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It is important that a sustainable community better prepare for and design mitigation processes for major flooding events, particularly as the climate is non-stationary. In recent years, there have been major storm events in the USA with record amounts of rainfall that some refer to as stalled storms. These stalled storms frequently result in flooding of urban areas which are not subject to riverine or storm surge flooding. This research focuses on using flood damage reports in conjunction with contour maps, geographical information systems, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data, photographs, and spatial averaging to develop total (high) flood elevation data sets for two neighborhoods for Tropical Storm Imelda in Beaumont, Texas. When various sources of data such as insurance or Federal Emergency Management Agency damage reports, updated LiDAR elevation sets, and coordination data are readily available, this may be an economical method of estimating maximum flood elevations. High-water marks are frequently collected by various agencies as soon as possible after a flooding event, but these data sets might provide even additional information and validation many months or years post an event.

Skid resistance of pervious concrete (PC) in comparison with traditional portland cement concrete (PCC) was investigated in the laboratory and in the field. Dry, wet, and iced PC surfaces were test...

This technical note tests the efficacy of a carbonate-laden water treatment on pervious concrete to increase its resistance to magnesium chloride (MgCl2) attack. A treatment method and an ...

Magnesium chloride deicers applications onto pervious concrete pavements can deteriorate the material, and studies investigate treatments to increase the concrete resistance to MgCl2 attacks. In this paper, pervious concrete specimens are subjected to a treatment with NaHCO3 solution, which seems to accelerate concrete carbonation and might hamper chemical reactions between MgCl2 deicer and hydroxides in cement mortar. All specimens had their compressive strength tested and the time frames before and after treatment varied. Results show that at least 2 months should be given post curing before treatment to not harm the concrete, and longer post treatment periods may be beneficial.

Loratorial tests with pervious concrete comprised porosity and hydraulic conductivity as well as mechanical parameters as compressive, indirect tensile and bending strengths besides assessing its static and dynamic elasticity moduli. Later, a pervious sidewalk area of 1.0 x 8.65 square meters was built in order to determine the variation of the infiltration rate along time; over such experimental sidewalk, impact deflection tests performed allowed to assess back calculated moduli of the pervious concrete layer, resulting 33% to 13% lower than conventional concretes. A mechanistic analysis allowed to estimate the required thickness of concrete for heavy- and light-traffic areas. Tests disclosed no significant difference among the different concrete mixes, with 25% porosity and 0,1 cm/s permeability. Initial sidewalk infiltration rate of 0.5 cm/s dropped 50% four months after construction. It was verified that pervious concrete thicknesses for trucks and buses use are far higher than conventional concrete pavements. Resumo Testes laboratoriais com concreto permeável incluíram medidas de porosidade e condutividade hidráulica, bem como parâmetros mecânicos - resistência à tração, tração indireta e flexão - além de avaliar seus módulos de elasticidade estático e dinâmico. Posteriormente uma área permeável na calçada de 1,0 x 8,65 metros quadrados foi construída para determinar a variação da taxa de infiltração ao longo do tempo; nesse experimento mediram-se deflexões de impacto na calçada, tendo sido avaliados os módulos retroanalisados da camada de concreto permeável, resultando 33% a 13% abaixo dos concretos convencionais. Uma análise mecanicista permitiu estimativa da espessura para o concreto em áreas de tráfego pesado e leve. Os testes apontaram não haver diferenças significativas entre as misturas estudadas, tendo porosidade de 25% permeabilidade de 0,1 cm/s. A taxa de infiltração inicial na calçada de 0.5 cm/s caiu 50% após quatro meses. Verificou-se que são requeridas maiores espessuras de concreto permeáveis que de concretos convencionais para sua aplicação para veículos comerciais.

The pervious concrete layer in a permeable pavement system may be susceptible to chemical degradation by various deicers applied during winter weather events. In this research, the chemica...

