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The construction industry is experiencing an increasing demand for sustainable alternative materials. There is huge scope for converting the industrial wastes as partial or complete substitution of cementitious materials and fine aggregates. This study focuses on exploring the performance of different industrial waste materials as possible substitutes for flowable fill or controlled low-strength materials (CLSM). The most commonly used waste materials are found to be bottom ash, pond ash, steel slag, alum sludge, waste glass powder, red mud, cement kiln dust, copper slag, treated oil sand waste, and waste oyster shells. In order to verify their suitability compaas potential CLSM, the plastic properties (flowability, hardening time, segregation, bleeding, and density), hardened or in situ properties (unconfined compressive strength, California bearing ratio, and ultrasonic pulse velocity), durability properties (permeability and freezing-thawing effects), and microstructural properties (X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy) are compared. It is observed that the addition of different industrial wastes could satisfy the provision of CLSM as per ACI standards. There is immense scope for improvising the present utilization through functional optimization as well as investigating the potential of many unused waste materials which are locally available in bulk.

Steel-concrete composite slabs with cold-formed, profiled steel deck sheets are popularly used in steel-framed buildings. In these slabs, the deck platform acts as a working platform during construction and also as tensile reinforcement under in-service load conditions. The shear bond capacity of the composite slab is evaluated in this study for two different profile steel deck sheets. Specifically, their composite behaviour is investigated by casting and testing twelve full-scale composite deck slab specimens using the two-point loading system. In addition, based on the shear span length and profile height, the structural performance of the composite deck slab is analysed in terms of load-displacement response, shear bond capacity, ductility index, and load-slip behaviour. The results show that the most common failure of all tested specimens occurs due to the longitudinal shear failure between the concrete and profile deck sheets. As the longitudinal shear is a complex phenomenon, empirical approaches are used to evaluate the shear bond mechanism between the concrete and profile deck. The verification and comparison of experimental test results are performed with conventional and simplified m-k models based on the profile deck depth. The validated results reveal an acceptable level of reliability for prediction of each profile height based on the m and k interaction values.

The pertinent challenges associated with effective treatment of fecal sludge in medium scales necessitate alternative means for land application. The methods of compost preparation from sewage sludge and their modes of application to the agricultural fields have profound impacts on the soil ecology and environment. Besides the chemical conditioning effects on soil organic matter, they also impart physical attributes to the soil texture and structure. Though it is expected that compost addition improves water holding capacity and nutrient sequestration, there is lack of clarity in correlating the field outcomes with conditions of excess nutrient storage/leaching despite the agronomic benefits. In this study, we present a systematic cause-evidence-impact relationship on the feedstock composition, processing, and applications of co-composted sewage sludge. Various analytical tools were compared to elucidate the unique characteristics of co-composted sewage sludge to get a realistic understanding of the complex soil-compost interactions. Results from the spectroscopic characterization reveal the implications of selection of bulking agents and sludge pre-treatment in determining the final quality of the compost. Based on the results, we postulate a unique attribution of parent material influence to the formation of well-defined porous structures which influences the nutrient leaching/sequestrating behavior of the soil. Thus, the compounded impacts of composted organic matter on the soil and crop can be proactively determined in terms of elemental composition, functional groups, and stability indices. The present approach provides good scope for customizing the preparations and applications of aerobic microbial composts in order to derive the preferred field outputs.

Subsurface contamination is a frequent occurrence in fractured porous systems, posing a potential threat for the groundwater contamination. Tracking the movement of these contaminants is an inherent aspect of effective remediation strategy. The non-isothermal conditions prevailing in the subsurface environment further add to the complexity of the existing scenario. The current study focuses on simulating the concentration profiles of nitrogen species in a fracture-matrix system under non-isothermal conditions. The kinetics and biochemical thermodynamics of nitrogen transformation reactions were explicitly modelled in this study by adopting a finite differential numerical scheme. The numerical results clearly depicted the spatial-temporal profiles of the concentration of all the species in response to the observed peak values. Considering the sensitivity of the model parameters, an increase in flow velocity triggered the migration of all nitrogen species in the fracture, while an increase in matrix porosity reduced the concentration by enhancing the chemical reactions. An increase in fracture aperture also could trigger the denitrification process in the fracture to reduce the nitrate-nitrogen contamination in the fracture. The temperature variation between 25 °C and 45 °C in the fracture and the matrix essentially reduced the availability of nitrate-nitrogen and nitrogen gas in the fracture under non-isothermal conditions. Hence, an increase in the temperature coefficient can reduce the spike of nitrate-nitrogen and nitrogen gas in fracture by minimizing such transformation rates.

