Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Towards A Cybersecurity Testbed For Agricultural Vehicles And Environments, Mark Freyhof, George Grispos, Santosh Pitla, Cody Stolle

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

In today’s modern farm, an increasing number of agricultural systems and vehicles are connected to the Internet. While the benefits of networked agricultural machinery are attractive, this technological shift is also creating an environment that is conducive to cyberattacks. While previous research has focused on general cybersecurity concerns in the farming and agricultural industries, minimal research has focused on techniques for identifying security vulnerabilities within actual agricultural systems that could be exploited by cybercriminals. Hence, this paper presents STAVE – a Security Testbed for Agricultural Vehicles and Environments – as a potential solution to assist with the identification of cybersecurity …

Environmental Impact And Life Cycle Assessment Of Biomass Supported Power Systems For Rural Communities, Hariteja Nandimandalam

Theses and Dissertations

Dependence on fossil fuels in the electric sector is one of the major contributors towards Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The increase in renewable contribution has been observed in recent years but there is still potential to utilize wood waste in rural communities for electricity generation promoting energy independence and sustainable development. For this study, a life cycle assessment approach was utilized to estimate the emissions of electricity produced from wood residue in a rural community. Therefore, the process from planting to supply for bioenergy facility to generate electricity are included. The results showed a decrease of 92-96 % in global …

The Living Breakwaters Pdr Efforts: Conceptual Scheduling, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy caused nearly $19 billion in damages in New York City including 69,000 residential units across the five boroughs. This disaster precipitated a post-disaster-rebuilding (PDR) project including roughly $4.2 billion in a Community Development Block Grant allocated towards PDR projects. A portion of the grant was used to construct a living breakwater in Tottenville, Staten Island, consisting of a resiliency approach to risk reduction through erosion prevention, wave energy attenuation, and enhancement of ecosystems and social resiliency to improve resistance to storms for the community of Tottenville. The ridges of each breakwater are designed with …

The Effect Of Changing Land Use On Streamflow Statistics And Flood Flows Across Select Gages In Northwest Arkansas, Timothy Mcmullen

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Since 1901, heavy rainfall events have increased in the United States in both intensity and frequency, and population in the United States has increased, resulting in significant land use changes. Both of these trends could explain an increase in observed flood magnitude and frequency. In order to determine if a relationship exists between land use/land cover and changing stream flows in northwest Arkansas, this study analyzed temporal changes in various flow statistics for fourteen stream gages and compared the rates of change in flow statistics from gages on streams with watersheds that have varying land uses, i.e. urban, agricultural, and …

Sustainability In Construction Practices As Emphasis On Environmental Investing In Esg Model Grows, Maddie Heal

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this research is to emphasize the importance of growing investment on environmental initiatives in business ESG models in regard to sustainable practices in construction. The ESG acronym is known as the environmental, social, and governance efforts that businesses strive to incorporate in their models to increase the responsibility of operations.

Investors continue to seek out responsible businesses when choosing which ventures to pursue. The analysis of the current construction crisis, current investments in the right direction of Eco-friendly design regarding construction, and the threats and benefits incentivizing those investments elucidates the need to emphasize socially responsible investment …

Port Infrastructure Resilience Through Combined Wind-Surge Demand Characterization, Kaley Callaway

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United States economy is reliant on maritime transportation for 70% of imports and exports. Structures that are integral to the operation of ports, such as cranes, are jeopardized when tropical storms approach land. While wind is the only environmental load used to design dockside container cranes, storm surge often accompanies severe wind events and can create large structural loads. This study focuses on determining coupled storm-surge demands and the effect of waves on dockside container cranes. A damage index prediction tool that considers both maximum wind speed and storm surge height is developed and applied to historical hurricane data …

Community Transportation Needs And Willingness To Use Shared Micromobility: A Case Study Of Fort Smith, Arkansas, Anthony Michael Kammerer

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Shared micromobility is utilized in “targeted service areas with the usage generally intended for short trips such as "first- and last-mile" connections to complete trips made via other modes, including transit” (Price et al., 2021). In the United States, this practice has especially taken off with the implementation of sharing-based systems. This is evidenced by ridership numbers in the United States growing from 84 million riders nationwide in 2018 to 136 million riders in 2019 (NACTO, 2020). Users often use their smart phone or another similar device to unlock the vehicle after paying a fee on the device through their …

Improving Efficiency At El Paso Water Canal Plant, Angel Bustamante

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

AbstractThis project focused on the savings associated with filter backwash and rewash water at the Canal plant. Canal plant is a conventional surface water plant owned and operated by El Paso Water. Approximately 330,000 gallons of backwash water and 84,500 gallons of rewash water are lost daily during normal operational conditions. The combined 414,500 gallons of water are equivalent to 1.27 acre feet per day. During a full eight-month surface water season, this is 305 acre feet. With the goal of optimizing the plant, residuals waste streams can be recycled to the head of the treatment plant. However, there is …