Pervious concrete can be utilized simultaneously as a pavement surface and part of a stormwater management system. In cold climates, it may be exposed to deicers, many of which have been sh...

Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) are well known for applications in electronics and as antimicrobial agents because of their unique optical, electrical, cytotoxic and thermal properties. These nanoparticles can be synthesized via a wide variety of techniques; however, they require the use of hazardous solvents which have very high environmental impacts. Nanoscience researchers have attempted novel synthesis routes that reduce resource requirements and use benign chemicals, while maintaining control over their unique properties. The present study evaluates the potential environmental impacts of one such benign method using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) techniques which are used to assess the environmental impacts of a product's life through all the stages from raw material extraction to disposal/ recycling. This research evaluates AgNPs which were synthesized using glucose as the reducing agent and food grade corn starch as the stabilizing agent in a microwave-assisted reaction system. GaBi 6.0 software was used to carry out the Life Cycle Impact Assessment on a declared unit of 1 kg of 3.0 ± 1.2 nm diameter AgNPs. The results indicate that the impacts are predominantly on acidification (AP), human health particulate air (HHAP) and human toxicity non-cancer (HTNCP) potentials. These impacts are mainly from the production of silver metal and electricity used. The starch and glucose used to produce AgNPs of 3.0 ± 1.2 nm is shown to have negligible environmental impacts and is therefore considered to be environmentally benign.

Summary Government agencies, companies, and other entities are using environmental assessments, like life cycle assessment (LCA), as an input to decision-making processes. Communicating the esoteric results of an LCA to these decision makers can present challenges, and interpretation aids are commonly provided to increase understanding. One such method is normalizing results as a means of providing context for interpreting magnitudes of environmental impacts. Normalization is mostly carried out by relating the environmental impacts of a product (or process) under study to those of another product or a spatial reference area (e.g., the United States). This research is based on the idea that decision makers might also benefit from normalization that considers comparisons to their entity's (agency, company, organization, etc.) total impacts to provide additional meaning and aid in comprehension. Two hybrid normalization schemes have been developed, which include aspects of normalization to both spatially based and entity-based impacts. These have been named entity-overlaid and entity-accentuated normalization, and the schemes allow for performance-based planning or emphasizing environmental impact types that are most relevant to an entity's operational profile, respectively. A hypothetical case study is presented to demonstrate these schemes, which uses environmental data from a U.S. transportation agency as the basis for entity normalization factors. Results of this case study illustrate how entity-related references may be developed, and how this additional information may enhance the presentation of LCA results using the hybrid normalization schemes.

Pervious concrete systems are developing stormwater management technologies which also have wintertime benefits as melting snow may percolate into the system instead of refreezing on the surface. Enhancing the surface microtexture of pervious concrete may also be beneficial in preventing icing or slipping by pedestrians. This research explored different surface treatments on pervious concrete specimens both qualitatively from personal judgements, and quantitatively through static friction measurements with a spring balance with respect to “slipperiness”. The tests were performed on both dry and wet specimens. One aim was to determine whether the spring balance method may be a simple test for comparing surface treatments on pavement samples with little surface area such as laboratory specimens or sidewalk sections. The other purpose was to make a preliminary decision of which surface treatments to use for a sidewalk installation for future studies on wintertime performance. The reliability analysis of the spring balance results showed that there was high operator consistency. In addition, there was a high level of consistency on average results between the quantitative and qualitative methods. This implies that the spring balance test may be an acceptable methodology for comparative analyses with respect to static friction.