Life on this planet has been undergoing severe challenges owing to the rampant anomalies in the natural climate and the ecosystem getting modified by human interventions at multitudes of scales. It is inevitable to admit that we have compromised a lot in maintaining global sustainability during the process of ever-satiating quench for better life comforts. There is a much wanted look-back, get corrections and move forward to ensure the essential implementations of sustainability principles in every walk of our life. The concept of sustainable infrastructure envisions inclusive growth for design, development and delivery of the services and products. Therefore it is imperative to adopt environmental stewardship for conscious and responsible consumption of natural resources to build sustainable enterprises. Technology has a crucial role in enabling to achieve the audacious goals by promoting institutionalization and a large scale influence in the lifestyle. The idea of smart city has captivated the infrastructure industry and developmental activities in a different pace and style, in contrary to the conventional approach based on architectural prevalence. The infrastructure industry has been experiencing a radical shift in its normal expectations in terms on the space utilization, materials used, degree of comforts defined and auto/remote-controlled features anticipated to replace the direct human interventions for better experiences. The basic requirements for such a system to co-exist, would be, to have a network of connected devices and sensors based on the technology framework, followed by a communication system to translate and share the data to enable to make quick decisions, and to extrapolate the system to suit for a wide range of amenities in the intended space to inspire better decisions and to enable behaviour change. This is very prominently exhibited in the increasing interest in research for widening the application of smart technology to contribute for improved monitoring and management systems in the core pillars of infrastructure, namely, water, energy, mobility and waste. There are increasing reports on the adoptability of decision support systems based on real-time monitoring of environmental parameters, structural health and energy production and consumption, giving rise to enable high visibility, accessibility and reproducibility to the decision makers in multi-layered platforms. In any case, it is inevitable to accept the deeper synergistic correlations happening in the construction industry with advancement in technology. From a holistic viewpoint, the concept of sustainable infrastructure is based on global and domestic sustainable development goals (SDG) and carries a strong regard to social, financial and political issues, public health and wellbeing, as well as economic and environmental concerns. The key aspects of making tailor-made versions of the SDGs should, nonetheless, cover the policy measures, data/information flows and financial mobilization. Considering the infrastructural projects as the key driver, there is a wide scope for addressing the compatibility and resilience with climate, physical, social and institutional environment. From a wider perspective, inviting investments in such sustainable infrastructural projects can provide a good non-volatile source of economic growth, community wellbeing and financial returns. The unforeseen pandemic situation due to the outbreak of Covid-19 has created more digital business enabling more vendors to invest on information technology based incubations, which can be further imported to the existing hardware for enhancing the productivity and functionalities. A smart approach can provide an opportunity for knowledge integration, necessary to solve crucial problems of contemporary societies. Therefore it is highly envisaged that a synergistic interaction between smart technology and infrastructure development can enliven the vitality of sustainability in the best of its interest. Here is an example of such a techno-scientific interaction happened virtually by virtue of the current pandemic situation. This First International Conference on Sustainable Infrastructure with Smart Technology for Energy and Environmental Management (FIC-SISTEEM-2020) organized by the Department of Civil Engineering, Bannari Amman Institute of Technology Sathyamangalam, India envisages a unique platform to discover the deeper intricacies of energy, environment and infrastructure development where deliberations on the current and futuristic approaches were critically discussed. It also aims to develop and maintain long-term knowledge-sharing among the research communities to further enlighten the research attributes for global welfare. The conference program includes four key-note speeches by eminent academicians and practitioners, followed by paper presentations by the faculty/scholars/students from various universities and research centres in three themes namely, Smart and Sustainable Infrastructure [SSI], Smart Technology for Energy [STE] and Sustainable Environmental Management [SEM]. The selected papers for this publication are further classified into nine topics viz. Innovations for Smart City, Sustainable Engineering Design, Advanced Materials for Construction, Recycled Materials for Construction, Advances in Soil Stabilization, Sustainable Technology for Energy, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, Remediation and Resource Recovery and Environmental Modeling and Management. This conference proceedings book will be valuable reference material to be recommended for the libraries. However, there is a great scope in reaching this compendium of latest research articles for the intellectual benefits of the young generation who wants to update with the latest ones. It will be highly beneficial not only to the academicians and scholars, but also to the industry researchers and policy makers who are keen in observing the latest trends in engineering and technology towards product/service/policy formulation. In this regard, we anticipate a good welcoming opportunity for this title to get exposed and popularized, especially through the banner of IOP Publications. On behalf of the organizing committee and the host institute, we thank all the contributing authors, members of various committees, technical reviewers, and co-editors to make this attempt a grant success. We apologize for any inadvertent mistakes occurred in this edition. Dr. M Vasudevan, Dr. B Soundara, Dr. N Karthiga and Mrs. V Preetha [Editors] Department of Civil Engineering, Bannari Amman Institute of Technology Sathyamangalam, Tamil Nadu, India

