good morning, my name is eric weaver. i am a civil...

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Good Morning, My name is Eric Weaver. I am a Civil Engineering Student here to present my Dissertation Research Proposal.

I will start with this quick outline where I will Introduce a Product USF has filed a Patent for.

For this presentation I will introduce the Rainwater Capture Greenhouse and present my proposed research questions regarding it.

Then I will discuss it’s significance in the Engineering field. Review other related research products studied in the literature, and present the Designs & Measurement methods for researching this critical technology gap that I have identified.

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The Rainwater Capture Greenhouse is a steel pipe structure surrounded by polycarbonate hurricane panels where rainfall is collected on the roof to fill the pipes with water.

The retained water can then be filtered for drinking or directed to a drip irrigation system within the greenhouse as shown here. Thus, the hurricane-proof structure can simultaneously provide potable water and sustainable food production.

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The primary questions I will address in this research include . . .

I’ve considered doing a Life Cycle Analysis for reviewing the economics of the completed system, but at this time I’m not sure it’s necessary.

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As shown here the losses from natural disasters has been steadily increasing. The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) estimated in 2001 that natural disaster costs would exceed $300 billion by 2050 (Freeman, 2003)

However, according to the UN (UNISDR, 2012), the total cost resulting from disasters in 2011 was at a record $366 billion surpassing the 2001 study estimates by 22%, nearly 40 years earlier than predicted.

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These high disaster losses are just the beginning of the expenses from a disaster. Shown here from a World Bank financial report are the costs over time for the three phases after a disaster.

The initial Relief costs occur during the first 3 months after the disaster. The Recovery Phase from 3-9 months and the Reconstruction Phase usually beginning after 9 months. Each phase gets progressively longer having significantly higher costs.

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We have all seen how these disasters have a big splash in the news programs immediately after the initial event.

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These prominent News Programs result in substantial donations for the initial relief efforts.

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These substantial donations begin funding the “Search and Rescue” efforts during the initial Relief Phase. As a Civil Engineer I will focus on restoring safe water within 48 hours. Of course, this water supply is also critical to hydrate relief workers and for cleanliness for trauma care.

Significant research has been done for providing clean water supplies.

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For the Relief Phase developing countries cannot rely on Wal-Mart to ship in bottled water, such as occurred after Hurricane Katrina. However, many studies have been done on the logistics and efficiency of driving in water trucks. These transit models are used to determine the most economical water distribution locations.

However, these require outside power sources, detailed operator training and costly equipment. Thus, these are not long-term sustainable solutions and none of these products last through the recovery and reconstruction phases.

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Other proposed and researched water solutions include the development of new small package plants to make the water solutions more economical.

However, these also require outside power sources, detailed operator training and even the addition of chemicals like chlorine for final disinfection. Thus, these are rarely long-term sustainable solutions. None of these products last through the recovery and reconstruction phases.

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For the Recovery Phase there are scholars who have developed specialized equipment for growing food as well. The greenhouse in this example is designed for arid areas where it can use seawater for cooling and for food irrigation.

The State of Florida has done extensive research on greenhouses using hydroponics and other techniques. However, there is still a significant gap in these technologies in that no one has combined the water supply and food production systems that are needed to create a sustainable solution for refugee populations.

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As mentioned earlier, the critical gap that I am researching addresses the Recovery and Reconstruction Phases. When we go back and look at the previous graph listing the high costs of phases over the time frame of the Disaster . . .

The majority of money and donations come in during the Relief Phase, which occurs in the first 3 months after a Disaster. The Recovery and Reconstruction Phases shown here will last on average 6.5 times longer with 2.5 times higher costs, which translates into nearly 12 times the total cost of the initial relief phase.

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For example. I found a report from the Medical Volunteer Association detailing the world-wide total Relief agency investments for one year. Indicated here, we see that only 16% of the funds support Reconstruction.

That’s only $2 Billion for Reconstruction from a total of $12 billion spent world-wide in NGO disaster support.

