Latest Articles & Case Studies - Soil & Groundwater

Mobile Water Treatment Trailer

Carbonair — Tue, 29 May 2012 17:30:54 GMT

Carbonair’s mobile water treatment trailer is a perfect fit for a variety of temporary water treatment applications including construction dewatering, groundwater remediation, underground storage tank replacement and pipeline hydrostatic test water treatment.The system consists of four custom designed Carbonair MPC28 Filter Vessels with special internal piping, preceded by a dual multi-round bag filter skid. The filter vessels are equipped with piping and valves to allow for running the...

Latest analytical technology ensures biogas efficiency

Carbonair — Tue, 29 May 2012 06:43:31 GMT

Anaerobic Digestion (AD) relies on the ability of specific micro-organisms to convert organic material into a gas that can be used to generate electricity. However, these bacteria require specific conditions if they are to function effectively and instrumentation specialist company HACH LANGE has developed a range of online, portable and laboratory instruments that have enabled a large number of AD plants to maximise efficiency and prevent the risk of failure. Introduction...

Wind Tunnel Balance System for Vehicle Aerodynamic Developments

Hans Vogt — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:59:25 GMT

In vehicle development steps, optimization of aerodynamic properties is often carried out in wind tunnel facilities. The vehicle is placed upon the measuring platform of the balance. The wind tunnel balance now allows the precise measurement of six forces and moments induced by the air flow. The HORIBA wind tunnel balance system can be equipped with a moving ground system which makes the air flow at the underside and around the wheels much more realistic. This moving ground system is built up...

Constructed Wetlands I

Hans Vogt — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:48:52 GMT

Traditional constructed wetland are shallow planted basins for cleaning anthropogenic discharges (wastewater or polluted runoff). They were used for cleaning of: domestic wastewater agricultural wastewater coal mine drainage stormwater runoff The main construction elements were: inflow ( e.g. sedimentation part) substrat (soil or gravel) with plants (marsh or water plants) discharge (different stru...

Comparing pesticide residues in Amish and commercially grown strawberries and spinach using QuEChERS, Various dSPE Sorbents, and GC-TOFMS

Julie Kowalski;Jack Cochran — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:27:43 GMT

AbstractQuEChERS extraction, dSPE cleanup, and GC-TOFMS analysis were used to assess pesticide levels in strawberries and spinach from both commercial and Amish growers. Various dSPE cleanup products were compared to determine which were most effective. Good recoveries were obtained for most pesticides; however, low recoveries were observed for some base-sensitive or planar compounds. Incurred pesticides were generally low and varied by both matrix and source. ...

Molycorp`s Mountain pass mine

Julie Kowalski;Jack Cochran — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:31:58 GMT

Location: Mountain Pass, CAProject Completed: 2011Element Markets was exclusively retained by Molycorp to procure Emissions Reduction Credits (ERCs) for a large expansion of a mining operation in California. At the time there was a shortage of available credits in the area, so we had to think outside the local air basin. We solved the challenge by purchasing credits in an adjacent air district and importing them for the client’s use, w...

Changing the energy game with the ‘power of one’

Elisa Wood — Thu, 24 May 2012 00:09:57 GMT

Who among us has not eagerly described the smart meter to a non-energy person only to be greeted by a blank stare, or worse the retort: “Why would I want to track my electricity costs all day?” You try to explain the profound applications: smart appliances that talk to the power grid, consumer clubs that sell energy savings, your car serving as a power plant. But the conversation then becomes one about fascinating toys, not a world change. A new paper by Joseph Sta...

GPR antenna bandwidth

Elisa Wood — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:18:12 GMT

I was really surprised and somehow confused the first time I heard about a half wave dipole with bandwidths in excess of 100%. Two things didn’t quite fit my previous knowledge about antennas; first, for any bandwidth exceeding 60% I was used to talk in terms of ratios. Secondly, I had never heard of any half wave dipole antenna with bandwidth greater than 10% and that only for a well manufactured and tuned device. It was of course all a big misunderstanding; we were using the same word...

