CE 2120 Final

Air Quality Index calc

AQI = ( C(environment) / C(NAAQS) ) * 100

Where is the embodied carbon? About ___ of upfront embodied carbon comes from

About 50% of upfront embodied carbon comes from STRUCTURE

(3 pts.) Describe biological treatment of wastewater using activated sludge

Activated sludge is used to treat wastewater by continually returning "active" microorganisms to the reactor of the system. First, the wastewater is mixed and added to the aeration tank. In the aeration tank, the organic waste material is oxidized and converted to cellular mass (Striebig et al. 256). Second, a settling tank utilizes gravity to remove the microbial Chudik 5 material from the water (Striebig et al. 256). Some of the microbial mass is removed (the waste activated sludge). The rest of the microorganisms (the returned activated sludge) are sent to the aeration tank to continue this process.

Biogenic asphalt

Adding plant based biogenic components to the binders used to create bitumen for asphalt can help decarbonize road construction by capturing an increasing amount of carbon in road surfaces and other asphalt-based products as they are recycled and reused over time

Secondary treatment of wastewater

Aerobic digestion of effluent to remove organic matter and pathogens Mechanical aeration, diffused aeration, and gas transfer -biological processes to further purify water

Post your results for the 7-day and 28-day on Google Drive ; Post the results in psi.

After seven days, we tested the strength of two of our concrete cylinders. In our first test, our cylinder could withstand a load of 32670 lbs. In our second test, the cylinder withstood 33315 lbs. In psi, these values were 4621.86 psi and 4713.11 psi, respectively. For our 28th day trials, our results were 44830 lbs and 43795 lbs. When we divide by the area of the cylinder we get 6342.15 psi and 6195.73 psi.

Air pollution is the single biggest environmental threat to human health based on its notable contribution to disease burden

Air Pollution is killing people even without Climate Change impacts

Environmental Justice: North Carolina waste

-30,000 gallons of industrial wate containing hazardous chemical polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) were illegally and deliberately discharged along 243 miles of highway shoulders in 14 counties of NC. -State decided to construct a new landfill to dispose of waste since others are too far -Selected mostly black community Afton (to be the place for the landfill) -One of the poorest counties in the state -PCB causes elevated stomach and liver cancer rates -When trucks arrived to bring soil to new landfill, they were met by 400-500 protestors who laid in the road -Polluting air, water, and soil -Due to resident demand, governor hunt included a budget of $15 mil to clean up the landfill

Justice 40 initiative

-40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized -Categories of investment include: climate change, clean energy, energy efficiency, clean transit, affordable and sustainable housing, training and workforce development, clean water and wastewater

Sources of CO2 in manufacturing cement

-59% are from process emissions -41% are fuel related emissions (coal, petroleum coke, natural gas, trees, solid waste, and electricity used)

Net Zero building in NY

-60 story building -New Yorks tallest all-electric tower

what is a "chemical of concern"

-A chemical of concern is a chemical used in products that has toxicity or other effects that are deemed to create undesirable risks

ASCE POLICY STATEMENT 417 - JUSTICE, EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION

-ASCE membership lacks representation of people from diverse groups -Lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion limits capacity to effectively meet societal needs -progress made through awareness, education, action -more efforts needed to filly realize inclusive practices in profession

Airport Sustainability

-Adapting to climate change -Sea level rise causing flooding at airports -Hot temperatures cause flight cancellations -Longer runways needed for hotter weather -Weight restrictions on cargo

Considering the impact on customers

-Description of the customer and market/stakeholder group - How the solution creates value and add benefits - IMPACT: can the solution be extended (reach) beyond intended customer to include communities, similar stakeholder groups, or as a nationwide solution?

Disinfection of water

-Destroys bacteria, viruses, and amebic cysts -These are pathogenic organisms that may be problematic in water -Chlorine and UV light normally used to disinfect these waters

Dockless bikes

-Don't have to leave at specific station, can leave it anywhere -Creation of lots of waste

Sterling Ranch

-EV charging systems -Every home is solar ready -Irrigation system -If raining, sprinklers won't turn on -Detects if there's a leak

Inflation reduction act (IRA) of 2022

-EV tax credit -Charging infrastructure -US postal service electrified -Domestic manufacturing

Denver investing in Neglected neighborhoods

-Environmental tax of tens of millions of dollars -purchasing land for new parks -repairing derelict playgrounds -adding recreation centers -planting trees in areas where shade is sparse

Carbon pricing

-Favored by economists -Places a price of carbon emissions, a disincentive to emit carbon -Must adopt their production methods to reduce emissions

What are the three main ideas to consider when developing your business model?

-Feasibility (key partners, activities, resources) -Desirability (value propositions, customer relations, customer segments, channels) -Viability (cost structure and revenue streams)

Urban growth boundary definition

-Hard limit on where buildings can be built -Trying to restrict urban sprawl -Creates a boundary to urban growth

Affordable housing

-Housing for lower income people -Working class people, teachers, firefighters use affordable housing

Green hydrogen for transportation

-Hydrogen can replace fossil fuels -If it is green hydrogen made w zero GHG electricity

Policymakers swamped with choices to reduce GHG

-If they make the right decision, results will be a 60-70% reduction in GHG emissions -Keep widely-adopted climate mitigation goals in reach

Nashville constructing parking lots

-Impacts livability -660 football fields of impervious surface in the past 5 years -TENNESSEE IS TE LEAST ACTIVE STATE IN THE NATION

Anaerobic sludge digestion

Anaerobic digestion is a staged process where the organic material must first be partially dissolved by extracellular enzymes. -Acid-forming microorganisms then produce organic acids from the organic material, and these organic materials can be further decomposed by methane-forming microorganisms.

Recycled concrete

-Protects natural resources and eliminates the need for disposal -Aggregate base -Recycle it into new Portland Cement Concrete. -Simple process -Breaking, removing, and crushing existing concrete into a material -Quality of concrete with RCA (recycled Concrete Aggregate) is very dependent on the quality of the recycled material used. -Reinforcing steel removed -Prevent contamination by Asphalt and soil and clay balls

Lightweight aggregate

-Reduce embodied carbon of buildings with lightweight aggregate -Aggregates made from fly ash

Massachusetts v. EPA, 2007

-Ruled that CO2 and GHG are air pollutants under the clean air act and therefore, the should be regulated by the EPA -EPA could regulate CO2 emissions from motor vehicles if they were found to be endangering to the public

Europes AA approach

-Safe and sustainable chemicals: use safe chemicals in the first place -minimize and control: reduce exposure to environment and humans -eliminate and remediate: promote safe recycling solutions

Scooter Waste

-Scooters last 1-2 years -Cause problems for recycling and landfills -Scooter companies in processes of developing recycling properties -Some cities with "zero waste policy" don't allow scooters

I-24 Corridor, the World's smartest highway

-Sensors installed on poles -Analyze the changes in traffic when autonomous vehicles are present

Electrification and Growth of Ride Share Theory

-Sharing rides would mean less cars, parking lots reduced, personal car ownership rates decline -Currently, ride share is doing the opposite. It is increasing traffic, making it worse

What is the purpose of measuring slump when mixing concrete?

-Slump measures how much the concrete slides down. It checks the properties of the mix and can be used to compare against concrete mixes with different aggregates. -A slump tests measures the consistency and workability of a concrete batch to see how easily the concrete will flow. -It observes consistency between batches -It identifies if theres a defect in the mix, giving the operator a chance to amend the mix before its poured on site

Living Building in the Southeast (Kendeda Building at Georgia Tech)

-Solar satisfies all energy needs -Living building net-positive for water -Rainwater to portable water system

Business use of AA

-Some companies use AA to compare their products and guide product innovation -Sometimes pushed by customers

Centennial Park, the Cockrill Spring

-Sulfur and potassium within spring; good nutrients for surrounding plants -Use spring water to irrigate the field in Centennial Park -Don't need to use drinking water to irrigate park anymore

Leed Criteria

-Sustainable sites criteria minimize a building's impact on ecosystems and water resources. -Water efficiency criteria enhance water conservation within the building and for its outdoor landscapes. - Energy and atmosphere criteria reduce energy consumption and promote the use of renewable energy. -Materials and resources criteria foster the use of sustainable building materials and reduced waste. - Indoor environmental quality criteria enhance the comfort of occupants with access to natural daylight, outdoor views, and better indoor air quality

Innovations with Electric Vehicles (Tesla, wireless, etc)

-Tesla electric trucks (long range, cleaner, cheaper, and easier to maintain) -Dynamic wireless charging

AA example: Antifouling boat paints in Washington

-The Washington State Antifouling Boat Paint AA is one of the first AAs commissioned by government in the U.S. to support legislation. -Alternatives were limited to those that were available in Washington at the time of the AA. -decided best option was to have boat washes (like car washes)

Why is a 7 day test of concrete strength important considering that the 28-day strength is considered the true strength of concrete?

-This is important to see how the strength of the concrete is changing/progressing and if the concrete is strong enough to build upon. -If the concrete is not reaching its expected strength/gaining strength, a new batch should probably be made.

