Sustainability Commons^™

Role Of Social Determinants Of Health In Differential Respiratory Exposure And Health Outcomes Among Children, Jagadeesh Puvvula, Jill A. Poole, Yeongjin Gwon, Eleanor G. Rogan, Jesse E. Bell

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Background Attributes defining the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) are associated with disproportionate exposures to environmental hazards and differential health outcomes among communities. The dynamics between SDoH, disproportionate environmental exposures, and differential health outcomes are often specific to micro-geographic areas.

Methods This study focused on children less than 20 years of age who lived in Douglas County, Nebraska, during 2016–2019. To assess the role of SDoH in differential exposures, we evaluated the association between SDoH metrics and criteria pollutant concentrations and the association between SDoH and pediatric asthma exacerbations to quantify the role of SDoH in differential pediatric asthma outcomes. …

Survey Data: Optimising Retrofitted Insulation For Irish Residential Building Walls, Rakshit D. Muddu, Aimee Byrne, Anthony Robinson Dr.

Datasets

A survey was conducted to determine the preferred set point temperature and heating pattern among Irish households. The survey was sent to 237 people living across Ireland, out of which 32 respondents skipped the survey and 9 surveys were found to be incomplete. Amongst the counties in Ireland 71.1% respondents were from Dublin, 6.34% from Kildare, 5% from Meath, 5% from Wicklow and in all the remaining counties response rate was below 2%. Part 1: This section of the survey recorded information regarding characteristics of the building such as house type, wall type, insulation type, period the house was built. …

Rainwater Catchment System In Public Sector Housing, Araceli Peña, Muhammad Yanzar Sarin

2023 REYES Proceedings

Water is a universal right for all living beings on the planet, but today it has become a commercial good. It costs significantly to extract water from increasingly distant storage sources. For these reasons and many more the fight for water has become increasingly intense. Precisely, an alternative to avoid more dam construction is the implementation of public politic with actions focused on the integral solution of water, that is to say, that it be distributed fairly and equitably to all users, avoiding more concessions to great industries like as soft drinks and breweries, which are the main consumers and …

Evaluating The Sustainability Of Paper And Plastic Substitute Material Limex, E.-Lexus Thornton, Avery Hartley, Daniel Caudill, Martin Gamesu, Julius M. Schoop, Fazleena Badurdeen

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

With the increasing decline in the environment and natural resources it is important to find new ways in which manufacturing can increase the sustainability of the world. This study seeks to compare LimeX, a state-of-the-art paper and plastic alternative primarily made of limestone, with conventional paper and plastic materials. For a better understanding of LimeX as a material, a brief investigation of the mechanical and chemical properties will be performed through experimentation and analysis. In addition, this paper aims to evaluate the sustainability of LimeX through the analysis of metrics relating to the triple bottom line (environmental impacts, economic impacts …

Classifying Multi-Generational Products For The Circular Economy, Buddhika M. Hapuwatte, Fazleena Badurdeen, I. S. Jawahir

Institute for Sustainable Manufacturing Faculty Publications

Manufacturers are increasingly interested in the circular economy (CE) and potential of circular productions. To fully utilize CE, better guidance at the design stage is needed to establish closed-loop flows and prioritize higher value retaining end-of-use (EoU) practices such as reuse and remanufacture (i.e., parts harvesting). Intergenerational commonality (IC) is a method to increase EoU parts harvesting. However, closed-loop parts harvesting potential depends on the compatible timing between design generations’ production and EoU returns curves. Therefore, in this paper, we explore an approach to make an initial assessment on where IC as a closed-loop CE strategy can produce most benefit, …

Mitigating Supply Chain Disruptions In Retail Discount Department Stores, Anthony T. Patton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Supply chain disruptions can have adverse effects on business outcomes. Retail industry supply chain leaders are concerned with supply chain disruptions because supply chain disruptions can lead to dissatisfied customers and loss of profits. Grounded in game theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies four retail industry supply chain leaders in Northern Illinois and Northwest Indiana implemented to mitigate the effects of supply chain disruptions. Data were collected using semistructured virtual interviews with four retail industry supply chain leaders and a review of company documents. Through thematic analysis, four themes emerged: (a) choosing appropriate inventory …

Air Traffic Management Principles: A Case Study On How To Create A Sustainable System, Eva Maleviti

Publications

BEYOND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

• Emissions, SAF, CORSIA, Design
• Economic growth and development
• Sustainability should go beyond environment
• Non-technology approaches for sustainability and Net-Zero targets
• What about social sustainability and people?