Estimating soil conductivity for GPR surveys

Reinaldo Alvarez Cabrera — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:14:38 GMT

The results of a ground penetrating radar survey depends on many factors. In order to get useful data and good penetration, one of the conditions is that the conductivity of the ground is not too high. The conductivity of the material together with the operating frequency and the dielectric constant allow us to calculate the loss factor that is used to roughly estimate the theoretical penetration.There are many ways for estimating the bulk relative dielectric constant, one of them...

GPR antenna resolution

Reinaldo Alvarez Cabrera — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:09:58 GMT

How many antennas should I have?We have all heard that question, especially coming from the newcomers to the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technology. The people starting to master this technology are amazed that one has to have so many different antennas for what appears to be the same thing, scrutinizing the earth.What antenna(s) should I choose?To get a suitable data set is of the paramount importance, so selecting the ...

Optimal GPR antenna selection

Reinaldo Alvarez Cabrera — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:04:12 GMT

It is common knowledge to anyone practicing Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technology that lower center frequency antennas mean higher penetration and lower resolution. In the same way it is correct to say that higher center frequency antennas mean lower penetration and higher resolution. This is without any doubt an axiom that provides us with a rule of thumb on what to use and what not to use for our surveys. The question I am trying to explore in this particular application is quite differ...

Introduction to Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)

Reinaldo Alvarez Cabrera — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:48:19 GMT

About GPRGround Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a non-invasive method of material analysis based on transmitting an ultra wide band EM signal into the materials. A part of the EM wave is reflected when it reaches a boundary between two materials with different electrical properties. The reflected signal gets recorded at the source of the EM wave and is displayed for the operator and frequently recorded for later analysis. The first commercial GPR systems were developed...

Railroad survey application

Goran Bekic — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:44:44 GMT

IntroductionThe GPR technology has been introduced to the railroad engineers as one of the easy tools for quick and non-invasive railroad inspection. Since these surveys tend to stretch for a number of kilometers the amount of data can be overwhelming. However, with some clever preparations and proper tools for post processing the data one can create swift and easy to understand reports. These reports will be highly precise and at the same time the results can be ...

Topography correction and the importance of applying it to the GPR records

Goran Bekic — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:40:52 GMT

IntroductionThe subject of this article is to introduce you to the importance of applying topography correction to GPR (ground penetrating radar) records and to inform you about the possible ways of doing it. Although the basis is taken from the geography terminology, I would like to emphasize that the usage of terms ”topography correction” and ”topographic data” in this article, are used only in relation to the GPR records. ...

Pasteurisation of input materials in Pfaffendorf, Germany

Goran Bekic — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:11:10 GMT

Location Pfaffendorf/GermanyCapacity 2 x 500 kWelIn operation since 08/2004 and 09/2007Input materials Flotate fat, cattle liquid manure, DDGS, waste from biodiesel productionFeatures The farming enterprise now utilises all fermentation residues as valuable fertiliser. The input materials used in the biogas plant in Pfaffendorf are limited to animal fats from bu...

Cooperation of agriculture and industry in France

Goran Bekic — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:10:14 GMT

Location Rohan/FranceCapacity 526 kWelIn operation since 09/2010Input materials Pig liquid manure, flotate fat, maize silageFeatures Flotate fats and oils from the food industry supply approximately 75% of the energy produced. The electricity generated in the biogas plant in Rohan is sold in its entirety to the energy company EDF. The generated heat is used by t...

8 million kWh of green electricity generated for the Italian grid

Goran Bekic — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:50:18 GMT

Location Volta Mantovana/ItalyCapacity 999 kWelIn operation since 07/2009Input materials Cattle liquid manure, solid manure, maize and whole-plant silageFeatures Thanks to innovative technologies like EnviTec Feedcontrol, the Italian plant has a capacity of approximately 99 percent. Put into operation in July 2009, the plant in Volta Mantovana is the first EnviT...

