| abating |
to
reduce in degree or intensity |
| acidification |
the
process of becoming an acid or being converted into an acid |
| adhibition |
application;
use |
| aeration tank |
a
tank that uses devices, such as a blower, to pump air into the tank |
| AFV |
Alternative
Fuel Vehicle |
| algae |
a plant or plant-like organism usually chlorophyll-containing
nonvascular
organisms including green, yellow-green, brown, red algae, and blue-green algae |
| algal blooms |
rapid growth and death of aquatic plants, especially during hot
weather in highly
nutritious water |
| ambient light |
an amount of light of a specific color that is added to the
illumination of all
surfaces in a scene |
| anaerobic |
not
requiring oxygen for life; oxygen-free environment |
| anoxic |
greatly
deficient in oxygen (distinction
between anoxic and anaerobic) |
| anthropogenic |
related
to the development of human beings |
| aqueous |
of,
relating to, or resembling water; made from, with, or by water |
| aquifer |
a water-bearing layer of rock or sediment capable of holding and
transmitting fluid
(such as water) |
| arboretum |
a
structure used as a botanical garden, similar to a greenhouse |
| asphyxiant |
a
substance which causes suffocation |
| biofuel |
any
organic gas usable as an energy source |
| biogas |
a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide produced by bacterial
degradation of
organic matter and used as a fuel |
| biomass |
the conversion of stored energy in plants into energy that we can
use; organic
material (e.g. sewage sludge, corn stalks) |
| biopower |
a
means to power devices through the use of biomass |
| biosolids |
nutrient-rich organic materials resulting from the treatment of
sewage sludge
(the name for the solid, semisolid or liquid untreated residue generated during
the treatment of domestic sewage in a treatment facility) |
| burgeoning |
growing
or develop rapidly |
| CAA |
Clean
Air Act - an act passed in 1970 to facilitate the use of alternative fuels |
| class-a |
municipal
wastes which do not contain heavy metals or other toxic pollutants |
| CFFP |
The
Clean Fuel Fleet Program |
| CFV |
Clean
Fuel Vehicle |
| clarifier |
any
device that is used to remove impurities |
| CO2 |
chemical
compound for carbon dioxide |
| combustion |
an
act or instance of burning that produces heat and usually light |
| commercialization |
to manage on a business basis for profit; to develop commerce
in;to debase in
quality for more profit; to do, exploit, or make chiefly for financial gain |
| condensate |
liquid
obtained by condensation of a gas or vapor especially the liquid gas |
| conduit |
a
pipe or channel for conveying fluids, such as water |
| CWA |
Clean
Water Act |
| decomposition |
to
separate into constituent parts or elements, or into simpler compounds |
| deoxygenation |
to
remove oxygen from |
| digester |
a closed system of containers in which human municipal wastes are
broken
down for further processing into biosolids and biogases |
| digestion |
the
anaerobic breakdown of organic waste into inorganic waste and organic gas |
| DOE |
Department
of Energy |
| dross |
a
waste product or an impurity; worthless material that should be removed |
| effluent |
an
outflow from a sewer or sewage system |
| EP Act |
Energy
Policy Act |
| EPA |
Environmental
Protection Agency |
| epurate |
to
clean or purify |
| eutrophication |
the process, caused by having waters rich in mineral and organic
nutrients that promotes a proliferation of plant life, especially algae, which reduces the
dissolved oxygen content and often causes the extinction of other organisms; used in
association with a lake or pond |
| executive |
a person or group having administrative or managerial authority in
an organization;
the branch of government charged with putting into effect a country's laws and the
administering of its functions |
| exponentially |
being
an extremely rapid increase (as in size or extent) |
| Floridian Aquifer |
an aquifer system underlying an area of about 100,000 square miles
in southern
Alabama, southeastern Georgia, southern South Carolina, and all of Florida;
intensively pumped for industrial and irrigation supplies |
| fossil fuels |
compressed
plant material with locked up energy |
| fuel |
something consumed to produce energy, especially a material such
