자료유형  

 학위논문

Control Number  

0017163402

International Standard Book Number  

9798384051886

Dewey Decimal Classification Number  

628

Main Entry-Personal Name  

DiDominic, Katie L. Duggan.

Publication, Distribution, etc. (Imprint  

[S.l.] : Cornell University., 2024

Publication, Distribution, etc. (Imprint  

Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 2024

Physical Description  

146 p.

General Note  

Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 86-03, Section: B.

General Note  

Advisor: Walter, Michael.

Dissertation Note  

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Cornell University, 2024.

Summary, Etc.  

요약Maintaining water quality is vital for ecological balance and human well-being. This task is increasingly challenging due to the intensifying impact of anthropogenic activity, the effects of which are worsened by climate change. Pollution from diverse sources like industrial discharge, agricultural runoff, and urban sewage (e.g., combined sewer overflows, excess fertilizer treatment) poses a significant threat to nearby water bodies, causing contamination, eutrophication, and ecosystem degradation (Michalak, 2016; Nawaz et al., 2023). The effects of which are worsened by climate change. Developing methods to combat pollution is critical to mitigate these impacts, safeguard aquatic habitats, and protect public health. One way to do this is by focusing research on innovative biosystems for the treatment and/or removal of contaminants. Expanding our understanding of the intricacies within these systems can help us improve existing engineered systems and develop new systems that can mitigate pollution. In doing so, we can ensure the sustainability of water resources and promote a healthier environment for both natural and human communities.In this dissertation, I investigate how innate microbial processes can be optimized for next-generation environmental engineering. Over the course of three studies, I explore the role of microorganisms in two existing feats of environmental engineering: 1) woodchip bioreactors used for treating agricultural drainage, and 2) microbial fuel cells (MFCs) used for producing electrical energy by oxidizing contaminated organic matter.Through a combination of laboratory scale experiments and field collected samples paired with data analytics and bioinformatic analysis, I contribute to the ongoing advancements of woodchip bioreactors and MFCs as successful methods of pollution mitigation. Specifically, I use a field installed woodchip bioreactor to assess the current methodology of studying the microbial communities inhabiting woodchip bioreactors (i.e., analyzing the surface biofilm only) by comparing it to the method of milling the woodchips to reveal potential hidden microbial information within the wood matrix (Chapter 1). I found that milling woodchips was not only a feasible method of studying the microbes in the bioreactor, but that it is important to characterize microbial communities both within woodchips and on woodchip surfaces to gain a more holistic understanding of relevant biogeochemical processes in woodchip bioreactors. In addition, I use a lab-scale column bioreactor study with simulated agricultural drainage to dive deeper and analyze the interactions between various chemical, physical, and biological processes driving nutrient removal (Chapter 2). I found that chemical and physical processes tend to drive phosphorus removal during continuous anoxic conditions while biological activity tends to drive during oxic/anoxic cycling conditions, meaning the ability to manipulate oxygen levels within field woodchip bioreactors would offer a more promising approach to improving nutrient removal capabilities.Finally, I used a soil MFC microcosm incubation study to assess how fluctuating environmental conditions (i.e., diurnal temperature conditions) impact the bioelectrical signals produced by microorganisms with and without a contaminant present, as well as what implications these may have on field deployed MFCs for use as biosensors. I found that the presence of a contaminant (i.e., urea) was the largest driver of decreased microbial diversity and the variation in microbial community composition in soil MFCs, and that temperature condition had a greater impact on microbial community composition when a urea was present versus when it was not. This implies that in a field deployed scenario, a change in microbial community due to a temperature fluctuation when a contaminant is present could mask the shift in bioelectrical signals due to the contaminant, causing potential confusion for the trained model and therefore effect the ability of the MFC biosensor to effectively detect and classify the contaminant.The various approaches taken throughout my work combine a unique use of microbial ecology and computational biology to further advance next-generation environmental engineering. 

Subject Added Entry-Topical Term  

Environmental engineering.

Subject Added Entry-Topical Term  

Biogeochemistry.

Subject Added Entry-Topical Term  

Ecology.

Subject Added Entry-Topical Term  

Microbiology.

Index Term-Uncontrolled  

Woodchip bioreactors

Index Term-Uncontrolled  

Microbial fuel cells

Index Term-Uncontrolled  

Environmental conditions

Index Term-Uncontrolled  

Water quality

Index Term-Uncontrolled  

Biological activity

Added Entry-Corporate Name  

Cornell University Biological and Environmental Engineering

Host Item Entry  

Dissertations Abstracts International. 86-03B.

Electronic Location and Access  

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Control Number  

joongbu:653846