729 research outputs found
Isotopic Fingerprints of Organic Pollutants: Quantifying Sources and Sinks of Organic Pollutants with Isotope Analysis from Aquifer to Catchment Scale
No full textStuijfzand, P.J. [Promotor]Breukelen, B.M. [Copromotor]van Meerveld, H.J. [Copromotor
Addressing quality issues during potable water ASR: Optimizing Aquifer Storage Recovery through hydrogeochemical analysis of a pilot project, column tests and modeling
No full textStuijfzand, P.J. [Promotor]Breukelen, B.M. van [Copromotor
Impacts of Shallow Geothermal Energy on Groundwater Quality: A Hydrochemical and geomicrobial study of the effects of ground source heat pumps and aquifer thermal energy storage
No full textStuijfzand, P.J. [Promotor]Breukelen, B.M. van [Copromotor
Monitoring biodegradation capacity of organic pollutants in the environment
No full textMicro-organismen zijn in staat om organische verbindingen om te zetten in minder schadelijke stoffen en spelen daarom een belangrijke rol bij het opruimen van milieuvervuiling. Voor beleidsmakers, landgebruikers en landeigenaren is het belangrijk dat er bij milieuverontreiniging goed toezicht wordt gehouden op de biologische afbraakprocessen en dat deze goed worden beheerst. Aangezien microbiële activiteit in het milieu wordt beïnvloed door diverse fysische, geochemische en biologische factoren, is nauwkeurige kennis van het afbraakproces hierbij noodzakelijk. In dit promotieonderzoek wordt de relatie tussen geochemische condities en de biologische afbraakcapaciteit van micro-organismen in het milieu beschreven, inclusief methoden om de activiteit en metabole functies van deze micro-organismen in het milieu te mete
Groundwater Quality in Curaçao: A hydrochemical multi-annual assessment (1977-2021) of a Caribbean island
No full textFor this thesis a hydrochemical groundwater survey was carried out on the Caribbean island of Curaçao in 2020 as part of the NWO SEALINK project. In order to be well-adapted against anthropogenic and natural pressures, Curaçao needs representative data, yet thorough hydrochemical datasets were only sparsely collected in the wet seasons of 1977 and 1992. The aim of this thesis was to determine the current chemical state of the groundwater and analyze for long-term pollution trends with an extended database spanning four decades, also including data that was collected in another fieldwork campaign in 2021.NWO SEALINKCivil Engineering | Environmental Engineerin
Peeking inside the black-box: A model-based interpretation of multi-elemental isotope date of chlorinated ethenes in heterogeneous aquifer systems
No full textSanitary Engineerin
Removal of plant pathogenic bacteria during agricultural managed aquifer recharge to produce irrigation water and protect plant health
No full textFresh water is an essential resource for life. Yet, overexploitation of water resources, rainfall shortages, and a decrease in water quality by pollution increase water scarcity worldwide. Since agricultural production consumes about 70% of the available fresh water resources, it is particularly vulnerable for water scarcity. Therefore, this research investigated agricultural aquifer storage, transfer and recovery (ASTR) as nature-based solution to store fresh water in the subsurface from where it can be reused for irrigation. The source water used for infiltration may carry plant pathogens that have to be removed during the storage. Otherwise, the recovered water poses a threat to crop production if pathogens are still present in the irrigation water. Consequently, an understanding of pathogen die-off and removal under relevant conditions found in aquifers is required to predict changes in water quality and protect plant health. In my research, I focussed on the removal of three plant pathogenic bacteria during ASTR: Ralstonia solanacearum and the Soft Rot Pectobacteriaceae, Dickeya solani and Pectobacterium carotovorum. They affect a broad variety of crops with hosts ranging from potato to flower bulbs, both being important cash crops worldwide and particularly in the Netherlands.An ASTR pilot site located in North Holland was investigated where tile drainage water (TDW) is collected from a 10 ha agricultural field and infiltrated into a sandy, anoxic, and originally brackish aquifer. The TDW can mix with surface water where the selected pathogens are regularly detected. ASTR uses separated wells for infiltration and abstraction of the recharged water. This creates a soil passage and forces the water to flow through the porous medium (sand layers) of the aquifer. Water microcosms and column experiments were used to simulate the aquifer processes in the laboratory and analysed pathogen removal during ASTR. The results showed that the die-off in the water phase depends on the residence time and ranged between 1.3 to 2.7 log10 after 10 or 60 days for R. solanacearum, respectively. A subpopulation of the bacteria persisted for a prolonged time at low concentrations which may pose a risk if the water is recovered too early. However, the soil passage within the aquifer proved to be highly effective in removing the bacteria by attachment (18 log10 after 1 m). Together with results of dose-response experiments where I studied the effect of contaminated irrigation water on potato plants, all results were ultimately combined in a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA). QMRA is a useful (water) management tool to evaluate the treatment steps of water reclamation technologies and support decision-making processes. As a result of this PhD work, ASTR can be considered a natural treatment system to remove bacterial plant pathogens and provide safe irrigation water