Flex-Gate flood barrier in public transit

-To prepare for more flooding due to climate change, they have been testing the flex-gate flood barrier -They add water for 4 hours. The gate is deployed by 1-2 people in less than 15 minutes

Sustainability Topics in Transportation

-Vehicle emissions (GHG, ozone, PM) -Traffic -Outdated transit -Air travel GHG transmissions -EV charging network -Mining -Bike infrastructure -Scooters

Airports at risk of sea level rise

-With future sea level rise, 10% of all routes are at risk of flooding

Fuel switching example:

-You replace a heat pump with coefficient of performance (COP) of 2.6 with a heat pump with COP of 3.2 -If your annual energy load is 43.3 million Btu, how much electricity do you save in a year? -COP=power output /power input -Units of output and input are watts or kwatts -1 kWh = 3,412 Btu What is the amount of CO2reduction? • Electricity generated from coal • Natural Gas • Solar • Hydropower • Wind • Geothermal • If electricity for first heat pump is coal and second from natural gas? • If electricity for first heat pump is coal and second solar?

Identify potential alternatives

-alternate chemicals, designs, or materials -scope available technology -engage stakeholders can be helpful in identifying whats acceptable to users

8th revenue reservoir

-built in 1889, broke in 1912 -repaired and reused -holds 60% of Nashville's water

Saltwater in the Mississippi river

-climate change and drought caused record low levels in river -allowed salt water to travel further upstream -Drinking water problems for New Orleans -Oil refining impacted -Portable desalination plants and no drink orders

Oil spill in Gulf of Mexico after hurricane Ida

-company leading clean up claims not responsible -9 segments of pipe owned by 7 different companies -many abandoned pipes and infrastructure on sea floor

Customer Segments

-defines the different groups of people or organizations an enterprise aims to reach and serve -Consider their demographics (Homeowners, ages 34-49) -Geographics (urban, close to amentities and attractions) -Behaviorial (people who value extra income, gone for portions of the year) -Psychographics (opportunity seekers, enjoys meeting new people)

Surface water supplies

-depend on steady and predictable pattern of rainfall -the flows in rivers and streams may vary and may not be met during dry periods

What are the alternatives

-drop-in replacement chemicals that appear to require minor formulation changes, or -very different chemical or non-chemical technologies that provide the same service

Clean Air Act of 1970

-established EPA to monitor and enforce regulations' -established the NAAQS -by 1975, reduction in hydrocarbons -by 1976, 90% reduction in NO2

Preliminary treatment processes

-flow equalization -coagulation -flocculation -clarification

China leading way on EVs

-in 2018, China bought 1,100,000 EVs -in 2018, US bought 385,000 -Chinese predicted to make 70% of worlds car batteries in 2021

Tubbs Fire

-melted underground water infrastructure -customers complained of water odor -turns out volatile organic compounds exceeded safe drinking water limit -do not drink or boil advisory

Decision analysis types of framework

-multi parameter -hybrid

Microplastic issue

-no standard way to measure -takes over an hour to test 1ml -resistant to settling -different sizes -need to invent a filter to capture them

TN Legislature to block local governments

-preempts local governments from banning fossil fuel projects or even regulating pipeline safety -take away local power from all 95 counties in the state and give that power to oil and gas companies.

Microplastics

-solids from wastewater treatment turned to biosolids -biosolids become feritlizer for farms -microplastics do not get recovered by treatment -microplastics carry bacteria

Preliminary treatment

-the solids are allowed to settle -then removed from wastewater -removes large objects and large solid particles to keep them from clogging pipes and damaging pumps.

How is climate change affecting the oxygen in lakes?

As a result of climate change, longer and hotter summers have been occurring. Due to these increasing water temperatures, the amount of oxygen in lakes is decreasing significantly. In fact, "lakes are losing oxygen 2.75 to 9.3 times faster than the oceans, a decline that will have impacts throughout the ecosystem" (Fox). A study analyzed how the amount of oxygen in around 400 lakes throughout the world has changed since 1980. The results revealed that "the average oxygen content fell by 5.5% near the surface and fell by 18.6% in deep waters" (Fox). Less oxygen means there will be less aquatic life.

Describe induced demand related to building highways.

As highway capacity is expanded, the demand for these new roads/lanes also increases. Therefore, because the roads are bigger, more people want to drive, and thus congestion does not improve

Describe the term "induced demand" related to transportation.

As the roadway capacity increases, people's desire or demand to drive increases. Roads are widened to improve traffic and congestion. However, increasing road sizes only incentives people to drive more, ultimately causing more traffic. EX: Katy Freeway in Houston (26 lanes)

dissolved oxygen and temperature relationship

As the temperature goes up the dissolved oxygen will go down.

What are the categories of micro-organisms in water?

Bacteria, protozoa, viruses, algae, helminths

The Mississippi River is at record low levels because of little rainfall in its watershed. What problem has this low level created for drinking water systems close to where the river runs into the Gulf of Mexico?

Because the river was at record low levels, saltwater rushed into the river, making it unsafe to drink. Portable desalination tanks were needed and no drink orders were put in place. In addition, oil refining was impacted.

Benefits/Consequences to multi-use zoning?

Benefits: More tax revenue, More walkable, less cars needed, less carbon footprint, less water lines Consequence: Lack of green space, need to implement green spaces

Nutrient removal

Biological or chemical removal of excess nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous

St Louis Dollhouses

Brick buildings - high embodied energy -Can get LEED credits if you reused these bricks -People started tearing down the houses and stealing the brick

Social cost of carbon estimates

CA: $28/ton US Federal estimate: $51/ton Nature Journal: $185/ton Trump: $1/ton

Where has cap and trade been implemented

Cap and trade systems for carbon have been set up in many parts of the world including the European Union (Emissions Trading Scheme, or ETS), in California (Cap and Trade Program) and in the Northeastern states (Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI)

Operational carbon

Carbon dioxide emitted during the life of a building through use: heating, cooling, lighting, etc.

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)

Carbon monoxide, lead, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide

Urban sprawl sustainability issue?

Causes more traffic, more infrastructure built - roads, electricity, sewers, water delivery, loss of natural habitat, storm water does not infiltrate aquifers, floods, contaminants

What are the 4 parts of concrete?

Cementitious materials, large aggregate, fine aggregate, water

EPA definition of environmental justice

"the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies"

If a stream has a flow rate of 400 cfs and nitrogen levels at 1 mg/L and runoff from a field flows into the stream with a flow rate of 100 cfs and nitrogen levels of 6 mg/L. What is the concentration of nitrogen downstream of the runoff?

(400cfs)(1mg/L) + (100 cfs)(6mg/L) = (Cdown)(400+100) c down = 2 mg/L

Nashville Trees

- 50,000 cut down per year -Nashville has a 47% tree cover - Some neighborhoods it is 20%, some its 60% -Goal is 50% tree cover by 2050 -Stop cutting down trees -Goal to plant 20,000 per year -PURPOSE: REDUCE AIR POLLUTION AND IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH

Housing Density (conventional vs. low impact development)

- A conventional site plan has large lot sizes, not much green space, wider roads, large home sizes -Low impact development site plan: cluster housing, bio-retention areas, open space, green space, narrow streets, vegetation retention, bioswales, smaller homes -Can give up some personal land so there can be open space for all the residents to share and enjoy -If everyone has own property, not guaranteed to have trees

Poor neighborhoods are best investments

- Best investment is one that gets the highest return - Green shows where taxes and fees exceed cost to maintain roads, sewers, sidewalks - Red shows where taxes and fees are less than cost to maintain roads, sewers, sidewalks

Implementation of highways and environmental injustice

- Interstate bulldozes businesses -Homes along interstate in Nashville -Highway intentionally designed to disrupt this thriving community -Home values decreased by 30% within a year of construction -Increase in noise, air, and soil pollution -Businesses closed - music clubs, black owned banks, black owned cafes

What are two sustainability problems related to transportation?

- Smog/ozone cause health problems -Traffic and congestion lead to an economic loss -CO2 emissions (need to electrify cars) -Lack of EV chargers available -Scooters and bikes are difficult waste -Transportation is 27% of GHG emissions (compared to other economic sectors)

who can set up carbon tax

- a legislative body can set a tax on carbon emissions

who can set up cap and trade

- the executive branch, EPA, can set up a cap and trade

Shipping Containers

-3% of GHG emissions -Noise disrupts whale migration -Leads to fast fashion

Decision frameworks are NOT supposed to

Decision frameworks should support decision making. Decision frameworks are NOT supposed to make decisions for you. • If the outcome does not match your expectations or desired outcomes, then you should re-examine the values and the weightings you selected for the decision analysis framework.

Scoping and problem formulation

Define and document goals, principles, and decision rules that will guide the assessment and thus the outcome of the assessment -determine which health effects, exposure pathways, life cycle segments, and performance attributes will be considered -Make explicit the decision rules that will be applied to resolve trade-offs among different attributes, to address uncertainty, and to define a "safer" alternative

Three overarching types of impacts

Depletion (removal of resources from the environment), pollution (emission of waste and dispersion of environmentally harmful materials), and disturbances (detrimental changes to the environment)

Which of the following is not one of the 5 steps in Design Thinking (also called Human-centered Design)? a. Empathy, b. Design, c. Prototype, d. Test, e. Ideate

Design

Range of EVs

Tesla X, S, and 300 350 mile range for tesla X 400 mile range for tesla S Chevy Bolt 259 mile range Hummer 329 mile range Range Rover 20 miles for hybrid Ford Mustang 240 mile range Fiat 500e Says 100, about 70 mile range

Camp Fire in CA

The "Camp Fire" in California in 2018, • Burned nearly 240 square miles • Killed at least 86 people • Destroyed most buildings and infrastructure • Toxic chemicals • Burnt materials • Miles of underground melted pipes • Seeped into the water system, where the liquid sat for weeks

Houston artifical lake

The 5.5-acre lake • stormwater treatment, • flood control, • habitats for aquatic wildlife, and • numerous recreational facilities • as well as other benefits to the site and the local communities

Using a weather app on your phone of computer, what isthe AQI reading for Los Angeles? Which NAAQS pollutant is this based on? What are the health impacts? Find someplace in the world where the AQI is hazardous at the moment. What is the city, the AQI, and the pollutant?