Microbial fuel cell is one of the emerging technologies which utilize wastewater to generate electricity with the help of action of microorganisms. The real interest in microbial fuel cells has tremendously grown in recent years. It converts chemical reaction into electrical energy and helps in the recovery of energy from wastewater. The main objective of this study was to enhance the electricity production and simultaneously treat the wastewater. The lab scale model consists of double chamber microbial fuel cell, i.e., two separate chambers one with salt water and the other with wastewater representing anode and cathode, a salt bridge acting as proton exchange membrane; electrodes from batteries are used for this study. In this, the proton exchange and electron transfer occurs after the redox reaction. The microbes in the sludge or wastewater are responsible for the release of electrons. These electrons tend to move through the external circuit, producing electricity. For maintaining electrical neutrality salt bridge is used. The dual chamber microbial fuel cell used in this experiment produced an average voltage of 0.37mv for a wastewater volume of one liter. This set up is done on small scale, but with further and more detailed study it can be installed in industries that produce Microbial Waste water as a by-product to generate electricity and reuse the waste water for other processes after treatment.

Fresh water availability along coastal India is a critical issue pertaining to and affected by population explosion, rapid urbanisation and industrialisation. The coastal livelihood and infrastructure in India have subsequently grown post-independence without any substantial scientific planning for infrastructural developments such as public water distribution systems and wastewater drainage. Due to the predominant inconsistency in meeting the regular water consumption demands as against water availability, uncontrolled water distribution systems became critically responsible for harnessing our freshwater resources (surface water and groundwater). There is an ever-demanding need for strategic planning for Indian coastal cities with inclusive technological interventions to effectively utilise the available resources for achieving water sustainability. This paper reviews on the contemporary challenges and possible strategies for planning and implementing innovations in community water supply sector for coastal cities in India. Considering the pros and cons while strategic planning in the diverse geo-marine environment, we realise that ultimately the choice of water conservation mechanism must be unique for a given region, but consistent with the sustainable goals considering the overall well-being of the ultimate beneficiaries.

The ongoing pandemic situation has forced us to opt for virtual mode of conference presentations. This is based on the realization that the participants (and the organizers too) will not be able to travel and or assemble physically at a common place due to the prevailing Covid-19 restrictions. As the conference was declared earlier, we could not postpone due to the associated plan for publication in Scopus-indexed proceedings. There were many requests from the academic peers to organise in the virtual mode. Conference model Two days program with four keynote lectures followed by technical presentation sessions. Total three parallel sessions were arranged for both forenoon and afternoon to cover all the three themes. Each session extended for about 2.5 hours with about 10-12 papers per session. The participants were given 15 minutes time covering 10 minutes’ presentation and 5 minutes interaction with the session chair. Each presentation was evaluated by the session chair and co-chair for a maximum score of 30 (technical content-10, presentation-10, and communication/interaction-10). Participants were mostly from Southern part of India, but also from Northern India, Malaysia and Nigeria The conference was delivered using Google Meet application (https://meet.google.com/) Dr. M Vasudevan, Dr. B Soundara, Dr. N Karthiga and Mrs. V Preetha [Editors] Department of Civil Engineering, Bannari Amman Institute of Technology Sathyamangalam, Tamil Nadu, India

This paper presents a critical review on the existing methodology of water quality assessment of lakes and reservoirs being used as a source of water supply and irrigation purposes. The seasonal and depth-wise variations in water quality are also analysed and presented through two case studies. It is inferred that water quality monitoring is a helpful tool not only to evaluate the impacts of pollution sources but also to ensure an efficient management of water resources and the protection of aquatic life. However, it is incomplete to make any meaningful prediction without correlating the prevailing catchment characteristics as well as imparting the scope for real-time action plan. The present study highlights a few strategic features causing variability in water quality and proposes a corroborative plan to address those issues.

An unexpected closure episode of most of the public movement and industrial activities during the initial spreading duration of COVID-19 has significantly resulted in drastic reduction of environmental pollution in the urban areas globally. Being an active bio-aerosol with pandemic effect, COVID-19 presents a never-before scenario for the meteorologists and environmental engineers to look for systematic analysis of the overlap of air quality modelling with modifications in the atmospheric science. The long-term monitoring of pollution records help in defining unique indices for categorizing the severity of the existing pollution and thus helps in developing strategies for improving environmental quality. In this study, we present the observations in major air quality parameters in selected major cities of India using air quality index (AQI) before and after the announcement of a nationwide lockdown that extended nearly for many months. The results indicate a major sustaining type of decline in the average AQI values for major Type-1 and Type-2 cities due to the reduction in public movement and industrial activities, whereas the reduction AQI values for Type-3 and Type-4 cities were observed to be fluctuating due to the continued small-scale industrial activities and low level of awareness about ban on public gathering programmes.