In the total share of aviation emissions (1GT CO2) 3% is 3Mt CO2. Small share but very significant contribution.

Computational Decision Support For Socio-Technical Awareness Of Land-Use Planning Under Complexity—A Dam Resilience Planning Case Study, Andreas Tolk, Jennifer A. Richkus, F. Leron Shults, Wesley J. Wildman

VMASC Publications

Land-use planning for modern societies requires technical competence as well as social competence. We therefore propose an integrative solution enabling better land-use planning and management through better-informed decision-making. We adapt a method developed for cross-disciplinary team building to identify the stakeholders and their various objectives and value systems. We use these results to populate artificial societies embedded into a dynamic data analytics framework as a tool to identify, explore, and visualize the challenges resulting from the different objectives and value systems in land-use planning and management. To prove the feasibility of the proposed solution, we present two use cases from …

Alternatives To Reducing Aviation Fuel-Burn With Technology: Fully Electric Autonomous Taxibot, Denzil Neo

Student Works

Aircraft taxiing operations in the aerodrome were identified to consume the most jet fuel apart from the cruise phase of the flight. This was also well supported by various research associating taxi operations at large, congested airports, with high jet fuel consumption, high carbon emissions, and noise pollution. Existing literature recognised the potential to address the environmental issues of aerodrome taxi operations by operating External or Onboard Aircraft Ground Propulsion Systems (AGPS). Designed to power aircraft with sources other than their main engines, external Aircraft Ground Power Systems (AGPS) have shown the potential to significantly cut jet fuel consumption and …

Development Of A Framework To Support Community-Scale Nutrient Recovery For Local Crop Fertilization And Production, Scott A. Lopez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nutrient and resource recovery (NRR) has become increasingly crucial as regions face deteriorating sanitation infrastructures, limited support, and growing environmental challenges. Implementing region-specific NRR technologies and systems could provide effective circular economy insights into addressing these challenges. Because of the multidisciplinary challenges associated with the design and implementation of NRR strategies, various government and local decision-makers need to collaborate effectively in the decision-making process. Structured decision-making (SDM) methodologies are practical when determining the most appropriate NRR strategy for nutrient-rich waste streams. However, applications of computational SDM limited because of the vast amounts of data that are needed to analyze the …

Labile Carbon And Soil Texture Control Nitrogen Transformation In Deep Vadose Zone, Lidong Li, Jordan Shields, Daniel D. Snow, Michael Kaiser, Arindam Malakar

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Understanding transient nitrogen (N) storage and transformation in the deep vadose zone is critical for controlling groundwater contamination by nitrate. The occurrence of organic and inorganic forms of carbon (C) and nitrogen and their importance in the deep vadose zone is not well characterized due to difficulty in sampling and the limited number of studies. We sampled and characterized these pools beneath 27 croplands with different vadose zone thicknesses (6–45 m). We measured nitrate and ammonium in different depths for the 27 sites to evaluate inorganic N storage. We measured total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), hot-water extractable organic carbon (EOC), soil …

Food Waste Storage Gaseous Emissions Detection And Quantification Using Infrared Spectroscopy, Ryley A. Burton-Tauzer

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

A growing interest in sustainable waste management and the implementation of new policies have prompted a shift towards alternative resource recovery methods for organic waste, including food waste. To effectively assess alternative food waste treatment scenarios, it is important to evaluate the life cycle impacts associated with each scenario. The storage phase of food waste, encompassing its accumulation in kitchens, and storage in bins for collection and transportation, has been overlooked as a source of greenhouse gases in previous studies. This investigation aimed to identify the greenhouse gases emitted during the initial five-day period of low-oxygen storage. An open dynamic …

Construction Industry: Profitable Corporate Sustainability Strategies And Processes Achieve Competitive Advantage, Chad Justin Czelusniak-Serviss

