In recent years, multiple municipal solid waste landfills are experiencing elevated temperature events (ETLF). It has been demonstrated that the UV quenching of leachates and gas condensates is significantly different from the previously studied ones.

The project is to investigate the UV quenching characteristics of ETLF leachates and gas well liquids that can lead to cost-effective management strategy and, more importantly, provide evidence and better understanding of the cause and mechanism of ETLFs. This project is partially funded by Waste Management National Service, Inc. More about this project.

Communities along the Texas coast are exposed to the triple threats of storm surge, rainfall-driven flooding, and a rising sea level. Among the most vulnerable infrastructures are the water supply and wastewater treatment systems. During Hurricane Harvey, a number of water supply and wastewater treatment systems and services were disrupted, nearly disrupted, or severely damaged. These include those serving the City of Beaumont and mid-lower Jefferson County that are critical to the operation of energy and health care industries.

The disruptions, together with the release of untreated sewage, compounded the flood-induced devastation to buildings and transportation infrastructures, and exacerbated the stress imposed on the communities. In addition, water quality problems lingered on after flooding which significantly increased the overhead of water supply, and put strain on recovery. Therefore, there is a critical need to assess the flooding risk of water infrastructures under a changing climate, and to develop plans to retrofit, upgrade or relocate them to lower their risk profile. Learn more about this project.