Air Force Institute of Technology Research Report 2000

This report summarizes the research activities of the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management. It describes research interests and faculty expertise; lists student theses/dissertations; identifies research sponsors and contributions; and outlines the procedures for contacting the school. Included in the report are: faculty publications, conference presentations, consultations, and funded research projects. Research was conducted in the areas of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Electro-Optics, Computer Engineering and Computer Science, Systems and Engineering Management, Operational Sciences, and Engineering Physics

Air Force Institute of Technology Research Report 2001

This report summarizes the research activities of the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management. It describes research interests and faculty expertise; lists student theses/dissertations; identifies research sponsors and contributions; and outlines the procedures for contacting the school. Included in the report are: faculty publications, conference presentations, consultations, and funded research projects. Research was conducted in the areas of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Electro-Optics, Computer Engineering and Computer Science, Systems and Engineering Management, Operational Sciences, and Engineering Physics

Water Quality Control Plan. San Francisco Bay Basin (Region 2)

The San Francisco Bay estuarine system conveys the waters of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers into the Pacific Ocean. Located on the central coast of California (Figure 1-1 ), the Bay system functions as the only drainage outlet for waters of the Central Valley. It also marks a natural topographic separation between the northern and southern coastal mountain ranges. The region\u27s waterways, wetlands, and bays form the centerpiece of the United States\u27 fourth largest metropolitan region, including all or major portions of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties

Water Quality Control Plan. San Francisco Bay Basin (Region 2)

The San Francisco Bay estuarine system conveys the waters of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers into the Pacific Ocean. Located on the central coast of California (Figure 1-1 ), the Bay system functions as the only drainage outlet for waters of the Central Valley. It also marks a natural topographic separation between the northern and southern coastal mountain ranges. The region\u27s waterways, wetlands, and bays form the centerpiece of the United States\u27 fourth largest metropolitan region, including all or major portions of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties

New Trends in Environmental Engineering, Agriculture, Food Production, and Analysis

This Special Issue presents the latest advances in agriculture, aquaculture, food technology and environmental protection and engineering, discussing, among others, the following issues: new technologies in water, stormwater and wastewater treatment; water saving, lake restoration; new sludge and waste management systems; biodiesel production from animal fat waste; the microbiological quality of compound fish feeds for aquaculture; the role of technological processes to improve food quality and safety; new trends in the analysis of food and food components including in vitro, in vivo, and in silico analyses; and functional and structural aspects of bioactivities of food molecules

Bioresources for Third-Generation Biofuels

Modern societies’ welfare relies greatly on fossil fuels. The current energy model, based on the extensive utilization of fossil fuels, is affected by economic and environmental problems. The United States Department of Energy 2009 report estimates that, within the next two decades, global energy consumption will double (Conti, 2009). On the other hand, the European Commission 2009 report indicates that the management of climate change problems in Europe, since 2000, has been globally unfavourable. Nevertheless, there are some positive signs, such as the 1.4% reduction in 2007 of CO2 emissions with respect to the figures obtained from 2000 to 2004 in the European Union of Fifteen (E-15). However, considering the 27 European states (E-27), and paying attention to the consumption and production of renewable energy and biofuels, the reduction in emissions has not fulfilled the European Union objectives. Among the motives of this negative evaluation, the fall in the companies’ productivity, increased transport and industry emissions and the reduction in research and development areas can be cited (Radermacher, 2009). First- and secondgeneration biofuels could ameliorate or solve the associated fossil fuel depletion problems, although their recent implantation has raised some doubts. The main problems associated with biofuels are the food vs. fuel controversy; the agricultural and forestry land usage and the actual sustainability of biofuels’ production. Third-generation biofuels, based on the microbiological processing of agricultural, urban and industrial residues, could be a possible solution. However, several technical problems must be solved to make them economically viable and easily affordable for the industry (Robles-Medina et al., 2009).We thank the Junta de Andalucía (Spain) for funding this study through project reference P08-RNM-04180 and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology for funding through project reference CTM2009-09270. M. Manzanera received grants from the Programa Ramón y Cajal, (Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia MEC, Spain, and ERDF, European Union)

The development of point-of-use treatment technologies for the production of drinking water

An estimated 884 million people worldwide lack access to drinking water from improved water sources. With the global population expected to reach eleven billion by the end of the 21st Century, stress on water and energy resources will be exacerbated. The development and implementation of innovative drinking water treatment technologies ensuring safe, sustainable drinking water provision is required. The overall aim of this thesis was to develop point-of-use [POU] water treatment technologies for the production of chemically and biologically safe drinking water. A proof-of-concept decentralised drinking water treatment systems [DWTS] investigated whether Drinking Water Inspectorate [DWI] standard drinking water could be produced by combining multi-step filtration processes, including ultrafiltration [UF] membrane columns, and low dosing of electrochemically activated solution [ECAS] dosing pre- and post UF column membrane (total 1% [v/v]). The ECAS dosing regimen produce DWI standard drinking water, whilst the treated water produced in throughout the control (no ECAS dosing) field trial was not biologically safe. Resulting from these trials, further investigations regarding the effect ECAS has on producing chemically (e.g. trihalomethanes [THMs]) and biologically safe water, as well as manage biofilm formation to minimise biofouling. THMs are regulated disinfection products [DBPs], and form through chlorine-based disinfectants reacting with organic matter. Comparing THM formation in water when treated with three disinfectants (ECAS, NaOCl and HOCl) as a function of contact time and free chlorine resulted in NaOCl producing significantly higher concentrations compared to HOCl and ECAS. Chlorination processes in drinking water treatment ensure the production of biologically safe water. The comparative antimicrobial activity of ECAS against NaOCl and HOCl against standard microbial challenges in planktonic phase, and as biofilms was determined. Throughout all standard chemical bactericidal assays against planktonic E. coli ATCC 10536, neutral (HOCl) and acidic (ECAS) disinfectants exhibited greater antimicrobial activity in comparison to NaOCl, the alkaline disinfectant (NaOCl). Increasing organic load resulted in reduced antimicrobial activity for all disinfectants tested. The antimicrobial activity of all disinfectants decreased against a mature Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15422 biofilm. ECAS demonstrated the greatest reduction in biofilm density compared to NaOCl and HOCl at free chlorine concentrations ≥ 50 mg L-1. In-situ disinfectant dosing biofilm models to represent disinfection processes in water treatment were developed. Preliminary experiments demonstrated an inhibitory effect against biofilm formation through in-situ dosing, however, further model development and experimentation is required