Environmental Engineering Applications Research Articles

Impact of upstream fetch on environmental wind engineering applications

With the rapid urbanization process, there is a growing concern regarding the wind environment in suburban and urban regions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of the upstream fetch length on environmental wind engineering issues, such as the pedestrian level wind (PLW) and the wind comfort assessment around newly built buildings. The suburban region of Westmount in Montreal and the urban area of Kowloon in Hong Kong are selected for case studies. The investigation has been experimental and results were obtained from two atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnels. The results indicate that the upstream fetch length that influences the PLW estimation in suburban areas is as short as 200 m and in urban areas is as short as 450 m. For the wind comfort assessment of a newly building, an upstream fetch length of 100 m from the building site can be utilized depending on the criteria used.

Ionic double-shell magnetic covalent organic framework for sharp and fast adsorption of critical metals

The recovery of critical metals (CMs) from waste streams has garnered increasing attention in recent years due to their increased demand, engineering applications, and vulnerability to supply disruptions. Herein, we synthesize two novel ionic materials, namely GIEC704a (magnetic covalent organic framework consisting of Fe3O4/TAGH-Dha) and GIEC704b (double-shell magnetic material formed of Fe3O4/TAGH-Dha/TpPa) using the solvothermal method for the recovery of CMs. The experimental data supported Langmuir's isotherm model, and the results showed that both GIEC704a and GIEC704b exhibited remarkable adsorption capacities (qmax). GIEC704a exhibited adsorption capacities of 1531.8, 884.9, and 729.9 mg/g, while GIEC704b had 1681.5, 854.7, and 800 mg/g (Al3+, Fe3+ and Cu2+) capacities, respectively. Furthermore, GIEC704a and GIEC704b demonstrated approximately 80 % adsorption of REEs with high adsorption capacities of 53.6, 52.3, 41.2 mg/g and 55.3, 55.4, and 43.4 mg/g (Lanthanum, Yttrium, and Neodymium), respectively with excellent selectivity. The large surface areas of GIEC704a and GIEC704b—147.9 m2/g and 2143.1 m2/g, respectively—explain their excellent performance. The results of the kinetic study support the pseudo-second-order model with a high coefficient of (R2 = 0.9999), and an efficiency of over 90 % was achieved within 5 min. The findings of the thermodynamic analysis indicated that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. Furthermore, the outstanding reusability of GIEC704a and GIEC704b confirmed their suitability for environmental chemical engineering and industrial applications.

Advanced Filtration Techniques in Environmental Engineering

Granular filters and membrane filters, two essential filtration methods in environmental engineering, are thoroughly examined in this study. These techniques greatly aid air pollution control problems and water and wastewater treatment. The first section of the study outlines the basic ideas that underpin each filtration technique. The mechanical particle trapping mechanisms of granular filters, their wide range of applications in water treatment, and design factors, including media kinds and layers, are all examined. On the other hand, membrane filters are closely scrutinised because of their size exclusion principles, variety of types (from microfiltration to ultrafiltration), and vital function in industrial waste treatment and desalination processes. The study goes into additional detail about the maintenance, clogging, and financial ramifications that different filtering techniques must deal with. A comparison analysis provides insights into each method's applicability for various environmental engineering applications by illuminating its efficacy, affordability, and application specificity. The study's conclusion considers the potential for growth and current and upcoming technical developments in the filtration industry. This study lays the groundwork for forthcoming advancements and uses in the field of environmental engineering while also highlighting the significance of these filtering methods in modern ecological engineering.

4D Multimaterial Printing of Soft Actuators with Spatial and Temporal Control.

Soft actuators (SAs) are devices which can interact with delicate objects in a manner not achievable with traditional robotics. While it is possible to design a SA whose actuation is triggered via an external stimulus, the use of a single stimulus creates challenges in the spatial and temporal control of the actuation. Herein, a 4D printed multimaterial soft actuator design (MMSA) whose actuation is only initiated by a combination of triggers (i.e., pH and temperature) is presented. Using 3D printing, a multilayered soft actuator with a hydrophilic pH-sensitive layer, and a hydrophobic magnetic and temperature-responsive shape-memory polymer layer, is designed. The hydrogel responds to environmental pH conditions by swelling or shrinking, while the shape-memory polymer can resist the shape deformation of the hydrogel until triggered by temperature or light. The combination of these stimuli-responsive layers allows for a high level of spatiotemporal control of the actuation. The utility of the 4D MMSA is demonstrated via a series of cargo capture and release experiments, validating its ability to demonstrate active spatiotemporal control. The MMSA concept provides a promising research direction to develop multifunctional soft devices with potential applications in biomedical engineering and environmental engineering.