Pervious concrete (PC) pavement applications are growing in popularity due to the environmental and stormwater management benefits that PC can offer. However, relatively low mechanical properties and durability of PC, comparing to conventional Portland cement concrete (PCC), limit its use for vehicular applications. In this study, different size fractions of cured carbon fiber composite material (CCFCM) pieces were incorporated into a PC mixture (rPC) in three volume fractions. The goal was to determine the physical and mechanical properties of rPC in comparison to the corresponding properties of plain PC (control). Seven mixture designs were prepared in order to investigate the effect of CCFCM volume fractions as well as CCFCM particle sizes. The test results indicated that CCFCM addition enhanced the workability of the PC mixtures. rPC mixtures presented higher average infiltration rates when compared to the control mixture. Improvements in mechanical properties were seen on 28-day compressive strength (4–11%), 7-day tensile strength (11–46%) and in modulus of elasticity (6–45%). In terms of resistance to mass loss in Cantabro and surface abrasion, rPC mixtures presented various behaviors, with one mixture containing the highest volume fraction and a combined size fraction, outperforming the control in both tests. Overall, the results of this study indicate that incorporation of CCFCM is promising in improving physical and mechanical properties of PC.

A simple design method is proposed to obtain the desired porosity by controlling density and compaction efforts. Then, the w/c ratio and chemical admixture were varied to obtain the desired porosity and to evaluate their influence on the permeability and mechanical performance of pervious concrete. The incorporation of a rheology-modifying admixture showed an improvement in the densification and flowability of the mixture, which can increase the mechanical strength. For the same porosity obtained between mixtures, the decrease in w/c ratio did not influence the compressive strength but was shown to increase flexural tensile strength.

This work reports uptake coefficients and by-product yields of ozone precursors onto two photocatalytic paving materials (asphalt and concrete) treated with a commercial TiO2 surface application product. The experimental approach used a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and allowed for testing large samples with the same surface morphology encountered with real urban surfaces. The measured uptake coefficient (γgeo) and surface resistances are useful for parametrizing dry deposition velocities in air quality model evaluation of the impact of photoactive surfaces on urban air chemistry. At 46% relative humidity, the surface resistance to NO uptake was ∼1 s cm−1 for concrete and ∼2 s cm−1 for a freshly coated older roadway asphalt sample. HONO and NO2 were detected as side products from NO uptake to asphalt, with NO2 molar yields on the order of 20% and HONO molar yields ranging between 14 and 33%. For concrete samples, the NO2 molar yields increased with the increase of water vapor, ranging from 1% to 35% and HONO was not detected as a by-product. Uptake of monoaromatic VOCs to the asphalt sample set displayed a dependence on the compound vapor pressure, and was influenced by competitive adsorption from less volatile VOCs. Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were detected as byproducts, with molar yields ranging from 5 to 32%.

Extending lube oil-drain intervals is a practical way to save money on engine operating costs. At the same time, there may be increased risk of engine damage with increased drain intervals. The risks and benefits can be difficult to weigh and, as a result, starting an oil-drain interval extension programme can be an intimidating endeavour. This paper combines oil-analysis programme data interpretation and life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) into a methodology for weighing oil-drain interval options. LCCA has shown decreasing incremental cost savings as oil-drain intervals are further extended, indicating that highly extended drain intervals may not be necessary to reap the majority of available cost benefits. Using oil-analysis property trending with life-cycle cost savings can allow an engine operator to set an hours-based extended drain interval based on projected risks and benefits. This interval is set as the baseline under the protocol, but continual oil analysis is used as a precaution to protec...