The AQI, in general, is based on ozone, particle pollution, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead, or sulfur dioxide. The AQI reading for Los Angeles today (Nov 25) is 68. My weather app reports that the primary pollutant is particulate matter under 2.5µm. Therefore, the AQI reading is based on PM2.5. This air quality index indicates that the level for health concern is moderate. People who are sensitive to the air pollutants may experience respiratory symptoms. The health impacts of PM2.5 are short-term or long-term heart or lung diseases, increased medication use, increased hospital admissions, and premature mortality. The air quality index in Vasundhara (Ghaziabad, India) is currently 321. An AQI is considered hazardous if it is between 301-500. The main pollutants are PM2.5 and PM10 (particulate matter of 2.5µm and particulate matter of 10µm). Thus, the AQI reading is based on PM2.5 and PM10. The current PM2.5 concentration is 18.1 times higher than the recommended limit (Vasundhara Air Quality Index).

Create an account at https://www.buildingtransparency.org/ prior to the class on Tuesday, October 25. This will allow you to use the carbon calculator for your project. Describe one aspect of the EC3 tool

The EC3 tool allows you to find and compare construction materials. The material can be further specified by selecting its performance characteristics (such as strength), location, fabrication, etc. After you have searched and selected your material, a box and whisker plot is created. On this plot, global warming potential values are provided

Health effects of air pollutants

acute effects - short term symptoms, irritated mucous membranes, inflammation of the bronchial tubes, airway restriction chronic - long term on going effects, pulmonary emphysema, stroke, heart attacks

Biological removal of nutrients

adjust oxygen concentrations and microorganisms in a large biological reactor

Cementitious material or aggregate: Pumice

aggregate

Concrete mix as either cementitious material or aggregate: Recycled Glass

aggregate

what can water be reused for

agriculture, irrigation, environmental restoration, industrial processes, portable water supplies

Wastewater from a natural gas extraction process that contains 4, 350 mg/L of nonreactive dissolved solids is discharged to a receiving stream at a rate of 20 m3/day. • The flow rate of the stream just upstream of the wastewater discharge is 700 cfs, and the upstream dissolved solids concentration is 14 mg/L • What is the concentration of dissolved solids in the stream in mg/L just downstream of the discharge?

answer?

Water pollution definition

any condition caused naturally or by human activity that adversely affects the quality of a steam, lake, ocean, or source of groundwater

Sewer failures in FL

around 14,000 sewage spills from 2015 to 2020 -more than 230m gallons of sewage into waterways in Fort Lauderdale, because of aging water infrastructure -Pathogenic microorganisms that can harm and infect people -excessive nutrients that contribute to algae blooms and fish kills

Which of the following is true? a. As water temperature increases in a stream, the saturated dissolved oxygen level increases b. As water temperature increases in a stream, the saturated dissolved oxygen level decreases c. Water temperature has no impact on the saturated dissolved oxygen

b. As water temperature increases in a stream, the saturated dissolved oxygen level decreases

techniques for dewatering

bed drying, belt filters, centrifuges

BOD

biochemical oxygen demand

What are some examples of PFAS

carpet protectant, non-stick cookware, food packaging, water-resistant apparel

Cementitious material or aggregate: Fly Ash

cementitious

Cementitious material or aggregate: Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag

cementitious

Cementitious material or aggregate: Silica Fume

cementitious

Policy makers have to decide whats more important to them-

control over carbon price (carbon tax) control over carbon emissions (cap and trade)

Carbon tax creates a fixed ____

creates a fixed price of emitting carbon (not necessarily changes how much is released) -emitters determine the amount of abatement

End of life stage

deconstruction or demolition, transport, waste processing, disposal

Publicly owned wastewater treatment

designed to remove or reduce the concentrations of organic matter, suspended solids, nutrients, and bacteria in municipal wastewater generated by homes and businesses.

whats the final step to reduce the volume of sludge prior to ultimate disposal?

dewatering

Embodied carbon in concrete calculation (day 18 slide 8)

do calculations on those slides

treated sludge categorization

either exceptional quality (EQ) or non-exceptional quality (Non-EQ)

Nc case resulted in EPA defining...

environmental justice

STEP 3 of LCA: Impact Assessment

environmental relevance of all the inputs and outputs of each stage in the life cycle.

CO2e means

equivalent amount of CO2 -this converts all emissions that have the potential to create global warming to an equivalent amount of CO2

Urban agriculture

establishment or performance of agricultural practices in or near an urban or city-like setting

Complete streets

streets designed and operated so that all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders of all ages and abilities, can safely move along and across the streets

Impact

subjective judgement that your work is making a difference

West Virginia v. EPA, 2022

the Supreme Court limited the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to regulate carbon pollution. This ruling will change the future of climate policy in the United States

Mass balance means

the mass of water flow into the watershed = the mass of water flor out of the watershed + the accumulation of water within the watershed

Embodied energy

the total amount of energy required in producing a product or service across the product chain

Embodied Carbon

the total carbon-related greenhouse gas emissions associated with a building material -the carbon emitted by building materials and the construction process

value proposition

the unique value that a product or service provides to its customers and how it is better than and different from those of competitors

why are reservoirs built?

to store water during wet periods for use during dry periods -the size of reservoirs is based on geologic conditions and expected water demand

Benefit - cost ratio

total benefits divided by total costs

Smart growth key terms

urban infill, urban growth boundary, urban agriculture, Brownfield

Use stage

use, maintenance, repair, replacement, refurbishment, operational energy use, operational water use

tertiary wastewater treatment

uses large settling ponds and activated carbon. Clean water flows off the top -small communities use land filtration (conserves energy and CO2 emissions)

Decisions in AA are NOT purely technical, they are

value driven, context dependent

Mining tailings

waste materials produced from mining

water stratification

when water of different density, salinity, oxidation etc form layers, and don't mix

Biochemical oxygen demand calculation

x = (xo)e^ut x= concentration of microorganisms u = specific growth rate

Mass balance equations and calculations!!!

Σ cQ(in) = ΣcQ(out)

Design Thinking: Ideate tips

• Generate lots of ideas • Aim for quantity, not quality • The wilder the idea the better • Defer judgement • No criticism • No evaluation

What do you gather data on (specifically) when looking at alternatives?

• Hazard, • Exposure, • Cost & availability, and • Performance

Issues w Traffic Congestion

• Smog (Ozone) • Particulates (PM) • Green House Gases: CO2, Methane, Nitrous Oxide • Economic Loss from time spent in traffic • Social Justice problems due to location of roads

Sludge dewatering

• Solids and sludge sound like materials that are composed of mostly solids; however, typical settled sludges are 97% to 99% water! • In most wastewater treatment plants, dewatering is the final step to reduce the volume prior to ultimate disposal. • In the United States, three dewatering techniques are most widely used: sand bed drying, belt filters, and centrifuges.

Age of transparency

-Customers and influencers are investigating the risks from the products or companies -effort of making more informed and responsible decisions

True/False. When a combined storm and sanitary sewer in Nashville has more water than the water treatment plant can process, the excess water is dumped directly in the river

True

Where are carbon taxes implemented

UK, ireland, australia, chile, sweden, finland, and new zealand

Eliminate left turns

UPS changed delivery routes to minimize left hand turns. This saved 10 million gallons of fuel, 20,000 tons of carbon emissions, and UPS was able to deliver an additional 350,000 packages per year. -Left turns = dangerous -Less crashes

Global Warming Impact (GWP)

Used to convert the impact of chemicals to an equivalent amount of CO2 - The time scale is important also

Functional Unit

Used to establish a basis for comparison of two products or processes

For a post-tension slab, which mix of concrete would you use?

Want the greatest strength at 7 days (need it to be strong fast)

States with "Buy Clean" policies

Washington, Colorado, New York

Testing / Interviewing prototype

-Ask open ended questions -Find out what they don't like about idea -Step 1: let user experience the prototype -have them talk about their experience -actively observe -follow up with questions

Low Impact Development

-Avoid runoff when possible -Minimize the disruption to natural hydrologic processes from development -Use pervious pavements (water drains through concrete instead of running off) -Biorentention areas: Little green areas next to sidewalk to contain rain -In the Gulch, in Seattle

Carbon capturing buildings

-Being researched -Takes in more carbon than it emits -Embodied carbon is negative -3D printing of concrete, printing based on shear and bending diagrams -Remove concrete where the stress is 0 and where concrete isn't needed. -Creates these weird shapes with holes, can only be done by 3D printing

Urban growth boundary benefits and problems

-Benefits: Limits to what you can build, less traffic, less urban sprawl Problems: Very expensive to live, usually move further out if a city is too expensive but this can't be done here, transition is weird, Have to build out places that used to be smaller cities, prices increase, can not expand and make more buildings

Biden's goals regarding EVS

-Biden goal: 500,000 chargers by 2030 -Replace 50,000 diesel-powered transit vehicles -Electrify 20 percent of the U.S. school bus -Boost domestic manufacturing of batteries and EVs through incentives for automakers.