Development of Gliadin@AgNPs hybrid nanoparticles as building blocks for constructing antimicrobial protein-based porous materials

The accelerated rise of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains presents a significant challenge to both global health and the economy. Although silver-based materials have already been successfully developed in dealing with the infections of drug-resistant bacteria, there has been much controversy over the applications of them because the waste silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are potentially harmful to humanity and the environment. To address this issue, gliadin@AgNPs hybrid nanoparticles with ultralow minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were designed via growing AgNPs on amphiphilic gliadin molecule, followed by co-assembly-induced nanoencapsulation of AgNPs. The highly monodispersed gliadin nanoparticles (∼120 nm) infused with ultrasmall AgNPs (2–3 nm) were synthesized successfully. This strategy protected AgNPs from aggregation and fast oxidation, exerted programmed release profiles. In vitro antibacterial experiments demonstrate the hybrids could kill a broad-spectrum bacteria at an ultralow Ag equivalent, with MBCs of 0.0312 and 0.125 μg/mL for E. coli and MRSA, respectively. More importantly, its MBC against E. coli below the safety threshold established by the WHO for drinking water (0.1 ppm). Using the hybrid nanostructure as building blocks, we fabricated unprecedented protein-based antimicrobial porous materials for the first time through Pickering HIPEs templates, which was characterized by the formation of gliadin@AgNPs-decorated nanostructures on the pore wall of porous materials. They have a complex interlaced tubular porous structure with over 96 % porosity, presenting programmed release behavior of Ag+, and were able to inhibit the growth of tested bacteria at concentrations that did not affect the viability of HaCaT human cells, confirming that hierarchical nanomaterials possess valid antibacterial activity within the cellular viability concentration range. Particularly, the antimicrobial protein porous material promoted HaCaT cell adhesion and proliferation within its hierarchical nanostructure. This work provides new insights into the rational design of advanced gliadin@AgNPs as a potent antibacterial nanoplatform with a much smaller environmental impact and health concerns and a building block for constructing protein-based porous materials with outstanding antimicrobial performance and biocompatibility for emerging applications in catalysis, tissue engineering, and environmental engineering.

Interpretation of vertical electrical soundings by means of ISM, PHT and C-N, case of a ditch in Al-Sharquieh phosphate mine in Syria

The main objective of this paper is basically to calibrate and compare the different geoelectrical results obtained by the three interpretative techniques of the inverse slope method (ISM), Pichgin and Habibuleav (PHT) and concentration-number (C-N) fractal modeling with the well lithology of an existing known ditch in the Al-Sharquieh phosphate mine in Syria. Those interpretative techniques are applied herein to interpret the vertical electrical soundings (VES) points measured along a parallel profile to the ditch. ISM reveals the presence of four to five geoelectrical layers in the study region. The PHT allows the determination of the tectonic subsurface features of the study region, by analyzing the non homogeneity points and their distributions along a given geoelectrical profile. The fractal C-N modeling provides the different apparent resistivity ranges dominating in the study region. Good agreements are obtained between the direct observed field lithological descriptions of both wall sides of this ditch, and the results obtained by those three interpretative geoelectrical techniques. The high radioactive readings exceeding four hundred count per second (cps) are due to the presence of secondary uranium accompanied with fractures, cracks and joints. The secondary uranium occurrences accompanied by phosphate deposits are found in the study area in the fractured zones, as determined by the geoelectrical PHT technique. The three mentioned geoelectrical methodologies are therefore used as indirect techniques for delineating the radioactive zones related to uranium prospecting. It is a successful application of the joint use of those three techniques, that could be applied in mining to delimit the subsurface geological structure. The reliability and efficacy of (ISM), (PHT), and (C-N) fractal modeling techniques are consequently well confirmed, and it is therefore recommended to use and apply them for characterizing and describing similar lithological phosphatic sequences, and for several shallow mining, environmental and civil engineering applications.