Pervious concrete may be used for stormwater management since it allows the water to pass through its interconnected macropores into stormwater systems or soils below. However, there is a need for additional standards related to pervious concrete prior to its widespread use, and there are many aspects related to mix design for desired properties, compaction methods, and test procedures that are not yet completely understood. These variables may significantly affect the functional and mechanical performance of the material. In this paper, mix designs and test specimen preparation techniques were evaluated. The IBRACON method for mixture design was used to obtain the mixture proportions and the calculated density for the desired porosity of 25%. In addition, two different types of specimens (cast or cored) and compaction methods (roller or Proctor hammer compacted) were performed. The density of each specimen was controlled to obtain the same calculated density. Several tests were conducted to compare the following variables: density, porosity, surface infiltration rate, permeability and compressive strength. Additionally, the effects of mortar capping versus neoprene-rubber caps on compressive strength measurements of pervious concrete were evaluated. The experimental results showed that cast specimens have more consistent results than cores. The design method studied with strict control of density was efficient to obtain the desired porosity mainly for cast specimens. The roller leads to a more compacted top surface resulting in a decrease in the infiltration rate and permeability of the cores. The mortar capping method is more consistent than the other. Resumo O concreto permeável é um material de potencial para ser utilizado no gerenciamento de águas pluviais, uma vez que permite a percolação da água através de seus macroporos interconectados, seja para sistemas de águas pluviais ou para o próprio solo. No entanto, há uma necessidade de normas adicionais relacionadas ao material para seu uso difundido e, ainda, há muitos aspectos relacionados aos parâmetros de dosagem para propriedades desejadas/projetadas, método de compactação e procedimentos laboratoriais, que ainda não foram completamente compreendidos. Tais variáveis podem afetar significativamente o desempenho funcional em termos hidráulicos e mecânicos do material. Neste trabalho, o método do IPT/EPUSP para dosagem foi utilizado para obter as proporções de mistura e a densidade calculada, para uma porosidade desejada de 25%. Além disso, dois tipos diferentes de amostras (moldadas e extraídas) e métodos de compactação (Proctor e rolo) foram realizados. A densidade de cada amostra foi controlada para obter a mesma densidade calculada. Diversos testes foram realizados para comparar as seguintes variáveis: densidade, porosidade, taxa de infiltração, permeabilidade e resistência à compressão. Além disso, foram avaliados os efeitos do tipo de capeamento (com argamassa e com borracha de Neoprene) nos corpos de prova submetidos ao ensaio de compressão. Os resultados experimentais mostram que os corpos de prova moldados apresentam resultados mais consistentes que as amostras extraídas. O método de dosagem, com controle rigoroso da densidade, foi eficiente para obtenção da porosidade desejada, principalmente para os corpos de prova moldados. O rolo conduz a uma superfície superior mais compacta, o que resulta na diminuição da taxa de infiltração e permeabilidade para as amostras extraídas. O capeamento dos corpos de prova com argamassa apresenta resultados mais consistentes.

This study evaluated changes in moisture and temperature of clay soils next to an underground aggregate storage bed of a pervious concrete pavement system during the winter in Pullman, Wash...

Pervious concrete pavement systems may have many environmental benefits including the mitigation of heat island impacts. This mitigation is a complex combination of pervious concrete‟s insulating capability and its ability to store water which may provide evaporative cooling. However, the introduction of water may also bring heat into the system, where the system is the pervious concrete pavement layer over an underground aggregate bed for retention and/or detention of stormwater. This study involved three different mix design placements in southern Brazil on a hot sunny summer day. The experiment had a control section and two test spots where controlled artificial rain events were introduced at two times during the afternoon for each of the three placement types. The „rain‟ initially brought heat from the surface into the pervious concrete layer. Subsequent evaporation cooled these interior pavement layers to levels similar to the control locations. This introduction of water into pervious concrete with very hot surface temperatures in the heat of the day is expected to be a severe condition for adding heat to the system through the flow of water. If water additions are made at different diurnal times, such as nighttime rain, they may provide similar evaporative benefits with less heat transfer into the system via the water phase, and thus even more cooling of the system. These experiments reinforce the conclusion that pervious concrete may be a cool pavement during summer conditions, even under extreme conditions when surface heated stormwater enters the system. Keywords: pervious concrete pavement, stormwater, heat island

Stormwater runoff, a substantial source of nonpoint pollution, can be treated using Best Management Practices (BMPs), such as the Media Filter Drain (MFD). An MFD is a trench filled with an engineered media mix, usually with a grass overlay, that receives runoff from the paved roadway next to it. The MFD was shown to remove dissolved metals (zinc and copper), typical pollutants from vehicles and urban areas, which might negatively impact aquatic species in receiving waters, but its long-term effectiveness was not known. Existing media filter mixes of different ages were collected from two different sites in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Columns made with these media mixes received concentrated copper and zinc loading to simulate accelerated aging for estimated total lifespans from 14 to 22 years of copper and zinc loading, with little or no decrease in sorption. Throughout the aging process, some columns were subjected to performance testing with higher levels of typical runoff concentrations and average concentration decreases from influent to effluent were found to be greater than 90% for both copper and zinc. Based on this study, the MFD’s lifespan for zinc and copper treatment is significantly greater than the initial ten-year estimate.

