Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Assessing Different Plant-Centric Water Stress Metrics For Irrigation Efficacy Using Soil-Plant-Atmosphere-Continuum Simulation, Jingwen Zhang, Kaiyu Guan, Bin Peng, Ming Pan, Wang Zhou, Robert F. Grant, Trenton E. Franz, Daran Rudnick, Derek M. Heeren, Andrew Suyker, Yi Yang, Genghong Wu

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Understanding plant water stress (PWS) in the soil-plant-atmosphere-continuum (SPAC) that connects water supply from soil, water demand from atmosphere, and plant self-regulation is a prerequisite for efficient irrigation in response to water scarcity. Currently, PWS can be defined in various ways, for example, based on environmental factors and/or plant-centric metrics. The environment-based metrics usually do not take plants into consideration. Regarding the existing plant-centric metrics, their interconnections and abilities to capture the physical water constraints from both soil water supply and atmospheric water demand are still unclear. This research investigates the theoretical foundations behind different PWS metrics, and assesses their …

Low-Level Groundwater Atrazine In High Atrazine Usage Nebraska Counties: Likely Effects Of Excessive Groundwater Abstraction, Moses New-Aaron, Olufemi Abimbola, Raheleh Mohammadi, Oluwaseun Famojuro, Zaeema Naveed, Azar Abadi, Jesse E. Bell, Shannon Bartelt-Hunt, Eleanor G. Rogan

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Recent studies observed a correlation between estrogen-related cancers and groundwater atrazine in eastern Nebraska counties. However, the mechanisms of human exposure to atrazine are unclear because low groundwater atrazine concentration was observed in counties with high cancer incidence despite having the highest atrazine usage. We studied groundwater atrazine fate in high atrazine usage Nebraska counties. Data were collected from Quality Assessed Agrichemical Contaminant Nebraska Groundwater, Parameter–Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM), and water use databases. Descriptive statistics and cluster analysis were performed. Domestic wells (59%) were the predominant well type. Groundwater atrazine was affected by well depth. Clusters consisting …

Improvements In Sub-Catchment Fractional Snowpack And Snowmelt Parameterizations And Hydrologic Modeling For Climate Change Assessments In The Western Himalayas, Vishal Singh, Francisco Muñoz-Arriola

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The present work proposes to improve estimates of snowpack and snowmelt and their assessment in the steep Himalayan ranges at the sub-catchment scale. Temporal variability of streamflow and the associated distribution of accumulated snow in catchments with glacier presence in the Himalayas illustrates how changes in snowpack and snowmelt can affect the water supply for local water management. The primary objective of this study is to assess the role of elevation, temperature lapse rate (TLR), and precipitation lapse rate (PLR) in the computation of snowpack (or snowfall) and snowmelt in sub-catchments of the Satluj River basin. Modeling of snowpack and …

Frontier: Discipline-Based Education Research To Advance Authentic Learning In Agricultural And Biological Engineering, Heidi A. Diefes-Dux

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Discipline-based education research (DBER) is research activity aimed at investigating “learning and teaching in a discipline from a perspective that reflects the discipline’s priorities, worldview, knowledge, and practices” for the purpose of producing research-based evidence to improve education in that discipline. DBER arose out of concerns about the quality of post-secondary science education. Physics, chemistry, engineering, biology, geosciences, and astronomy education each have unique DBER histories in the U.S. that date back to the late 1800s or early 1900s when colleges and university systems were expanding and formalizing. The DBER fields accelerated in the 1950s and 1960s as a result …

Impact Of Blended Salt Anti-Icers/Deicers On Properties Of Asphalt Binders, Nurudeen A. Abidoye

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Anyone who has ever attempted to remove a layer of ice from a roadway or sidewalk by plowing or shoveling knows it is no easy task when the ice is firmly bonded to the asphalt/concrete surface. Winter anti-icing/deicing operations are moral choices that mankind has made to combat winter storms. This research is aimed at evaluating the macro and nano structural impacts of (anti-icing/de-icing) salt on aged and unaged asphalt binders. The macro structural impacts focused on the rheological and creep properties, and the nano structural impacts focused on the surface topography, adhesion force, and modulus of asphalt binders. Rheological …

