Environmental Engineering Commons^™

The Viability Of Organic Dyes In Luminescent Down-Shifting Layers For The Enhancement Of Si Solar Cell Efficiency, Aaron Glenn, Conor Mcloughlin, Hind Ahmed, Hoda Akbari, Subhash Chandra, Sarah Mccormack

Articles

The main energy losses in solar cells are related to spectral losses where high energy photons are not used efficiently, and energy is lost via thermalization which reduces the solar cell’s overall efficiency. A way to tackle this is to introduce a luminescent down-shifting layer (LDS) to convert these high energy photons into a lower energy bracket helping the solar cell to absorb them and thus generating a greater power output. In this paper, lumogen dye Violet 570 has been used as LDS coated films of 10μm and 60μm placed on top of Si solar cells. The dye was incorporated …

Predicting Escherichia Coli Loads In Cascading Dams With Machine Learning: An Integration Of Hydrometeorology, Animal Density And Grazing Pattern, Olufemi P. Abimbola, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Tiffany Messer, Elaine D. Berry, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, Samuel Hansen

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Accurate prediction of Escherichia coli contamination in surface waters is challenging due to considerable uncertainty in the physical, chemical and biological variables that control E. coli occurrence and sources in surface waters. This study proposes a novel approach by integrating hydro-climatic variables as well as animal density and grazing pattern in the feature selection modeling phase to increase E. coli prediction accuracy for two cascading dams at the US Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC), Nebraska. Predictive models were developed using regression techniques and an artificial neural network (ANN). Two adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) structures including subtractive clustering and fuzzy …

Irrigation-Yield Production Functions And Irrigation Water Use Effciency Response Of Drought-Tolerant And Non-Drought-Tolerant Maize Hybrids Under Different Irrigation Levels, Population Densities, And Environments, Suat Irmak, Ali T. Mohammed, William Kranz, C. D. Yonts, Simon Van Donk

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Irrigation-yield production functions (IYPFs), irrigation water use effciency (IWUE), and grain production per unit of applied irrigation of non-drought-tolerant (NDT) and drought-tolerant (DT) maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids were quantified in four locations with different climates in Nebraska [Concord (sub-humid), Clay Center (transition zone between sub-humid and semi-arid); North Platte (semi-arid); and, Scottsbluff (semi-arid)] during three growing seasons (2010, 2011, and 2012) at three irrigation levels (fully-irrigated treatment (FIT), early cut-off (ECOT), and rainfed (RFT)) under two plant population densities (PPDs) (low-PPD; 59,300 plants ha^-1; and, high-PPD, 84,000 plants ha^-1). Overall, DT hybrids’ performance was …

An Automated Seepage Meter For Streams And Lakes, Douglas Kip Solomon, Eric Humphrey, Troy E. Gilmore, David P. Genereux, Vitaly A. Zlotnik

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

We describe a new automatic seepage meter for use in soft bottom streams and lakes. The meter utilizes a thin‐walled tube that is inserted into the streambed or lakebed. A hole in the side of the tube is fitted with an electric valve. Prior to the test, the valve is open and the water level inside the tube is the same as the water level outside the tube. The test starts with closure of the valve, and the water level inside the tube changes as it moves toward the equilibrium hydraulic head that exists at the bottom of the tube. …

Treatment Of Vegetable Oil Refining Wastes, D. Kaya, Yung-Tse Hung

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The common vegetable oils are soybean, sesame, sunflower, corn, canola, and cotton seeds. Their yields, compositions and physical and chemical properties determine their usefulness in various applications aside edible uses. Crude oils obtained by pressing of such vegetable seeds are not usually considered to be edible before the removal of various nonglyceride compounds through operations known as refining. The refining processes remove undesirable materials such as phospholipids, monoacylglycerols, diacylglycerols, free fatty acids, colour and pigments, oxidised materials, etc., but, may also remove valuable minor components such as antioxidants and vitamins (carotenes and tocopherols). The major steps involved in chemical refining …

Prediction Of Neighbor-Dependent Microbial Interactions From Limited Population Data, Joon-Yong Lee, Shin Haruta, Souichiro Kato, Hans C. Bernstein, Stephen R. Lindemann, Dong-Yup Lee, Jim K. Fredrickson, Hyun-Seob Song

