario, Tao Ji

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Groundwater discharge may be an important pathway for delivering pollutants into nearshore waters of large inland lakes, including the Great Lakes and Lake Simcoe in Southern Ontario, Canada. This pathway however is poorly understood and quantified. While field methods for evaluating groundwater discharge to surface waters in tributary and marine settings have been widely applied and are well tested, there are limited field methods available for evaluating groundwater discharge to large inland lakes, particularly at the regional scale (i.e. 5-100 km). The objective of this thesis was to evaluate suitable field methods for quantifying groundwater discharge into large inland lakes …

A Physical Scaling Method To Incorporate Regional Physical Characteristics In Future Climatic And Hydrologic Predictions, Abhishek Gaur

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In this thesis an original Physical Scaling (SP) method for downscaling Global Circulation Model (GCM) based climatic projections has been developed, tested and applied over a study region. The model formulation can take into account regional physical characteristics like land-cover and elevation into the model formulation. A thorough verification of the method and its extension: SP with Surrounding pixel information (SPS) method has been performed and their performance towards downscaling GCM based precipitation, surface temperature and air temperature has been compared with many state-of-the-art downscaling models like Bias Correction Spatial Downscaling (BCSD) method, Statistical DownScaling Method (SDSM) and Generalized Linear …

A Systems Approach To Modelling The Effects Of Climate Change On Agroforestry: A Case Study In Western Tanzania, Elaine M. Samuel

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Climate change is anticipated to have significant effects on agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa as the magnitude of weather events increase in severity. Smallholder farmers in western Tanzania are potentially vulnerable to climate change impact as crops rely on precipitation as the only source of water. It is prudent to evaluate different modes of agricultural adaptations, such as agroforestry, that these farmers can easily adopt to improve their resiliency to the effects of climate change. System dynamics modelling is a cost-effective tool to simulate the long-term behaviour of agroforestry systems under future climate conditions. Water, Nutrient, and Light Capture in …

Application Of Treated Oil Sands Drill Cuttings Waste In Micropiles Construction, Moustafa Ahmed Raafat Mohamed Aboutabikh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A micropile is constructed by drilling a hole, placing a steel reinforcing element, grouting it using neat cement. However, cement production consumes energy and generates carbon dioxide. Implementing waste materials in construction applications represents a sustainable solution for many waste management problems. On the other hand, oil sands drill cuttings waste represents one of the most difficult challenges for the oil sands mining sector. Reducing the amount oil sands drill cutting waste sent to landfill offers one of the best solutions for waste management. This thesis presents an innovative solution for application of treated oil sands waste (TOSW) in grout …