as wood, coal,
gas, or oil burned to produce heat or power; solid fragments of inorganic or organic
material that come from the weathering of rock and are carried and deposited by
wind, water, or ice |
| fuel cell |
a device that by breaking down the high-hydrogen fuels to
electrons and protons
produces electric energy |
| GEO |
Governor's
Energy Office |
| geotechnics |
the
science of the movement of Earth’s plates |
| greenhouse gases |
gases
that alter the chemical composition of the atmosphere and trap heat causing
increases in the Earth's temperature |
| groundwater |
water
that flows or seeps downwards saturating soil or rock; water stored
underground in rock crevices and in pores of geologic materials that make up the
Earth's crust |
| heavy metals |
metallic
deposits, such as lead, which can be detrimental to the environment |
| hydraulics |
that
branch of science or engineering which treats fluids in motion, especially of
water, its action in rivers and canals, the works and machinery for conducting or
raising it |
| hydrology |
the
scientific study of the properties, distribution, and effects of water on the
Earth's surface, in the soil and underlying rocks, and in the atmosphere |
| indigenous |
originating
in and being produced, growing, living, or occurring naturally in a
particular region or environment |
| infiltration |
flow
of water from the land surface into the subsurface |
| mesophilic |
type
of bacteria which operate at 35-37º Celsius |
| methane |
CH4;
a flammable, explosive, colorless, odorless, tasteless gas; a major constituent
(up to 97%) of natural gas, used as a source of petrochemicals and as a fuel; one
possible byproduct of digestion |
| methanol |
methyl
alcohol (CH3OH), can be produced from the gas methane commonly used as a fuel
in vehicles, an antifreeze, a general solvent, a fuel and a denaturant for ethyl alcohol |
| natural gas |
a
mixture of hydrocarbon gases that occurs with petroleum deposits, principally
methane together with varying quantities of ethane, propane, butane, and other
gases, used as a fuel and in the manufacture of organic compounds |
| NGV |
natural
gas vehicle; automobiles that are capable of using natural gas as a fuel |
| nitrogen oxides |
combinations
of nitrogen and oxygen which can be detrimental to the environment |
| nonpoint source |
a
nondefineable source |
| OTT |
Office
of Transportation Technologies |
| ozone |
an
atmospheric layer characterized by high ozone content blocking most solar
ultraviolet radiation from entry into the lower atmosphere |
| petrochemical |
a
chemical derived from petroleum or natural gas |
| photoplankton |
photosynthetic
bacteria |
| photosynthetic |
ability
to synthesize chemical compounds with the aid of radiant energy and
especially light in the chlorophyll-containing tissues of plants exposed to light |
| potable |
fit
to drink |
| poxiator coating |
coat
protecting a substance from a reaction with methane in egg digesters |
| propionic |
an
organic acid which is produced in the fermentation of various organic substances
and is obtained as a colorless liquid having a sharp, pungent odor |
| PEM |
an
apparatus which is used in a fuel cell to create an electric current |
| radiant heat |
heat
transmitted by radiation as contrasted with that transmitted by conduction
or convection |
| reagent |
an
initial component involved in a chemical reaction |
| RFG |
Reformulated
Gasoline |
| Sediment |
material
that settles to the bottom of a liquid |
| seepage |
water
that is seeping or oozing through a porous soil |
| SERBEP |
Southeastern
Regional Biomass Energy Program |
| sludge |
solid
remnants of processed sewage |
| sulfur oxides |
combinations
of sulfur and oxygen which can be detrimental to the environment |
| surface water |
water
that is on the Earth's surface, such as in a stream, river, lake, or reservoir |
| terawatts |
a
unit of power equal to one trillion watts |
| thermophilic |
type
of bacteria which operate at 55-57º Celsius |
| torridity |
heat |
| turbidity |
a
quality of water, appearing dark and muddy, caused by foreign particles |
| unconfined |
an
aquifer whose upper water surface is at atmospheric pressure; able to rise and
fall |
| weirs |
the
edge of the final clarifier that the clean water flows over |