Improving water efficiency and crop yield on a sugarcane plantation in Xinavane, Mozambique: An analysis of irrigation practices, yield variability and the potential of a decision support system
No full textThis report contains the findings of a multidisciplinary project in Mozambique which ran from mid-November 2018 to mid-January 2019. This study is part of the IWACA-TECH project, which is an abbreviation for “Improved Water efficiency Control based on remote sensing TECHnologies. The goal is to increase water efficiency and crop yield without increasing the consumptive use of water, using remote sensing and Model Predictive Control (MPC). The structural water scarcity in the region points out the relevance of the IWACATECH project and with that this study. The research, carried out by students of Delft University of Technology, is of importance for both the company Tongaat Hulett and all inhabitants who are direct or indirect dependent on the water of the Incomati river. The study area on the plantation in Xinavane copes not only with inefficient irrigation water use but also suffers a sugarcane yield decline in recent years ??. Therefore, the overall aim of this report is to improve water efficiency and crop yield within Tongaat Hulett. To achieve this from a multidisciplinary perspective several research questions have been formulated. Although they all contribute to the overall aim, they do so from different angles and in varying degrees. Therefore, to increase the readability of the report, the research questions have been divided into three sections: (1) Irrigation Practices, (2) Field Assessment on Yield Variability and (3) Decision Support System. Fieldwork was conducted over a five week period in order to gather data. Groundwater levels were measured, water quality of irrigation, ground- and precipitation water samples was analysed and soil moisture content was measured. This led to further research of soil types and quality. Soil profiles along the edges of both fields were made revealing a shallow aquifer in the bad-performing field. Irrigation water quality seems to form no hazard, but ground water quality analyses revealed significantly high electrical conductivity levels and a high sodium adsorption ratio in areas without growth. These findings, combined with an analysis of the digital elevation map and socio-technical data revealed that evaporation of irrigation water seems to be a large contributor to the impaired crop growth. When excess water cannot run off, puddles are formed. When these puddles evaporate, salts can be taken up by the soil once the thickened irrigation water infiltrates. This process is strengthened by the clay soil layer and the shallow aquifer, which prevent water from infiltrating deeper into the ground. Results concerning remote sensing prove the relationship between soil moisture content and precipitation for meteo-station XNA-20. Combining spatial and temporal variability of soil moisture content with remote sensing can play an essential role in managing irrigation practices. For the decision support system, and in specific the controller part of the system, measurements have been done. It can be concluded that storage area and delay times can be considered insignificant, and that canals do not have to be modelled. This makes the controller significantly easier and thus more time and effort can be spend on other aspects of the controller.MP27
Modelling Iron Floc Filtration Through Porous Media Filters
No full textAdditional master thesisAdditional thesisWater Managemen
Corporate Real Estate Management in de ziekenhuiszorg
No full textIn Corporate Real Estate Management in de ziekenhuiszorg is onderzocht hoe de beschikbare kennis over Corporate Real Estate Management (CREM) wordt toegepast op de ontwikkeling en het beheer van ziekenhuisvastgoed en welke verbeteringen hierin mogelijk zijn, zodat zo goed mogelijk kan worden ingespeeld op de trends en ontwikkelingen in de gezondheidszorg. Het doel was om een middel voor het ziekenhuisvastgoed te ontwikkelen, waarmee een ziekenhuis kan worden gepositioneerd op de mate van toepassing van Corporate Real Estate Management (CREM). Daarnaast werd hiermee duidelijk welke stappen door een ziekenhuis moeten worden ondernomen, zodat ingespeeld kan worden op de trends en ontwikkelingen in de ziekenhuissector. Uit onderzoek naar de trends en ontwikkelingen in de ziekenhuiszorg komen twee gevolgen voor vastgoed naar voren: prikkels om efficiënter en effectiever met vastgoed om te gaan en een verandering naar de vraag van vastgoed en de functie ervan. Om in te kunnen spelen op deze gevolgen voor het ziekenhuisvastgoed is de CREM thermometer ontworpen, waarmee een ziekenhuis kan worden gepositioneerd op de mate van toepassing van CREM en waarmee bepaald kan worden welke stappen moeten worden ondernomen om te komen tot het stadium waar men zich in 2010 zou moeten bevinden. De thermometer is getoetst bij drie algemene ziekenhuizen in Nederland en kan hiermee als aanzet worden gezien voor een gevalideerde CREM thermometer voor ziekenhuisvastgoed.Architectur
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