Atlanta Airport

-Busiest airport -LED lights on airfield -Solar production facility on site

Policies in the World for trying to reduce traffic emissions

-California - All "zero emission" cars by 2035 -China planning to ban gasoline and diesel vehicles -- maybe 2040 -Britain says all new vehicle must be zero emissions by 2050 -France by 2040 -Gasoline and Diesel vehicles will be replaced with electric vehicles (EV)by 2030 -Electric Vehicles plus the low cost of renewables

EV transition - chargers

-Charging at work is one of the biggest obstacles/incentives for adopting EV. -Nationwide Charging Infrastructure needs to expand - Ford will increase number of charging stations from 200 to 600 at its work sites.

Ozone health and other problems

-Chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and airway inflammation. - Reduce lung function and harm lung tissue. - Worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma -affects sensitive vegetation and ecosystems, including forests, parks, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas.

Solutions to water quality: CO approves direct potable water reuse

-Colorado's water quality agency gave approval to regulate direct potable reuse — the process of treating sewage and sending it directly to taps without first being dispersed in a larger water body.

Drivers of disclosure in construction

-Communication and transparency between parties in any industry -Objectively quantifies the products environmental impact -Science based verification of claims with framework established for creation

Annual Global CO2 emissions percentages for transportation, building operations, building materials and construction, industry, and other

-Industry: 30% -Building operations: 28% -Transportation: 22% -Building materials and construction: 11% -Other: 9%

Why do we prototype?

-It will cause us to fail fast. -Assume there is something wrong with your idea and you want to find out what it is. -Helps identify the problems / unresolved issues with idea - Is there something about your idea that you are not sure about? Then make your prototype to answer that question.

the $287 billion highway bill of 2019

-Lessen risk of recurring damage -Lessen the cost of future repair resulting from seal-level rise, flooding and other natural disasters -Lower highway related carbon emissions -More EV charging stations -Reduce traffic congestion -Reduce truck idling at ports

California use of AA

-Manufacturers are required to perform AA -Chemicals of Concern are identified based on their use in specific products.

What are water pollutants?

-Microorganisms -Nutrients: Nitrogen and Phosphorus -Heavy Metals: Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Nickel,Mercury, Lead -Organic Chemicals: VOC's, pesticides, phthalates -Oil -Sediments -Heat

Where was Single-Family zoning banned?

-Minneapolis -Allows duplexes and triplexes -Did not increase the allowed height and size of buildings

Walkable cities / how cyclists (or smaller roads) make safer cities

-More cyclists create safer cities for everyone -Safer because of better bike infrastructure -Protected bike lanes -Slows down cards and trucks at intersections, so there are fewer vehicle-to-vehicle collisions

Nashville Transportation stats, how will Nash be by 2040?

-More roads and more miles travelled per capita than peer cities -In 2040,Nashville will be the size of Seattle ; 114% more truck traffic; Time spent in car will double, even taking into transportation construction. -

Metals in batteries

-Most electric car batteries use lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) cathodes and graphite anodes. -Rare earth" metals dysprosium, neodymium and terbium, are used in some electronic components of the motor. -China has paid the environmental cost of mining rare earth metals

Combined storm and sanitary sewers

-Most older US cities have combined sanitary and storm sewers in the downtown areas -Problems: waste plants have a capacity, this capacity could be excessed with the addition of storm water; could result in flooding; mostly released back into river

Nashville combined sewer outfalls

-Nashville spent $1.5 billion to reduce outfalls -Building holding tanks for water. Store the water during storms. -Smart sensors allow the sewer systems which are not full to hold the extra water -Release water to treatment plant after the storm event

Air pollution from vehicles

-Nearly one half of all Americans (150 million) live in areas that don't meet federal air quality standards. Vehicles are the main reason

Passive House

-No heating or cooling required

Living building

-No outside electricity, water or sewer -Treat all water on site from rain water -Waste water used for irrigation -Solar electricity

Jackson, MS (Pearl River flooded due to severe storms)

-Pearl flooded -largest water treatment plan, which was already running on backup pumps, had to stop the treatment of drinking water indefinitely -150,000 residents without access to clean drinking water

Recycled plastic in roads in India

-Plastic added to the asphalt mix -Doubles / triples the life of the road

Example of place with Urban growth boundary

-Portland -Vancouver

What characteristic of a stream helps it to re-oxygenate quickly?

Streams are flowing fast, which helps oxygen from the air to mix in. If a stream is cold (or if the temperature of water decreases), the dissolved oxygen increases. The rate of re-aeration is the rate at which oxygen is re-absorbed into the water and mixed into the body of water.

When you made the Business model Canvas in class, list 4 questions that arose related to the canvas about your project.

1. Our customers will mainly be steel production companies. If there are no government incentives/orders to reduce their carbon emissions, how will we motivate these companies to switch to a sustainable alternative / to purchase our product? 2. Our product is a green hydrogen storage container. In the production of these containers, what methods will we use? Will we ultimately use our own product to produce more containers? Will our containers themselves be made from recycled steel? 3. How safe is it to store this gas? Where will the containers be kept? 4. How can partnering with environmental activists help us to incentivize steel production companies to purchase our product? 5. How much will it cost to make these green hydrogen storage containers? How heavy will they be? How hard will they be to transport? If our main channel for selling our product is online, will the delivery of these containers cause carbon emissions?

Steps in water reuse

1. collect water' 2. treat water 3. find beneficial reuse of water for agriculture, irrigation, environmental restoration, industrial processes, portable water supplies

Top 10 ways to reduce embodied carbon of concrete

1. communicate carbon reduction goals 2. ensure good quality control and assurance 3. optimize concrete volume 4. use alternate cements 5. use supplementary cementituous materials 6. use admixtures 7. dont limit ingredients 8. set targets for carbon footprints 9. sequester carbon dioxide in concrete 10. encourage innovation

Three options for policymakers to help reduce GHG (Electrification)

1. decarbonization of electrical grid 2. Electrification of motor vehicles -Electrification of buildings

Elements of AA (steps)

1. identify chemical of concern in the product used 2. scope the assessment and formulate the problem 3. identify potential alternatives 4. gather data on alternatives (their hazard, exposure, cost and availability, performance) 5. integrate data into a decision framework to support decision making

What are the 9 components to the business model

1. key partners 2. key activities 3. key resources 4. value proposition 5. channels 6. customer relationships 7. customer segment 8. cost structure 9. revenue streams

Embodied carbon from the building materials produce ____% of annual global GHG emissions

11

Total US Greenhouse Gas Emissions by economic sector in 2020: What percent is transportation?

27%

How many deaths is PM responsible for?

30,000

What percent of the embodied carbon of a typical school or hospital is in the superstructure? Why is this important when considering how to reduce embodied energy of a building?

40% of the embodied carbon of a typical school or hospital is in the superstructure. It is very important to consider this statistic when considering how to reduce embodied carbon of a building because this is a significant portion of the emissions. In addition, the proper planning of a building and its structure can then make a significant improvement to the amount of embodied carbon being used. This statistic proves how important it is to maximize structural efficiency, limit carbon-intensive materials, and reuse old buildings.

What percent of transportation greenhouse gases are passenger cars and light duty tricks?

50 % from passenger cars and light-duty trucks, • Sport utility vehicles • Pickup trucks • Minivans

What percent of transportation greenhouse gases trucks, aircraft, ships, trains?

50%

Where's the embodied carbon in a concrete mix?

88% cement (raw materials) Other: production and transportation

Concrete, iron, and steel alone produce ~___% of annual global GHG emissions

9

sludge is actually ___% water

97-99

What is a PechaKucha presentation? This is the type of presentation you will give for your project presentation.

A Pecha Kucha presentation is a 20 slide presentation. Each slide is shown and discussed for 20 seconds. Each slide auto-advances after the 20 seconds is up. Therefore, the entire presentation is 6 minutes and 40 seconds. Each slide should have a powerful image to summarize the subject (What Is a Pecha Kucha Presentation?). Ours was 7 slides per group member; therefore, 28 total slides.

Cap and trade creates a fixed ____

A cap and trade system creates a fixed and known amount of carbon emissions and emitters determine the price of permits

Whats a commission revenue model?

A commission revenue model is a type of transactional revenue model where a party charges for every transaction it mediates between two parties.

T/F: Hot CO2 purifies water more efficiently than boiling

T

T/F: Old run down buildings have a greater value

T

Read Box 14.1 on page 920 of the text. Define the term functional unit and what the functional unit is forthis study. What do you think is the best type of bag to use (justify your answer based on this analysis)? What other impacts might be important to consider in choosing a bag?

A functional unit helps us to compare two products by "defining a common function and determining how each product achieves that function over its life" (Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Design p.902). The researchers of this study defined the functional unit as bags used to carry one month's shopping (483 items) from the supermarket to home in the UK in 2006/7. The best type of bag to use was the conventional high-density polyethylene bag (HDPE). This is the best bag because it could be reused the most to carry one month's shopping from the supermarket to home. It required the least amount of bags to do so. No matter what type of bag is used, the key to reducing impacts is to reuse the bag as many times as possible. Other impacts to consider include human toxicity, marine ecosystem ecotoxicity, terrestrial ecotoxicity, photochemical oxidation, etc.