Nitrate And Phosphate Removal From Denitrification Bioreactors Using Woodchips, Steel Chips And Agricultural Residue Media, Abdoul Aziz Kouanda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nitrate and phosphate present in agricultural subsurface drainage water can impact surface water quality thus impacting the environment and human health by causing eutrophication and Methemoglobinemia in young infant. Biological denitrification and phosphate adsorption filters are treatments options that can help reduce nitrate and phosphate concentration from agricultural subsurface drainage before it can be discharged in surface water. The first objective of this dissertation was to determine the Michaelis-Menten kinetics model parameters for nitrate removal in bioreactors using the fresh, aged, and composted woodchips. The composted woodchips achieved a denitrification rate 2.4 times higher than the fresh woodchips which was …

Evaluating And Predicting The Risk Of Algal Blooms In A Freshwater Lake Through A 4-Dimensional Approach: A Case Study On Lake Mitchell, Sumit Kumar Ghosh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Excessive algal growth in freshwater lakes can negatively impact ecosystems, recreation, and human health. Though algae are a natural part of freshwater ecosystems, elevated nutrient loading from anthropogenic and natural sources can lead to algal blooms. Both algae and blue-green algae (BGA) are responsible for algal blooms; however, BGA (cyanobacteria) is more dangerous. The first objective of this research was to prepare a conceptual model to understand how various environmental variables affect algae. This conceptual model was used to choose the environmental variables that help increase or decrease algae in the water environment. The second objective was to develop empirical …

High-Temperature Performance Of Ambient-Cured Alkali- Activated Binder Concrete, Kruthi Kiran Ramagiri, Darshan Chauhan, Shashank Gupta, Arkamitra Kar, Dibyendu Adak, Abhijit Mukherjee

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Owing to their lower carbon footprint and efficient performance compared to portland cement (PC), alkali-activated binders (AAB) show promising potential as an alternative to PC. The present paper investigates the high-temperature performance of AAB concrete through compressive and bond strength tests. Four different AAB concrete mixes with varying proportions of fly ash: slag (100:0, 70:30, 60:40, and 50:50) cured under ambient conditions are exposed to elevated temperatures. The mechanical performance of AAB concrete is corroborated with microstructural changes. The results show that AAB concrete with fly ash: slag ratio of 70:30 exhibits the best mechanical performance after exposure to elevated …

Characterizing Reactive Iron Mineral Coatings And Their Roles In Natural Attenuation At A Site With Historical Contamination, Han Hua

Dissertations

Reactive iron mineral coatings in redox transition zones play an important role in contaminant attenuation. These mineral coatings include poorly crystalline to crystalline iron sulfides, carbonates, and oxyhydroxides, and are a signature of the biogeochemical processes occurring. To better understand these processes, reactive iron mineral coatings are characterized in an 18-m Anaerobic Core collected from a contaminated industrial site. This study targets redox transition zones uncovered in the core. A suite of complementary analyses is applied to distinguish the surface coating mineralogy using X-ray Diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) with energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (EDX). In …

The Stability Of Nanobubbles And Its Application In Contaminated Sediment Treatment, Shaini Dilsha Aluthgun Hewage

Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two sections. First, nanobubbles' stability and behavior are studied using experimental and theoretical approaches. Second, nanobubbles application combined with ultrasound to remediate contaminated sediments is discussed.

The stability study consists of four sections. (i). Laboratory investigation to determine bubble size distributions and zeta potentials for different gases, pH levels, temperatures, and salt conditions. (ii). A theoretical study based on the diffused double layer theory to explain nanobubbles' behavior in different NaCl concentrations. (iii). Nanobubbles' stability in electrolyte solutions under different ion valencies using deionized water, NaCl, Na₂SO₄, Na₃PO₄, …

Prospects For Solving The Problem Of Rational Use Of Water Resources Using The Tiiame-1 Sprinkling Machine, M.Kh. Khamidov, A.R. Muratov