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Modulation of interspecies interactions by the presence of neighbor species is a key ecological factor that governs dynamics and function of microbial communities, yet the development of theoretical frameworks explicit for understanding context-dependent interactions are still nascent. In a recent study, we proposed a novel rule-based inference method termed the Minimal Interspecies Interaction Adjustment (MIIA) that predicts the reorganization of interaction networks in response to the addition of new species such that the modulation in interaction coefficients caused by additional members is minimal. While the theoretical basis of MIIA was established through the previous work by assuming the full availability …

Interrelationships Between Water Use Efficiency And Light Use Efficiency In Four Row Crop Canopies, Meetpal S. Kukal, Suat Irmak Dr.

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Quantitative evidence of light use efficiency (LUE) controls on water use effi- ciency (WUE) is lacking, especially comparatively across row crops. Field research experiments (2016–2018) were set up for maize (Zea mays L.), soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), under optimal growth conditions in dry sub-humid conditions. Overall, LUE was able to explain 52% of variance in WUE, and were related as WUE = 1.73 LUE, although crop-specific variation was observed. High- est sensitivity of WUE to changes in LUE was found in sorghum, followed by soybean, winter wheat, and …

Removal Of Chemicals Of Emerging Concern And Mass Transfer Modeling In A Nanofiltration Membrane Process, Carlyn Higgins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

An investigation of 1,4-dioxane and enantiomeric ibuprofen mass transfer in a nanofiltration (NF) membrane process has been completed. Pilot-scale experiments using a 267 gallon per minute (gpm) split-feed, center-port NF process treating pH 6.5 groundwater revealed a consistent 12 percent removal of 1,4-dioxane despite the variable feed concentration (180 nanograms per liter (ng/L) to 38,400 ng/L) when the water flux and temperature were held constant. Bench-scale, flat-sheet NF membrane experiments treating pH 4.0 synthetic water displayed a 34.5 to 49.5 percent removal of racemic ibuprofen. Removal values were dependent on feedwater concentration (1 to 1,500 microgram per liter (µg/L)), pH, …

A Comparison Of Zinc Levels In Runoff From Rubberized Hot Mix Asphalt And Conventional Pavement, Peter A. Duin

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

High levels of dissolved zinc in water bodies can be toxic to aquatic organisms. There are currently over 40 waterways in California that have on occasion been in exceedance of Clean Water Act minimum toxicity threshold standards for zinc. Recycled tires that contain 1-2% zinc by mass are commonly used in California paving formulations known as Rubberized Hot Mix Asphalt (RHMA). The addition of tires to RHMA increases the zinc content of the pavement in comparison to conventional HMA. This research assesses the zinc content and leaching rate of RHMA in field and laboratory settings to estimate its contribution of …

Cationic Surfactant Analysis With Good Laboratory Practice, Lawrence K. Wang, Mu-Hao Sung Wang, Nazih K. Shammas, Valerie Renak, Yung-Tse Hung

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The objectives of this research are to: (a) demonstrate how to select an organic solvent (such as 1,1,1-trichloroethane) for spectrophotometric determination of cationic surfactant in water and wastewater, (b) investigate and recommend possible better organic solvents for surfactant analysis; and (c) introduce good laboratory practice for personal protection, laboratory protection and hazardous waste management. Specifically this research involves selection of alternate less toxic and greener organic solvent for use in a methyl orange method for colorimetric determination of cationic surfactants in the 0.2 to 2.0 mg/L range. The principles, steps and management of the methyl orange method include: (a) complexation …

Data Driven Synthetic Load Modeling For Smart City Energy Management Studies, Fernando Bereta Dos Reis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary aim of this dissertation is to provide synthetic residential load models with granular level information on the customers having information about the appliances that constitute each individual residential customer through time. The synthetic load model is capable of being widely utilized by the power system research community since only publicly available data is utilized for its generation. This gives researcher’s access to how the synthetic load was made and also how accurate the model is in representing real power system regions. As the title of the dissertation suggests, the synthetic residential load models are intended for smart city …

Sustainable And Resilient Construction: Current Status And Future Challenges, Niamh Murtagh, Lloyd Scott, Jingli Fan