What is removed during preliminary treatment?

A majority of the suspended solids in the incoming wastewater and about a third of the organic biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) are removed in primary treatment through settling.

2015 Paris Agreement

Coal Plants scrapped -only 31 countries have coal plants and most only have 1 plant

EPA Enforcement of Clean Water Act: Sewers

Combined sewer systems no longer allowed

Redlining

Commissioned by the federal government in the 1930s, these maps were critical to the decisions of where and what type of infrastructure, lending, and housing each neighborhood of each American city would be able to receive - Systematic denial of various services by the federal government agencies, local governments, and the private sector

What are two structural materials used in the Residential College C that we visited?

Concrete and steel

What is the difference between concrete and cement?

Concrete is a structural material used in building. Cement is an ingredient used to make concrete. Cement makes up 88% of the embodied carbon emissions for concrete.

Creative solutions and traits correlation (ON TEAMS)

Conscientiousness (0.11) Task motivation (0.37) Use creative process (0.52) nothing else matters

Impact: Ozone depletion potential (ODP)

Converts to an equivalent amount of CFC-11, trichlorofluoromethane

Impact: Acidification Potential (AP)

Converts to an equivalent mass of Sulfur dioxide, SO2

Impact: Photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP)

Converts to an equivalent mass of ethylene

Impact: Eutrophication Potential (EP)

Converts to equivalent mass of Phosphate PO4 3-

Economic loss in Nashville due to traffic

Creates economic loss of $517 million in Nashville due to lost time, fuel, and higher goods and services costs

Oxygen deficient

D = DOs-DO

Perflorinated chemical contamination effects

Health effects - it accumulates in body -reproductive and developmental -kidney and liver -increased cholesterol -states don't know how to clean it up bc no federal regulations or advising -persist through water treatment

If you were selecting a concrete mix for your building based on environmental impact, would you choose 10 cubic meters of concrete with a strength of 4,000 psi and a GWP of 346 CO2e kg/m3 , or 8 cubic meters with a strength of 6,000 psi and a GWP of 400 CO2e kg/m3? Explain.

EC = (10m3)*(346) = 3460 CO2ekg EC = (8m3)*(400)=3200 CO2ekg I would choose the second option because produces less embodied carbon and it has a greater strength. In addition, it has a smaller volume (one goal is to minimize the volume of concrete).

livestock water runoff (extra nutrients)

EPA National Compliance Initiative: Preventing Animal Waste from Contaminating Surface and Ground Water 2018

EDP stands for

Environmental Product Declaration

What is an EPD and what is its purpose?

Environmental production declaration It is a third party verified and registered document that communicates transparency about a products environmental impact -quantifies a product's environmental impact and is transparent about it

WELL building

Healthier buildings -Stairs more prominent/visible so you take the stairs instead of the elevator -Light and big windows

Describe an example of a location where eutrophication occurred, the cause of it and the economic impact that it had (or continues to have). Cite sources.

Eutrophication is a major issue in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists have attributed the eutrophication to four main causes. The first contributor was the river channelization (for navigation) that occurred in the 1950s. Secondly, the use of agricultural fertilizers in the Midwest has increased recently. This causes an increase in nitrogen input in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin. These excess nutrients are changing the chemical composition of the water. Third, as deforestation continues, there are less natural buffers for runoff. Ultimately, this results in more nutrients entering the Mississippi River and going out to the Gulf. Lastly, there is an increasing amount of sewage being dumped into the Mississippi River and the Gulf (Eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico). All of these things have contributed to the eutrophication of the Gulf of Mexico. According to the Natural Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the seafood and tourism industry will lose a total of $82 million a year due to the eutrophication of the Gulf. The Gulf currently accounts for more than 40% of the country's seafood (Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone). Therefore, this will be an issue for the entire country

Cap and trade process

Every regulated emitter is initially allocated some permits by • Either by giving permits away for free, • Or selling them at a fixed price, • Or by auctioning them • Once permits have been allocated, • Some emitters are able to modify their operations at low cost and thus do not need all their permits; they seek buyers to sell their excess permits • Other emitters are not able to adjust as easily and need more permits than they own; they seek sellers to buy additional permits • These two parties trade permits and form a permit market

Carbon taxing

Every regulated emitter pays the amount of the tax set by the legislature on each ton of carbon emitted • To implement the tax, a monitoring agency must be set up to measure each emissions of each emitter • To collect the tax, the government must set up a collection agency such as the IRS • To amend the tax, the legislature must make an amendment to the original statute.

Prototype: Rapid prototyping

Everything is wrong with this idea • Do not get attached to your idea • Prototype to get feedback • Make a paper design, play dough, anything that is handy • Make a 3D object to put people in the mindset of your solution

what is EQ sludge

Exceptional quality sludge (EQ sludge) must meet pollutant concentration limits, pathogen reduction standards, and vector attraction reduction.

What is eutrophication?

Excess nutrients within water that can cause algae bloom, dead zones, and fish kills -usually due to sewage, agriculture/manure, runoff, etc

Wind farm in Pacific Ocean probable

Floating offshore wind turbines could unlock up to 2.8 terawatts of clean energy in the future - more than double the country's current electricity demand

Advantages to recycling water

Lower costs • Reliable water source • Fewer impacts from excessive water withdraw to ecosystems • Less costly infrastructure investments needed compared to building large reservoirs or conveyance systems

dm/dt =

M(in) - M(out) +/- M(rxn)

What is the architecture 2030 challenge?

Make all new buildings, developments, and major renovations carbon-neutral by 2030

Creative solutions and traits correlation (in individual work)

General Cognitive Ability (0.26) Task Motivation (0.41) Relevant skills (0.46) use creative process (0.62)

Poor neighborhoods are the best investments. Why?

Gets the highest returns, affluenent neighbirhoods taxes did not support the infrastructure (too spread out). Poorer neighborhoods with houses closer together get more financial revenue and reduce emissions and embodied energy.

Important factors in building skyscrapers

Glass is not sustainable / uses a lot of energy Not good to have big glass buildings -How much glass used? How airtight is building? How well insulated is it?

Global building stock will _____ in area by ______.

Global building stock will DOUBLE in area by 2060.

Governments want to _____ innovation not ______ it

Governments want to stimulate innovation and not hinder it

Land use planning

Governs how land is used by residents in state, province, county, district, city

Who did you interview about the prototype

Haley Hyde Civil engineering with a minor in environmental engineering ● Design internship after junior year - did not like the heavy CAD ● Looking into a career in construction management, interned with Clerk and now she works here

Draw the general shape of an Oxygen Sag Curve

Has an initial deficit, then dips to the critical point (lowest oxygen concentration), and then rises to the level of saturation

VP formula

Our _______ helps ______ who want to __________ by _______ ______ and _______ ______ (unlike _______)

Mining tailings

High demand for minerals and metals create tailings -dams contain group-up rock, sand, silt, left over water from processing copper, gold, phosphate -Brazil's Brumadinho tailings dam collapsed in early 2019 • 270 people were killed in a tidal wave of mud • Contaminated hundreds of miles of river systems

High density areas vs low density areas

High density areas required less investment by the city than income from taxes, but chain businesses areas require more investment than they are paid.

No urban boundary, no zoning: Houston TX

Houston has the lowest cost of housing and the most diversity. However, the city is very spread out and it is not walkable. There's a lot more cars, roads, traffic. There's more leeway in what you build.

Haley Hydes comments

Implementation scale: on the construction industry we are seeing a lot more timber buildings coming into fold, ● Not seeing many composite materials - definitely more holistically timber buildings with concrete slabs as a total replacement with steel ● Think about : construction materials market right now is wild - cost increases have been crazy, there's a lot of uncertainty in the market ● A lot of owners and clients are looking for cost savings measures for their buildings ● A lot of that can focus on structural elements in the early design phases - when presenting to clients : emphasize the cheapness ● Priority for sustainable products but cost is such a big driver

What percent of US Greenhouse gas emissions are caused by transportation? Describe a method and its feasibility to reduce this amount from transportation.

In 2020, the transportation sector caused 27% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. One method to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of transportation is through the transition to electric vehicles. One of the main challenges in adopting electric vehicles is the lack of charging stations. Companies, such as Ford, are working to increase charging infrastructure throughout the country. Biden's goal is to build 500,000 chargers by 2030. Other issues with electric vehicles include their driving range and their price. These issues make the solution of electric cars less feasible; however, they are still a very important, necessary method to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Brownfield development EPA definition

In real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant -Re-using land that previously had an issue with hazardous waste, redevelop the land

Using the AISC website, go to the EPD for Fabricated Hot Rolled Structural Sections. What product stages were considered in this EPD? Based on table 2, what is the embodied carbon of steel (include units)? What is one other life cycle impact from steel, including units? Write out the name of the impact - not the abbreviation

In the EDP, the product is analyzed from cradle to gate. Only the first stage of the building life cycle, the product stage, was researched. In general, the product stage includes raw material supply, transport, and manufacturing. For this example, the product stage specifically included the steel mill product manufacturing, the transportation to fabrication, and the fabrication itself. From table 2, we can see that the total global warming potential of this stage is 1220 kg CO2 eq per metric ton. Therefore, the embodied carbon of one metric ton of fabricated hot rolled structural steel sections is 1220 kgCO2e. Another life cycle impact from steel is the ozone depletion potential (ODP). The ozone depletion potential of fabricated hot rolled structural steel sections is 1.63 x 10-9 kg CFC 11 equivalent.