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some construction industry managers lack strategies to integrate corporate sustainability strategies and processes for competitive advantage, which causes limited profitability. Grounded in the general systems theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore corporate sustainability strategies and processes senior and mid-level construction industry managers use to achieve competitive advantage in the United States. The participants were eight senior/mid-level construction industry managers from eight different construction industry organizations with at least five years of experience in the construction industry who utilized corporate sustainability strategies and processes. Data were collected using semistructured interviews. Three themes emerged using thematic analysis: …

An Unmanned Aircraft System For Marking Live Power Lines To Prevent Bird Collisions, Mattheuns D. Pretorius, Lourens Leeuwner, Kaajial Durgapersad, Constant Hoogstad, Peter Beckedahl, Michael D. Michael, Kishaylin Chetty

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Collisions with overhead power lines represent a significant cause of mortality for a number of large bird species worldwide. Certain threatened species are severely impacted by power line collisions, particularly those for which there are no other known significant threats. In South Africa, bird collisions with overhead power line cables, including collisions with phase conductors and shield wires, contribute significantly to annual threatened bird species mortalities associated with Eskom power lines. The most practical mitigation measure is to attach bird anti-collision devices as markers on the cables. Current marking methods involve installations by hand, where linemen are hoisted up to …

Synthesis And Application Of Redox-Active Covalent Organic Frameworks In Rechargeable Batteries, Mohammad K. Shehab

Theses and Dissertations

Synthesis and Application of Redox-Active Covalent Organic Frameworks in Rechargeable Batteries

Mohammad K. Shehab

Department of Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284, United States

Abstract

In recent years, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been considered the dominant energy storage devices for portable electronics and electric vehicles due to their high energy density, low self-discharge rate, and long cycle life. In LIBs, the traditional positive electrodes employed are mainly derived from metal-containing inorganic compounds composed of cobalt, iron, nickel, or manganese (LiCoO₂, LiMn₂O₄, and LiFePO₄) coupled with graphite as the negative electrode. Despite …

Construction Industry: Profitable Corporate Sustainability Strategies And Processes Achieve Competitive Advantage, Chad Justin Czelusniak-Serviss

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some construction industry managers lack strategies to integrate corporate sustainability strategies and processes for competitive advantage, which causes limited profitability. Grounded in the general systems theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore corporate sustainability strategies and processes senior and mid-level construction industry managers use to achieve competitive advantage in the United States. The participants were eight senior/mid-level construction industry managers from eight different construction industry organizations with at least five years of experience in the construction industry who utilized corporate sustainability strategies and processes. Data were collected using semistructured interviews. Three themes emerged using thematic analysis: …

Moving Towards Sustainable Mining Communities: The Case Of The Community-Led Non-Cyanide Non-Mercury Cold Extraction Method (Clinn-Cem) In Compostela Valley, Philippines, Rowee Joy S. Decena

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

The small-scale mining industry and communities are left behind in terms of development. They are confronted with economic, environmental, and social problems. Thus, to address these problems and move towards sustainable development, this social development research explores how CLINN-GEM, as a technological innovation, contributes to achieving sustainable mining communities. The researcher employs a single case study approach and adopts qualitative methods in data gathering and analysis. Data gathering methods include document reviews, guided tour, key informant interviews with seven informants, focus group discussions with the operations group and the members of the project staff, and a structured learning exercise with …

Winter Dynamics Of Storm Water Management Ponds And Winter Tolerance In Three Aquatic Plant Species, Patrick Strzalkowski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The vast majority of the research into the performance of stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) has been performed in warm regions or during the warmer seasons in temperate regions. It is presumed that SWMPs are inactive in the winter as any potential stormwater is trapped in snow and ice. The main goal of this thesis was to test this presumption and to study the dynamics and performance of three SWMPs during the winter. Remote water level loggers were installed into the three SWMPs and daily grab samples from the influents and effluents were taken and analyzed for total phosphorus (TP), chloride, …

Coconut Shell Waste Treatment Technology For A Sustainable Waste Utilization: A Case Study Of The Smes In Bohol Village, Indonesia, Wahyu Anggo Rizal, Ria Suryani, Roni Maryana, Dwi Joko Prasetyo, Diah Pratiwi, Yuli Ary Ratnawati, Dini Ariani, Andri Suwanto

