Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Life Cycle Analysis Of Land Use In Us Pork Production, Greg Thoma, Marty Matlock, Ben Putman, Jasmina Burek

Food Systems

The goal of this study was to analyze land use in the production of US pork using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). LCA is a comprehensive methodology for quantitatively analyzing potential environmental impacts associated with complex systems. Identification of processes contributing to high environmental impacts often highlights opportunities for gains in efficiency, which can increase the profitability and sustainability of US pork. The environmental impact category analyzed in this assessment was land use. After reviewing existing information regarding land use in agriculture and livestock production, analysis for US pork production was performed at two scales: cradle-to-grave and cradle-to-farm gate. The cradle-to-grave …

Modified Polysulfone Nanofiltration Membrane Synthesis For Hydraulic Fracturing Water Recycle, Blake Alexander Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of hydraulic fracturing has resulted in significant increases in the yield of oil and natural gas, as water pumped into wells at high pressure cracks the formations and releases the hydrocarbons that are locked in the rocks. This process has created large volumes of brackish water that is very difficult to process and is often disposed of into injection wells. Suspended solids and some dissolved solids are more readily removed, but the multivalent ions found in certain salts can precipitate in a well and complicate the reuse of flowback in future hydraulic fracturing operations.

Nanofiltration, a membrane separation …

Evaluation Of Conservation Practices Through Simulation Modeling And Tool Development, Gurdeep Singh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For the first objective, predicted impacts of selected Mississippi River Basin Initiative (MRBI) conservation practices (CPs) on sediment and nutrient loss were assessed. The study area was L’Anguille River Watershed (LRW), a priority focus watershed of the MRBI program and the simulated CPs were filter strip, critical area planting, grade stabilization structure, irrigation land leveling, irrigation pipeline, irrigation water management, and nutrient management. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was calibrated (1998 – 2005) and validated (2006 – 2012) for flow, sediment, total phosphorus (TP), and nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) at the Colt site (503 sq. km. drainage area) and …

Swat Model Simulation Of Bioenergy Crop Impacts On Water Quality In Cache River Watershed, Eeshan Kumar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Energy security through increased biofuel production is one of the components of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) 2007. As per EISA 2007 mandate, appropriate independent research institutes are required to assess concerns to natural biodiversity due to biofuel production and report it to the Congress through the Environment Protection Agency (EPA). Planners, researchers, and agencies concerned with environmental regulations, ideally, would like to have location-specific information about the impacts for developing appropriate management interventions. This study examines long-term impacts on water quality in response to targeted (i.e. marginal lands) production of biofuel crops by setting up two SWAT …

Simulated Use Of 'First-Order' Ponds To Reduce Peakflow In An Eroding River System, J. Thad Scott, Brian E. Haggard

Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Bacteria Monitoring In The Upper Illinois River Watershed, Erin E. Scott, Brina A. Smith, Mansoor Leh, Blake Arnold, Brian E. Haggard

Technical Reports

This project focuses on the Upper Illinois River Watershed (UIRW; HUC 11110103), which is within the Boston Mountains and Ozark Highlands ecoregions in northwest Arkansas. Headwaters of the Illinois River originate near Hogeye, Arkansas and flow north through Savoy, then west into Oklahoma near Watts. The UIRW drains an area of 1952 km2 , of which 50.3% is pasture and grassland, 35.9% is forest, 8.8% is urban and suburban, 4.3% is transitional and 0.3% is water (Arkansaswater.org, 2015). Land use throughout the watershed is also changing, with increases in residential, commercial and industrial development. The IRW has been designated a …

Monitoring Water Resources Of The Gulf Mountain Wildlife Management Area To Evaluate Possible Effects Of Natural Gas Development, Bradley J. Austin, Erin E. Scott, Sally Entrekin, Michelle A. Evans-White, Brian E. Haggard

Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Reducing Nutrient Runoff From Poultry Production Facilities Using Locally-Sourced Iron And Aluminum Byproducts, Sheri Lynn Herron

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Phosphorus (P) inputs to fresh waters can accelerate the eutrophication process. Agricultural nutrient runoff has been shown to be a contributor of P and nitrogen (N). Broiler production areas were evaluated for their potential to contribute P and N to runoff. Broiler house dust (BHD) samples were analyzed and compared to broiler litter (BL), rainfall simulations were conducted on plots adjacent to broiler house fans to evaluate nutrient enrichment in runoff from deposited dust, and runoff was automatically sampled at two culverts draining the land around broiler houses. Following this, an on-farm byproduct containment and nutrient removal structure was designed …

An Empirical Water Quality And Best Management Practice Prioritization Model For Select Arkansas Watersheds, James Mccarty