There are multitudes of sustainability rating systems and guidelines, and it is difficult to decide which ones to use and how to use them. In addition, multi-modal projects have different focal areas and associated rating systems related to each mode or other aspect of the project. Five green ratings systems representative of aspects of a multi-modal ferry facility had previously been selected and were used in a four step methodology to synthesize into a strategic decision making platform. This current research focuses on how to make more detailed decision making harmonization amongst the credits in the rating systems. Using an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) of the credits in the rating systems, it was determined that the two main groups of information that could be used for harmonization were key intents or goals (KI) and key strategies or practices (KS). A short cursory case study example of how these KIs and KSs might be further cross-coded in an open database with the credit subcategories and corresponding rating systems is also presented. The database can filter the credit subcategories across the rating system for a specific key intent or key strategy. The harmonized lists and database may facilitate decision makers and construction managers in correlating intents and methodologies for a project across multiple rating systems.

To ensure that indoor air quality mitigation approaches, such as ventilation, are providing the desired indoor air quality, it is necessary to better understand the varied sources of indoor air contaminants and how different mitigation approaches will affect those sources. This article describes a generalized model that describes the efficacy of different indoor air quality improvement strategies as a function of the primary source(s) of indoor air contaminants of concern. The model is then used as a framework to compare the impact of two different ventilation approaches (a continuous exhaust ventilation strategy compared to a runtime ventilation strategy) on two indoor air compounds (CO2 and formaldehyde) based on primary data gathered in 10 homes in Gainesville, FL. The findings from the Gainesville data suggest that the two approaches provided similar efficacy for reducing CO2 concentrations, but the continuous exhaust system was not as effective at decreasing interior concentrations of formaldehyde, as compared to the runtime ventilation strategy. The simplified, generalized model could be used as a framework to analyze and compare existing detailed modeling and experimental results to bring about a greater understanding of the relative efficacy and tradeoffs of different IAQ mitigation strategies in homes, as well as inform guidance or standards addressing indoor air quality in residential buildings and serve as a decision-making tool for building industry professionals responsible for specifying ventilation systems in homes.

Pervious concrete placements in many locations are subject to cold weather conditions and varying levels of clogging and rejuvenation. This study focuses on field surface hydraulic performa...

Addition of sustainability-related material is becoming a point of emphasis in engineering education. Freely available modular lessons are one way to quickly effect this incorporation. This research examines the effectiveness of a class format using short prerecorded software modules on lifecycle assessment (LCA) in the classroom setting with associated discussion, primarily drawing from student perspectives in a graduate-level LCA course at Washington State University. Survey results indicated that students generally agreed that the in-class module-discussion format was an effective teaching method. Advantages included that the format was organized and complete, but still concise, allowed for review of material outside of class, and that discussion components furthered understanding and stimulated further thought about the concepts. Key disadvantages included that the modules can get boring, were sometimes too fast-paced, and that questions usually were held until the end of the presentation. Stu...