Comparative life cycle assessment study for erosion control application with conventional shotcrete and geomat solutions

Geosynthetic products are used more frequently in civil and environmental engineering applications due to their technological, commercial, and sustainable advantages. However, a quantitative analysis of the sustainability benefits of geosynthetics compared to traditional solutions is rarely conducted in real projects. Traditional engineering design primarily considers function, cost, and safety, while sustainable engineering design also takes into account the impact the design will have on society and the environment. To ensure sustainability in engineering, designers need quantitative tools to evaluate the metrics that can be applied in the design process. One such tool is life cycle assessment (LCA) for evaluating sustainability in engineering designs. The use of polymeric materials in construction projects may not immediately appear to have environmental benefits. However, geosynthetics can significantly reduce the use of other natural construction materials, which more than compensates for any negative impact. Additionally, geosynthetic solutions can reduce global warming potential due to their reduced carbon emissions. Although this topic is less widely discussed outside the geosynthetics industry, it is important for any construction project. Geosynthetic applications reduce carbon emissions and lower non-renewable energy consumption, ozone layer depletion, acidification, and eutrophication. This paper presents the results of a detailed comparative LCA study between a geomat and a traditional shotcrete-based erosion control solution.

The Impact of Flocculation on In Situ and Ex Situ Particle Size Measurements by Laser Diffraction

AbstractAccurate particle size distribution (PSD) measurements of suspended particulate matter (SPM) composed of flocs and aggregates are important to improve understanding of ecological and geomorphological processes, and for environmental engineering applications. PSDs can be measured in situ (in the field) using a submersible sensor, or ex situ (in the laboratory) using samples. The methodological choice is often guided by logistical factors, and the differences in PSDs acquired by in situ and ex situ measurements is of concern. In this study, a laser‐diffraction instrument (the LISST‐200X) was used to compare in situ and ex situ PSD measurements. Samples measured ex situ were stored for three consecutive weeks and measured each week in a laboratory using different stirrer speeds. We observed that ex situ measurements display a higher D50 (median particle size) than in situ measurements of the same sample (up to 613% larger, 112% on average). Our experiments show that the difference between in situ and ex situ measurements can be explained by flocculation of the riverine sediments during the first week of storage. During the subsequent ex situ measurements, the stirring results in a significantly lower D50. Ex situ measurements are therefore unsuitable for flocculated SPM. This study provides recommendations for optimizing PSD measurements by calculating the measurement times required to obtain robust PSD measurements (exceeding 3 min per sample), which are larger for field samples with coarser particles and wider PSDs.

Development of a Multicomponent Adsorption Isotherm Equation and Its Validation by Modeling.

Researchers have made significant efforts over the past few decades to understand adsorption by developing various simple adsorption isotherm models. However, though many contaminants usually occur as multicomponent mixtures in nature, multicomponent adsorption isotherms have received limited attention and remain an area of inadequate research. We have presented here in a new multicomponent adsorption isotherm model, named the Jeppu Amrutha Manipal Multicomponent (JAMM) isotherm, that can alleviate this problem. We first developed the JAMM multicomponent isotherm using our experimental data sets of arsenic and fluoride competitive adsorption on activated carbon. We then tested the JAMM multicomponent isotherm for a case study of cadmium and zinc competitive adsorption. Next, we further assessed the JAMM isotherm using another competitive adsorption case study of copper and chromium. Through extensive validation studies and error analysis, the JAMM isotherm was able to demonstrate its efficacy in predicting the adsorption behavior in several multicomponent adsorption systems accurately. The main advantage of JAMM isotherm over other multicomponent isotherms is that it utilizes and leverages the single-component adsorption parameters to simulate multicomponent isotherms. The proposed JAMM analytical isotherm model furthermore incorporates the interaction between the components, a mole fraction parameter, and a heterogeneity index, providing a more comprehensive modeling framework for multicomponent adsorption. The mole fraction term was introduced for the distribution of adsorption sites based on the relative number of molecules of each component. An additional term for interaction coefficient was introduced for the representation of interactions. During the validation of JAMM with three experimental case studies with negligible, small, and high competition systems of adsorbates, impressive predictions were exhibited, with the average normalized absolute percentage error as 6.05% and average R2 as 0.86, highlighting the model's robustness, versatility, and reliability. We propose that the new JAMM isotherm modeling framework might profoundly help in chemical engineering, environmental engineering, and materials science applications by providing a potent tool for analyzing and predicting multicomponent adsorption systems.