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to prioritize subwatersheds using water quality data and watershed characteristics. Water quality data was provided through studies by the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, Beaver Water District, Arkansas Water Resources Center, and publicly available USGS gage data. A total of 114 sites across five HUC-8 watersheds were analyzed, including 12 USGS gages. Watershed characteristic data was retrieved from USGS and Arkansas GeoStore geodatabase repositories. A significant linear relationship between baseflow and stormflow nutrient concentrations was established allowing for the use of baseflow concentrations in the prioritization methodology. Pearson correlation, linear regression, classification and regression tree, …

Constituent Load Estimation In The Lower Ouachita-Smackover Watershed, Zach P. Simpson, Erin E. Scott, Brian E. Haggard

Technical Reports

Water quality was monitored at 21 sites in the Lower Ouachita‐Smackover Watershed from 2013 November through 2014 September. The U.S. Geological Survey maintains discharge monitoring stations at two of these sites, Moro Creek (USGS 07362500) and Smackover Creek (USGS 07362100), which were sampled during base flow and storm event conditions, whereas the other sites were only sampled during baseflow. The Arkansas Water Resources Center (AWRC) estimated constituent loads for nitrate‐N (NO₃‐–N), total nitrogen (TN), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), total phosphorus (TP) and total suspended solids (TSS) using the U.S. Geological Survey LOADEST software. LOADEST creates regression models between constituent concentrations …

Stable Isotopes As A Tool To Characterize Carbon Cycling And Develop Hydrologic Budgets In Mantled Karst Settings, Katherine Knierim

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Isotopes of water (δ2H/δ18O), carbon dioxide (δ13C-CO2), and dissolved inorganic carbon (δ13C-DIC) were used to explore water quality, trace carbon cycling, and quantify recharge sources through mantled karst and into Blowing Spring Cave (BSC). Of the possible sources of contamination in the BSC recharge area, septic-tank effluent was hypothesized to degrade water quality at the spring outlet of BSC because of the dominance of septic tanks for waste treatment, unsuitable topography and soil for septic-tank absorption fields, increased nitrate and chloride concentrations concomitant with increased urbanization, and increased Escherichia coli with discharge. Carbon cycling between the soil and BSC was …

A Pump Monitoring Approach To Irrigation Pumping Plant Performance Testing, William Merritt Mcdougall

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Traditionally, irrigation pumping plants have been tested using an instantaneous appraoch, which tests performance parameters over a very short time interval. Using this method, the tester measures the necessary work and energy use parameters to calculate the desired pumping plant performance values. The primary limitation of this approach is its inability to determine the season long efficiency of an irrigation pumping plant.

A new approach to evaluating irrigation pumping plant performance is the use of pump monitoring systems which use high frequency, real-time data collection and telemetry to relay information directly from the pump to the user. This method of …

Evaluating The Assessment Methodology For The Chlorophyll-A And Secchi Transparency Criteria At Beaver Lake, Arkansas, J. Thad Scott, Brian E. Haggard

Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Natural Nutrient Sources In The Cache River Watershed, Arkansas, M. K. Kilmer, N. Poe, S. Chappell, J. L. Bouldin

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The growth of the hypoxic ‘dead zone’ in the Gulf of Mexico in recent years has placed increased focus on potential sources of nutrient pollution, with most of the focus being placed on watersheds where practices, including fertilizer application and land alterations combine to increase non-point source runoff. In this study, nutrient concentrations in surface waters of altered and unaltered areas of the Cache River Watershed, Arkansas, were compared to determine if agricultural land usage was responsible for the majority of nutrient inputs. Results suggest that for dissolved nitrites and orthophosphates, agricultural (altered) sites contribute significantly more than relatively unaltered …

Development Of Heterogeneous Photosensitized Transition Metal Oxide Water-Splitting Catalysts On Silica Support, M. P. Gajewski, H. J. Crane, M. W. Nelson

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The research presented in this manuscript describes the development of photosensitized inexpensive catalysts based on readily available materials. The investigation covers synthesis and characterization of photosensitizers based on porphyrins, mechanical and thermal coating of solid support with semiconducting transition metal oxides, photosensitization of the semiconducting layer, and characterization of the photoelectrochemical properties displayed by the new materials. The process of water oxidation is of primary interest here, with little emphasis put on reduction of protons to gaseous hydrogen. Photoelectrochemically produced protons serve as a probe of effectiveness of the catalysts. Several systems are described, and two catalysts are identified as …

Aquatic Effects Of A Localized Oil Spill On Lake Conway, Ar And Its Tributaries, M. E. Kennon, J. L. Bouldin

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Oil spills, no matter where they occur, elicit environmental concern and avoiding these disasters should be a priority. Old pipelines that are not regularly maintained and carry large amounts of crude oil long distances are of particular concern. One such pipeline is the 65 year-old Pegasus pipeline owned by ExxonMobil. On March 29, 2013, 795,000 L of Wabasca Heavy Canadian crude oil spilled into a neighborhood of Mayflower, Arkansas, when the Pegasus pipeline ruptured. This spill led to the evacuation of many homes in the surrounding neighborhood. Drainage ditches in the affected neighborhood drained oil into a nearby cove of …