Fate And Transport Of Toxoplasma Gondii Oocysts In Saturated Porous Media: Effects Of Electrolytes And Natural Organic Matter, Christian Pullano

All Theses

Toxoplasma gondii is a pathogenic microorganism that is currently a threat to public health. Understanding the fate and transport of T. gondii through the soil and groundwater is vital in determining the risk it poses to water resources and human health. The physico-chemical interactions between the groundwater and the bio colloid within an aquifer will dictate its mobility and its ability to infect humans. This research examines how various naturally occurring groundwater chemistries containing organic compounds and monovalent and divalent salt solutions will alter the fate and transport of T. gondii. Solutions containing various concentrations of humic acid, fulvic …

The Control Strategies Of Brominated Organic Disinfection By-Products: Adsorption With Pre-Chlorination And Photodegradation, Cagri Utku Erdem

All Dissertations

Increasing water pollution, scarcity, and seasonal events force water treatment plants to improve existing treatment techniques and/or implement new methods to enhance drinking water treatment and comply with disinfection by-product (DBP) regulations. A limited number of studies examine the pre-chlorination prior to activated carbon (AC) adsorption for the removal of DBP precursors, and there are no comprehensive and representative treatment conditions in current literature. Although many studies investigated photodegradation of individual DBPs by low pressure ultraviolet (UV₂₅₄) light, there is still lack of information and limited understanding of photodegradation of total organic halogens and practical implications of UV …

Calcium Ferrite As A Semiconductor For Microbially Assisted Photocatalytic Reduction Of Carbon Dioxide, Lauren King

Honors Scholar Theses

The pressing issue of global climate change has been found to be attributed to the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, especially carbon dioxide. One mitigation idea to close the carbon loop is to utilize redox reactions and photocatalysis to reduce carbon dioxide to a useable fuel source, like methane or methanol. This thesis will study the possibility of using calcium ferrite as the semiconductor to perform photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide with the assistance of a microbial fuel cell, which will help minimize the energy required from sunlight photons. A calcium ferrite thin film was produced through …

Contaminants Of Emerging Concern Behavior Within Water Renewal Facilities, Joshua C. Baker

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Emerging constituents (ECs), also called contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.EPA) as: “…pharmaceuticals and personal care products.” This also includes per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are used in waterproofing and non-stick cooking products. It is highly likely that regulatory limits will be placed on many ECs because they tend to accumulate in the environment and biological tissues with little to no transformation. ECs pose a threat to the ecological systems of our nation and the fundamental need for clean water by all life on earth. Clean water is essential for …

Floating Treatment Wetlands For Brackish Waters: Plant Selection And Nutrient Uptake Potential., Andrea Landaverde

All Theses

Brackish water bodies in coastal regions provide critical ecosystem services that support human and environmental health. Anthropogenic activities such as agricultural and industrial activities, construction, urban settlements, and tourism contribute to increased inputs of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in brackish coastal ecosystems. Excess nutrients can lead to impaired water quality and affect marine organisms. Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) are a vegetated-base technology used to remove contaminants from water column, that has been mainly studied and applied in freshwater systems. Application of FTWs in brackish systems requires further investigation, as high salinity in brackish waters could result in toxicity to …

Wetland Uranium Transport Via Iron-Organic Matter Flocs And Hyporheic Exchange, Connor J. Parker

All Dissertations

Uranium (U) released from the M-Area at the Department of Energy Savannah River Site into Tims Branch, a seasonal wetland and braided stream system, is estimated to be 43,500 kg between 1965 and 1984. The motivation for this work is the uranium’s persistence in the wetland for decades, where it is estimated that 80% of the U currently remains in the Tims Branch wetland. U has begun to incorporate into wetland iron (Fe) and carbon cycles, associating with local Fe mineralogy and deposits of rich wetland organic matter (OM). The objective of this work is to characterize the chemical phases …

Characterization Of Water Flow And Solute Transport Driven By Preferential Flow In Soil Vadose Zone, Abdullah Al Mamun

All Dissertations

The vadose zone acts as a buffer zone between the ground surface and the aquifers underneath and controls the transmission of infiltrating water and contaminants, for example, pesticides and chemical spills. Therefore, understanding the flow and transport processes that dominate the vadose zone is important. Macropores are ubiquitous and particularly found in abundance in the vadose zone. These macropores facilitate preferential flow, through which water travels rapidly deep into the soil, bypassing most of the porous matrix. Preferential flow and transport have environmental significance as their processes impact hydrology, ecology, agriculture, subsurface contamination, and waste management sectors. Thus, the overall …

