Sustainability Commons^™

Sustainability In The Specialty Mushroom Industry And The Fight Against Single-Use Plastic: A Case Study, Amanda Newman

University Honors Theses

Specialty mushroom cultivator, Bridgetown Mushrooms, generates approximately 3 metric tons of polypropylene plastic waste a year. This is just a fraction of the 1-2 million metric tons created by the specialty mushroom industry annually. With only 10% of plastic waste being used as secondary materials, the majority of this waste ends up in landfills or in the environment. Through collaboration with employees within Bridgetown’s operation and government agency mentorship, it was determined that the most viable and ecological solution to reduce on-farm plastic waste within Bridgetown’s operation was to develop a reusable growing apparatus as a direct replacement for polypropylene …

Spatio-Temporal Changes In The Gravity And Post-Mining Seismic Activity In Abandoned Deep Coal Mine Kazimierz-Juliusz During Flooding, Andrzej Kotyrba, Łukasz Kortas, Sławomir Siwek

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The flooding of an underground hard coal mine, resulting in the filling of post-mining voids (workings and goafs) and the repeated saturation of pore and interstitial spaces of the adjacent rock with water, change the mass and its distribution in the near-surface part of the earth’s crust. This process is slow and lasts many years. As a result, the local gravity field undergoes dynamic changes. It depends on the surface morphology and the density of geological strata, which is related to their water content. Changes in the local gravity field can be monitored by periodic gravity surveys performed in the …

Mapping Urban Tree Canopy Using Publicly Available Satellite Data, Rosemary Mcguinness

Theses and Dissertations

This project addresses the need for accessible, cost-effective tools for quantifying spatial and temporal changes in tree canopy cover in urban areas. Urban tree canopy provides a wide range of ecosystem services, including lowering air temperatures, reducing pollution, and mitigating stormwater runoff. Cities around the world have placed the expansion of their urban forests at the center of their sustainability goals. Consistent and timely data on urban tree canopy is essential for urban greening initiatives to succeed. Existing methods of accessing information about urban tree canopy are highly technical, costly, and labor-intensive, while the freely available source of tree canopy …

Renewable Energy Perception And Policy Implementation In Rural Communities: Case Studies In The Ohio And Tennessee River Valleys, Madeline Petty

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Utility-scale renewable energy development allows clean energy production to fulfill energy demand and mitigate climate change. Development of utility-scale renewable energies such as wind and solar energy requires expansive tracts of land, typically found in rural areas. Rural center communities in the United States (U.S.) exhibit unique characteristics and ideologies that influence individuals’ perceptions of renewable energy about climate change. This research aimed to understand rural residents’ perception of renewable energy by surveying six rural center communities with varying levels of renewable energy. Surveys were distributed electronically to residents in these communities via mailers, digital ads, flyers, press releases, and …

Integrating Water And Nitrogen Management For Sustainable Agriculture: Optimizing Resource Use Efficiency And Maximizing Crop Productivity, Jiaming Duan

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Advisors: Derek Heeren and Daran Rudnick Maize, accounting for over 95% of national grain production in the United States, is highly sensitive to water and nitrogen (N) inputs. Conventional agricultural practices often lead to excessive application, causing groundwater contamination through nitrate leaching. Therefore, there is a demand for integrating water and nitrogen management with innovative scheduling methods for sustainable agricultural development.

This dissertation first reviewed two decades of U.S.-based research, highlighting the optimal management of water and N to enhance yield, water use efficiency (WUE), and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Findings indicate that maintaining optimal levels of N and water …

Lca Operational Carbon Reduction Based On Energy Strategies Analysis In A Mass Timber Building, Moein Hemmati, Tahar Messadi, Hongmei Gu, Mahboobeh Hemmati

Architecture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Buildings play a significant role in the rise of energy consumption and carbon emissions. Building operations are responsible for 28% of the world’s carbon emissions. It is crucial, therefore, to evaluate the environmental impact of various buildings’ operational phase in order to implement sustainable strategies for the mitigation of their energy usage and associated carbon footprint. While numerous studies have been conducted to determine the carbon footprint of conventional building operation phases, there are still a lack of actual data on the operational carbon (OC) emissions of mass timber buildings. There is also a lack of research pertaining to the …

Developing Educational Tools For Sustainable Stormwater Management, Lauren Houskeeper

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Rapid population growth and development in Western states are exerting strain on the region’s limited water resources. Urbanization exacerbates this issue by increasing impervious surfaces, limiting infiltration of precipitation during storm events and snowmelt, which results in changes to hydrologic conditions with higher runoff volumes and higher peak flows. Stormwater transports pollutants as it flows across impervious surfaces, discharging high volumes of runoff and elevated loads of urban contaminants into receiving waters. The amount of pollution entering waterways continually increases as urban areas expand. Utah is currently experiencing a rapid transition from undeveloped to developed landscapes, necessitating the implementation of …

Utilizing Unmanned Aerial Systems (Uas) And Computer Software To Assess Effects Of Cover Crops On Cash Crop Volumetric Mass And Plant Height, Carlos Andres Garcia Patlan