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

This project focused on the introduction of liquid smoke and bio briquette manufacturing technology to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) located in Bohol Village, Gunungkidul, Indonesia through technology transfer, training, and mentoring. These SMEs are engaged in the food business with the main product jenang ketan, a traditional food from Gunungkidul, especially in Rongkop District, and very popular among communities around and outside Gunungkidul. The traditional preparation of jenang ketan produces several by-products in the form of waste, which is dominated by coconut shell biomass. The project’s technology transfer was carried out through the procurement of a series of pyrolysis …

Utilization Of Biopertalite For Fuel Efficiency And Reduction In Co And Co2 Gas Emissions In Four-Wheel Motor Vehicles, Ridwan Iskandar, Hadiyanto Hadiyanto, Suherman Suherman, Zainul Akmar Zakaria

Makara Journal of Technology

Emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) gases are the main problem that must be rectified as they are harmful and contribute to global warming through the greenhouse gas effect. In Indonesia, motor vehicles, especially four wheelers, are one of the biggest contributors with up to 71 million tons of CO2 emissions and energy consumption of 179 million barrel of oil equivalent. Bioethanol has octane rating >100, which is higher than that of gasoline; and emission contribution of only 0.02 kg/L, which is lower than that from gasoline (2.23 kg/L). Accordingly, a mixture of gasoline and bioethanol is …

Influence Of Thick Sandstone On Development Of Overburden Mining Fissures In Northern Shaanxi Coal Mining Area Of Yellow River Basin And Suggestions On Water-Preserved Coal Mining, Wang Shuangming, Wei Jiangbo, Song Shijie, Wang Shengquan, Sun Tao

Coal Geology & Exploration

The change of geological conditions of coal seam roof overburden and the development of mining fissures caused by coal mining activities are the direct causes of damage to the key underground aquifers, and also the root causes of ecological environment degradation in the mining area. As a typical geological condition, the thick sandstone developed in the overburden structure of the coal seam roof has an important impact on the development law of mining fissures in the overburden. Therefore, the influence of the thickness and location of different thick sandstones on the development morphology and height of overburden mining fractures was …

Geological Soil Formation For Ecological Restoration Of Mining Areas And Its Case Study, Hu Zhenqi, Zhang Zixuan, Sun Huang

Coal Geology & Exploration

Soil is an important substrate of plant growth, as well as the key for successful ecological restoration of mine. In view of the status of insufficient soil for most of ecological restoration of mine and the reality of a very long process of geological soil formation, the concept and method of geological soil formation for ecological restoration of mine (Mine-GSF for short) were discussed on the basis of description on the principle of natural geological soil formation. Natural geologic soil formation is the process of turning “rock” into “soil” through a long period of macro-geological cycle and biological cycle, including …

Succession Process And Management Mode Of Land Reclamation In Open-Pit Coal Mine Areas Based On Vegetation Rehabilitation, Zhou Wei, Guan Yanjun

Coal Geology & Exploration

Rehabilitated vegetation plays an important role in energy exchange and ecological cycling, and its dynamic change can characterize the extensive details of the disturbance to and the restoration of ecosystem in coal mining areas. From the points of different disturbance states of vegetation in the coal mining area, such as the undisturbed state, the coal mining disturbance state, the restoration state and the post-restoration state, six succession scenarios of the rehabilitated vegetation in coal mining areas were analyzed, including the effective restoration to maturity, inefficient restoration to maturity, effective restoration followed by degradation, effective restoration to development, inefficient restoration to …

Evaluation On Potential Of Using Abandoned Mines For Pumped Storage In Nine Provinces Of Yellow River Basin, Bian Zhengfu, Zhu Chaobin, Zhou Yuejin, Xu Yunong

Coal Geology & Exploration

In view of the low utilization rate of closed mine resources and the increasing demand for power and energy storage in China, the pumped storage technology of abandoned mine is an effective means to realize the secondary development and utilization of resources and enhance the peak sheaving capacity of power grid. Based on the working principle and development status of pumped storage power plants using the abandoned mines, it was proposed to build the semi-underground and full-underground pumped storage power plants using the abandoned mines in the nine provinces of Yellow River Basin. By considering the influence factors of space, …

Preparation Of Coal-Series Solid-Waste-Based Green Filling Materials And Their Performance, Dong Meng, Li Jiangshan, Chen Xin, Jin Jiaxu, Lu Longzhao

