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Environmental Sciences

2009

Clemson University

Articles 1 - 15 of 15

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Metal Oxide And Mercuric Sulfide Nanoparticles Synthesis And Characterization, Xin Xu Dec 2009

Metal Oxide And Mercuric Sulfide Nanoparticles Synthesis And Characterization, Xin Xu

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Increasing applications of nanoparticles (NPs), such as metal oxide and mercuric sulfide NPs, lead to heightened environmental concern. Challenges to the study of natural and engineered NPs include the physical and chemical characterizations.
Commercially available and laboratory-synthesized metal based NPs, iron oxide (Fe2O3), copper oxide (CuO), titanium dioxide (TiO2), zinc oxide (ZnO) and mercuric sulfide (HgS) were studied by comprehensive characterizations methods. The general synthesis process was modified sol-gel method. The size and morphology of NPs could be influenced by temperature, sonication, calcination, precursor concentration, pH and types of reaction media. In the synthesis of nZnO in ethanol, the essential …

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Characterization Of Escherichia Coli Related To Construction Site Sediment Basins, Calvin Sawyer Dec 2009

Characterization Of Escherichia Coli Related To Construction Site Sediment Basins, Calvin Sawyer

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Large construction sites can have significant temporary and permanent impacts on the physical landscape. Excess sediment is frequently deposited into nearby surface waters, altering benthic habitat, reducing water clarity and transporting other pollutants such as enteric bacteria. To capture eroded soil and attenuate storm discharge peaks, many permitted construction projects larger than 10 acres in South Carolina require the installation of a sediment basin. Sediment-laden runoff is routed to a newly excavated impoundment, where larger particles settle out of suspension. Thus an entirely new hydrologic feature designed to concentrate eroded sediment and water is introduced into the landscape.
Eight construction …

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Exploring Formation And Distribution Of Halonitromethanes In Drinking Waters, Jia Hu Dec 2009

Exploring Formation And Distribution Of Halonitromethanes In Drinking Waters, Jia Hu

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ABSTRACT
Nine halonitromethanes (HNMs) were among the more than fifty unregulated high-priority disinfection by-products (DBPs) that were monitored for and detected in drinking waters in a 2000-2002 nationwide occurrence study funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The toxicology studies conducted in recent years have shown that HNMs are one of the most cytotoxic and genotoxic classes among the emerging DBPs, with orders of magnitude higher cytotoxicity and genotoxicity than any of the regulated organic DBPs. Furthermore, brominated HNMs were found to be more toxic than their chlorinated analogs, with dibromonitromethane being the most cyto- and genotoxic. Today, our …

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An Approach Designed For Reginal Prospective Human Health And Ecological Risk Assessment And Its Application To Mercury Risks From A Coal-Fired Power Plant, Pathratipa Sansayavichai Dec 2009

An Approach Designed For Reginal Prospective Human Health And Ecological Risk Assessment And Its Application To Mercury Risks From A Coal-Fired Power Plant, Pathratipa Sansayavichai

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A large and/or long-term released source of a toxic chemical(s) can cause adverse effects to humans and non–human species inhabiting all over the region. The overall goal of this dissertation was to improve practices in risk assessment concerning a regional risk posed by a prospective source. A generic conceptual framework for performing regional prospective human health and ecological risk assessment was developed. The formulation of a priori considerations was used to identify the possible sources of uncertainties in the prospective risk assessment. Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling was utilized to reduce uncertainty in a toxicologically safe dose used in risk …

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Risk Assessment Of Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard For Grassland Birds At The Mcentire Air National Guard Station, Eastover, South Carolina, Marla Hamilton Dec 2009

Risk Assessment Of Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard For Grassland Birds At The Mcentire Air National Guard Station, Eastover, South Carolina, Marla Hamilton

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ABSTRACT
There are strict regulations surrounding vegetation management at military airfields for the purpose of reducing Bird Aircraft Strike Hazards (B.A.S.H.). At military installations vegetation heights are set between 17 to 38 cm to discourage the use of animal species such as flocking birds, soarers (e.g. raptors), large wading birds (e.g. herons), and waterfowl that create hazards to flying aircraft. Within designated clear zones, managers have typically promoted the growth of non - non-native grasses without much consideration for how these plantings might impact B.A.S.H. potential, bird occupancy, or avian conservation. Grasslands and grassland associated avifauna are among the 'highest …

