Civil and Environmental Engineering
First Advisor
Shannon Bartelt-Hunt
Date of this Version
4-2019
Abstract
Vegetative Filter Strips (VFS) are used for controlling the volume of runoff and decreasing the contaminants in runoff before entering the water bodies. Many studies investigated the role of VFS in sediment and nutrient removal, but little is known about their efficiency in the removal of emerging contaminants such as antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). VFSMOD was used to simulate the efficiency of VFS in this regard. The objectives of this study were to calibrate the VFSMOD with some experimental data and asses the efficiency of the model in simulating the filter behavior in removing ARGs. The tests were conducted in twenty-four 0.75 m wide by 4 m long plots which were adjacent to the narrow grass hedges. The VFS Model results met well with the experimental results and as a result the model was used for predicting filter efficiencies when the runoff data are not available. The efficiency of NGH in trapping tylosin, ermB and 16SrRNA was tested by the model. NGHs were shown to be effective in reducing tylosin and ARGs concentration. The filter length and soil type were designed by the model as 1m and sandy soil.
Advisor: Shannon Bartelt-Hunt
Comments
A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science, Major: Civil Engineering, Under the Supervision of Professor Shannon Bartelt-Hunt. Lincoln, Nebraska: April 2019.
Copyright (c) 2019 Marzieh Khedmati