Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Proactive Assessment Of Climate Change And Contaminant Spill Impacts On Source Water Quality, Lillian C. Jeznach

Doctoral Dissertations

Managing the water quality of surface drinking water sources has become an increasingly difficult task for water suppliers due to increased watershed urbanization and climate change. Changes in source water quality may affect public perceptions, treatment effectiveness, and ultimately costs to treat water to drinking standards. Although there are increased threats to current and future drinking water quality, current approaches to managing these threats are typically reactionary. Prior detailed modeling efforts of hypothetical events that may impair raw water quality allow for an understanding of constituent fate and transport, including potential maximum concentrations and travel times to the drinking water …

Water Quality Modelling Using Multivariate Statistical Analysis And Remote Sensing In South Florida, Mohammad Hajigholizadeh

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The overall objective of this dissertation research is to understand the spatiotemporal dynamics of water quality parameters in different water bodies of South Florida. Two major approaches (multivariate statistical techniques and remote sensing) were used in this study. Multivariate statistical techniques include cluster analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA), factor analysis (FA), discriminant analysis (DA), absolute principal component score-multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR) and PMF receptor modeling techniques were used to assess the water quality and identify and quantify the potential pollution sources affecting the water quality of three major rivers of South Florida. For this purpose, a 15-year (2000–2014) data …

Effect Of Rainfall Timing And Tillage On The Transport Of Steroidhormones In Runoff From Manure Amended Row Crop Fields, Sagor Biswas, William L. Kranz, Charles A. Shapiro, Daniel D. Snow, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, Mitiku Mamo, David D. Tarkalson, Tian C. Zhang, David P. Shelton, Simon J. Van Donk, Terry L. Mader

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Runoff generated from livestock manure amended row crop fields is one of the major pathways of hormone transport to the aquatic environment. The study determined the effects of manure handling, tillage methods, and rainfall timing on the occurrence and transport of steroid hormones in runoff from the row crop field. Stockpiled and composted manure from hormone treated and untreated animals were applied to test plots and subjected to two rainfall simulation events 30 days apart. During the two rainfall simulation events, detection of any steroid hormone or metabolites was identified in 8–86% of runoff samples from any tillage and manure …

Formation Of Trihalomethanes (Thms) As Disinfection By-Products (Dbps) When Treated Municipal Wastewater Is Disinfected With Sodium Hypochlorite, Helene Kassouf

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Disinfection is an essential process in the treatment of municipal wastewater before the treated wastewater can be discharged to the environment. Hillsborough County's Northwest Regional Water Reclamation Facility (NWRWRF) in Tampa, Florida, currently uses ultraviolet (UV) light for disinfection. However, this method has proven expensive to implement and maintain, and may not be effective if the light transmission is poor. For these reasons, Hillsborough County is considering switching from UV light to sodium hypochlorite for disinfection. However, hypochlorite (chlorine) disinfection has disadvantages as well, such as the production of disinfection by-products (DBPs) such as trihalomethanes (THM) and haloacetic acids (HAAs), …

Pepper Mild Mottle Virus As A Surrogate For Enteric Viruses: Implications For Assessing Water Quality, Erin Michelle Symonds

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Less than 10% of the world’s domestic wastewater is disinfected prior to discharge into surface waters; therefore, human exposure to diverse wastewater-related pathogens results in millions of cases of illness each year. Among the enteric pathogens, viruses represent an important group of emerging pathogens and are frequently the cause of food- and water-borne outbreaks of illness. Although the World Health Organization and many government agencies mandate the use of bacterial indicators to identify poor microbial water quality, it is well known that these indicators poorly correlate with fecal pollution contamination events and risk of disease. The field of public health-related …

The Effect Of The Antecedent Dry Conditions On Nitrogen Removal For A Modified Bioretention System, Mackenzie Peterson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Eutrophication is defined as the ‘over enrichment’ of a water body from nutrients, resulting in uncontrolled growth of primary producers, leading to periods of oxygen depletion from decomposition of the algal organic matter. According to the 2010 Water Infrastructure Needs and Investment (a U.S. Congressional Report), 40% of U.S. water bodies are contaminated with pollutants, including nutrients. Non-point sources of nutrient pollution are a major cause of this reduction in water quality. One way to decrease eutrophication is to manage nutrients found in stormwater runoff, before they reach a receiving water body.