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The Effects Of Pulsed Exposures Of Suspended Clay On The Survival, Growth, And Reproduction Of Daphnia Magna, Sarah Robinson Dec 2009

The Effects Of Pulsed Exposures Of Suspended Clay On The Survival, Growth, And Reproduction Of Daphnia Magna, Sarah Robinson

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Suspended sediments are a natural component of aquatic ecosystems but anthropogenic activity such as land development can result in significant increases, especially following rain events due to surface erosion. Continuous exposures of suspended clay and silt have been shown to effect growth and reproduction of Cladocera, leading to a decrease in population growth rate. The mechanism of clay toxicity in these filter-feeding organisms is clogging of the gut tract resulting in decreased food uptake and assimilation. When placed in clean water, daphnids can purge clay from their gut and recover. In many surface waters, aquatic organisms experience episodic exposures of …

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Roost Selection By Rafinesque's Big-Eared Bats, Corynorhinus Rafinesquii, In Congaree National Park - A Multiscale Approach, Jessica Lucas Dec 2009

Roost Selection By Rafinesque's Big-Eared Bats, Corynorhinus Rafinesquii, In Congaree National Park - A Multiscale Approach, Jessica Lucas

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Little is known about natural roost selection of Rafinesque's big-eared bats, Corynorhinus rafinesquii , throughout their range. The objectives of this study were to determine roost use and selection of big-eared bats in the Upper Coastal Plain of South Carolina at multiple spatial scales and test whether roost use and selection differed between maternity colonies and solitary individuals. The study was conducted May-August 2006 and 2007 in Congaree National Park which contains extensive areas of old-growth bottomland forest. Roost trees were located via tree searches and radio-telemetry and I used univariate tests and multiple logistic regression to compare tree, stand, …

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Analysis Of Mercury And Lead In Birds Of Prey From Gold-Mining Areas Of The Peruvian Amazon, Peggy Shrum Dec 2009

Analysis Of Mercury And Lead In Birds Of Prey From Gold-Mining Areas Of The Peruvian Amazon, Peggy Shrum

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This study was conducted to determine levels of lead and mercury in the raptors of the South-eastern Peruvian Amazon. The study took place within the Los Amigos Conservation Concession in Madre de Dios, Peru. Eighty-six raptors from among sixteen species were captured with Bal-Chatri traps. From each individual, feather samples were obtained for mercury analysis and blood was taken for lead analysis. Each raptor was then released without incident or injury.
Mercury amalgamation for gold extraction is widely used by small-scale, transient mining operations, which are numerous along the rivers and creeks in the tropical forests and other locations in …

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Uptake Of Gold Nanoparticles In An Algae - Daphnid Food Chain, Matthew Osborne-Koch Dec 2009

Uptake Of Gold Nanoparticles In An Algae - Daphnid Food Chain, Matthew Osborne-Koch

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Nanoparticle entry into the environment can result in deleterious effects to exposed organisms, disruption of ecological processes, and accumulation within the wood web. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), which are classified as zero-valent metals, are of significant interest due to their use in a variety of applications including electrical, biomedical, catalytic, magnetic, and optical technology. The wide range of uses for AuNPs can be attributed to a combination of the unique physical properties of the element gold (i.e. density, conductivity, stability, etc.) and the diversity of sizes, shapes, and surface compositions that can be achieved through manipulation of AuNP synthesis. While previous …

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Field Evaluation Of The Immunocontraceptive Gonacontm In Reducing Eastern Gray Squirrel Fecundity In Urban Areas, Murali Pai Dec 2009

Field Evaluation Of The Immunocontraceptive Gonacontm In Reducing Eastern Gray Squirrel Fecundity In Urban Areas, Murali Pai

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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the immunocontraceptive GonaConTM in reducing fecundity in Eastern gray squirrel (EGS) (Sciurus carolinensis) in urban areas. Using a modified box trap design, 317 EGS were captured during four trapping sessions on a 5.66 ha site on Clemson University's main campus. EGS were handled using a restraint cone and sexed, weighed, ear-tagged and implanted with a microchip at the nape of the neck on all 'original' captures and later identified in subsequent captures as 'recaptures.' Blood samples and morphometric data were obtained on EGS before the immunocontraceptive GonaConTM was administered by …

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Recovery Of Fathead Minnows (Pimephales Promelas) Following Episodic Copper Exposure: A Biochemical, Physiological, Individual, And Population Perspective, Holly Zahner May 2009

