Environmental Engineering / Çevre Mühendisliği

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  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 6
    Citation - Scopus: 6
    A Novel Land Surface Temperature Reconstruction Method and Its Application for Downscaling Surface Soil Moisture With Machine Learning
    (Elsevier, 2024) Güngör, Şahin; Gündüz, Orhan
    Downscaling of soil moisture data is important for high resolution hydrological modeling. Most downscaling studies in the literature have used spatially discontinuous land surface temperature (LST) maps as the main auxiliary parameter, which limits the creation of continuous soil moisture maps. The number of studies on soil moisture downscaling with machine learning that use gapless LST maps is limited. With this motivation, a hybrid reconstruction method has been proposed in this study to practically obtain continuous LST maps, which are then used to produce high resolution surface soil moisture (SSM) datasets. The proposed method is shown to have high mean performance with R2 and RMSE values of 0.94 and 1.84°K, respectively, for the period between 2019 and 2022. The developed reconstructed LST maps were then used to downscale original 9 km spatial resolution soil moisture datasets of SMAP L3 and SMAP L4 with Random Forest (RF) machine learning algorithm. The RF model were run with four different rainfall datasets, and the MSWEP rainfall dataset was found to produce the best results. The use of antecedent rainfall values as input variables in machine learning models has been shown to improve the performance of the models R2 0.76 to 0.93. The accuracy of the downscaled data was later evaluated for Western Anatolia Basins (WAB) in Türkiye with 31 in-situ stations. The downscaled SMAP L4 had good average statistical indicators R (0.815 ± 0.1), RMSE (0.09 ± 0.047 cm3/cm3), and ubRMSE (0.058 ± 0.025 cm3/cm3). Downscaled SMAP L3 was also validated with in-situ observations with satisfactory R (0.79 ± 0.074), RMSE (0.09 ± 0.043 cm3/cm3), and ubRMSE (0.06 ± 0.026 cm3/cm3) statistics. Furthermore, the performance of the downscaled SMAP L3 was also cross validated with SMAP + Sentinel 1 (L2) dataset between 2019 and 2022. The mean statistics of R (0.761 ± 0.11) and Root Mean Squared Difference (RMSD) (0.05 ± 0.014 cm3/cm3) between downscaled SMAP L3 and L2 data revealed that the new reconstruction method of LST used in the RF model for downscaling of soil moisture performed well to obtain high resolution soil moisture datasets. The proposed technique also overcame the difficulties associated with coastal regions where data was masked for quality considerations, by not only enhancing overall spatial resolution but also filling these data gaps and giving a complete SSM coverage. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.
  • Conference Object
    3d Modeling of a Historical Mine Waste Site Using Uav Images: Estimation of Stockpile Volumes
    (Springer, 2023) Önal, Okan; Gündüz, Orhan
    In recent decades, the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for land surveying became very popular because of their simplicity and low cost. Aerial images of the site can be used for the reconstruction of the site’s 3D digital model. Once proper calibrations are made, these digital models can be used for several purposes including stockpile volume estimation, stability analyses, forensic engineering and archiving, etc. In this study, the 3D model of an abandoned historical mine waste disposal site located in Balıkesir-Turkey was reconstructed for the estimation of the waste stockpile volumes. The historical mine site is a facility that was abandoned more than 80 years ago. Mine wastes of different quality were disposed of in and around the site along the hydrologically intermittent creek that passes through the site. No engineered precautions were taken at the site to reduce the environmental impacts and all waste piles were exposed to the natural eroding effect of precipitation and wind. The total amount of the waste volume is not known accurately, which prevents researchers to quantify the potential impacts associated with different waste stockpiles. Thus, a 3D digital model of the site was created by using UAV data obtained from a quadcopter and later processed to obtain a digital topography of the site with an improved accuracy value of ± 2 cm. The stockpiles were later analyzed with geographic information systems to characterize the magnitude of mine wastes and to propose alternative engineering solutions for environmental mitigation. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd 2023.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 21
    Citation - Scopus: 21
    Remote Sensing-Based Monitoring and Evaluation of the Basin-Wise Dynamics of Terrestrial Water and Groundwater Storage Fluctuations
    (Springer, 2023) Khorrami, Behnam; Gündüz, Orhan