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Disaster Relief is only the first Phase that populations will go through after an event. Thus, we really only have two possible solutions:

First, we can find new methods to provide additional funding through the Recovery and Reconstruction Phases or

Second, we can Create more Effective Relief Efforts to reduce these Reconstruction Costs.

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Thus, a possible solution would be to create a system, which can help provide the initial potable water demands for the Relief Phase, but then also stay operating and functional through the Reconstruction Phases after a Disaster.

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Testing this system in Tampa, the rainfall captured can be calculated with the standard run-off equations where: “a” is the roof area and “c” is the runoff coefficient. In Tampa with an average 52 inch/year or 4.4’ x 18’x6’ x 0.80 = 375 cf, or about 2,800 gallons/year, which is enough water to support a family of 7 people. That is using one gallon per day per person as a safe amount, as FEMA recommends 2 quarts for drinking and 2 quarts for personal hygiene and food preparation. . . NOT the 150 gpd that we find in the typical US household.

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We have the wet and dry season here, so we will need to store the extra rainfall during the wet season to support the water uses over the dry season.

To calculate this we use the same equation as before except with daily rainfall values and subtract the daily human consumption to determine the required volume for the storage tanks.

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Adding the potable water elements to the RCG structure is relatively easy. There has been extensive research on using Ion Exchange resins and MicroFiltration membranes, which can be configured for potable water.

These can provide safe potable water, but require regular maintenance and back flushing to keep the system operating properly. However, we will also need to determine the water used for the plants in the greenhouse.

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Greenhouse production has been studied extensively. Using a greenhouse for Disaster relief efforts provides multiple benefits. For example, with this product refugees could cultivate native foods and increase local biodiversity. Additionally, providing ownership and training for operation encourages entrepreneurial development in areas hard hit by disasters.

Operators would be able market their native foods. This food production and greenhouse use encourages proper maintenance. Many water supply efforts worldwide for reaching the MDG have troubles with maintenance and upkeep. After a relief agency leaves research has shown that technology, as simple a concrete aqueducts falls into disrepair. This product can be used profitably and thus, provides incentives for continued upkeep.

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I found some inexpensive meters that are sized for the system that has been built. The first measurements will be of the collection of rainwater off the roof. The standard runoff calculation is fine, but this will test and verify these values.

Then I will also measure the flows to the storage tanks to verify that the system operates properly. Finally, the consumptive use will be measured over a period of time to check how much water is consumed in the greenhouse food production. Data collection will also include a rainwater gauge

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and daily temperatures.

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I will be watching for any algae growth, bugs and any other problems. The design will use a hydroponic system, so these will likely not be an issue if I keep the water moving. The final product will include a small solar panel and pump to supplement water flows, while at this time I am using a small pump wired from my shed for testing.

As noted here, I’ve already completed all of the required course work. I want to explore some additional Water Supply technologies, as a few NGOs have recently started using new technologies. The Greenhouse is already built with standard sized tanks installed. I have most the system together already and the water meters were ordered last week. I still need to find a rainwater gauge, but there are a few USGS gauges close by already.

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Customizing these Designs for other locations, such as Haiti is also relatively easy. The current calculations would be the same with the allowance of almost twice as much annual rainfall in Haiti.

Thus the 6’ x 18’ greenhouse that I have could provide enough water for twice as many people through the initial relief efforts in an area like Haiti. Building something larger is much more practical for providing food production. However, measuring this with the existing prototype is sufficient for determining appropriate sizes for a

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refugee population.

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Then developing food products specific for the population can begin with this selection from Haiti's Ministry of Health labeled “food that protects the body:” mango, avocado, pineapple, banana, pepper, carrots, tomato, melon, orange, spinach, watercress, okra, pumpkin . . .

There has been a lot of research on growing Peppers in Greenhouses already. For example, UF determined that “3.8 plants/m2 resulted in greater yield of extra-large fruit” Jovicich, E., et. al.

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Measured data

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The final design will be to create a complete package to deploy in Haiti. This will include a small solar panel and pump, or may include other hand pumps. Future explorations will be to add fish production and other food crops.

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Adopted from the USF Patent and Licensing Office: http://www3.research.usf.edu/dpl/content/data/PDF/09B095.pdf

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