Widespread adoption and acceptance of pervious concrete systems in new areas using local materials and equipment are dependent on having information on the efficacy of the mix and their longterm needs for rehabilitation. In Porto Alegre, Brazil recent governmental mandates include incorporating permeable pavements into projects. This study expanded on research into the effectiveness of using readily available aggregate for adequate hydraulic performance and clogging resistance of pervious concrete to also determine the effectiveness of maintenance procedures. Laboratory specimens from three mixes with differently screened aggregate were cast and infiltration rates evaluated initially, post clogging, after sweeping and after powerwashing. The results indicate that all three mixes maintain similar hydraulic functionality after rehabilitation, and that powerwashing is more effective in rejuvenating infiltration capabilities than sweeping. In addition, it is recommended to perform infiltration testing twice after maintenance, as there is a slower rate measured on the second test, probably due to dislodged debris re-entering the system during the first test. Similar laboratory methodologies for mix design and maintenance evaluation might effect a faster and more efficient incorporation of this sustainable low impact development technology in other regions.

Heat and moisture transfers can lead to considerable fluctuations in thermal and moisture related properties in a soil system caused by daily and seasonal temperature changes. Of interest i...

Environmental product declarations (EPDs) are reports of resource use and potential environmental impacts based on environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) methods. They tend to be related to a specific 'gate' such as prior to use or construction. Asphalt paving and some other industries have some features that might not readily be captured in EPDs if the impacts are only included to the gate. These include stored energy (feedstock energy), stored carbon, recycled content and its high recyclability. The feedstock energy and stored carbon might be valuable assets for future considerations. This research proposes the use of optional reporting modules in EPDs based on international standards to capture the stored energy and carbon, and recyclability aspects. These proposed schemes for expanding EPDs with these benefits and loads beyond the system boundary information modules, should allow decision makers and life cycle analysts to have more comprehensive information for future decisions, research and analyses.

Environmental considerations can be an important part of some decision-making procedures, along with other factors such as cost and risk, when weighing multiple alternative product or process choices. Availability of environmental data is crucial for environmental assessments. In marine vessels, lubricating oil use can vary widely between ships with different filtration systems, engine parameters, and oil change scheduling procedures, all of which can be altered to change lube oil usage. This research addresses a need for environmental data for mineral lubricating oil, in the format of a life cycle assessment (LCA) data synthesis based on a case study for the Washington State Ferries. Data are collected and presented separately for engine oil acquisition, use, and disposal, utilizing cross-platform data sourcing including currently existing literature, ferry oil analysis results with simple combustion modeling, and a software tool database. The purpose of this data assembly is to provide decision-makers with a simple source for the impacts of a typical volume of oil throughout its life cycle. The functional unit used is 3.79 liters (one gallon) of oil, which allows for adjustments for oil use by different systems for equivalent functional comparisons between alternatives, lending widespread applicability.

There are numerous linear best management practices used by many state departments of transportation (DOTs) for highway runoff treatment. An example of one type is a media filter drain (MFD) which is a trench filled with aggregate and three active ingredients: dolomite, gypsum, and perlite (MFDs are also called Ecology embankments or bioslopes). Initial research on MFDs predicted that their life spans were at least 10 years. Recent studies indicate that for dissolved zinc and copper metal removal, the life span may exceed 20 years. The dissolved concentrations of these metals are of issue as higher concentrations in receiving waters can impact many aquatic species, particularly some cold water fish such as salmon. This study extended the life further in laboratory tests for MFDs made with media with slightly higher amounts of active ingredients. Zinc and copper removal remained high. However, some possible channeling was suspected with slightly lower removal rates after long periods without moisture.

Measurements of carbon emissions and sequestration are important in estimating the global warming potential of the built environment. Manufacturing of portland cement contributes to a portion of anthropogenic CO2 emissions through the chemical process of calcination. CO2 can also be sequestered from the air into concrete in the reverse process commonly called carbonation. Most research studies on carbonation typically focus on the exposed surfaces where the levels might be high. There is little information on the CO2 which might be sequestered in the interior of pavements. Together, the near surface measurements and the interior levels will provide better information on carbon sequestration. Pavement samples that were from one to 85 years old were sliced and paste/mortar specimens were chipped from different depths. CO2 sequestration was estimated using a thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) for the carbonate levels and X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) for elemental analysis. The results indicate that the amount of carbon sequestration in the interior of these pavements is in the early years of life around 10% of that released during calcinations increasing to 25% or more in arid climates. Interior carbon sequestration in humid climates might exceed 35% or more over several decades, but more information is needed to validate this.