A Czech biogas plant heats kindergarten, primary school and cafeteria

Goran Bekic — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:49:04 GMT

Location Lípa/Czech RepublicCapacity 526 kWelIn operation since 08/2008Input materials Cattle liquid manure, maize silageFeatures A local primary school is being heated using exhaust heat from a biogas plant. The entire electricity generated in the biogas plant in Lípa is sold to the state energy company EZ. The generated heat is used by the farm t...

Heat for several houses in M�nster, Germany

Goran Bekic — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:47:55 GMT

Location Münster/GermanyCapacity 370 kWelIn operation since 12/2007Input materials Cattle liquid manure, maize silageFeatures Biogas plant operators are using exhaust heat to heat several residential houses. Biogas plant operators are using exhaust heat to heat several residential houses. The plant in Münster-Roxel is a typical agricultural biogas plan...

Managing GHG emissions from agriculture: a unique but solvable challenge

Stephen Russell — Fri, 18 May 2012 07:50:04 GMT

Thousands of companies have developed greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories in recent years as a crucial first step towards measuring and ultimately reducing their emissions. Agricultural emissions are a large part of many of those inventories: farming is currently responsible for between 10 and 12 percent of global GHG emissions. Globally, agricultural emissions are expected to increase by more tha...

Varian Semiconductor Equipment Assoc. Inc. – Gloucester, MA - Case Study

Stephen Russell — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:12:54 GMT

Producing the heavy equipment that makes semiconductors and other chips demands a tremendous amount of electricity, so this publicly-traded company sought ways to cut massive utility bills and pursue renewable power sources. Varian Semiconductor Equipment, a division of Applied Materials Inc., is located in an industrial park in Gloucester, MA. The Cape Ann hilltop location offered prospects for utility-scale wind turbines. In 2005, company officials studied the potential for two turbines tha...

Notus Clean Energy LLC – Cape Cod, MA - Case Study

Stephen Russell — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:53:37 GMT

The owners of a Falmouth, MA industrial park parcel saw the potential in 2004 for a utility-scale wind turbine sited in a large, well-elevated location. A large turbine could supply electricity for the complex and create surplus power that could be delivered back to a regional utility. Despite receiving more than 100 letters of support from residents and businesses, the proposal required five years of local, state and other reviews before construction began. The property owners created a new ...

Integrated SUDS scheme overcomes challenges at low-lying manufacturing facility

Stephen Russell — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:44:28 GMT

The sustainable drainage system developed by ACO Water Management for Kybotech`s new timber processing facility in Nottinghamshire fully integrates a number of SUDS processes to successfully overcome the site`s many challenges. Situated in a restricted low-lying position close to the watertable, the system first removes all oil deposits and sawdust carried in run-off from both the handling yard and the building`s roof then attenuates the clean surface water to ensure it can be lifted to an ad...

ACO’s comprehensive product range delivers value-engineered SUDS solution at new waste transfer station

Stephen Russell — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:19:56 GMT

ACO Water Management`s ability to supply products that cover every process required for sustainable drainage - Collect, Clean, Hold, Release - has delivered a comprehensive, value-engineered SUDS solution for J&J Stanley at its new waste transfer station in Newcastle upon Tyne. By working with a single team on the design of the entire system, the completed scheme - together with each individual stage within it - is not only optimised to the unique hydraulic conditions at the site but also...

ACO surface water management systems help create award winning retail environment

Stephen Russell — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:14:42 GMT

Designers of the drainage system at the new Peterborough Garden Park have exploited the benefits of a number of AGO Water Management product ranges to create a value-engineered SUDS solution that has helped the development win the BCSC Out-of-Town Retail Scheme Gold Award. Runs of ACO KerbDrain, AGO Profile, ACO MultiDrain and ACO Brickslot form an integrated network that overcomes the site`s challenging ground conditions, complements its visually sensitive architecture and optimises the remo...