Bioretention cells containing an internal water storage zone …

Wind Power: Frustrating Yet Inevitable, Garth Woodruff

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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 …

Data Provisioning For The Object Modeling System (Oms), Jack R. Carlson, Olaf David, Wes J. Lloyd, George H. Leavesley, Ken W. Rojas, Timothy R. Green, Mazdak Arabi, Lucas Yaege, Hom Kipka

Wes Lloyd

The Object Modelling System (OMS) platform supports initiatives to build or re-factor agro-environmental models and deploy them in different business contexts as model services on cloud computing platforms. Whether traditional desktop, client-server, or emerging cloud deployments, success especially at the enterprise level relies on stable and efficient data provisioning to the models. In this paper we describe recent experience and trends with tools and services deployed to cloud platforms. Also, systematic, sustained data stewardship and alignment with standards organizations impart stability to data provisioning efforts.

The Virtual Machine (Vm) Scaler: An Infrastructure Manager Supporting Environmental Modeling On Iaas Clouds, Wes J. Lloyd, Olaf David, Mazdak Arabi, James C. Ascough Ii, Timothy R. Green, Jack R. Carlson, Ken W. Rojas

Wes Lloyd

Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) clouds provide a new medium for deployment of environmental modeling applications. Harnessing advancements in virtualization, IaaS clouds can provide dynamic scalable infrastructure to better support scientific modeling computational demands. Providing scientific modeling “as-a-service” requires dynamic scaling of server infrastructure to adapt to changing user workloads. This paper presents the Virtual Machine (VM) Scaler, an autonomic resource manager for IaaS Clouds. We have developed VM-Scaler, a REST/JSON-based web services application which supports infrastructure provisioning and management to support scientific modeling for the Cloud Services Innovation Platform (CSIP) [Lloyd et al. 2012]. VM-Scaler harnesses the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) …

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 …

Study On Adsorption For Pb2+ Of Red Mud Sintering-Expanded Haydites, Aoping He, Wenfeng Zhu, Linjiang Wang, Jianmin Zeng, Xiyong Chen

The 8th International Conference on Physical and Numerical Simulation of Materials Processing

No abstract provided.

Urban Water Project At Food Finders, Abby Zielinski

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Abby Zielinski is a sophomore in environmental and ecological engineering. In this article, she describes her community experience at Food Finders Resource and Education Center, which was associated with a course called Urban Water Projects.

Reducing Landfill Waste: Implementation And Optimization Of A Vermicomposting System, John Hemmerling, Jeremy Pan, Sahil Bhalla, Karan Kedia

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

John Hemmerling, a senior in chemical engineering and project leader, Jeremy Pan, a sophomore in computer science, and Sahil Bhalla and Karan Kedia, both freshman in first-year engineering, are a team of four students participating in the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) Environmental Improvement Initiatives (EII). In this article they describe how they are investigating waste generation reduction at the Retrofit Net-Zero Energy Water and Waste (ReNEWW) house in West Lafayette, Indiana, in conjunction with Whirlpool Corporation. Their work is intended to provide guidance to households on implementing vermicomposting systems so food waste can be diverted from our landfills.

Study Of Poisoning Mechanism Of Hg And As On V2o5–Wo3/Tio2 Scr De-Nox Catalysts, Qingcai Liu, Ming Kong, Lu Yao, Shan Ren, Jian Yang

The 8th International Conference on Physical and Numerical Simulation of Materials Processing

No abstract provided.

Research On Photocatalytic Properties Of Tio2–Graphene Composites With Different Morphologies, Guang Hu, Jian Yang, Dong Zhao, Ying Chen, Yan Cao

The 8th International Conference on Physical and Numerical Simulation of Materials Processing

No abstract provided.

Predictions Of Ponderosa Pine Resiliency To Climate Change In The Cebolla Canyon Watershed, New Mexico, Breana N. Chavez

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

This project was designed to understand the potential impacts of climate change on soil moisture and the resiliency of ponderosa pine in the forested region of the Cebolla Canyon watershed (Cebolla), located in eastern New Mexico. Much of the watershed is administered as public domain land by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This project aims to help BLM managers understand how climate change is projected to impact ponderosa pine seedling establishment and mature ponderosa pine productivity in Cebolla.

Current and potential future soil moisture regimes in Cebolla were simulated on three hills using HYDRUS-1D. The soil moisture regimes …

Reflecting Societal Values In Designing Flood Risk Management Strategies, Mark Adamson, John O'Sullivan, Zeinab Bedri

Conference papers

In 2006, the Office of Public Works (OPW) began the National Catchment-based Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme through a series of pilot studies. A Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) Framework was developed through the pilot studies that integrated a number of objectives related to a wide range of potential impacts and benefits into the core of process of appraising and selecting suitable flood risk management measures for a given area or location, and then for prioritising national investments for different schemes and projects. This MCA Framework, that provides a systematic process of developing a non-monetised but numerical indicator of benefit …

Comparison Of Lean Construction In India And United States Of America, Vedangi Mahashabde