Induced demand

Increasing road capacity encourages more people to drive -Ultimately doesn't resolve issue of traffic congestion -Katy freeway in Houston widened to 26 lanes in 2011; Travel times increased 30% in the morning and 55% in the evening

Urban infill

Instead of tearing down old buildings, fill the empty spaces with new buildings/parts - Less embodied carbon -Maintain character and reduce embodied energy

what is dissolved oxygen dependent on?

Temperature and microorganisms

What is one important aspect of the ASTM standard for making the concrete cylinders?

It must be tamped down every 1/3 of the way. This is to remove air bubbles and to make it as compact as possible.

List 4 of the 8 topic areas in a Business Model Canvas.

Key activities, key partners, key resources, value proposition, channels, customer segments, customer relationships, revenue streams, and cost structure

Green Building Rating System

LEED

Excess nutrients caused algae bloom in

Lake Erie Gulf of Mexico

Smart Growth

Land use development and urban design principles to end sprawl, conserve natural resources, and create more livable cities

LEED stands for

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

Where is there an example of new urbanism (near us!)?

Lennox Village Nashville

Which of the following rating systems requires that no outside electricity or water treatment can be used? a. WELL Building, b. Living Building, c. LEED, d. Passive House

Living Building

Using page 10, figure 1 "Visualization of Life Cycle Impact Assessment" of the EPD for steel, what is an important conclusion you can make about the source of GWP for steel? Explain why this does/does not make sense to you.

Looking at figure 1 "Visualization of Life Cycle Impact Assessment," A1 seems to account for around 88% of the GWP for steel. A2 accounts for less than 5% of the GWP, and A3 accounts for less than 10% of the GWP. From this visual, we can conclude that A1, the raw material supply, is the main source of GWP for steel. Most of the embodied carbon emissions are released during the steel mill product manufacturing process. This makes sense to me because steel is a completely recyclable material. Therefore, once the steel is produced, it can be recycled again and again without losing quality. Therefore, most of the carbon emissions must be from the initial production of steel. This production requires the mining of iron ore and the use of a blast furnace or an electric arc furnace. Although there are some sustainable options for the production of steel, they are not widespread. Most production methods currently rely on the burning of fossil fuels.

How to calculate embodied carbon?

Material quantity x GWP = EC (make sure units are the same)

AIA 2030 commitment program

Member firms annually report progress toward carbon neutral design

Which of the following are considered water pollutants (circle all that apply)? a. Microorganisms b. Excess Nitrogen c. Excess Oxygen d. Excess Phosphorus e. Oil f. Sediments g. Heat h. Cold

Microorganisms, excess nitrogen, excess phosphorous, oil, sediments, heat

Downfall to single-use zoning

More energy use, can lead to urban sprawl which increases the need for transportation

Explain what Nashville does with the solids from its wastewater treatment. What is the annual social benefit in dollars by using this method? THIS IS WRONG

Nashville reclaims the solids in the wastewater to create a "Class A Exceptional Quality Biosolid" (Biosolids for Beneficial Reuse). These biosolids are made through anaerobic digestion and thermal drying. These biosolids are then used as fertilizer, soil amendment, or as a fuel-source alternative. One benefit of biosolids is that the "annual cost to landfill since October 2018 has been $0" (Biosolids for Beneficial Reuse). In addition, over $4 million is saved annually in disposal costs. One million dollars of natural gas costs were saved by reusing digester gas. Another benefit is that odors are reduced (Biosolids for Beneficial Reuse).

What does NAAQS stand for?

National Ambient Air Quality Standards

Magnets for removal of micro-plastics in water treatment

Our powder additive can remove microplastics that are 1,000 times smaller than those that are currently detectable by existing wastewater treatment plants

Based on the feedback (testing) from your first prototype, make a new prototype. Attach a photo and short description

Our prototype represents a machine for assembling composite beams. The top portion of the machine is used to cut and prepare the steel. The bottom portion of the machine would be utilized to size the timber (specifically cross laminated timber). Finally, the yellow piece of paper represents the finalized composite beam that would be produced. The purpose of this prototype is to show the overall design and function of our idea. While it is clearly an incredibly simplified version, it helps both our team and who we interview to accurately imagine our product.

VP AirB&B example

Our short-term rental platform helps individuals with rental properties or extra space in their home who want to generate extra income by reducing the complexity of completing transactions and minimizing risk.

re-aeration rate

The reaeration rate or how quickly oxygen is reabsorbed and mixed in the water body

what is non EQ sludge

Non-exceptional quality sludge (non-EQ sludge) must meet pollutant concentration limits, pathogen reduction standards, and vector attraction reduction, but the requirements are not as stringent as for EQ sludge.

Which is better for city income? Old style development or new?

Old style

Describe how older poor neighborhoods often subsidize infrastructure in wealthier neighborhoods.

Older poorer neighborhoods normally have buildings that are much closer together. They are better to invest in because they will have higher returns.

What is one environmental benefit and one downside to an Urban Growth Boundary such as that in Vancouver, BC or Portland, OR?

One environmental benefit is that it decreases urban sprawl which means less traffic and less CO2 from cars. One downside to an urban growth boundary is that it drives up prices and makes living more expensive. Normally, one would move further outside the city when prices are high; in this case, that is not an option.

For one of the social costs/benefits listed in the previous question, give an estimate of the dollar amount. Cite your sources

One social benefit is the reduction of hospital costs. Since the machine does all of the cutting and binding of the steel and timber, the amount of employee injuries would be reduced. Therefore, our design would have a positive impact on people and their safety. In the steel industry, there is an average of 4.4 workplace injury cases per 100 workers (Jones). In 2021, the average cost of an ER visit (if the patient was insured) was $1082 (DeGraft-Johnson). According to the Congressional Research Service, steel manufacturing had 131400 workers in 2021 (Watson 2). Therefore, without the aid of our solution, it is predicted that around 5782 workers would get injured. If these injuries required hospital visits, the total cost would accumulate to $6,255,691. Thus, our solution would save around $6 million in hospital costs

Read the following article about recycling buildings: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/06/headway/office-tower-carbon-emissionsamsterdam .html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare Describe two ideas from this article that can reduce embodied carbon of buildings

One way to reduce the embodied carbon of buildings is to prioritize reuse when designing the building. The Dutch National Bank decided to build their headquarters in Amsterdam; the building, known as the "cigarette lighter," was not built with reuse in mind. Quickly, its pipes began to break and leak, and its tiles began to crumble. This building was also not environmentally friendly, since it produced a lot of greenhouse gas emissions through its production of heat. To reduce the embodied carbon of buildings, Mr. Michel Baars carefully deconstructed the building. The parts of the "cigarette lighter" were used to create new raw materials. Mr. Baars created concrete panels which will now be used in the construction of an elderly home. Another way to reduce carbon emissions is to shift ownership of products from the consumer to the manufacturer. If this shift occurs, manufacturers will want to create longer-lasting products that require less maintenance. In addition, these manufacturers will want their technologies/devices to be easy to take apart and to reuse. For example, in the Schipol airport, individual light bulbs are no longer bought and then thrown away and replaced. Instead, light is now provided as a service. The airport pays a certain amount for someone to provide their light. Now, this person is motivated to create long-lasting reusable light bulbs. This new agreement reduced energy consumption by 50%.

Triple Bottom Line (Environmental Impacts): Give 2 examples of things you could measure in your project

Our solution reduces the embodied carbon emissions of steel production. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas; therefore, CO2 traps heat in the atmosphere and contributes to the warming of the Earth. To measure our solution's environmental impact, we could measure the reduction in CO2 emissions. We could also measure the avoided costs of Chudik 2 total emission damage. As another option, we could measure the reduction in the cost of carbon capture. ● Our solution involves the increased harvesting of timber. Cutting down trees is good for a handful of reasons (including improved animal habitats and the regeneration of forests). To measure how our project impacts forests, we could track the population changes of the forest's animal species. ● The production of steel is an energy-intensive process. Therefore, by reducing steel-production, our solution reduces energy consumption. We could measure the change in energy costs

dissolved oxygen

Oxygen in water

What is oxygen deficit in a stream or river? a. Oxygen levels too low for fish to survive b. Oxygen levels that are below the saturation level c. Oxygen levels caused by eutrophication d. Oxygen levels below the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

Oxygen levels that are below the saturation level

What is the name (or abbreviation) for the class of chemicals that do not break down in nature, are found water everywhere on earth, and are used as fire retardants, non-stick cookware, and food packaging?

PFAS per or polyfluoroalkyl substances

Forever chemicals

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances)

Cradle to Cradle

Planning sustainability as a perpetual cycle of transformation, in which the disposal of one product provides the materials for another. -product stage to (benefits and loafs beyond the building cycle)

Single use zoning

Process of distributing land for certain uses, Can only do one thing in that area (single family homes, industry, strip malls), Can lead to urban sprawl Take up a lot of land, roads built, water, electricity, sewers, traffic

What are the stages of the building life cycle?