Theses and Dissertations

Sustainability in agriculture starts with the health of soil-- from its productivity and fertility, to its ability to retain water during droughts and allow for drainage during rain. One approach of improving soil health is the use of cover crops, a practice associated with improved nutrient availability in soils, the promotion of soil biodiversity and organic matter to improve density and structure, effective weed management, and ultimately improved yields of subsequent cash crops. Assessing the cumulative impacts of cover crops is difficult, with various metrics and indicators. Crop dry weight may be a way to predict the effects cover crops …

Sustainability Measures Of The Apparel Industry: A Longitudinal Analysis Of Apparel Corporations’ Sustainability Efforts, Lance Cheramie, Mahendran Balasubramanian

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Faculty Publications and Presentations

Climate change is a paramount challenge of our era, with profound implications for various sectors, including the apparel industry, known for its extensive environmental footprint throughout the entire clothing lifecycle. This study assesses the industry’s carbon emission trends using six years of data (2017–2022) focusing on Scope 1 and Scope 2. Employing a one-way repeated measures ANOVA, this study evaluates the impact of sustainability strategies on emissions. The results indicate a notable decrease in Scope 2 and overall carbon emissions, while Scope 1 emissions remain relatively unchanged despite a downward trend. These findings underscore the success of current sustainability measures …

Enhancing Fuel Injection System Reliability Through Weibull Family Functions Analysis, Ali Nouri Qarahasanlou, Abbas Barabadi, Meisam Saleki, Ali Rahimazar, Parisa Rezakhania, Masoume Gholamia

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The efficient operation of heavy machinery is crucial to the success of mining and civil construction operations. To guarantee this performance, equipment performance is assessed using the Reliability Index, which analyzes failures to study the ability of a system to carry out its intended functions under predetermined conditions. On the other hand, the failure rate and operational environmental condition (such as management decisions, maintenance performance, etc., that are defined as “risk factors”) over the life cycle of industrial systems pose a significant challenge to reliability analysis. This paper proposes an approach to address these challenges by extending Weibull family functions …

Chemical Recycling Of Bio-Based Polyurethane Foams: Evaluating Bio-Based Glycols In Comparison To Petroleum-Based Glycols, Anirudh Thorbole Mr.

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The paradigm shift towards bio-based polyurethane foams (bio-PUF) has significantly increased post-consumer waste. To address this issue, this research represents a novel approach to enhance sustainable development in the recycling industry by replacing traditional petroleum-based glycols with sustainable bio-based alternatives. This study explores the glycolysis of bio-PUF using bio-based SG-522 glycol and polyethylene glycol (PEG) for comparison. The findings from this research as outlined, reveal no significant differences in depolymerization time between the two glycols, achieving proper depolymerization and high recovery yields of over 95% after solvent purification. Comprehensive FT-IR and NMR analyses confirmed the successful degradation of bio-PUF and …

Future Library: Hopepunk Heroism, Joanna Pascoe

Heroism Science

Future Library (Paterson, 2014-2114) is viewed through the lens of the heroic imagination and heroism in community. The heroic vision includes an artist, writers, a forest, public architecture, and the city of Oslo. As the project grows, so does its community, across the world, encouraging transformative thinking for all. Future Library is an art installation created by Katie Paterson, described thus: “A forest in Norway is growing. In 100 years it will become an anthology of books. Every year a writer is contributing a text that will be held in trust, unpublished, until the year 2114. The texts will be …

Pyrolysis Characteristics And Pore-Fracture Evolutionary Patterns Of Tar-Rich Coals, Geng Jishi, Wang Shuangming, Sun Qiang, Hou Enke, Yang Yuru, Hu Xin, Xue Shengze

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective Extracting coal-based oil and gas from tar-rich coal through in situ pyrolysis plays a significant role in counteracting the shortage of China's oil and gas resources and enhancing the utilization efficiency of coal resources, representing a new trend for the efficient exploitation of tar-rich coals. During the in situ pyrolysis of tar-rich coals, the internal heat transfer, as well as the migration and production of pyrolysis products, is directly influenced by the oil and gas production characteristics and the characteristics of pores and fractures. Hence, it is particularly critical to identify the pyrolysis characteristics and pore-fracture evolutionary patterns of …

In-Situ Pyrolysis Of Tar-Rich Coal: Effects On Geological Environments And Geological Guarantee Technology, Xu Shiang, Zhang Pingsong, Cheng Gang, Wu Haibo

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective Tar-rich coal, a type of unique unconventional oil and gas resource that integrates coal, oil, and gas, can be transformed into tar, combustible gases, and semi-coke solid fuels with high added value through in-situ pyrolysis. Therefore, the in-situ pyrolysis of tar-rich coal has the potential to meet the challenges in achieving the green exploitation and clean, low-carbon utilization of coals in the traditional coal industry. Furthermore, in terms of how to reduce coal pollution emissions and enhance energy efficiency, this technology offers a new solution for attaining the goals of peak carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality. It also …