Irrigation and Melioration

The information published by the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, and the intermediate results of many years of research carried out by scientists from TIIAME on the development, research and implementation of water-saving technologies in agriculture are presented. The acute shortage of water resources in Central Asia, the problems of increasing the efficiency of the use of water-saving technologies around the world have led to the careful use of available water resources in the region, including the prospects and advantages of using irrigation of crops by sprinkling, as well as the design and technical parameters of the sprinkler developed …

Inadequacy Of Current Water Use Planning At The Level Of Water Users And Wuas, A.A. Alimdjanov, A.Kh. Karimov, B.R. Nasibov

Irrigation and Melioration

This paper studies the main issues of water use planning at the level of water consumers and water user associations (WUA). The study carried out in Bulakbashi district of Andijan province of Uzbekistan, where the main source of irrigation water is the Southern Fergana Main Canal. The study followed two-stage procedure. During the first stage we compiled water use plans for the WUA and water consumers based on the applied methodology of water use planning. Then, at the second stage, we analyzed the results of the actual implementation of the farm water consumption plans and WUA water use plan, and …

Technology And Technical Device Used In The Efficient Use Of Water Resources In Irrigated Agriculture, А.U. Аtajanov

Irrigation and Melioration

The economical use of water resources, the improvement and development of new technology and technical means for its implementation, ensuring the saving of irrigation water is one of the most important issues of today. This article is devoted to the issues of improving the technology of irrigation of furrows and the creation of technical means,also recommended technology and using from created technical device in selected per experiment fields and analyzing their results.

Empirical Assessment Of Climate Change Impacts On Agriculture In Samarkand Region, Sh.B. Babakholov

Irrigation and Melioration

Agricultural production is highly sensitive to climate factors like other endogenous factors, and the expected climate change projections may have a negative impact on the efficiency and income of agricultural producers. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the impact of changes in climatic factors (average air temperature and precipitation) on the technical efficiency of cotton growing farmers as its determinants in Samarkand region. Empirical analyzes were performed on the cases of 1141 cotton-growing farms using panel-based Time-Invariant Inefficiency model. According to the results of the analysis, cotton farms in the region have an average technical efficiency of 76%, which in …

Car Wash Complex – Object Of Harmful Impact On Water Resources, M. Radkevich, K. Shipilova, M. Abdukodirova, O. Pochugevski

Irrigation and Melioration

Deals with the problem of the impact of car wash complexes in the city of Tashkent on water resources. The analysis of the technological process of washing and a sociological survey of car owners and employees of car washes revealed the average amount of water used per car wash per year, as well as the amount of harmful substances entering the sewer network of the city of Tashkent. Calculations have shown that the annual water consumption only for passenger cars in Tashkent is about 4.34 million m³, and the wastewater is not properly treated. From one car wash …

Agrochemical Indicators Of New Irrigated Graph-Meadow Soils Formed On The Iii Underfladder Terrace Of Syrdarya, J.M. Kuziev

Irrigation and Melioration

Presents material on the geographical location, geomorphological and geological structure, as well as the agrochemical state of irrigated serozem-meadow soils, common in the Mirzaabad district of the Syrdarya region. According to the data obtained on the chemical analysis of soils, the studied soils are medium- and heavily loamy in texture, where particles of coarse sand predominate (0.05-0.01%). In the arable horizon of these soils, the humus content is 1.088-1.214%, total nitrogen 0.079-0.089%, total phosphorus 0.109-0.124%, and total potassium within 1.15-1.24%, and on the basis of these data, a regularity of the underlying horizon of these soils. The degree of provision …

Water Efficient Technology Of Drip Irrigation In Intensive Gardens, F.U. Juraev, G.H. Karimov

Irrigation and Melioration

The studies were carried out in 2017-2019 at the Zodabek farm on a 6 hectare garden plot with seedlings of half-tall apple trees “Golden Delicious”. Experimental research work was carried out at a groundwater level in the experimental area of 1.5-2.0 m, mineralization 1.0-1.2 g/l in alluvial, mechanical, medium sandy soils with the following irrigation options. The first option is irrigation, at the start of the second - drip irrigation; third, the use of specially designed soil pegs. The following results were obtained: in the control option, the average irrigation rate for three years was 1125.7 m3/ha, with drip irrigation …