Product stage, construction process stage, use stage, end-of-life stage, benefits and loads beyond the building life cycle

SE2050 Challenge

Promote/design/construct net zero embodied structures by 2050

Step 2 of LCA: Inventory Analysis

Quantitative values of the materials sand the energy inputs and outputs -raw materials and energy needs, manufacturing processes, transportation, storage and distribution requirements, use and reuse, recycle and end of life scenarios

life-cycle analysis

Quantitatively evaluate the environmental burdens of the product, process, or activity over the entire life.

EX of New Urbanism

Sterling Ranch, CO - 12,000 homes over 25 years -Rainwater capture -School -Renewable energy-opt out solar -Native pollinators -Wildlife corridor

Why are stories and emotions important steps in an interview in design thinking?

Stories and emotions help us gain a further understanding of the problem and help us to immerse ourselves in the experiences of others. Understanding helps us to empathize with these people. We can gain better insight which will help us to define the problem more specifically and then ideate.

After your group agrees on an idea and you have a prototype built, test the prototype. Use pages 5 and 34-37 of the Bootcamp Bootleg (posted in Module7) to develop testing of your prototype. Develop a set of questions to ask the person you are testing it on. You can test it on someone in the class that is not in your group or anyone else who is knowledgeable in the field. You can do this as a group if everyone is at the interview or do this individually. Attach your notes.

Questions: Hold the prototype. Tell me what you are thinking as you are doing this? Show me why this would work for you? Why would this not work for you? Can you tell me more about how this made you feel? Why? How do you feel about the shape of our prototype? How feasible is it that steel companies would adopt this? How cost effective do you believe this solution is? Do you think this addresses a relevant problem in the steel industry? Rachel Heisner's Responses: How exactly would you burn the hydrogen? You want to be able to connect it to the steel. Would this container be directed connected to where the hydrogen is being produced / used? I liked it. I thought it was cool and different, but you can expand on it and make it a lot better. Cylindrical tube does not seem that innovative. Green hydrogen is very flammable so you do not want to keep it near important objects or construction sites. Would it be safe to store it underground? Could your containers be lowered into the ground and taken out at points to be distributed? I think it is feasible if you make it seem easier and more cost effective than their current production methods. A lot of challenges with construction are that they do not actually care about the environment. They care about how they look to society because they want to look good to the consumer, they are doing things for their own benefit and not for society. Emphasize cost effectiveness to the solution and how it would improve their image to society. They would look technologically advanced and more desirable. Green hydrogen is a new technology so it is probably very expensive. You are going to need to implement it across a lot of different companies to really promote it. It will be very expensive / a lot of work to make the product very widespread. In the long run, it could be worth it. How do you make it appealing to the consumer while still being profitable? Reducing carbon emissions at the source seems to be a beneficial way to decrease embodied carbon

What is the product stage?

Raw material supply, transport, and manufacturing

Multi-use zoning

Residential areas, restaurants, schools, offices, retail

Single family home

Residential only, minimizes lot sizes, limitations on units, setbacks, FAR and height limits, occupancy limits

Residual disposal and treatment are using responsible for ______% of capital costs and _______ of operating costs of a wastewater treatment plant

Residual disposal and treatment generally are responsible for 30% to 40% of the capital costs and about 50% of the operating costs of a wastewater treatment plant.

SAM

Serviceable available market (How many people need my product or service)

SOM

Serviceable obtainable market -What can i sell in year 1, 2, 3?

GSA standard

Sets limits on concrete and asphalt, expected to set limits on additional materials -Department of Transportation and Department of Defense likely to follow

Triple Bottom Line (Social Impacts): Give 2 examples of things you could measure in your project

Since the machine does all of the cutting and binding of the steel and timber, the amount of employee injuries would be reduced. Therefore, our design would have a positive impact on people and their safety. The reduction in hospital costs could be measured. The reduction in insurance costs could be measured. Because less steel is produced, the embodied carbon emissions are also reduced.Therefore, residents surrounding the plants would have better air quality. Better air quality would mean improved livability. We could measure the increase in property values in these neighborhoods

What is one aspect of single-use zoning that makes it less sustainable than multi-use zoning?

Single-use zoning contributes to urban sprawl. Urban sprawl increases traffic congestion and CO2 emissions. It makes cities less walkable.

New urbanism

Small lots, green space, grocery and schools within walking distance, don't have to get into your car for every trip, reduces traffic and transportation

Carbon Monoxide

Source: fuel combustion (cars) -Reduces amount of oxygen reaching body's organs, aggravates heart disease

Nitrogen Oxides

Source: fuel combustion and wood burning Effects: lung diseases, respiratory symptoms, hospital visits, precursor to smog

PM

Sources: chemical reactions, industrial processes, agriculture, unpaved roads, fuel combustion effects: increase med use or hospital visit, premature mortality, heart and lung disease

Lead sources and impacts

Sources: metal industries, smelters, combustion of leaded gasoline, waste incinerators, lead paint dust, battery manufacturing Effects: damages developing nervous system, IQ loss, learning and behaviorial in children

Describe one regulation in the U.S. that was not in my PowerPoint slides that improves water quality. Cite sources

The Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act was enacted 1976. This act (public act 399) serves to protect public health, provide source water assessments for public water supplies, declare the responsibilities of the department of environmental quality, issue construction permits, review the submissions of plans and specifications for waterworks systems, certify and regulate the people operating water systems, etc (Michigan Legislature). After the Flint water crisis, the state created the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). LCR requires that all lead service lines be removed. Each year, at least 5% of the lead service lines must be removed and replaced (Flint Maintains Compliance with Lead Standards during Major Water Infrastructure Upgrades)

Use the EC3 calculator to find the average embodied carbon of steel, hot-rolled, in the USA with yield tensile strength of 50,000 psi. Convert to the same units as the previous question and compare. Include a screenshot of your answer

The average embodied carbon is 0.644 kgCO2e per pound. One metric ton is equal to 2204.62 lbs. Therefore, the average embodied carbon is 1419.78 kgCO2e per ton. This value is slightly higher than the results provided above by AISC. The result I got using the EC3 tool is 1.16 times greater than the value given by AISC

The built environment

The built environment represents all human-made structures, engineered alterations to land forms, and construction.

How is the chemical of concern discovered

The chemical of concern may be identified through regulations, but it can also be driven by corporate policies or public concern.

deoxygenation rate

The consumption rate or deoxygenation rate in the water due to uptake from microorganisms and higher organisms

WA ex of AA

The department of ecology performs the AA; at least for the safer products for washington legislation

The three main steps in an LCA are 1. Goal and Scope Definition, 2. Inventory Analysis, and 3. Impact Assessment. For the steel EPD, describe each of these steps in their LCA for embodied carbon.

The goal declares the reasoning behind carrying out the LCA. The scope helps to establish the system boundaries and the limits of the LCA. The goal of this LCA was to define and pinpoint the main sources of carbon emissions throughout the product stage of steel production. Clearly, AISC is dedicated to maintaining and improving sustainable manufacturing. The steel EPD has a scope of cradle-to-gate. This means only the product stage is being analyzed (raw material supply, transport, and manufacturing). The second step is inventory analysis. This step involves finding the qualitative data regarding raw materials, energy needs, manufacturing processes, transportation, storage, distribution, use and reuse, and end-of-life scenarios. Here, it is determined what the energy inputs and outputs are for each stage. In the steel EDP, this step is defined through a flow chart. There are resource inputs such as energy, water, and other materials. The output is carbon emissions to the air, land, and water. A picture of the diagram is shown below. The third step is impact assessment. The global warming impact is 1220 kg CO2 eq. per metric ton. The ozone depletion potential (ODP) is 1.63 x 10-9 kg CFC 11 eq. per metric ton. The acidification potential (AP) is 2.98 kg SO2 eq. per metric ton. The eutrophication potential (EP) is 0.156 kg N eq per metric ton.

Step 1 of LCA: Goal and Scope

The goal specifies the reasons for carrying out the LCA. The scope helps to establish the system boundaries and the limits of the LCA

Describe one aspect of the Residential college site visit that relates to embodied carbon.

The guide / concrete manager told us that, since he's been in the industry, he hasn't seen much change regarding the reduction of embodied carbon. I thought this was interesting because my research seemed to show that there was a lot being done to reduce the embodied carbon in buildings. He did mention that fly-ash was a huge component in making concrete more sustainable. However, he said that fly-ash is difficult to obtain because (fly-ash is a byproduct of coal and) less coal is being used. In addition, this building will meet the LEED criteria. This means it is a green building

Impacts identified depend on your

The impacts that are identified depend on your perspective, the scope of your analysis, and the tools you use to assess them.

Where is the largest water storage tank in Nashville? Why is water stored there instead of going directly from the water treatment plant to homes?

The largest water storage tank in Nashville is the 8th Avenue Reservoir. It is located in the Reservoir Park in the Edgehill neighborhood (Gonzalez). Water is stored in storage tanks because they are demand initiated. Therefore, clean water is only sent to the homes when there is a demand for it. In addition, these storage tanks are normally elevated. Because they are elevated, the force of gravity helps the water to become pressurized.

