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LSU Master's Theses

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Articles 361 - 375 of 375

Full-Text Articles in Environmental Sciences

Toward A Sustainable Energy Future?: A Comparison Between U.S. And European Energy Sectors, Annett Moehner Jan 2003

Toward A Sustainable Energy Future?: A Comparison Between U.S. And European Energy Sectors, Annett Moehner

LSU Master's Theses

Since 1987, the concept of sustainable development, which tries to combine economic, social and environmental concerns into one benign development model, has become increasingly popular worldwide. To explore and explain the differences in accomplishing sustainable development, this thesis looks at one specific aspect: the energy sectors in the United States and the European Union. After giving an overview on the political and theoretical aspects of sustainable development, the various sustainability dimensions in the energy sector are explored. The following four reasons which warrant the change of the current fossil fuel intense energy sector are discussed: first, air pollution; second, insecurity …

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Influences On State-Level Policies For Wildfire Risk Reduction, Marios Anastasis Valiantis Jan 2003

Influences On State-Level Policies For Wildfire Risk Reduction, Marios Anastasis Valiantis

LSU Master's Theses

Wildland fires are part of the United State’s history and culture. The human dimension of State wildland fire management, - the relationship of people and wildland fire in America- is an important and driving force in how federal and state agencies respond to wildland fire, now and in the future. In many ways, the critical element for the management of wildland fire is the management of people, communities, and organizations. Explosive growth in the wildland-urban interface puts entire communities, their associated infrastructure and the socioeconomic fabric that holds communities together at a high risk from wildland fire. Year after year …

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Regional Water Quality Models For The Prediction Of Eutrophication Endpoints, Anindita Das Jan 2003

Regional Water Quality Models For The Prediction Of Eutrophication Endpoints, Anindita Das

LSU Master's Theses

Eutrophication is a process by which a waterbody progresses from its origin to its extinction. During this period, there is a gradual accumulation of nutrients and organic biomass, accompanied by a decrease in average depth of the water due to sediment accumulation, and an increase in primary productivity, usually in the form of dense algal blooms. Cultural eutrophication occurs when humans, through their various activities, greatly accelerate this process. Eutrophication can cause loss in species diversity, fish kills, and decrease the aesthetic value of a waterbody. The EPA is trying to prevent cultural eutrophication by setting standards for water quality …

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Factors Affecting Participation In City Recycling Programs, Stacy Marie Lockhart Jan 2003

Factors Affecting Participation In City Recycling Programs, Stacy Marie Lockhart

LSU Master's Theses

Recycling consists of diverting or recovering materials from the solid waste stream that would otherwise end up returning to the environment as a potential source of pollution. These collected materials are then used as raw materials in the manufacture or assembly of a new product or package. Over the years the amount of municipal solid waste being generated per person has steadily increased. Waste disposal costs are also increasing, making recycling even more important. To address this issue cities are developing recycling policies or plans. The type of plan varies according to the area; as of this time there are …

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Field Validation Of Bentazon Phytoremediation, Sajida Begum Jan 2003

Field Validation Of Bentazon Phytoremediation, Sajida Begum

LSU Master's Theses

Phytoremediation with black willow (Salix nigra) was conducted in 1996 by planting trees at a density of 2000 trees/hectare at BASF Corporation in a shallow groundwater plume containing low levels of bentazon. In this project, the roots, stems,and leaves of the black willow plants were extracted and analyzed to see if bentazon from the ground water was taken up by the plants. Different extraction procedures such as liquid-phase extraction and solid-phase extraction were compared. Final determination using different analytical techniques such as GC-MSD, GC-ECD, and HPLC with UV detection for the isolation and analysis of bentazon residues from the plant …

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Effect Of Temperature On Efficiency Of In Situ Bioremediation Technology: A Laboratory Microcosm And Field Study, Javed Iqbal Jan 2003

Effect Of Temperature On Efficiency Of In Situ Bioremediation Technology: A Laboratory Microcosm And Field Study, Javed Iqbal

