Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-05, Section: B, page: 2958. Adviser: Michael J. Plewa. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 155-168) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 2005. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 232-245).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1983. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-71).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-122).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Delaware, 2009. / Principal faculty advisor: Paul T. Imhoff, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-11, Section: B, page: 6585. Adviser: Marcelo H. Garcia. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 134-143) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

This research presents the development of CityZoom UP, the first attempt to extend existing urban planning software in order to assist in modelling urban scenarios and setting up simulation parameters for Gaussian dispersion and CFD models. Based on the previous capabilities and graphic user interfaces of CityZoom to model and validate urban scenarios based on Master Plan regulations, new graphic user interfaces, automatic mesh generation and data conversion algorithms have been created to seamlessly generate input data for dispersion model AERMOD and CFD packages CFX and OpenFOAM. A key feature of CityZoom UP is the introduction of vehicular pollution source parameters in dispersion and CFD models, allowing the urban designer to assess the local impact of adding or modifying a building or group of buildings on the street air quality. Traffic emissions are modelled as sequence of point sources. CityZoom UP uses Atmospheric Dispersion model AERMOD to assess the dispersion of pollutants in large scale urban environments for strategic planning, quickly providing results for different alternatives of urban scenarios, meteorological and traffic profiles. Sensitivity and validation tests are performed and the results are compared to wind tunnel and real world tracer experiments from the DAPPLE campaign. For the first time in the available literature AERMOD is used to perform dispersion simulation using tracer emission data from mobile vehicular sources in a complex urban scenario, considering building wake effects. CityZoom UP also provides automated 3D meshing, including mesh refinement, identification of physical boundaries in the mesh, and automatic setup of CFD simulations of urban scenarios, for the detailed calculation of air flow and dispersion of pollutants in specific areas inserted in urban environments. These capabilities can greatly reduces the time necessary for the setup CFD cases, even if it does not affect the computational time needed to run the CFD simulations. Tests show how CityZoom UP can be used to model alternative scenarios for a given location, e.g. present situation and future scenario including a new tall building, and to easily automate the generation of different meshes for each scenario, based on boundary layer and size function refinement parameters. The present and possible future situations of a real world scenario in Porto Alegre are modelled as a show case for CityZoom UP. The capabilities to assist in modelling alternative urban scenarios and setting up AERMOD and CFD simulations based on those scenarios is demonstrated.

The purpose of this Thesis is to revise the adoption of strategies for both new and existing housing towards the reduction of carbon emissions associated to energy demand, particularly by identifying promising technical improvements, as well as by capturing potential incentives to adopt these improvements. The case of housing is particularly interesting because although it is straightforward to categorise each building, perhaps by its physical properties, it can be considered unique because of the quasi-random behaviour of their occupants which can be determined as collective (e.g. peer pressure influencing the installation of solar panels), circumstantial (e.g. local incentives or sales in efficient devices), biological (e.g. occupants needs according to age and health conditions), or cultural (e.g. habits and patterns). It is also interesting because domestic buildings—or dwellings—represent a starting point in which our decisions to improve energy demand are taken, specially because these are biased by the exercise of rights and privileges, which do not necessarily comply with inhabitant’s comfort and satisfaction. The Thesis describes the development of an open-source platform for energy simulation, and its subsequent application in the development and testing of strategies to reduce energy demand in dwellings. The platform summarises the steps taken for its systematic development, which consist of the optimisation of a database to generate archetypes, the conformation of richer archetypes with more useful variables, the generation of volumetric archetypes, the dynamic simulation of archetypes and, finally, the systematic evaluation of results. Under this protocol, the foundations for developing scenarios are established in this work. This Thesis summarises the relevant elements that must be considered to improve robustness in the development of strategies to improve energy conservation and to reduce energy demand in dwellings. It also identifies those points that should be considered promptly in the future, and concludes with the vitality of this project for the participation of multiple disciplines and the use of new paradigms of work that today are paramount.