Forecasting The Dynamics Of Cotton Yield In The Ferghana Region, V. Vakhobov, А.А. Faiziev

Irrigation and Melioration

Observations of a certain phenomenon, the nature of which changes over time, give rise to an ordered sequence, which is called a time series. In the article, using the method of statistical time series analysis, statistical pattern of time series Y₁ – average yield of cotton in Fergana region of the Republic of Uzbekistan(on materials of CSB of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 1991-2018 years). Point and interval estimates for the average cotton yield were constructed with a 95% guarantee, explicit types of trends were determined, and the yield in the region was predicted for subsequent years. Using statistical …

Hydraulic Elevator For Purification Of Water Supply Facilities Of The Reservoir, R.R. Ergashev, F. Atrikbekova, H. Khusanboeva, B.T. Kholbutaev, N.A. Babazhanov

Irrigation and Melioration

The purpose of the research is to increase the efficiency of pumping stations operation by improving the methods of uniform flow spreading in the front chamber and inlet of the pumping station and developing constructive measures to improve the hydraulic conditions for supplying the flow to the pumps. The improvement of the method of hydraulic calculation of the flow in the front chamber and the water intake chamber is given on the example of the head pumping station of the Jizzakh cascade. In the process of research, standard methods of full-scale and bench tests of pumps, methods of mathematical and …

Energy-Saving Structure Justification Powerful Tractor And Modern Agricultural Machine, A.K. Igamberdiyev, N.A. Khalikova, N.B. Razikov, O.E. Usarov

Irrigation and Melioration

Discusses the fact that machine-tractor units (MTA) from high-power tractors are often not fully used due to errors in the design and operation of units, their ability to work under certain operating conditions with maximum efficiency and minimum fuel consumption, a method of completing a machine-tractor unit from a high-power technical means is proposed, which ensures the required quality of the technological operation, maximum efficiency and minimum fuel consumption, which must be performed under certain operating conditions. To study the power balance of energy-saving units, consisting of powerful tractors and modern agricultural machinery, an analysis was carried out of a …

Traction Control Of The Friction Drive Of The Vertical Spindle, M. Shoumarova, T. Abdillaev, Sh.A. Yusupov, Ch.A. Shermatova

Irrigation and Melioration

The main indicator in assessing the quality of the work of cotton pickers is its completeness of picking cotton, among the factors that predetermine the completeness of picking a special place is occupied by the direction and magnitude of the absolute speed of the spindle tooth. Among the factors affecting the absolute speed of the tooth, the main place is occupied by the angular speed of rotation of the spindle around its own axis, which depends on the quality of functioning of the friction drive of the spindle. This drive does not always provide its required traction capacity, since due …

Research The Chopper Apparatus Of Equipment For Chopping Pressed Rough Fodders, Sh.H. Gapparov, N.A. Ashurov

Irrigation and Melioration

Livestock is one of the most important agricultural sectors in Uzbekistan and it is based on family livestock farms. On family farms, livestock animals are fed with pressed roughage, including corn stalks, alfalfa hay, barbed straw and wheat straw, mixed with concentrated feed. However, due to the lack of small choppers suitable for small farms, the compressed feed is fed to animals without chopping, as a result of which about 25-30 percent of them go to waste and there are large losses. Taking this into account, a small device was developed for chopping pressed roughage and mixing it with concentrated …

Theoretical Research On Determining The Length Of The Shovels Of A Wheel Of Centrifugal Fans, V.A. Arkhipov, D. Dzhuraev, I.Zh. Toirov, A.E. Urishev

Irrigation and Melioration

Presents the results of theoretical research by scientists, carried out scientific work to determine the length of the shovel of a centrifugal fan wheel. A technological scheme for installing a shovel on a fan wheel disk has been developed Analyzes of these works are carried out, which show that the length of the wheel shovel has a significant dependence on the parameters of the wheel (R, R₁), the angle of installation α and the radius of the arc R₃ of the shovel. An analytical dependence is derived for determining the length of the shovel of a …