Traveling wave solutions for a realistic non-Newtonian foam flow model

Due to several environmental and petroleum engineering applications, there is a renewed interest in studying foam flow in porous media, commonly described as shear-thinning non-Newtonian flow. Based on experiments reporting saturation profiles with an unchanging shape displacing through the medium, we investigate the solution of the model describing foam displacement as a traveling wave. For that, we consider a realistic non-Newtonian foam flow model, which successfully described several experimental studies found in the literature. The aimed traveling wave solution is equivalent to the existence of the solution of the corresponding ordinary differential equations connecting initial and injection conditions. We address this problem by proposing a semi-analytical technique for finding such a connection in the phase space using the explicit foam’s apparent viscosity. Our semi-analytical solution is validated with direct numerical simulations and also by comparing it to experimental data from the literature.

State of Knowledge on the Effects of Tire-Derived Aggregate (TDA) Used in Civil Engineering Projects on the Surrounding Aquatic Environment

Tire-derived aggregate (TDA) is an entirely recycled material created by processing scrap tires, which are shredded into a fundamental geometric shape, typically measuring from 5 to 30 cm in size. TDA possesses desirable properties such as low earth pressure, improved drainage, and a lightweight structure, making it an ideal material for numerous civil engineering applications. Unfortunately, the environmental suitability of TDA use has previously been questioned. This article outlines that TDA does not release a significant amount of potentially toxic compounds, the leaching rate in surrounding water environments is low, and TDA can even be a medium to remove nutrients and toxic organic and inorganic compounds commonly found in agricultural land and urban runoff. This study aims to collect the most up-to-date scientific data on the environmental impact of scrap tires and evaluate the data specifically for TDA applications in civil and environmental engineering applications. TDA has been proven to be an environmentally safe, long-lasting, cost-effective, and sustainable resource with many potential applications in civil engineering. Guidelines should be developed for specific projects to achieve a circular economy for end-of-life tires in the form of TDA to avoid potential environmental issues and problems.

Biomineralization and Characterization of Calcite and Vaterite Induced by the Fungus Cladosporium sp. YPLJS-14

Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) by the urease-producing bacteria has wide applications in the field of geology and environmental engineering. Compared to bacteria, fungi usually possess more tolerance to high salts and heavy metals, enabling MICP induced by the urease-producing fungi to be applied to harsh environments. In this study, the carbonate minerals, induced by the urease-producing fungi isolated from marine sediments, were investigated. One of the urease-producing fungi, designated as YPLJS-14, was identified with the high efficiency of precipitating calcium carbonate. The ITS sequence of YPLJS-14 revealed that it belongs to the genus of Cladosporium. The precipitates induced by this strain were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, SAED, and FTIR, respectively. The results show that the mineral phase of fungal precipitates is composed of calcite and vaterite. SEM, TEM, and SAED confirm that the minerals in rhombohedral morphology are calcite and the spherical minerals are vaterite. Thermogravimetric and derivative thermogravimetric (TG/DTG) analyses show that vaterite is a thermodynamically unstable mineral phase compared to calcite and easily decomposes at lower temperatures. These findings provide a foundation for understanding the mineralization mechanism of the urease-producing fungi and the potential applications in environmental engineering.

Fluorescent dendritic fibrous nanosilica/polyurethane composite membranes for selective and sensitive recognition and removal of Hg2+/Hg+ ions

Dendritic fiber nanosilica (DFNS) possesses a unique porous structure, and its potential application for adsorption and separation, particularly of heavy metals, should be explored. This study, to our knowledge, is the first time to introduce fluorescence recognition ability to DFNS and to combine it with polymer materials. Firstly, the fluorescent DFNS (FL-DFNS) was prepared by a Schiff base formation reaction between the naphthalamide fluorophore and the modified DFNS. Then, a two-step approach was employed to fabricate FL-DFNS/polyurethane (FL-DFNS/CSPU-02) nanocomposite materials. FL-DFNS functions as a “turn off” sensor for Hg2+/Hg+ ions, exhibiting fluorescence quenching of up to 81.1 %/75.9 %. It also has an excellent adsorption capacity to mercury. Specifically, FL-DFNS/CSPU-02 membrane enabled portable detection of Hg2+/Hg+ ions. Importantly, it exhibited superior performance in the adsorption and separation of Hg2+/Hg+ ions, achieving a removal efficiency of 97.7 % and 98.0 %, with an absorption capacity of 382.4/373.5 µg/cm2. And it can be recycled for at least nine times. Overall, this study confirms the practical application value of FL-DFNS and FL-DFNS/CSPU-02 membrane in the recognition and removal of Hg2+/Hg+ ions, it will achieve the real application in environmental science and engineering.