The media filter drain (MFD) or Ecology Embankment is a best management practice (BMP) approved to treat copper and zinc in highway runoff in many states. High levels of these metals may impact coldwater aquatic species in receiving waters. The MFD was originally based on a gradation of aggregate no longer readily available in Washington State and this research investigated substituting the original aggregate specification with a more widely available AASHTO Grading No. 8, which has slightly fewer fines. Results indicate that the MFD is effective at removing dissolved copper and zinc using the alternate aggregate specification in the MFD mix. Column experiments were used to show that the alternate MFD mix had a higher median removal rate than a suite of typical stormwater control BMPs for both dissolved zinc and copper, qualifying it as an enhanced treatment method. In addition, it was shown that the MFD mix design can be loaded with dissolved metals for at least 14 years with no loss in performance, even when subjected to larger storms. MFDs built with a wider range of aggregate gradations may be more economical in other regions based on standard aggregate gradations available.

Sustainability engineering education was only a decade ago a concept that few educators had considered or incorporated into higher education. Then it started to grow, with more and more case studies, modules, and dedicated courses. Now, it is no longer just a special topic that might be introduced, but instead, sustainability education is becoming an integral part of the engineering curricula at many institutions of higher learning. Three years ago, this journal had both a special issue and follow-up special section on advances in sustainability engineering education. The research presented then focused on many techniques for possible offerings. The questions researched were primarily related to the when, the where, the what, and the hows of sustainability engineering education. This follow-up special issue presents research that expands on these questions in amore holistic fashion and extends to the who, the how much, the how effective, and other impacts. Articles by Lewis et al. and Lu provide more examples of the what, where, and when of sustainability engineering education incorporation. Lewis et al. combine two growing technologies—building information modeling (BIM) and energy modeling—into a module format usable for various design and construction courses. Lu focuses on how sustainability engineering can fit into the more traditional “Introduction of Environmental Engineering” class, with reviews of three offerings without this focus and four offerings with intentional integration of sustainability. With this solid basis established for sustainability engineering education techniques, four of the articles then expand into more holistic case studies and evaluations for sustainability engineering education in a 4-year higher education curriculum. Brown et al. look at the varying levels of sustainability adoption by various faculty members based on their experience with sustainability, their views of the importance of the topic, and also their personal views of the concept of sustainability, showing that there will be a range of faculty involvement from cautious skepticism to high levels of adoption. Thus, when incorporating sustainability into an engineering curriculum, one needs to consider who might be the faculty members most applicable to facilitating this addition. Fernandez-Sanchez et al. focus instead on what other skills within an engineering curriculum might facilitate higher competencies for student awareness of sustainability. These include critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, interdisciplinary teamwork, and adaptation to change. They found that critical thinking and adaptation to change were the most important to stakeholders and experts. Thus, the effective incorporation of sustainability education into the engineering curriculum might also include reevaluating the basic skills taught in addition to the sustainability topics. The last two articles with a curriculum focus looked at the how much and provided effective methodologies for holistic incorporation into the typically full engineering curricula. Christ et al. overviewed a framework for this incorporation using a combination of techniques from previous research, incorporating sustainability engineering at multiple points and in different formats at the U.S. Air Force Academy in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Similarly, Weatherton et al. provided effective examples of doing this across three departments: Civil, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering. The approach was again multifaceted, with key elements being modules for all student levels, internship opportunities, and senior design project incorporation. Additional emphasis was also placed on the inclusion of three pillars of sustainability: the environment, society, and economics. With these techniques and methodologies for sustainability engineering education, the question then arises as to what the impact is beyond the college classroom. Beiler and Evans research how sustainability-related topics attract the future generation into engineering by focusing on two topics—general sustainability, and a partner to sustainability, resilience—in a module on earthquakes and liquefaction. The two modules were used in a summer camp setting for high school students. In contrast, Kekilova et al. focus on the impact of sustainability engineering education on the practitioners, in which the college students interfaced with practitioners in service learning projects, with their deliverables including ideas for sustainability implementation for these partners. This study found that the manufacturing partners focused more on suggestions relating to pollution prevention, whereas other businesses and public agencies typically also incorporated social considerations. Of all the sustainability actions suggested by the sustainability engineering students, those relating to preventative maintenance received the highest rate of implementation. With this expansion of sustainability engineering education, there is a developing need for rubrics to measure the effectiveness of the innovations. McCormick et al. developed a method to evaluate the application of sustainability principles by students within the setting of engineering design and problem solving. The methodology used challenge questions within two different scenarios. The rubric was used to determine characteristics of students and student experiences that achieved higher scores, showing that a student’s ability to apply sustainability principles in engineering design did not correlate with that student’s interest in sustainability engineering. Langfitt et al. focus on one aspect of sustainability knowledge: energy literacy. Instead of a questionnaire format, this rubric could be used by outside raters to look at the energy literacy aspects from a project, competition, or course deliverable. In the specific case study, the raters evaluated both abstracts and posters submitted to a high school energy competition. Thus, the rubric by McCormick et al. provides a means to measure a specific person’s sustainability literacy, whereas the rubric being developed by Langfitt et al. addresses the level of sustainability literacy with respect to energy knowledge within a finished product or deliverable.