Articles

The construction industry globally is one of the most environmentally damaging of sectors. Additionally, the resources consumed and the operational energy requirements of buildings are ‘locked-in’, potentially for decades. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has recognised construction as a sector in which significant improvements can, and indeed must, be made. But the industry is often argued to be unique, in its multiplicity of stakeholders, transient organisational structures, avoidance of risk and impact on society. The current Virtual Special Issue (VSI) sought to bring together a collection of papers on progress and potential for improvement in the construction sector, in …

Thermal Analysis And Post Construction Verification, Cormac Flood, Lloyd Scott

Articles

Purpose – The residential sector in Ireland accounted for 25 per cent of energy related CO2 emissions in 2016 through burning fossil fuels, a major contributor to climate change. In support of Ireland’s CO2 reduction targets, the existing housing stock could contribute greatly to the reduction of space-heating energy demand through retrofit. Approximately 50 per cent of Ireland’s 2m dwellings pre-date building regulations and are predominantly of cavity and solid wall construction, the performance of which has not been extensively investigated at present. Although commitment to thermal upgrade/retrofit of existing buildings may increase under future government policies, the poor characterisation …

Initial Transformation Of Photo-Viable Free Amino Acids In The Presence Of Surrogate And Standard Dissolved Organic Matter Under Sunlit Irradiation, Ryan J. Kibler

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

With more than half of the nation’s drinking water affected by wastewater discharge from upstream and more indirect and direct reuse of treated wastewater, human health and ecotoxicological impacts resulting from effluent organic material (EfOM) will increase. Dissolved free amino acids (DFAAs), nitrogen components of EfOM, are essential nitrogen sources for microorganisms and play important roles in global N-cycling in natural aquatic environments. Several DFAAs including histidine, methionine, and tyrosine in sunlit surface waters are susceptible to direct and indirect photochemical transformation with reactive oxygen species. In this study, we investigated the reaction kinetics and initial reaction mechanisms involved in …

A Field Study Of Bioaccessible Lead In Detroit Soils: Insight Into The Effectiveness Of Phosphate-Based Lead Sequestration, Sabrina R. Good

Wayne State University Theses

Historical and contemporary use of lead (Pb) in gasoline, paints, and industry have caused lead to be ubiquitous in the urban soil environment, disproportionately affecting low-income minority children. As soil is a major exposure pathway for children, an effective remediation technique for lead-contaminated soil is urgently needed. Common remediation techniques, such as excavation or soil capping, are expensive and environmentally destructive, especially on a city-wide residential basis. Decreasing the bioavailability of lead, or the fraction which is retained by the human body, may be a more economically and environmentally conscious option for remediating lead in urban environments.

Research has demonstrated …

Water Reclamation Using Functionalized Forward Osmosis Membrane, Fnu Joshua

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This study investigated water reclamation from an impaired-quality water using forward osmosis (FO) membrane functionalized by nano zero valent iron (nZVI) loaded polyelectrolyte multilayer films. Stormwater runoff was selected as the impaired-quality water, which served as a feed solution (FS) and a NaCl salt solution at a concentration representing reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate was used a draw solution (DS). RO concentrate is another impaired-quality water that is discharged to the environmental with little or no treatment. A commercial cellulose triacetate (CTA) FO membrane was modified using poly allylamine hydrochloride (PAH) (a polycation) and poly acrylic acid (PAA) (a polyanion) following …

Present Mechanization Of Regional Tea Processing And Grading System In Bangladesh, Md Towfiqur Rahman, Marwa Rahman, Kaswar Hamid, Sabiha Ferdous, Muhammad Rashed Al Mamun

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Nowadays tea is the most popular beverage crop of Bangladesh which contributes to our national GDP. There are 166 tea gardens in the various region in Bangladesh are producing tea. Some best quality tea is exporting from our country but this amount is negligible due to improper handling and processing systems. Quality tea production from processing houses is beyond control and mostly depends on the processing method. Improper handling and insufficient technology results in lower grade tea, as well as foreign contaminates, are found in made tea. This research focused on the problems of the present of tea processing and …

Recovery Of Ethyl Lactate From Washing Solution Originating From Drill Cuttings Treatment By Adsorption Process, Theary Peng Orng