Effect of Annealing on Resistive Switching Properties of Glancing Angle Deposition‐Assisted WO3 Thin Films

Herein, the impact of postdeposition annealing on resistive switching behavior of radio frequency magnetron sputtered WO3 thin films is reported. Films are deposited under glancing angle deposition (GLAD) configuration of sputtering at varying GLAD angle from 65° to 80°. Structure transition from monoclinic to orthorhombic phase in deposited WO3 films is perceived after ex situ annealing at temperature of 400 °C. Resistive switching properties show shift from bipolar to unipolar switching on postdeposition annealing. WO3 films show unipolar switching behavior after ex situ annealing for all prepared samples. The value of resistance in high resistance state is lowered after ex situ heating treatment and interestingly switching voltage also reduces to 3 V from 7 V after annealing treatment. The ratio of high to low resistance state for annealed WO3 film fabricated at 70° GLAD angle is achieved to be maximum (≈219). A detailed charge transport mechanism shows that ohmic behavior is dominant current conduction mechanism at lower applied voltage, while space charge limited current and Child's law are dominant at higher applied voltages. Obtained results encourage utilization of prepared WO3 thin films toward a wide variety of applications in optoelectronics, microelectronics, and environmental engineering along with advanced electronics such as resistive memory devices.

Study on the (2+1)-dimensional extension of Hietarinta equation: soliton solutions and Bäcklund transformation

The (1+1)-dimensional bilinear Hietarinta equation was firstly proposed when searching for integrable nonlinear evolution equations by the three-soliton method. In this paper, we focus on the (2+1)-dimensional extension of Hietarinta equation, which enjoys potential application in environmental engineering. Based on the bilinear form, one-soliotn and two-soliton solutions are derived. Bilinear Bäcklund transformation and Bell-polynomial-typed Bäcklund transformation are derived through the Hirota bilinear method and Bell polynomials, respectively. The three-dimensional plots of soliton solutions have been given by selecting appropriate parameters.

Membrane flux response technology for early warning of initial surface scaling in membrane distillation

Membrane distillation (MD) is a promising green separation technology for the treatment of high salinity wastewater attributed to excellent salt rejection, which is significant in relevant environmental and chemical engineering application. However, membrane scaling is an inevitable issue during long-term membrane distillation process. Thus, we developed a membrane flux response technology with data processing method to in-situ monitor the membrane scaling according to the reduction of permeate flux. By real-time analyzing the derivative of deviation between theoretical and experimental fluxes, early warning of initial membrane surface scaling was observed at initial nucleation stage. Besides, such timely detection was also achieved under different temperatures and flow velocities of feed solution, even for the poor light transmittance aqueous solution (such as NiSO4 and CoSO4 solution), which exhibited wide application potential on diverse high salinity wastewater systems. In addition, the metastable zone width of salt solution within MD system was obtained for the efficient operation design. To sum up, membrane flux response technology provides an early warning at imminent membrane scaling, which will maintain the great separation effect for a fresh feed solution after a facile cleaning by pure water, indicating the extension of device lifetime.

Artificial DNA in hydrology

AbstractThe use of artificial DNA (artDNA) in hydrological applications is becoming increasingly popular, either in dissolved form (dissolved artDNA) or encapsulated and protected by a layer (encDNA). DNA can be detected even at low concentrations and offers the ability to create numerous uniquely identifiable DNA labels, making it ideal for a wide range of multi‐tracer applications. A literature review revealed that in streams, the breakthrough curve of artDNA is visually similar to that of a conservative tracer in terms of time to rise, time to peak, and dispersion coefficient. In saturated porous or fractured media, the time of first arrivals and time to peak of artDNA are usually earlier than that of a conservative tracer, indicating size exclusion of both dissolved artDNA and encDNA. Transport in subsurface media can be described by one‐site or two‐site kinetic attachment. The recovery of artDNA in environmental systems is always less than 100% due to adsorption and decay. Although the processes responsible for both are known, yet they cannot be quantified or predicted in mass balance approaches. Despite these limitations, artDNA can be used in various hydrological applications in environmental studies and engineering. Finally, attention should focus on the use of rapid detection of DNA tracers in the field, on upscaling of DNA production, and on increasing the efficiency of the DNA encapsulation process.This article is categorized under: Science of Water > Hydrological Processes Science of Water > Water Quality Science of Water > Methods