Recovery Of Fathead Minnows (Pimephales Promelas) Following Episodic Copper Exposure: A Biochemical, Physiological, Individual, And Population Perspective, Holly Zahner

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The US EPA utilizes the Biotic Ligand Model (BLM) when developing site-specific water-quality criteria for copper. The BLM was calibrated using toxicity data from fixed duration continuous exposures (48 or 96h LC50). However, exposures of copper in natural aquatic systems typically vary in concentration, duration, and may occur multiple times over the life-span of an organism. Additionally, organisms will experience periods in copper free water, potentially allowing them to detoxify and recover homeostasis. Yet, the BLM framework does not consider brief exposures (<24h), multiple exposures, latent responses, or organism recovery, potentially resulting in an inaccurate assessment of exposure toxicity. A recently proposed physiologically-based addition to the BLM will extend the applicability of the framework to brief, multiple pulse copper exposures. Thus, the overall goal of this research was to characterize the recovery of larval Pimephales promelas following episodic copper exposure at a biochemical, physiological, individual, and population level.
The response of whole-body sodium, whole-body Na+/K+-ATPase, and whole-body carbonic anhydrase in larval P. promleas was quantified …

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Constructed Wetland Treatment System: An Approach For Mitigating Risks Of Flue Gas Desulfurization Waters, Derek Eggert May 2009

Constructed Wetland Treatment System: An Approach For Mitigating Risks Of Flue Gas Desulfurization Waters, Derek Eggert

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Federal laws regarding ambient air quality are currently requiring industries to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxides (SO2). Coal-fired power plants have therefore begun implementing flue gas desulfurization (FGD) scrubbers that utilize a highly oxygenated water stream (calcium carbonate saturated water) to transform sulfur gases into soluble anion species (e.g. sulfite and sulfate). This FGD process also transfers potentially toxic constituents including arsenic, cadmium, chemical oxygen demand, copper, mercury, selenium, chloride, sulfates, and zinc into the scrubbing water. These scrubber waters, referred to as FGD waters, present an industrial problem due to the large volumes produced (378,000 to 1,900,000 L/day) and …

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Testing The Individual Effective Dose Hypothesis, Hung Vu May 2009

Testing The Individual Effective Dose Hypothesis, Hung Vu

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The assumption of the individual effective dose is the basis for the probit method used for analyzing dose or concentration – response data. According to this assumption, each individual has a uniquely innate tolerance expressed as the individual effective dose (IED) or the smallest dose that is sufficient to kill it. An alternative to IED, stochasticity suggests that individuals do not have uniquely innate tolerance; deaths result from random processes occurring among similar individuals. While the probit method has been used extensively in toxicology the underlying assumption has not been tested rigorously. The goal of this study was to test …

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Water Quality Guidelines And Water Quantity Analysis With Application To Construction Of A Pilot-Scale Wetland Treatment System, Minh Phung Pham May 2009

Water Quality Guidelines And Water Quantity Analysis With Application To Construction Of A Pilot-Scale Wetland Treatment System, Minh Phung Pham

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A searchable database consisting of compiled water reuse guidelines was created as a screening tool for decision-analysis for potential beneficial reuse in 1) irrigation, 2) livestock watering, 3) aquaculture, and 4) drinking (potable) water. Data compiled from literature for the four water reuses (FWR) yielded guideline values for over 50 water quality parameters, including concentrations of inorganic and organic constituents as well as general water chemistry parameters. These water quality guidelines can be used to identify constituents of concern in water, to determine levels to which constituents must be treated for water reuse applications, and to assess the suitability of …

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Development Of An Original Laboratory Prototype For A Field Tritium Detector Containing A Pem Electrolyzer Mounted In Series With A Gas Proportional Counter, Aurelie Soreefan May 2009

Development Of An Original Laboratory Prototype For A Field Tritium Detector Containing A Pem Electrolyzer Mounted In Series With A Gas Proportional Counter, Aurelie Soreefan

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Tritium is naturally present in very small concentrations in the environment, principally in the form HTO. Thermonuclear detonations, leaks from waste tanks at the Department of Energy (DOE) sites and accidental releases from nuclear power plants have introduced significant quantities of tritium into the environment. Even though tritium is the least toxic of the known beta emitters, its presence in the environment, primarily in the aqueous form, poses a radiological threat because of its easy accessibility. Tritium removal from the environment is technologically impractical. Thus tritium contamination is generally contained, decays in place and is monitored to protect the public …

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