Adaptation Strategies To Mitigate Impacts Of Sea Level Rise On A Freshwater Aquifer Supply On A Barrier Island, Kaylyn Bellais

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Adaptation strategies are used to reduce vulnerability in response to storms and sea-level rise (SLR). An adaptation tipping point for a barrier island is said to exist when an adaptation strategy fails. Previous studies have applied statistics to identify adaptation tipping points and construct adaptation pathways as a function of quantity of SLR. This study is focused on Alligator Lake and Oleander Pond on the barrier island Dauphin Island, AL; a site residents and community leaders identified as vulnerable to saltwater intrusion under future SLR conditions. Therefore, the purposes of this study are to numerically simulate impacts of a storm …

Exploring The Effects Of Varied Land Use On Elemental Concentrations Within Streams, Logan Jennings

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

It is well documented that human activity influences the chemistry of surrounding waters. As such, it is possible that there is a link between land use within a watershed and the chemical composition of the stream. The objectives of this study are to determine if varied land use does affect the concentrations of macronutrients and trace elements present in the streams of Northwest Arkansas, and if so, to determine what extent urban and agricultural development are responsible for these changes. Water samples were collected across 19 streams in the Northwest Arkansas region between January and March of 2022. Water samples …

Application Of Lanthanides In Wastewater Treatment And Water Reuse, George William Kajjumba

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Much of the world’s population feed on grains (wheat, rice, and corn). Corn is as sensitive as it is productive. This thirsty, fast-growing plant goes into thermal shock in drought. In 2014, California lost over $2.2 billion in crop production due to drought. The Horn of Africa (in 2011) and Sahel (in 2012) faced humanitarian disasters due to food and water scarcity. The higher frequency of climate change and the erratic nature of rain, combined with underlying economic and social vulnerabilities, has meant that food and water scarcity is here to stay. To improve food and water scarcity, water reclamation …

Powering A Sustainable Electric Vehicle Future, Harmony Ruth, Jordan Brickman

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Electric vehicle sales account for roughly 20% of total sales world wide and are projected to be 80% by 2050. China's electric vehicle market holds a 13.3% market share. China exported 550,000 electric vehicles in 2021. China represents a 54% share of the world's coal consumption as of 2020. Why study China on this issue? China is a major player in the World Economy.

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 …

A Smart Illicit Discharge Monitoring System, Alexander Campbell, Henry S. Armstrong, Tien Yee

Symposium of Student Scholars

In the present study, we attempt to use a variety of sensors to monitor illicit discharges that are present near the Kennesaw State University Marietta Campus. The US Environmental Protection Agency defines an illicit discharge as “any discharge into a storm drain system that is not composed entirely of stormwater”. Each year, approximately 860 billion gallons of sewage spills are reported throughout the country. In Georgia, sewer spills data shows that spills may range from hundreds of gallons to millions of gallons depending on the severity of the leak. The undetected sewer leaks may degrade the water quality in nearby …

Onsite Water Reuse: Fate Of Indicator Bacteria, Antibiotic Resistant Genes, Environmental Impacts, And User Perceptions, Michelle B. Henderson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Changes in water use, climate, and urbanization have shifted how water resources are used and defined. Wastewater is increasingly regarded as a viable resource to address challenges in non-potable and potable water applications. When dealing with water reuse, water quality and quantity are of the utmost importance; and the final product must be suitable for its intended purpose and acceptable to users. The first portion of this research analyzed the performance and environmental impacts of pilot-scale Hybrid Adsorption Biological Treatment Systems (HABiTS) for onsite wastewater treatment and reuse. Various configurations were investigated to increase HABiTS performance and ability to produce …

Surface Urban Energy And Water Balance Scheme (V2020a) In Vegetated Areas: Parameter Derivation And Performance Evaluation Using Fluxnet2015 Dataset, Hamidreza Omidvar, Ting Sun, Sue Grimmond, Dave Bilesbach, Andrew Black, Jiquan Chen, Zexia Duan, Zhiqiu Gao, Hiroki Iwata, Joseph P. Mcfadden

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

To compare the impact of surface–atmosphere exchanges from rural and urban areas, fully vegetated areas (e.g. deciduous trees, evergreen trees and grass) commonly found adjacent to cities need to be modelled. Here we provide a general workflow to derive parameters for SUEWS (Surface Urban Energy and Water Balance Scheme), including those associated with vegetation phenology (via leaf area index, LAI), heat storage and surface conductance. As expected, attribution analysis of bias in SUEWS-modelled QE finds that surface conductance (g_s) plays the dominant role; hence there is a need for more estimates of surface conductance parameters. The workflow …

Development & Validation Of A Piv System For Obtaining Data From A Uasb Reactor, Camila D' Bastiani, Gerald Gallagher, David Kennedy, Anthony Reynolds