Incorporating Pacific Ocean Climate Information To Enhance The Tree-Ring Based Streamflow Reconstruction Skill, Saria Bukhary, Ajay Kalra, Sajjad Ahmad

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

The Sacramento River Basin (SRB) and the San Joaquin River Basin (JRB) have a history of recurring droughts. Both are important for California, being the crucial source of water supply. The available instrumental records may not depict the long-term hydrologic variability encompassing the duration and frequency of the historic low flow events. Thus, streamflow reconstruction becomes important in the current scenario of climatic alteration, escalating population and growing water needs. Studies have shown that Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), and Pacific Ocean sea surface temperature (SST) influence the precipitation and streamflow volumes of southwestern United States, particularly …

Bibliometric Survey On Effect Of Climate Factors On Spread Of Coronavirus (Covid-19), Seema Patil, Jay Makwana, Manish Attri

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The new SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 has spread quickly around the globe since it was first reported in Wuhan city of China, in December 2019 subsequent to being contracted from a zoonotic source. The main focus of this bibliometric survey is to recognize the few studies which have upheld the epidemiological hypothesis that the effect of climatic factors is playing a crucial role in the spreading of COVID-19. The analysis is done on the basis of 412 documents such as journals, articles, editorials, short surveys and some review papers. The United States contributes to the maximum number of publications followed by the …

Bibliometric Survey On Effects Of Climate Change On Incidences Of Infectious Diseases, Seema Harshad Patil, Yatharth Jain, Vedant Marathe

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

^{For understanding the influx of Infectious Diseases, research of climate change and its effects pertaining to the diseases is important. The motive of this bibliometric survey is to understand the research which has been carried out regarding the aforementioned topics. This paper summarizes the research in the 21st Century from 2001 to present. We conducted this analysis using tools such as Gephi, Researchgate, Scopus, ScienceScape, Google Scholar and Mapchart. This Bibliometric Survey on “Effects of Climate Change on Infectious Diseases” showed that maximum publications are articles. These publications are from conferences and journals related to Environmental Science. The United States …}

Laboratory Testing And Mechanistic Analysis Of Treated Subgrade Soils, Hari Kumar Reddy Yarrapureddi

Civil Engineering Theses

Calcium-based stabilizing agents such as cement and lime have been extensively used to improve the engineering properties of base and subgrade layers of pavement systems. Recently, polymers and chemical stabilizers have become popular due to cost efficiency, ease of application, and fast curing times. In this study, California Bearing Ratio (CBR) values of polymer and chemical treated soils were compared with the CBR values of soils treated with conventional stabilizers. Parametric sensitivity analyses was carried out on key parameters including the type of subgrade soil, stabilizing agent, stabilizing agent treatment levels, and moisture conditioning. Additionally, numerical analyses was performed to …

Expanding The Concept Of Comprehensive Area Ratio Parameter To The South-Central States Towards Simplifying The Structural Evaluation Of Flexible Pavements At The Network Level, Nitish R. Bastola

Civil Engineering Theses

The surface deflection bowl data collected through Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) has been widely utilized by various Department of Transportation (DOTs) in the South-Central States and other places. The primary purpose of using deflection-based NDTs in network-level assessment is to identify a weak pavement section that requires further analysis at the project level. The falling weight deflectometer (FWD) test is one of the common NDT based tests utilized by highway agencies in assessing the performance of the flexible pavement. However, a robust method to evaluate pavement sections utilizing FWD data from all the sensors are seldom developed. There is always a …

Policy Changes Impact In Deforestation Of The Brazilian Amazon, Iara Silva Jaques

Master's Projects and Capstones

Since discovered and inhabited, the Brazilian Amazon has been explored and impacted negatively by human activities. The conversion of forest to pastureland and farmland, as well as mining activities, road opening, wood and ore extraction and fire are historically the main causes of environmental damages and forest loss in the region. This project overviewed the latest changes in environmental policy and practices towards environmental protection conducted by the Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, since he took office in 2019, and analyzed the progress of deforestation in the recent years under the new federal administration. Geographic Information System analysis were used to …

Environmental Hygiene For Covid-19: It's All About The Mask, Daniel B. Oerther, Mona Shattell

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.