    The recent dynamics of terrestrial water storage (TWS) and groundwater storage (GWS) fluctuations were investigated based on the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) observations over 25 basins of Türkiye. Coarse-resolution GRACE estimates were downscaled based on the Random Forest algorithm. The impacts of precipitation (P) and evapotranspiration (ET) on the variations of water storage were also assessed. The findings demonstrated good performance for the RF model in simulating finer resolution estimates of TWS. The results indicated a diminishing trend of TWS and its hydrologic components over all the basins from 2003 to 2020. The Doğu Akdeniz Basin with the annually decreasing TWS and GWS of 1.15cm/yr and 1.10cm/yr was the most critical basin of Türkiye. The least storage loss was observed in the Batı Karadeniz Basin with the annual TWS and GWS loss of 0.38cm/yr and 0.45cm/yr , respectively. Based on the results, Türkiye has lost, on average, an estimated 5.16km3/yr and 4.09km3/yr of its TWS and GWS, respectively, which are equivalent to the total storage loss of 92.88km3 and 73.62km3 of TWS and GWS during the last 18 years. The results also indicated that P and ET interact differently with the variations of TWS and GWS. The net water flux was revealed to be partially correlated with the total water storage fluctuations, suggesting the governing role of other deriving forces particularly the anthropogenic factors in the spatiotemporal variations of Türkiye’s water storage; therefore, a sector-specific analysis of the water storage variations is crucial for the country, particularly by concentrating more on the dynamics of GWS. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
  • Book Part
    Arsenic Removal by Electrocoagulation
    (Wiley, 2022) Gören, Ayşegül Yağmur; Kobya, Mehmet
    Because of the toxic impacts on human health, the arsenic (As) limit value in drinking water was decreased from 50 to 10 ?g l-1 by the relevant authorities (WHO 1993; US EPA 2001). In this case, the problem of As pollution in natural water resources used for drinking water has grown even more and turned into a global crisis. According to reports in many parts of the world, over about 230 million people appear to be affected by high arsenic concentrations in groundwater. In this case, it turned out that there was a great need for cost-effective and environmentally friendly technologies from drinking water sources. One of the emerging water treatment technologies in recent years is electrocoagulation (EC) and it has been seen that it is effective in treating As (>99%) from water and eliminates some of the disadvantages of other conventional treatment processes. EC method includes electro-oxidation of anode electrode materials (iron and aluminum) and in situ production of coagulant agents. From groundwater resources with As content of 5-1000 ?g l-1, As removal efficiencies and operating costs (OCS) of EC technology using iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al) anodes were 85.0-99.9% and 0.0020-1.04 US$ m-3, respectively. Different types (plate, scrap, rod, and ball) of electrodes were used for As removal with the EC process, and it was observed that Fe electrodes or Fe-Al hybrid electrodes performed better in As removal. In addition, it has been determined that arsenate (As(V)) removal is more effective than arsenite (As(III)). A significant quantity of As(III) is oxidized in the EC process, resulting in precipitation, adsorption, and metal-oxy hydroxylic complex reactions. EC process has a lower OC to achieve As removal below the permissible WHO value compared to conventional treatment processes, accomplishing it as a further applicable option for As removal. © 2023 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 6
    Citation - Scopus: 9
    The Effect of Military Conflict Zone in the Middle East on Atmospheric Persistent Organic Pollutant Contamination in Its North
    (Elsevier, 2023) Ayrı, İlknur; Genişoğlu, Mesut; Sofuoğlu, Aysun; Kurt Karakuş, Perihan B.; Birgül, Askın; Sofuoğlu, Sait Cemil
    This study aimed to investigate long-range atmospheric transport of selected POPs released due to the effects of mili-tary conflicts in regions to the south of Turkey's borders. Ten locations were selected to deploy passive air samplers at varying distances to the border on a southeast-west transect of the country, proximity-grouped as close, middle, and far. Sampling campaign included winter and transition months when desert dust transport events occur. Hypothesis of the study was that a decreasing trend would be observed with increasing distance to the border. Group comparisons based on statistical testing showed that PBDE-183, E45PCB, and dieldrin in winter; PBDE-28, PBDE-99, PBDE-154, p,p '-DDE, E14PBDE, and E25OCP in the transition period; and PBDE-28, PBDE-85, PBDE-99, PBDE-154, PBDE-190, PCB-52, E45PCB, p,p '-DDE, and E25OCP over the whole campaign had a decreasing trend on the transect. An analysis of concen-tration ratio to the background showed that long-range atmospheric transport impacted the study sites, especially those of close group in comparison to the local sources. Back-trajectory analyses indicated that there was transport from the conflict areas to sites in the close-proximity group, while farther sampling locations mostly received air masses from Europe, Russia, and former Soviet Union countries, followed by North Africa, rather than the military con-flict areas. In consequence, decrease in concentrations with distance and its relation to molecular weight through pro-portions, diagnostic ratios, analysis of concentration ratio to the background, and back-trajectory analyses support the effect of transport from the military-conflict area to its north.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 17
    Citation - Scopus: 20
    Polyoxometalate-Based Hybrid Composites in Multi-Functional Wastewater Treatment Applications