LSU Master's Theses

Laboratory microcosm experiment and parallel ex situ bioremediation studies were conducted to study the effect of temperature on in situ bioremediation systems installed at Superfund site in southeast Georgia. Laboratory microcosms, inoculated with PAHs/phenols specific microorganisms, at high temperatures (42±2°C; 107±3°F) demonstrated a significant reduction of residual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and selected phenols from 4927±1356ng/g dry weight soil to 1158±530ng/g with a kinetic rate of 76.1±16.8ng/g/day (84% reduction; p≤0.01) in 49days. High temperature non-inoculated microcosms were reduced of residual PAHs and phenols from 1117±436ng/g to 341±116ng/g with a kinetic rate of 15.8±6.5ng/g/day (65% reduction; p≤0.01) in 49days. Low temperature …

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Pcr Inhibition And Toxic Effects By Sediment Samples Exposed To Drilling Muds, Neal Gilpin Satterly Jan 2003

Pcr Inhibition And Toxic Effects By Sediment Samples Exposed To Drilling Muds, Neal Gilpin Satterly

LSU Master's Theses

This study evaluated the PCR inhibition and toxic effects by sediment samples exposed to drilling muds. This information was gathered in an attempt to identify what effect, if any, drilling muds had on the microbial community structure in sediments around four specific oil-drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Sediment samples were taken before and after drilling had taken place around two platforms (GB516 and VK916), and sediment samples were taken after drilling had taken place around two other platforms (MC292 and GB602). After using traditional, non-selective DNA extraction methods, successful amplification took place via PCR with all pre-drilling samples …

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Comparative Analysis Of State Environmental Enforcement In Region Six Of The United States, Rebecca Marcus Jan 2003

Comparative Analysis Of State Environmental Enforcement In Region Six Of The United States, Rebecca Marcus

LSU Master's Theses

Through intense studies of agency audits, EPA policies and documents, state environmental compliance data and state agency issued documents, I have evaluated the enforcement programs of Region Six state environmental agencies. The four elements utilized to perform this evaluation were listed in EPA compliance assurance program documents. The analysis was conducted by comparing state program performance in each element. Element 1 is the “appropriate identification of violations.” Element 2 is the “timely issuance of enforcement actions.” Element 3 is the “escalation of enforcement actions when violations continue.” Element 4 is the “ability to assess and collect penalties.” These elements are …

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Role Of Eintermediaries In The United States Paper Supply Chain, Sanna Maria Kallioranta Jan 2003

Role Of Eintermediaries In The United States Paper Supply Chain, Sanna Maria Kallioranta

LSU Master's Theses

In an attempt to streamline the paper supply chain, paper industry vertical business-to-business eMarketplaces were established to help industry players to decrease inefficiencies in their supply chains, to minimize negative effects of economic cyclicality, and to achieve better visibility. eMarketplaces rode the hype of revolutionizing the way in which industries conduct business, citing the cost savings achieved by expanded market reach, operational efficiencies, aggregated purchasing, and finding the least expensive suppliers. Adoption of eIntermediaries has been lower than expected in the paper industry and many of the paper vertical start-ups failed when the economy softened and the dot.com bubble burst. …

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Analyzing The Education Mandate Of Title X: The Lead-Based Paint Reduction Act Of 1992, William Troy Roussel Jan 2002

Analyzing The Education Mandate Of Title X: The Lead-Based Paint Reduction Act Of 1992, William Troy Roussel

LSU Master's Theses

The Environmental Protection Agency appropriates 400 million dollars in grant funding under the authority of Title X: Residential Lead-based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992. The education mandate of Title X states that the federal government must build an infrastructure to educate the public, real estate professionals, and contractors, to name a few, on the hazards of lead-based paint. A survey was developed to assess the effectiveness of the Title X education mandate. Contractors in the City of New Orleans were surveyed to assess their knowledge of the act and the hazards of lead-based paint before attending an 8-hour training …

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Water Discharge Models, Seasonal Effluent Mass Loading, And Best Management Practices For Crawfish Ponds, Landon David Parr Jan 2002

Water Discharge Models, Seasonal Effluent Mass Loading, And Best Management Practices For Crawfish Ponds, Landon David Parr