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The purpose of this study was to recover the washing solutions generated from drill cuttings washing process using an adsorption technology. Ethyl lactate (EL) was selected as an extracting agent for drill cuttings washing throughout the work. Various washing parameters including liquid-to-solid (L/S) ratio, washing time, mixing speed, rinse-to-solid (R/S) ratio, and rinsing time were studied with the aid of response surface methodology. Once the optimal washing conditions were obtained, the recovery of washing solutions, i.e., spent EL and rinsed water using the commercial granular activated carbon (GAC) and kapok fiber (KF) were investigated. Finally, the adsorbent modification and validation …

Remediation And Prevention Of Harmful Algae Blooms (Habs) In Ascarate Lake At El Paso, Texas, Elizabeth Herrera Ortega

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Ascarate park in El Paso, Texas is an example of an urban ecosystem in the middle of a growing city. It is the largest public-use recreational park in El Paso county and it includes a 48-acre Ascarate lake. The purpose of this study was to prevent harmful algae growth in Ascarate lake using phytoremediation by analyzing different water quality parameters. We installed artificial islands on west cove of the lake with African iris plants to determine the feasibility of remediation to prevent algae blooms in Ascarate lake. Water samples were collected at different points close and away from the islands …

Removal Of Heavy Metals From Landfill Leachate Using Electrospun Polyelectrolyte Complex Fiber-Laminated Ultrafiltration Membrane, Amirsalar Rabbani Esfahani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Ultrafiltration (UF) is a low-pressure membrane process that yields higher permeate flux and saves significant operating costs compared to NF/RO. However, UF has not been applied as a primary method for landfill leachate treatment due to its large pore size. This research investigated the removal of heavy metals from landfill leachate using an UF membrane laminated with fiber mats produced from electrospinning of a polyelectrolyte complex. In this research, we modified the surface of the UF membrane with two polyelectrolytes including Polyacrylic Acid (PAA) and Polyallylamine Hydrochloride (PAH). The removal of heavy metals including Pb, Cd, and Cu from water …

Fluvial Sediment Organic Matter Degradation Identified With Elemental And Isotopic Fate During Laboratory Incubation, Brenden Riddle

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Fluvial sediment is well recognized as a critical factor in both carbon and nutrient budgets within stream systems. However, we find very few studies of reactivity and isotope enrichment for stream water from agricultural and urban streams and the class of substrate known as fluvial sediment organic matter. This study investigated the hypothesis that fluvial sediment is subject to degradation even though many previous studies have considered this class of substrate generally inert. Therefore we qualify that elemental and isotopic signatures of fluvial sediment organic matter should be considered potentially non-conservative when used in tracer studies. Methods applied to this …

Probabilistic Approach To Water, Sediment, And Nutrient Connectivity For Advancing Watershed Modelling, David Tyler Mahoney

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The goal of this dissertation is to represent the spatial and temporal domains of water, sediment, and nutrient flux and pathways within fluvial and watershed settings. To complete this goal, we integrate connectivity theory into watershed model structures to simulate water, sediment, and nutrient movement at the fundamental unit they occur. Fluvial-based sediment and nutrient flux is an important driver of global sediment and nutrient budgets, and the quantification of which serves as an ongoing challenge to limnologists, engineers, and watershed managers. Watershed models have been richly developed over the past century, but are currently restrained by problems related to …

A Modeling Approach To Understanding Glyphosate Transport In The Belize River Watershed, Barbara Anmei Astmann

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide worldwide and is often transported from application areas to surface water when solubilized in runoff or sorbed to eroded sediment. There is evidence that suggests both glyphosate and its main metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) may pose a risk to human health, as well as cause adverse effects in the environment. However, consistent monitoring data is still limited, especially in developing countries. Belize is a developing nation with agriculture being a major sector of its economy and is heavily reliant on glyphosate. The widespread use of glyphosate in Belize may be resulting in glyphosate …

Variance Decomposition Of Forecasted Water Budget And Sediment Processes Under Changing Climate In Fluvial And Fluviokarst Systems, Nabil Al Aamery

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Variance decomposition is the partitioning of different factors affecting the variance structure of a response variable. The present research focuses on future streamflow and sediment transport processes projections as the response variables. The authors propose using numerous climate factors and hydrological modeling factors that can cause any response variable to vary from historic to future conditions in any given watershed system. The climate modeling factors include global climate model, downscaling method, emission scenario, project phase, bias correction. The hydrological modeling factor includes hydrological model parametrization, and meteorological variable inclusion in the analysis. This research uses a wide spectrum of data, …

Investigation Into The Presence, Persistence, And Fate Of S. Aureus, And Its Mobile Genetic Elements, In Wastewater And The Surrounding Environment, Atena Amirsoleimani

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Currently, the world is engaged in a battle against very small parts of our environment that develop and share genes for resistance to multiple environmental conditions. Pathogenic infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been impacting animal and human health and life. Increasing incidences of methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections transmitted through the environment are rising faster than the discovery of new antibiotics. Multi-drug resistant S. aureus infections in healthy individuals without prior hospitalization have been increasing all around the world.