Molecular Modeling Of Tar-Rich Coals From Northern Shaanxi And Their Molecular Dynamic Characteristics In The Process Of Pyrolysis For Tar Extraction, Guo Wei, Yang Panxi, Yu Zunyi, Yang Fu, Wang Jing, Ma Li, Li Hongqiang, Yang Bolun, Wu Zhiqiang

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective The pyrolysis process and mechanism of tar-rich coals remain unclear due to their complex structures. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the structure-activity relationship between their structure and the distributions of their pyrolytic products and determine the mechanism behind their pyrolysis for tar extraction. Methods Focusing on typical tar-rich coals from northern Shaanxi Province, this study calculated and constructed the molecular model of the coals using characterization methods such as carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), determining the molecular formula at C₄₄₄H₃₈₀O_{74 …}

Advances In Research On Hydrogenation Saturation Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In Coal Tar, He Xinfu, Gao Fan, Wu Hongju, Zhang Xiaoqin, Ma Tao, Shi Zhiwei, Zhou Anning, Zhang Yating

Coal Geology & Exploration

Significance Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a predominant component in coal tar, can be used to produce jet fuels with high energy density and thermal stability through hydrogenation saturation. Based on the characteristics of the PAH hydrogenation process, this study proposed that primary challenges in PAH hydrogenation saturation include the resonance energy of PAHs themselves, the spatial site resistance of hydrogenation intermediates, and the competitive adsorption of feedstocks and intermediates on active sites in the catalysts. Progress Based on the review of research progress in catalysts for PAH hydrogenation saturation in recent years, this study analyzed the substantial factor influencing the …

Pilot Experiment For Underground In-Situ Pyrolysis Of Tar-Rich Coal In The Northern Shaanxi Province, Duan Zhonghui, Yang Fu, Wang Zhendong, Ma Li, Duan Xiaoqing, Cao Husheng, Chen Liang

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective The breakthrough of the pilot experiment for underground in-situ pyrolysis of tar-rich coal in the northern Shaanxi has added new vitality to the research on in-situ conversion of fossil energy such as tar-rich coal and oil shale, and the results have attracted wide attention both inside and outside the industry. The research on underground in-situ pyrolysis of tar rich coal is still in its infancy, lacking systematic research on field engineering data.Methods Based on the pilot experiment, the main geological conditions and engineering difficulties have been clarified, and the progress of underground in-situ pyrolysis has been summarized. The …

Geological Factors Controlling The Occurrence Of Carboniferous-Permian Tar-Rich Coals In The Ningdong Coalfield, Huang Pengcheng, Guo Weiyong, Ji Xiaoyan, Cai Feifei, Zhang Zhifeng, Huang Kang, Cheng Yunqiang, Liu Zheng, Wang Bei, Chen Rong, Shi Qingmin

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective The Ningdong Coalfield of the Ordos Basin boasts abundant tar-rich coal resources, of which tar-rich coals in the Carboniferous-Permian coal seams exhibit unique occurrence characteristics due to differences in thermal evolution and sedimentary environments. Methods This study analyzed the occurrence characteristics and critical material composition of tar-rich coals in the Hongdunzi and Siguquan mining areas. Based on this, it explored the controlling effects of the degree of coalification and sedimentary environment on the tar yield. Results and Conclusions The results indicate that the Carboniferous-Permian coal seams in the Ningdong Coalfield exhibit average tar yields ranging from 7.15% to 11.07%, …

Distributions Of Products From The Pyrolysis Of Tar-Rich Coals For Tar Extraction In Northern Shaanxi Province, China, Yu Zunyi, Guo Wei, Yang Panxi, Gao Kun, Yang Fu, Ma Li, Wang Jing, Li Hongqiang, Yang Bolun, Wu Zhiqiang

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective Tar-rich coals stand as a special type of coal resource that integrates coal, oil, and gas properties. These coals, boasting abundant hydrogen-rich structures such as side chains and bridge bonds with aliphatic structures, are prone to crack and produce tar and gas during pyrolysis. These establish tar-rich coals as ideal raw materials that produce oil and gas through thermal conversion. Presently, the research into tar extraction from tar-rich coals through pyrolysis remains in its initial stage, and exploring the impacts of technological conditions, including heat carrier, heating type, and pyrolysis temperature, on the pyrolysis process holds critical significance for …

Simulation Of The Pyrolysis Process Of Tar-Rich Coals In An H2O Atmosphere Based On The Reactive Force Field Molecular Dynamics, Huang Zibo, Liu Qianru, Liu Hong, Zhou Wenjing, Wei Jinjia

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective Tar-rich coal resources, abundant in China, can be converted into energy products (e.g., chemicals and gas/liquid fuels) through pyrolysis, thus alleviating the country’s dependence on oil and gas imports. A thorough understanding of the product evolution and reaction mechanisms of the pyrolysis of tar-rich coals is crucial to research into the clean and efficient conversion processes of coals. Methods Based on the reactive force field molecular dynamics (ReaxFF MD), this study simulated the pyrolysis process of tar-rich coals (long-flame coals) and explored the impacts of the H₂O atmosphere on the distribution of pyrolytic products, along with the …