Conference Papers

Anaerobic digestion processes can generate energy in the form of biogas while treating organic wastewater. The efficiency of the treatment, and thus the generation of biogas, is closely linked to the type and design of the reactor, and the technology used. Granular anaerobic digestion technology offers advantages such as a higher loading rate and reduction of the space needed. However, the hydrodynamics inside this type of reactor can be complex due to the presence of solids (granules) and gas (biogas) phases along with the liquid phase (wastewater). This is one of the reasons why the study and optimization of reactors …

Comparing Microplastic Amounts In Southern Freshwater Sources, Akshi Puvvada, Zora Paschel, Patrick Yu

Expo Student Presentations

2022 Spring Expo Poster Presentation

Foam-Based Floatovoltaics: A Potential Solution To Disappearing Terminal Natural Lakes, Koami Soulemane Hayibo, Joshua M. Pearce

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

Terminal lakes are disappearing worldwide because of direct and indirect human activities. Floating photovoltaics (FPV) are a synergistic system with increased energy output because of water cooling, while the FPV reduces water evaporation. This study explores how low-cost foam-based floatovoltaic systems can mitigate the disappearance of natural lakes. A case study is performed on 10%–50% FPV coverage of terminal and disappearing Walker Lake. Water conservation is investigated with a modified Penman-Monteith evapotranspiration method and energy generation is calculated with an operating temperature model experimentally determined from foam-based FPV. Results show FPV saves 52,000,000 m3/year of water and US$6,000,000 at 50% …

Design, Development, And Characterization Of Highly Efficient Colored Photovoltaic Module For Sustainable Buildings Applications, Mohammad Khairul Basher, Mohammad Nur-E-Alam, Momtazur Rahman, Steven Hinckley, Kamal Alameh

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system is one of the contributors which has enormous potential to reach the goal of net-zero energy buildings (NZEB) that significantly reduce the use of fossil fuels that contribute to global warming. However, the limitations of the visual and aesthetic appearance of current BIPV systems make this aspiration unlikely. This study investigates the limitations of the single-color-based PV modules that are dull in appearance and have low photo-conversion efficiency (PCE). In order to solve this issue, we designed, developed, and characterized micro-patterned-based multicolored photovoltaic (MPCPV) modules which are applicable to net-zero building and development. Our …

Measuring Volatile Emissions From Moss Gametophytes: A Review Of Methodologies And New Applications, Danlyn L. Brennan, Leslie M. Kollar, Scott Kiel, Timea Deakova, Aurélie Laguerre, Stuart F. Mcdaniel, Sarah Eppley, Elliott T. Gall, Todd Rosenstiel

Center for Life in Extreme Environments Publications

Mosses inhabit nearly all terrestrial ecosystems and engage in important interactions with nitrogen-fixing microbes, sperm-dispersing arthropods, and other plants. It is hypothesized that these interactions could be mediated by biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). Moss BVOCs may play fundamental roles in influencing local ecologies, such as biosphere–atmosphere–hydrosphere communications, physiological and evolutionary dynamics, plant–microbe interactions, and gametophyte stress physiology. Further progress in quantifying the composition, magnitude, and variability of moss BVOC emissions, and their response to environmental drivers and metabolic requirements, is limited by methodological and analytical challenges. We review several sampling techniques with various analytical approaches and describe best practices …

Reflection Types And Students’ Viewing Of Feedback In A First-Year Engineering Course Using Standards-Based Grading, Heidi A. Diefes-Dux, Laura M. Cruz Castro

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background: Feedback is one of the most powerful and essential tools for learning and assessment, particularly when it provides the information necessary to close an existing gap between actual and reference levels of performance. The literature on feedback has primarily focused on addressing strategies for providing effective feedback rather than aspects of students’ readiness to engage with feedback. Purpose/Hypothesis: This study investigated whether reflection, as a routine pedagogical intervention grounded in self-regulated learning theory, promotes the frequency with which students view feedback. Design/Method: A quasi-experimental design was employed to examine the relationship between the use of four different reflection types, …

Using Remote Sensing Technologies In Relocating Lubrak Village And Visualizing Flood Damages, Ronan Wallace

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As weather patterns change across the world, there are communities impacted by climate change that are left unnoticed. In the Himalayan mountain range, communities have suffered, experiencing an increase in flash flooding and droughts. For Lubrak Village in Lower Mustang, the community faces the threats of flash flooding. Over the last ten years, the amount of flash flooding has increased, occurring more than once each monsoon season. After every flood, concrete-like sediment is left behind, hardening across the riverbed and increasing its elevation. As the riverbed elevation increases, this sediment encroaches on Lu-brak Village’s agricultural fields and ancient mud buildings, …