Coal Geology & Exploration

The filling technology is an important part of green mining. The low-carbon environmental-friendly filling materials with low costs in research and development and reliable performance are critical for the development of filling technologies. The coal gangue (CG) and coal-series metakaolin (MK) were adopted as the raw materials to prepare coal-series solid-waste-base green filling materials, and the effect of the mixing proportion and alkali activator on the strength and fluidity of filling materials was discussed. In combination with the X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric (TG) analysis and scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and other characterization measures, …

Shear Characteristics And Modified Coulomb Model Of Alfalfa Root-Loess Composite, Duan Zhao, Yuan Lin, Bi Yinli, Wang Kai, Wu Yanbin, Zhang Qing

Coal Geology & Exploration

Plant roots can significantly improve the strength of soil. In order to explore the enhancement effect of alfalfa root on the shear strength of loess, study was conducted based on the root-soil composites of alfalfa with a growth period of 60 d herein. Specifically, the parameters on shear strength of the alfalfa root-soil composite and the tensile strength of alfalfa root were obtained through the direct shear tests and root tensile tests. By observing the structure and characteristics of alfalfa root with an electronic magnifier, a modified Coulomb model of root-soil composite was established with the empirical formula. Meanwhile, the …

Discussion On Identification Standard Of Coal-Measure Graphite, Cao Daiyong, Wang Lu, Zhu Wenqing, Wu Guoqiang, Wei Yingchun, Ning Shuzheng, Wang Guixiang, Xiao Jincheng, Xu Xiang, Liu Kang

Coal Geology & Exploration

The identification and classification of coal-measure graphite are the precondition and basic work of mineral geological exploration, as well as resource exploitation and utilization. The preparation of identification standards of coal-measure graphite should follow the principles of science, systematicness, applicability and operability. Coal graphitization and coalification is a continuous progression plus jump process, and the characteristics of coal-measure graphite, including the step evolution of macromolecular structure and the heterogeneity of material composition, leads to the complexity of ore identification. In order to establish the scientific and practical identification standards, and from the study of metallogenic mechanism and the demand of …

Experimental Research On Mechanical Properties Of “Jacked Pipe-Frozen Soil” Composite Structure In Freeze-Sealing Pipe Roof Tunnel, Duan Yin, Rong Chuanxin, Cai Haibing, Long Wei

Coal Geology & Exploration

As the key project of Zhuhai Connecting Line of Hong Kong‒Zhuhai‒Macao Bridge, the underground excavation section of Gongbei Tunnel has applied the freeze-sealing pipe roof method for the first time. Combining the advantages of the pipe roof method and the artificial ground freezing method, this method could form a “jacked pipe-frozen soil curtain” composite support system on the tunnel section, so as to effectively achieve the dual goals of “bearing” and “water-stopping between pipes”, thereby ensuring that stability and safety during tunnel excavation. To obtain the temperature, deformation and mechanical properties of the “jacked pipe-frozen soil” composite structure, a set …

Path Planning Of Coal Mine Rescue Robot Based On Improved A* Algorithm, Zhang Weimin, Zhang Yue, Zhang Hui

Coal Geology & Exploration

A coal mine rescue robot that performs a rescue task needs to obtain the environment model and plan a collision-free path from the current location to the target location with the built-in algorithm upon receiving a task instruction. In order to reduce the moving time of the rescue robot, the path is usually required to be time-optimal. However, the path planned by the conventional A* algorithm that is widely used at present under the grid map environment has many problems, such as many path redundancy points and large turning angle, which leads to the fact that the path is suboptimal …

Fault Diagnosis Of Hydraulic Power System For Coal Mine Tunnel Drilling Rig Based On T-S Fuzzy Fault Tree, Liu Ruojun, Zhang Youzhen, Yao Ke

Coal Geology & Exploration

In view of the problems of fuzzy logic relation between the elements of the system, the polymorphism of fault mode, and the difficulty in obtaining the fault probability as a result of the complication of the hydraulic power system for coal mine tunnel drilling rig, a fault diagnosis method of hydraulic power system for coal mine tunnel drilling rig based on Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy tree was proposed to overcome the limitations of traditional fault tree in fault diagnosis and analysis of the complex electromechanical hydraulic equipment. The method could timely and accurately obtain the fault information of equipment, and to …