This research focuses on the development of an energy literacy rubric for scoring project-type deliverables, an approach that has not been taken with respect to energy literacy assessment. The goal is to examine if a rubric-based rating approach is applicable for judging energy literacy based on competition or course deliverables or artifacts. The rubric was developed using a methodology involving related rubric review and adaptation, and an expert review. To examine if the rubric approach may be applicable, the rubric was applied to the Imagine Tomorrow competition, a high school energy competition, and trends in the results were examined to support rubric effectiveness. Competition deliverables include an abstract and a poster. Abstracts submitted to enter the competition from 5 years were available and evaluated for energy literacy and biofuel literacy by two raters. Posters were available only for 1 year and were rated by one rater. Besides identifying trends in the abstract scores, the abstra...

Media filter drains (MFDs), which are also known as Ecology Embankments, are linear best management practices used by many state departments of transportation (DOTs) for highway runoff treatment. Initial studies on the MFD indicated that their life spans were at least10 years. Recent studies indicate that for dissolved zinc and copper metal removal, the life span may exceed 20 years. This study extended the life further in laboratory tests for media from existing MFDs, indicating that the life might be many decades. Zinc and copper are particularly of concern for various aquatic species and the removal rates were extremely high.

Widespread adoption and acceptance of pervious concrete systems are dependent on determining the in situ properties of the placement. The porosity of the pervious concrete layer is the dominant variable of the system, affecting durability, hydraulic, and mechanical properties. Current practice has the porosity of the system estimated prior to placement by a fresh concrete density test on the mix from the concrete mixer, and tested after placement by extracting cores and performing a hardened porosity test. This study provides a method for correlating the surface infiltration rate of a newly placed pervious concrete layer and its estimated porosity with simple linear equations. Although not intended to replace standardized acceptance porosity tests, using this existing nondestructive infiltration method for also estimating porosity may readily provide more information on the variable characteristics of an entire pervious concrete slab for correlation to additional studies, performance, and evaluation of installation techniques. The findings also indicate that the standard 300-mm-diameter single-ring surface infiltration test would have similar results to a more involved double-ring imbedded infiltration test. Finally, the research provides information on interpreting the relationship of laboratory measured infiltration rates for single-lift versus double-lift compaction methods, and shows that coring may have impacts on the surface infiltration rate performed on the extracted cores, probably because of coring debris clogging some of the pores.