A method to treat contaminated land is stabilisation/solidification (S/S), which physically encapsulates and chemically stabilises the contaminants. The current knowledge on the behaviour of S/S systems is based upon scarce and incomplete data, mostly obtained from laboratory simulations or small scale trials of the technology. The field performance of S/S soils is largely unknown. The aim of this research was to improve the understanding of the long-term performance of S/S soils, by examining samples retrieved from eight full-scale remedial operations. The sites were selected to encompass a broad range of contaminants, binder systems, environmental exposures, and ages since the remediation. Conceptual models for each site were developed, based upon historical information from the literature. The models were used to identify the environmental loads, acting at the sites, and to predict their likely impact on the S/S soils. These impacts were considered by examining the microstructure, mineralogy, leaching behaviours and mechanical properties of the aged soils. Risk indicators for the performance of S/S soils were identified and they included reactions involving sulfates, carbonation, microcracking and the presence of weathered minerals. There was no link between the age of the S/S soils and degradation. The performance of the S/S soils was site specific and was influenced by the design of the remediation formulation, the implementation of the treatment and not least the environment of exposure. The behaviour of S/S soils is commonly compared to that of concrete. However, whilst the results suggested that some degradation mechanisms occur, properties such as permeability and unconfined compressive strength differed. The S/S soils were two orders of magnitude weaker and five orders of magnitude more permeable than normal concretes. Microstructural investigations revealed that although expansive phases developed with time in the SIS soils, there was no damage associated with them. According to their mechanical properties seven out of eight soils performed to their design criteria, up to 16 years after remediation. However, three sites failed to meet the limits following pass/fail leaching tests. This was due in part to the choice of leaching test carried out for the evaluation and the use of inappropriate remedial leaching limits, such as Drinking Water Quality values. However, the pH dependent leaching test showed that the contaminants were well immobilised in the old SIS soils and their release, at the natural pH of these soils did not exceed 1 mg/1. The acid resistance of the aged SIS soil was low to moderate and was mainly assured by the carbonates present. This fact will impact on the durability of SIS soils; however, estimates from the literature indicate that the acid resistance of carbonated materials would be exhausted in thousands of years. Based upon these results, the integrity of the soils had endured, and no obvious signs of impending failure were observed.

Accelerated carbonation involves exposing a material to a concentrated atmosphere of carbon dioxide, and can be used to treat hazardous wastes and soils and create new construction materials. The present work examines the use of accelerated carbonation to reduce the hazardous properties of wastes as a means of reducing the costs of disposal to landfill, and then develops the process to manufacture aggregate from the waste removing it from landfill disposal completely . A range of thermal wastes, including those from cement, metallurgical and paper processes, were found to be reactive with carbon dioxide. Many of these wastes are hazardous on account of their alkaline pH, which carbonation partially neutralizes, effectively allowing reclassification of the materials as stable non-reactive hazardous wastes under the Landfill Regulations. Cement and paper wastes were highly reactive with carbon dioxide, and were considered for use as cement substitutes to reconstitute non-reactive wastes into aggregate. Previous work had suggested that carbonation and pelletising were not compatible due to differing optimum conditions. This issue was investigated by considering the effects of the mix formulations and machinery parameters. The pelletising and carbonation processes require widely different moisture contents. The disparity is due to the need for total saturation of the material to form bonds between grains during pelletising, and an open pore network for carbon dioxide to penetrate. To achieve the two simultaneously, several methods were investigated. Chemical catalysts including sodium hypochlorite and sodium sulfite increased carbonation in a saturated material. However, curing the formed aggregates in carbon dioxide was found to be the most economic solution. A pilot scale process was developed based upon the laboratory results. A bespoke rotary carbonation reactor was developed to produce aggregate in bulk for commercial testing. Aggregate which was subjected to accelerated carbonation, has enhanced strength and durability compared to aggregate exposed to natural carbonation. The aggregate was successfully used to produce lightweight concrete with comparable strength to concrete made from commercial lightweight aggregate. Aggregate was also supplied for a research project to investigate the use of recycled materials as a horticultural growing medium.