    (Elsevier, 2023) Recepoğlu, Yaşar Kemal; Gören, Ayşegül Yağmur; Orooji, Yasin; Vatanpour, Vahid; Kudaibergenov, Nurbolat; Khataee, Alireza
    The inorganic polyanionic clusters known as polyoxometalates (POMs) have several structural variations at the nanoscale scale. They have many uses in chemistry, materials science, medicine, and other fields. This review considers the developments in treating hazardous contaminants from wastewater using POMs-based compounds. Four main treatment methods using POM-based compounds to remove water pollutants have been developed: adsorption, photocatalytic treatment, Fenton-like treatment, and membrane separation. Moreover, we report the types of POMs, synthesis procedures, strategies performed to modify POM-based compounds, and their appli-cations in wastewater treatment. To promote the development of these compounds for large-scale production and real-scale applications, gaps in knowledge and recent research obstacles are also pointed out. Most research on metal organic complexes (MOCs) based on POM has focused on using these compounds as catalysts, with little focus on their additional uses. The adsorption and photocatalytic efficiency of modified POM-based compounds are attributed to their enhanced contaminant removal efficiency, and recovery of certain POM-based compounds by magnetic separation is presented as a promising option for their recyclability. Among the reviewed studies, the highest adsorption capacity was 1108.9 mg/g, with a removal efficiency of 100 % for acid red dye using poly-[N,N-dimethyl-dodecyl-(4-vinylbenzyl)ammonium chloride] (PIL)-POM. The studies also indicate that the POM-based adsorbents could be effectively reused to remove pollutants and sustain their activity in 3-10 cycles. This review is believed to provide an overview of recent advancements in POM-based compounds for water and wastewater treatment, offers thorough research to anyone interested in learning more about this topic, and acts as a manual for researchers working in this area.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 16
    Citation - Scopus: 20
    Development of an Emission Estimation Method With Satellite Observations for Significant Forest Fires and Comparison With Global Fire Emission Inventories: Application To Catastrophic Fires of Summer 2021 Over the Eastern Mediterranean
    (Elsevier, 2023) Bilgiç, Efem; Tuna Tuygun, Gizem; Gündüz, Orhan
    In the past few decades, forest fires have increased in number and severity, especially in the Mediterranean regions of Turkiye and Greece, where significant fires caused damage to thousands of hectares of land as well as wildlife. The main objective of the present study is to develop an emission estimation method with satellite-based burned area data from significant forest fire events in the Eastern Mediterranean in July-August 2021. In the first stage of this study, pre-fire and post-fire images of the study area acquired by the Sentinel-2 satellite were processed to calculate the normalized burn rate difference index (dNBR). Then, CORINE Land Cover (CLC) data were used for detecting land cover classes in the burned areas. Atmospheric emissions of NOx, CO, SO2, total suspended particulate matter (TSP), particulate matter with diameters that are equal to or smaller than 2.5 & mu;m (PM2.5), and black carbon (BC) were estimated using the EMEP/EEA Tier 2 -technology-specific approach method, in which burned area maps were retrieved using Sentinel-2 imageries and later combined with land cover type and burning efficiency to estimate the quantity of burning biomass emissions. Emission factors were then used to estimate the fires' trace gas and aerosol emissions. The results showed that the highest burned areas were found in the western Mediterranean region in Turkiye and Central Greece (⁓50,000 ha). The atmospheric emissions from these fires were calculated to be similar in both countries. Furthermore, emission amounts were compared with three different global fire emission inventories including GFAS, GFED, and FINN. The emissions obtained from the GFAS database were the highest emissions of the four emission estimation approaches and our estimated emissions were close to the GFAS. Emissions calculated from the other two databases (FINN and GFED) mostly provided underestimated emissions. The emission uncertainties in this study mainly originated from assumptions regarding the inclusion of burned area efficiency in emission calculations, the landcover dataset, and the emission factors used. Overall, this study is considered a new approach to emission calculations using Sentinel-2 data. This research provides further insight into the use of Sentinel-2 data in emission calculation applications at the local to regional scales.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 7
    Citation - Scopus: 7
    Insights Into Sustainability of Engineered Carbonaceous Material-Based Technologies for Advanced Cyanide Removal From Wastewater
    (Elsevier, 2023) Yoon, Yeojoon; Khataee, Alireza; Gören, Ayşegül Yağmur; Recepoğlu, Yaşar Kemal