LSU Master's Theses

Nearly 35,000 ha are used to grow crawfish in southwest and south-central Louisiana, and many of these ponds discharge into impaired water bodies. In 2002, proposed guidelines were published by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) assigning effluent limitations and standards for some aquaculture production systems and exempting others (e.g. crawfish ponds). This research had three objectives relative to crawfish ponds: develop water discharge models; final drawdown effluent quality and seasonal mass loading of solids and nutrients; and identification of Best Management Practices (BMPs) that could reduce effluent discharge and improve effluent quality. Models for south-central and southwest Louisiana …

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A Comparison Of Storm Hydrographs From Small Urban Watersheds With Different Land Use Patterns In Baton Rouge, Josey Wade Walker Jan 2002

A Comparison Of Storm Hydrographs From Small Urban Watersheds With Different Land Use Patterns In Baton Rouge, Josey Wade Walker

LSU Master's Theses

Statistics gathered by FEMA indicate that nine of ten federal disasters are related to flooding. Research has demonstrated that increases in flooding can be contributed to urbanization or the construction of new residential and commercial developments (Anderson, 1970; Arnold & Gibbons, 1996; Putnam, 1972). New development has two main problems associated with it. First is the increase in impervious surfaces due to new parking lots, buildings, and streets (Booth & Leavitt, 1999; Seaburn, 1969). Second is the elimination of natural vegetation, which reduces evapotranspiration and lowers the soil’s ability to absorb precipitation (Hewlett, 1982). This study first demonstrates the relationship …

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Mitigation Strategies For The Removal Of Rinsate Organics And Lithium-Based Dyes From Textile Effluents, Kathryn W. Huddle Jan 2002

Mitigation Strategies For The Removal Of Rinsate Organics And Lithium-Based Dyes From Textile Effluents, Kathryn W. Huddle

LSU Master's Theses

Governmental agencies have set regulatory values on the concentration of dye-related color that can be released in textile mill effluents. A proprietary biotic and abiotic technology treatment train was built at a candidate facility in northwestern Georgia to reduce the organic content and dye-related color content in the textile mill’s effluent. Laboratory experimentation began with bench scale 4 L immobilized microbe (IMBR) bioreactor tests to biologically treat primary wastewater streams, namely skein dye and space dye, from this candidate facility. The biological treatment reduced the organic content levels, expressed as chemical oxygen demand (COD), from 3185±30 to 290±20 mg/L (COD …

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Nutrient Reserves Of Lesser Scaup During Spring Migration In The Mississippi Flyway: A Test Of The Spring Condition Hypothesis, Michael J. Anteau Jan 2002

Nutrient Reserves Of Lesser Scaup During Spring Migration In The Mississippi Flyway: A Test Of The Spring Condition Hypothesis, Michael J. Anteau

LSU Master's Theses

The continental scaup population (lesser [Aythya affinis] and greater scaup [A. marila] combined) has declined markedly during the past 20 years, and has remained below the population goal of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan since 1985. One hypothesis explaining the scaup population decline states that reproductive success has decreased because females presently are arriving on breeding areas in poorer condition than that historically (Spring Condition Hypothesis [SCH]). I tested the SCH by comparing fresh body masses (FBMs) and nutrient reserves (lipid, protein, and mineral) of lesser scaup at 4 locations (Louisiana, Illinois, Minnesota, and Manitoba) in the Mississippi Flyway …

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Evaluation Of In Situ Bioremediation Approaches In Meeting International Standards For Organic And Residual Metals Toxicity In Soils, Jason Allan Mcdonald Jan 2001

Evaluation Of In Situ Bioremediation Approaches In Meeting International Standards For Organic And Residual Metals Toxicity In Soils, Jason Allan Mcdonald

LSU Master's Theses

Drilling fluids and muds are an essential component of the rotary drilling process used to drill for oil and gas on land and in offshore environments. However, the bioaccumulation of petroleum contaminated soils/drilling mud due to oil and natural gas exploration has posed a major environmental concern due to its prolonged environmental persistence and its leachability below the rhizosphere. The main objectives of this research were: (i) To assess initial toxicity of drilling mud and related contaminated soils from an agricultural setting in Galliano, Sicily (Phase one) and (ii) To develop a low intervention bioremediation approach using bioplug technology to …

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