Environmental Technologies

Project descriptions

Following are summaries of some of our ongoing projects:

Aerosol research supersite

This project, jointly funded by TVA, the Electric Power Research Institute, and the Department of Energy, has focused on measuring the characteristics of very small airborne particles, or aerosols, that scatter light and impair visibility in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Such particles have also been linked to certain health problems. Improved knowledge of the composition of these particles is necessary before strategies for mitigating their impacts can be developed. A research station containing advanced instrumentation is located in the northwest portion of the national park. Data are now available for several years, and data analysis is ongoing. This research is being done in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the National Park Service.

SAMI atmospheric modeling

Environmental Technologies has conducted atmospheric modeling for the environmental assessment being finalized by the Southern Appalachian Mountains Initiative (SAMI). SAMI is a multi-state, multiple-stakeholder effort aimed at finding solutions to air-quality problems in the southern Appalachian region. As a contractor to SAMI, Environmental Technologies has performed some of the modeling that provided input to the environmental assessment. Emissions, meteorological conditions, and ozone visibility and acidic deposition levels were simulated for 23 days in selected years. View SAMI results here.

Wind energy site design

Environmental Technologies scientists are actively assisting the engineers who are planning an expansion of wind energy production in east Tennessee. This work involves the deployment of a sophisticated microwave wind profiler at potential mountaintop sites. Wind data at heights up to a mile or more will be used in the computer-assisted simulation of airflow over the complex terrain of the site. The results from this modeling will be used to better design the layout of future wind energy generators.

Hybrid bioreactors

Industrial, municipal, and agricultural operations today release large quantities of toxic materials to the environment, and improper handling of hazardous materials in the past has resulted in widespread groundwater contamination. Environmental Technologies has developed and patented innovative Hybrid Bioreactors that efficiently destroy water and air contaminants with dramatic savings over existing clean-up methods. Conventional technologies that use scrubbing, stripping, or adsorption merely transfer the contaminants to other media – removal and disposal of the pollutants are still necessary. Incineration generates secondary wastes, such as nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, from burning natural gas. But Hybrid Bioreactors completely destroy water and air contaminants in a single step, do not generate secondary waste streams, and are more economical and environmentally friendly than traditional technologies. A field demonstration of this innovative technology is being conducted in 2002. View more information.

ReCiprocating Wetlands

Environmental Technologies scientists have developed and patented a new generation of low-cost constructed wetlands for treating wastewater. ReCip^® systems of several different designs have been installed in the continental United States, Hawaii, and Egypt for treating municipal, industrial, and high-strength agricultural wastewater. The latest ReCipsystem was constructed near Aliceville, Alabama, and is treating up to 30,000 gallons per day of anaerobic lagoon wastewater from a commercial swine-rearing facility. The ReCip wetland is providing significant removal of nitrogen, biochemical oxygen demand, and odor-producing compounds. View more information.

Return to Environmental Technologies main page.

For additional information, go to:
Results: Analytical findings of projects

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800-831-5744
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