Eco-Environmental Analysis of Different Routes for the Synthesis of MIL-53(Fe): An Integrated Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Cost Approaches

MIL-53(Fe) is a highly efficient nanomaterial with considerable application in environmental engineering. Numerous research studies have been conducted on the synthesis methods, characteristics, and applications of MIL-53(Fe); however, the environmental impact and economics of its synthesis routes have not yet been investigated. In this study, to assess the potential and unintended environmental impacts of MIL-53(Fe) production, a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) was applied to the five synthesis routes of MIL-53(Fe) production. The LCA-ReCiPe2016 model was adopted in SimaPro, and in a joint manner, an analysis of the life cycle costing (LCC) was carried out in the same program to evaluate the internal and external costs for the economic aspects. The interpretation of results at the midpoint level with 18 indicators illustrated that the biggest impacts (more than 70%) come from dimethylformamide (DMF) and ethanol (EtOH) usage, respectively, for the synthesis and washing stages, and a higher solvent requirement illustrated more considerable environmental impacts. The endpoint-based LCA evaluation also shows that the usage of DMF and EtOH is connected to the highest damage to human health (80.3–88.2%). Materials costs (∼98.5%) are the largest contributor to the LCC, while external environmental costs (∼1.5%) are the lowest contributor. Therefore, it can be concluded that the production scenarios using environmentally friendly reagents/solvents like water help to reduce both the adverse effects on the environment and the internal and external costs. In this case, route 5 would be the most suitable method for producing MIL-53(Fe) owing to its simplicity and the lowest environmental impact and cost. The integrated method of LCA and LCC developed in this study paves a way for the eco-design of MIL-53(Fe). The model framework can be expanded further to test greener solvents and reuse them in production processes.

Environmental Engineering Applications of Electronic Nose Systems Based on MOX Gas Sensors.

Nowadays, the electronic nose (e-nose) has gained a huge amount of attention due to its ability to detect and differentiate mixtures of various gases and odors using a limited number of sensors. Its applications in the environmental fields include analysis of the parameters for environmental control, process control, and confirming the efficiency of the odor-control systems. The e-nose has been developed by mimicking the olfactory system of mammals. This paper investigates e-noses and their sensors for the detection of environmental contaminants. Among different types of gas chemical sensors, metal oxide semiconductor sensors (MOXs) can be used for the detection of volatile compounds in air at ppm and sub-ppm levels. In this regard, the advantages and disadvantages of MOX sensors and the solutions to solve the problems arising upon these sensors' applications are addressed, and the research works in the field of environmental contamination monitoring are overviewed. These studies have revealed the suitability of e-noses for most of the reported applications, especially when the tools were specifically developed for that application, e.g., in the facilities of water and wastewater management systems. As a general rule, the literature review discusses the aspects related to various applications as well as the development of effective solutions. However, the main limitation in the expansion of the use of e-noses as an environmental monitoring tool is their complexity and lack of specific standards, which can be corrected through appropriate data processing methods applications.

Prediction of post-Darcy flow based on the spatial non-local distribution of hydraulic gradient: Preliminary assessment of wastewater management

Understanding high-velocity pollutant transport dependent on the large hydraulic gradient and/or heterogeneity of the aquifer and criteria for the onset of post-Darcy flow have attracted considerable attention in water resources and environmental engineering applications. In this study, a parameterized model is established based on the equivalent hydraulic gradient (EHG) which affected by spatial nonlocality of nonlinear head distribution due to the inhomogeneity at a wide range of scales. Two parameters relevant to the spatially non-local effect were selected to predict the development of post-Darcy flow. Over 510 sets of laboratory one-dimensional (1-D) steady hydraulic experimental data were used to validate the performance of this parameterized EHG model. The results show that (1) the spatial nonlocal effect of the whole upstream is related to the mean grain size of the medium, and the anomalous variation due to the small grain size implies the existence of the particle size threshold. (2) The parameterized EHG model can effectively capture the nonlinear trend that fails to be described by the traditional local form of nonlinear models, even if the specific discharge stabilizes at the later stages. (3) The Sub-Darcy flow distinguished by the parameterized EHG model can be equated to the post-Darcy flow, and then the criteria for the post-Darcy flow will be strictly distinguished under the premise of determining the hydraulic conductivity. The results of this study facilitate the identification and prediction of high-velocity non-Darcian flow in wastewater management and provide insight into mass transport by advection at the fine-scale.