Many people carry S. aureus in their nose and on their skin, common niches for the bacteria to co-grow …

Soil Bulk Density Effects On Runoff Estimation, Colton Pugh

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Urbanization has long been a major factor in the hydrology of surrounding areas. Engineers are commonly tasked with mitigating the extra runoff that urbanization brings with it. The NRCS Curve Number (CN) method is a commonly-used approach to predicting the amount of runoff that will be experienced from a given area. However, this method is known to be highly simplified in model of the processes involved. This study focused on determining the relationships between soil bulk density, simulated rainfall events, hydrologic soil group (HSG) and runoff estimation (specifically via the NRCS CN method). It was determined that soil bulk density …

Quantifying Nitrogen Fate In Karst Agroecosystem Streams Of Central Kentucky: Development And Application Of Numerical Modeling And Insight From High-Resolution Sensors, Nolan Lewis Bunnell

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

In-stream fate of nutrients in karst agroecosystems remains poorly understood, despite the known impact of karst on water resources at local to global scales. In the Inner-Bluegrass region of central Kentucky, heterogeneity of karst maturity, flow pathways, and nutrient sources adds to the complexity of quantifying nutrient dynamics, thus requiring novel monitoring and modeling approaches. The significance of these streams is recognized given spring/surface water confluences have been identified as hotspots for biogeochemical transformations. In slow-moving streams high in dissolved inorganic nutrients (particularly dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP)), benthic and floating aquatic macrophytes are recognized to …

Improving Air Pollution Exposure Estimation Using Cell Phone Location Data And Low-Cost Sensors, Xiaonan Yu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Human exposure estimation to air pollution plays an important role in epidemiological studies which are designed to reveal correlations between human exposures to certain air pollutants and certain diseases, such as asthma, cardiovascular disease and reproductive diseases. Traditionally, when people's mobile data is hard to get, home location is used to estimate people's exposures assuming that people stay at home all the time. Whereas, people move and it is more accurate to estimate people's exposures including people's mobility. In our study, we showcased two methods to obtain people's mobile data: Google Maps location history (GMLH) data and Call Detailed Record …

Historical Trends In Air Temperature, Precipitation, And Runoff Of A Plateau Inland River Watershed In North China, Along Zhang, Ruizhong Gao, Xixi Wang, Tingxi Liu, Lijing Fang

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Understanding historical trends in temperature, precipitation, and runoff is important but incomplete for developing adaptive measures to climate change to sustain fragile ecosystems in cold and arid regions, including the Balagaer River watershed on the Mongolian Plateau of northeast China. The objective of this study was to detect such trends in this watershed from 1959 to 2017. The detection was accomplished using a Mann-Kendall sudden change approach at annual and seasonal time scales. The results indicated that the abrupt changes in temperature preceded that in either runoff or precipitation; these abrupt changes occurred between 1970 and 2004. Significant (α = …

Evaluation Of 1-D And 2-D Hydraulic Models For Designing And Assessing Fullspan Stream Crossings, Alyssa Sachiko Virgil

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This project compared design decisions and hydraulic analyses of full-span stream crossings using one- and two-dimensional (1-D and 2-D) hydraulic models. The project was initiated by the California Department of Transportation’s interest in moving from 1-D to 2-D hydraulic modeling and by the Federal Highways Administration’s support for adopting SRH-2D (Sedimentation and River Hydraulics-2D developed by the US Bureau of Reclamation) in Aquaveo, LLC’s Surface-water Modeling System as their standard design model. Two-dimensional hydraulic models calculate more detailed water depths and velocities than 1-D models, which can better identify fish passage conditions, areas of potential scour or deposition, and aquatic …