    Cyanide (CN) is a serious concern in industrial and goldmine wastewater. Strict regula-tory standards have been established by various agencies due to the detrimental effects that CN has on human health. Therefore, before discharge to water bodies or land, it is essential to create a sus-tainable model for the safe removal of CN. Carbon-based materials are well known for their adsorption and oxidation features, which can be conducive to CN removal. This paper reviews the relevant literature on the application of modified and unmodified carbon-based materials to CN removal in water; these materials include activated carbon (AC), graphene, graphene oxide (GO), and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Moreover, CN removal mechanisms and photocatalytic removal of CN are comprehensively discussed, with a particular emphasis on modifying carbon-based materials. It has been observed that adding various elements to carbon-based materials improves their surface area, functional groups, CN adsorption capacity, and pore volume. Impacts of operational parameters, isotherm models, kinetics, and types of carbon-based materials are also outlined. This study provides insight into the real-scale applicability of carbon-based materials for CN removal from waters. Moreover, this review indicates that essential work on CN removal using carbon-based materials is still needed. Future research should focus on developing modified carbon-based materials to encourage multidisciplinary research. The most crucial gap in the literature is that the studies have been performed on a lab scale. Therefore, further pilot and real-scale applica-tions should be conducted. Overall, the cost assessment, environmental effects, and human health risks of carbon-based materials should be studied in future research to achieve a realistic perspective on applicability on an industrial scale.(c) 2023 THE AUTHORS. Published by Elsevier BV on behalf of Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 40
    Citation - Scopus: 38
    Investigating the Local-Scale Fluctuations of Groundwater Storage by Using Downscaled Grace/Grace-fo Jpl Mascon Product Based on Machine Learning (ml) Algorithm
    (Springer, 2023) Khorrami, Behnam; Ali, Shoaib; Gündüz, Orhan
    Groundwater storage is of grave significance for humanity by sustaining the required water for agricultural irrigation, industry, and domestic use. Notwithstanding the impressive contribution of the state-of-the-art Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) to detecting the groundwater storage anomaly (GWSA), its feasibility for the characterization of GWSA variation hotspots over small scales is still a major challenge due to its coarse resolution. In this study, a spatial water balance approach is proposed to enhance the spatial depiction of groundwater storage and depletion changes that can detect the hotspots of GWSA variation. In this study, Random Forest Machine Learning (RFML) model was utilized to simulate fine-resolution (10 km) groundwater storage based on the coarse resolution (50 km) of GRACE observations. To this end, parameters including soil moisture, snow water, evapotranspiration, precipitation, surface runoff, surface elevation, and GRACE data were integrated into the RFML model. The results show that with a correlation of above 0.98, the RFML model is very successful in simulating the fine-resolution groundwater storage over the Western Anatolian Basin (WAB), Turkiye. The results indicate an estimated annual depletion rate of 0.14 km(3)/year for the groundwater storage of the WAB, which is equivalent to about 2.57 km(3) of total groundwater depletion from 2003 to 2020. The findings also suggest that the downscaled GWSA is in harmony with the original GWSA in terms of temporal variations. The validation of the results demonstrates that the correlation is increased from 0.56 (for the GRACE-derived GWSA) to 0.60 (for the downscaled GWSA) over the WAB.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 5
    Citation - Scopus: 5
    Stabilization of Calcareous Subgrade Soils With Polyelectrolytes: Mechanisms and Mechanical Properties
    (Taylor & Francis, 2023) Huang, Jianxin; Kogbara, Reginald; Mohomad, Yosef; Kogbara, Reginald B.; Masad, Eyad; Sukhishvili, Svetlana; Little, Dallas
    Organic polyelectrolytes, i.e. anionic poly(sodium 4-styrenesulphonate) (PSS), cationic poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) and their polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) were evaluated for stabilisation of calcareous sandy subgrade soil. This paper investigated the effects of polymer type, surface charge type of PEC, concentrations of PEC solutions and dosages of polymer solutions added to the soil on improvement of soil mechanical properties. We found that anionic polymers, for both PECs and individual polyelectrolytes, were superior to their cationic counterparts in improving soil strength. Besides, the constituent polyelectrolytes, PSS and PDADMAC, worked better than their PECs for the specific soil investigated. The strength of polymer-treated soils was also found to increase with the increase in dosages of the polymer solutions as well as curing periods. Furthermore, polymer-treated soil specimens exhibited significant toughness improvement, which was higher than cement-treated samples. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed the abundance of long palygorskite fibres covering the surfaces of larger calcite and dolomite particles and linking surrounding aggregates after adding polymers. This observation suggests the interconnection of palygorskite fibres and their linking networks between and among coarse aggregates as the likely mechanism of polymer stabilisation of the soil studied.