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The concept of Lean Construction has been introduced successfully into the Construction Industry to increase efficiency and profit by elimination of non-value adding activities or ‘Waste’. Lean Construction is an adaptation of Lean manufacturing principles and is the future of the Construction Industry in developing as well as developed countries. There has been much study and documentation conducted on ‘Lean Construction’ in USA. Even though people have started practicing Lean in India, there is lack of documented information available about it. Professionals within the Industry could already be minimizing ‘Waste’ and/or following Lean principles without the knowledge of the term …

Effects Of Surrounding Water Table On A Forested Wetland Habitat In East Coast Of Virginia, Lane Stokes

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Exchanges into and out of a wetland, including surface water flow, groundwater flow, and constituents in the flows, usually determine the wetland physicochemical characteristics and biodiversity. To date, of these three exchanges, groundwater flow is the least studied, particularly in the United States of America. In this thesis, field observations were conducted at a forested non-tidal wetland, located on a flat hilltop. The position of the wetland is such that groundwater outflow is the only significant exchange that could be impacted by the surrounding land use. In addition, a spatially variable steady-state model was set up to extrapolate the observations …

Longitudinal Tidal Dispersion Coefficient Estimation And Total Suspended Solids Transport Characterization In The James River, Beatriz Eugenia Patino

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The longitudinal dispersion coefficient is a parameter used to evaluate the effect of cross-sectional variations on substance mixing mechanisms in estuaries influenced by tide, wind and internal density variations. Considering a two dimensional approach, this study aims at evaluating a tidal area of the lower James River at approximately 19 miles upstream from the mouth at the Chesapeake Bay, in the City of Newport News, and applies an experimental procedure based on in-situ salinity concentrations to estimate the dispersion coefficient in the area where receives a discharge from the HRSD James River Wastewater Treatment Plant, and further characterizes Total Suspended …

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 …

Environmental Efficiency Assessment Of U.S. Transport Sector: A Slack-Based Data Envelopment Analysis Approach, Yong Shin Park, Siew Hoon Lim, Gokhan Egilmez, Joseph Szmerekovsky

Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Sustainable transportation in the U.S. is essential for long-term economic growth and mobility, and environmental preservation. Using a non-radial slack-based measurement data envelopment analysis (SBM-DEA) model and state-level data, this study assesses the environmental efficiency of the transportation sector in the U.S. from years 2004 to 2012. In addition to environmental efficiency, carbon efficiency and potential carbon reduction were estimated for the 50 U.S. states. The findings of this study reveal that U.S. transportation sector was environmentally inefficient; U.S. states had an average transportation environmental efficiency score below 0.64. Therefore the states could substantially reduce carbon emissions to improve the …

Pyrolysis Of Dried Wastewater Biosolids Can Be Energy Positive, Patrick J. Mcnamara, Jon Koch, Zhongzhe Liu, Daniel Zitomer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Pyrolysis is a thermal process that converts biosolids into biochar (a soil amendment), py-oil and py-gas, which can be energy sources. The objectives of this research were to determine the product yield of dried biosolids during pyrolysis and the energy requirements of pyrolysis. Bench-scale experiments revealed that temperature increases up to 500 °C substantially decreased the fraction of biochar and increased the fraction of py-oil. Py-gas yield increased above 500 °C. The energy required for pyrolysis was approximately 5-fold less than the energy required to dry biosolids (depending on biosolids moisture content), indicating that, if a utility already uses energy …

Minimum Conditions For Visible Mold Growth, G. A. Tsongas, Frank Riordan

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Considerable confusion and misunderstanding exists over the conditions required for visible mold growth at a surface in buildings. That is evident in papers and articles authored by engineers and other scientists, including various ASHRAE, ASTM and Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation publications. One of the major problems is that many HVAC engineers, building scientists, practitioners and others believe there exists a single critical value of the relative humidity (RH) of the indoor or ambient air well away from surfaces, below which mold will not grow on surfaces. However, that is not the case. The purpose of this article is to clarify …

Wetlands And Coastal Systems: Protecting And Restoring Valuable Ecosystems, C. T. Agouridis, K. R. Douglas-Mankin, A. C. Linhoss, A. R. Mittelstet

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Wetlands and coastal systems are unique, highly productive, and often threatened landscapes that provide a host of services to both humans and the environment. This article introduces a five-article Wetlands and Coastal Systems Special Collection that evolved from a featured session at the 2015 ASABE Annual International Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Collection provides perspectives on tools and techniques for enhancing the protection and restoration of wetlands and coastal systems with emphasis on vegetation, hydrology, water quality, and planning. Topics span the Florida Everglades (two articles) and Virginia floodplain (one article) wetland systems and include remote sensing (one article) …

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 …