Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2012, Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

The anaerobic digestion (AD) process is generally classified into two categories based on the total solids (TS) content of the mixture in the digester. TS contents of 15% or greater are classified as solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) while TS contents of 15% or lower are classified as liquid AD. SS-AD has many advantages such as smaller reactor volume, less moving parts due to no need of agitation, acceptance of a wide range of feedstocks, and less energy demand for heating the material in the digester. Lignocellulosic biomass is a suitable feedstock for SS-AD as it is the most abundant biomass source in the world and is generally a drier material. However, there are no reports on the comparison of SS-AD and L-AD systems in terms of methane yield and volumetric productivity. Yard waste is prevalent year round and is widely available at low cost; thus, yard waste presents itself as an ideal candidate for SS-AD. However, the methane yield of yard waste is generally lower compared to other feedstocks such as crop residues, energy crops, municipal solid waste, fats, oils, and greases (FOG). Therefore, increasing the overall methane yield of the SS-AD via co-digestion of food wastes presents itself as a viable option. Food waste is also prevalent year round, may garner tipping fees, and achieves much higher methane yields than most other substrates. Mesophilic batch anaerobic digestion (AD) of eight lignocellulosic feedstocks including switchgrass, corn stover, wheat straw, yard waste, leaves, waste paper, maple, and pine were carried out under liquid and solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) for 30 days and evaluated for methane yield and volumetric productivity. Results showed no significant difference in methane yield between the systems except for waste paper and pine. Volumetric productivity of the feedstocks except for waste paper was 70% to 88% greater in the SS-AD system compared with the liquid system. Solid-state mesophilic batch co-digestion was c (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Yebo Li PhD (Advisor); Jay Martin PhD (Committee Member); Yu Zhongtang PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Agricultural Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, Geography

In the last decade, several leftist countries in Latin America, including Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Nicaragua, and El Salvador, among others, have retooled national and regional political, economic, and social governance to push against the constraints of deeply ingrained neoliberalism. This so-called post/neoliberal era is an attempt to move beyond neoliberalism, which was forced upon and adopted by Latin American governments beginning in the 1970s, and its failures, including privatization of State enterprises, persistent poverty and increasing social inequality, and widespread environmental destruction. This dissertation uses the term “post/neoliberal” to acknowledge that post/neoliberal governance models exist alongside neoliberal models. To date, much focus has been paid to post/neoliberal macroeconomic policies and State-civil society relations. The aim of this dissertation, therefore, is to examine the influence of post/neoliberalism on the governance—that is, the discourses, policies, institutions, programs, and practices that manage, direct, and conduct everyday life—of public health, environmental health, and well-being. My conceptual framing draws from Foucauldian governmentalities, urban political ecology, and neoliberalism as governmentality and as policy. Together, these literatures provoke new questions concerning the dialectic relationship among health, environment, and development amid changing political economic governance in Latin America. The empirical basis of this dissertation draws from qualitative (discourse analysis, interviews, and participant observation) and quantitative (household survey questionnaires) fieldwork conducted in Managua, Nicaragua. This dissertation is comprised of three body chapters to be submitted to academic journals for peer review. In the first body chapter I argue that contemporary public health governance in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador, three countries where post/neoliberalism is mos (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Becky Mansfield (Advisor); Nancy Ettlinger (Committee Member); Kendra McSweeney (Committee Member); Elisabeth Root (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Health; Environmental Studies; Geography; Latin American Studies; Public Health

Master of Science in Environmental Science, Youngstown State University, 2009, Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences

Recycling diverts municipal solid waste (MSW) from landfills and preserves valuable resources by converting waste material into useful commodities. The concept of recycling materials of value is not new; however, it has become important in MSW management because of economic and environmental issues. Increasing the amount of recycled waste preserves natural resources by reducing the need for more and more landfills. The recycling activities from two study areas, Pordenone Province, Italy and Mahoning County, Ohio, United States of America (US) were considered to evaluate the inducements each area uses to maximize efforts for recycling. Italy is a member of the European Union (EU) and when comparing the percentages of the amount of waste that is recycled versus waste that is incinerated or landfilled among the EU countries, Italy ranks in the middle (Figure 1.0). The EU regulates the recycling management policies for Italy. Mahoning County, Ohio also has an established recycling program, defined by the federal and state Environmental Protection Agency. There are three specific recycling influences: regulations, regularity of MSW pick-up, and economics. Data were collected over three (3) years (2004-2006). Regulations exerted the greatest influence over recycling behavior in Italy followed by economics and regularity of pick-up services. Economics had the greatest influence on recycling in the US, followed by regularity of pick-up and finally regulations. Although waste generation (per capita) in the US is much greater than in Italy, the percentage of waste that US recycles is less than in Italy. This study examined the effectiveness of recycling practices in each study area and determined that practices from one country could be effective in the other and vice versa.

Committee: Alan Jacobs PhD (Advisor); Cynthia Hirtzel PhD (Committee Member); Isam Amin PhD (Committee Member); Ganesaratnam Balendiran PhD (Committee Member); James Petuch BS in Ed (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Science; Social Research

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2010, Engineering and Applied Science: Environmental Engineering

Bioreactor landfills allow a more active landfill management that recognizes the biological, chemical and physical processes involved in a landfill environment. The bioreactor landfill provides control and process optimization, primarily through the addition of leachate or other liquid amendments. This research presents an analysis of leachate, gas and solid parameters data collected during the Acid Formation Phase of anaerobic solid waste decomposition in simulated bioreactor landfills. The main focus of the study is the analysis of the effect of temperature on solid waste decomposition in bioreactor landfills. In accordance with this objective, three simulated landfill bioreactors were designed and constructed at the EPA Center Hill Facility. Two of the lysimeters were operating at a normal temperature of 37°C and the third was operating at high temperature (60°C). The lysimeters were filled with synthetic municipal solid waste (MSW) material prepared at the site, typical to the landfill composition waste generated in the USA, and reported by U.S. EPA 2008. In the first part of this study, the results of the indicator parameters are analyzed to quantify the effect of temperature on the waste degradation in bioreactor landfills. Tables and graphical representation of the data are provided for each of the three lysimeters, and compared in order to study the variation of biodegradation of MSW according to the temperature. In the second part of the study, landfill settlement has been studied in order to predict the settlement in bioreactor landfills. Prediction of landfill settlement is one of the important parameters that affect the design and maintenance of bioreactor landfills. Settlement is known to be a function of many factors (i.e. moisture, density, type of waste etc.); therefore, large number of variables is involved in the settlement mechanism. In this work, a biodegradation settlement model incorporating two parameters (A and B) was developed. In additio (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Makram Suidan PhD (Committee Chair); Thabet Tolaymat PhD (Committee Member); George Sorial PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Engineering

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2012, Environmental Studies (Arts and Sciences)

With the rate of urbanization continuing to increase, there is growing interest among cities to adopt sustainable waste management strategies. It is estimated that 97 percent of food waste in the U.S. is buried in landfills and accounts for the majority of solid waste generated. Composting is a relatively new practice that is effective at diverting food waste from landfills, but it receives little attention. This study examines the public, private, and government institutions that play a role in the creation of composting programs. In-depth interviews and field observations were used in the cities of Baltimore, Maryland; Washington, D.C.; and Edinburgh, Scotland to examine the challenges and barriers to composting program implementation. Government mandates and collaboration among organizations is imperative for implementing composting programs and shaping positive environmental behaviors. Public education, funding, infrastructure, and government regulations are all essential for the successful adoption of urban composting programs.

Committee: Geoffrey Buckley PhD (Advisor); Michele Morrone PhD (Committee Member); Bernhard Debatin PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Environmental Education; Environmental Management; Environmental Studies; Sustainability; Urban Planning