Describe the difference between the process emissions (59%) and the fuel related emissions (41%) in cement

The main ingredient in cement is limestone. In order to make cement, limestone and other materials have to be heated to a very high temperature in a kiln. The process emissions are the carbon emissions released during the heating of these materials. This is due to a chemical process called calcination. "Calcination occurs when limestone, which is made of calcium carbonate, is heated, breaking down into calcium oxide and CO2" (Emissions from the Cement Industry). This accounts for 59% of cement's carbon emissions. The fuel-related emissions account for the remaining 41%. Fossil fuels are burned in order to heat the kiln, which causes these fuel-related emissions. Coal is the biggest contributor to the fuel-related emissions, accounting for 21% of the emissions.

Marginal abatement cost (MAC) curve

The marginal abatement costs INCREASE as the total abatement increases.

Net zero homes

The net energy consumed does not exceed the energy produced by the home through solar and geothermal.

MAB and MAC combined on graph

The optimal level of abatement and price per ton of carbon emissions is defined by the intersection of the marginal cost and marginal benefit curves

Urban sprawl

The process of urban areas expanding outwards, usually in the form of suburbs, and developing over fertile agricultural land. The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas.

Describe the relationship between water temperature and dissolved oxygen. Describe a specific species and location that has been impacted by increased temperatures. Cite sources.

The saturated dissolved oxygen concentration has an inverse relationship with the temperature of water. As water temperatures increase, the amount of dissolved oxygen in water decreases. The bigeye tuna in Hawaii are being directly impacted by the increase in water temperatures. Tuna fish tend to stay at a depth where temperatures are between 10 and 15 degrees celsius. However, with the heating of the Pacific ocean, tuna are being forced to head towards the poles, where the waters are cooler. Other organisms will die due to these temperature changes, causing the tuna to have less food available to them. Thus, the fish's body size and biomass will be greatly reduced. Hawaii's fishing yields will also be greatly reduced. This is an issue since "the Hawaii fleet catches about 80% of all the bigeye tuna landed in the U.S" (How Climate Change Will Affect Hawaii's Favorite Fish).

What are the three pillars of (triple bottom line) TBL?

The three pillars of the triple bottom line are people, planet, and profit. The triple bottomline is an accounting framework used to assess how businesses affect social, environmental, and economic conditions (Striebig et al. 62). Our solution for our Jump into STEM project was a machine designed specifically for cutting and combining steel and timber.

Describe what is meant by the time value of carbon. Using the concept of "time value of carbon", explain why addressing embodied carbon in construction of new buildings is more important to address than operational carbon.

The time value of carbon means that carbon emission reductions are more important today than reductions promised in the future, "due to the escalating risks associated with the pace and extent of climate action" (The Time Value of Carbon). The earth continues to heat long after the carbon is released. Therefore, it is more important to address embodied carbon in the construction of new buildings rather than operational carbon. Global building stock is estimated to double in area in the next 20 years. With operational carbon, the way a building is heated, cooled, irrigated, etc. can be improved upon. Operational carbon can be decreased after the building is built. In contrast, there is no way to decrease the embodied carbon emissions after a building is constructed. Therefore, we need to focus on the sustainability of the actual construction of our buildings. If we do so, we will be able to reduce carbon emissions now (rather than in the future when the damage is already done).

Triple Bottom Line

The triple bottom line is an accounting framework with three parts: social, environmental and economic.

How did the Tubbs fire and the Camp Fire impact drinking water?

They melted the underground water infrastructure leading to unsafe drinking water. There had to be a no drinking or boiling order.

NIMBY attitude

They want something to happen but not in their neighborhood. -describes the phenomenon in which residents of a neighborhood designate a new development (e.g. shelter, affordable housing, group home) or change in occupancy of an existing development as inappropriate or unwanted for their local area.

Describe your prototype for your project. Attach a picture.

This is our prototype for our green hydrogen storage container. Our prototype is in the shape of a tall cylinder because we want it to take up the least amount of space, while storing the greatest amount of green hydrogen. However, we may change the shape to a triangular prism so that it is easier to stack and store the containers. Surrounding the cylinder, we have two pipe cleaners. These pipe cleaners are meant to further support the storage container.

Triple Bottom Line (Economic Impacts): Give 2 examples of things you could measure in your project

To measure the economic impact, we could measure the change in the number of jobs within the steel-timber industry. There will be job opportunities at the steel-timber plants because employees will be needed to maintain and operate our machine. However, employees will no longer be needed to cut and bind the steel and timber. Therefore, there may also be a decrease in available jobs. We could measure the reduction of cost in construction. Our machine makes construction less expensive since timber is a less expensive material. In addition, less time will be wasted in the manufacturing process. We could measure the increased profits of the timber industry. Our machine prioritizes and increases the use of timber since it is a cheaper, more environmentally-friendly material than steel. We could measure the change in the amount of U.S. timber and steel imports.

What are the nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay from?

Total agriculture Manure Sewage Urban stormwater Air deposition to forests and bay

TAM

Total available market (who could be a buyer)

What do these acronyms stand for in a business plan: TAM, SAM, SOM?

Total available market, serviceable available market, Serviceable obtainable market

Construction process stage

Transport, construction and installation process

Channels in business model

Ways you will reach your customers and distribute your product / service

Saturated dissolve oxygen (DOs)

When oxygen is in equilibrium with atmospheric oxygen -maximum amount of Oxygen water can contain

Would you use Carbon Tax or Cap and Trade to reduce carbon in building construction?

When we are building, we would only look at the cementitious material costs. If a carbon tax or cap and trade were implemented, we would also take into consideration the cost of carbon.

For a column, which mix of concrete would you use?

Whichever concrete mix had the greatest strength at 49 days -Want the greatest long term strength!

What is an EDP

a 3rd party verified and registered document that communicates transparency and quantifies the environmental impact of a product

Team Work: Psychological safety

a belief that a team is safe for risk taking in the face of being seen as ignorant, incompetent, negative, or disruptive Dependability: members reliably complete quality work on time

The flow rate of the Madison River is about 600 cfs. The Madison River has an ultimate BOD value of 7 mg/L and DO of 6.2 mg/L. The Madison Wastewater Treatment Plant discharges 60 million gallons per day (MGD) of treated wastewater with an ultimate BOD of 20 mg/L and DO equal to 7.5 mg/L. a) What is the BOD (mg/L) and DO (mg/L) immediately downstream of the discharge? b. If the temperature for the mixed water at the point of discharge is 20 degrees C, what is the initial oxygen deficit? c. Draw the Oxygen Sag curve. Given kd =0.9 and kr = 1.4. One way to do this is to use Excel and take a screenshot of your curve.

a) 8.74 mg/L b) 2.43 mg/L c)

Label each component of a concrete mix as either cementitious material or aggregate a. Fly Ash b. Silica Fume c. Recycled Glass d. Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag e. Pumice

a) Fly ash - cementitious b) silica fume - cementitious c) recycled glass - aggregate d) slag - cementitious e) pumice - aggregate

Revenue models

examples: 1. Web and direct sales 2. Subscription Fee 3. Licensing 4. Usage Fee 5. Advertising 6. Freemium 7. Data Reselling 8. Upsell to Higher Margin Product 9. Transaction-Intermediation 10. Referral/Lead Generation Fee

Eutrophication

excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen.

Meaning

finding a sense of purpose in work itself or the output

Alternatives assessment

finds alternative chemicals, materials, or product design to substitute for the use of hazardous chemicals

Anaerobic microorganisms

grow in the absence of oxygen

Structure and clarity

individuals understanding of job expectations and the process to fulfill these expectations

NIMBY stands for

not in my backyard

BOD test: tests the amount of oxygen required by microorganisms

only tests for the impact of organic pollutants

Freshwater in lakes

oxygen levels in lakes in temperate climates (declined 5.5% at the surface and 18.6% in deep waters) -warming surface temperatures and stable deep-water temperatures -Difference in density,"stratification," increasing -Stronger stratification -- less likely mixing is to occur between layers. -Oxygen in deep waters is less likely to get replenished during the warm stratified season -

PFAS stands for

per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances)

Cradle to gate

product stage

cradle to grave

product stage to end-of-life stage

Benefits and loads beyond the building life cycle

recycling, reuse energy recovery, exported energy

Marginal abatement benefit curve (MAB)

reflects the cost to society of reducing the quantity of pollution by one unit (the benefit of reduction DECREASES as the amount of CO2 reduced is INCREASED)

aerobic microorganisms

require oxygen to live

every decision made about a product or a process design has a ______ ________

ripple effect

In schools, hospitals, and offices, where is the embodied carbon?

school - 40% structure hospital - 40% structure office - 45% structure

Compare the two systems: System 1: 5.0 kg Methane (CH4), 0.2 kg Nitrous Oxide (N2O) System 2: 21 kg Methane, 0.1 kg Nitrous Oxide Compare Global Warming, Acidification, Photochemical Ozone

slides day 18

Vanderbilt Alum Indoor Air Quality

software technology that uses internet-connected sensor devices and deep learning algorithms to monitor HVAC systems and proactively identify air quality problems

Sulfur dioxide

source: fuel combustion, electric utilities, volcanoes effects: aggravates asthma and increases respiratory symptoms, contributes to particle formation with associated health effects

Ozone

source: secondary pollutant typically formed by chemical reaction of volatile organic compounds -effects: decreases lung function, coughing, premature mortality, increased hospital visits