Continuous Ligand-Assisted Elution Chromatography Applied To Separation Of Rare Earth Elements, 2016 Purdue University
Continuous Ligand-Assisted Elution Chromatography Applied To Separation Of Rare Earth Elements, Jeremy A. Weinstock, David M. Harvey, N.-H. Linda Wang
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Rare earth elements (REEs) are metals used to make many valuable products such as magnets and electronics. Following their extraction from larger materials, REEs are to be separated into their individual components as high purity is required for product manufacture. Purification is very difficult because most (15/17) of the REEs are lanthanides (Ln’s) and Ln ions have the same valence and similar atomic radii. The current industrial process for purifying REEs involves using toxic solvents to perform a series of liquid-liquid extractions. Ling and Wang (2015) proposed a ligand-assisted batch chromatography process to purify Ln’s. The latter approach is a …
Fractionation Of Cornstalk Into Cellulose And Lignin For The Production Of Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose, 2016 The University of Western Ontario
Fractionation Of Cornstalk Into Cellulose And Lignin For The Production Of Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose, Tao Shui
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
This thesis project aimed to fractionate cornstalk into cellulose and lignin, and utilize the crude cornstalk-derived cellulose for the production of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and the lignin for the sybthesis of bio-based phenol-formaldehyde resole resins as wood adhesives. In this thesis work, cornstalk was efficiently fractionated into crude cellulose and crude lignin in mixed solvents of acetic acid, formic acid and water at a solid/agent ratio of 1:5 (g/mL) at 80-100 °C for 120-240 min. The best conditions for organosolv fractionation of cornstalk among the test conditions were determined as follows: mixed solvent of acetic acid/formic acid/water (3:6:1, v/v/v), HCl …
Electrodeionization Versus Electrodialysis: A Clean-Up Of Produced Water In Hydraulic Fracturing, 2016 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Electrodeionization Versus Electrodialysis: A Clean-Up Of Produced Water In Hydraulic Fracturing, Brigitte Marie Rodgers
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Electrodeionization (EDI) is a widely studied process ranging from applications in wastewater clean-up in the food and beverage industry to purifying organic compounds. To date, there are no apparent studies on applying this technology to produced wastewater recovered from hydraulic fracking sites. Water consumption within hydraulic fracturing sites can reach in the upwards of millions of gallons per site, so a need for a water recycling process becomes necessary within areas where water requirements are scarce. Implementation of an EDI module that is capable of handling high salt solutions from produced wastewater in subsequent fracturing practices will decrease overall water …
Passive Acoustic Emissions In A V-Blender, 2016 The University of Western Ontario
Passive Acoustic Emissions In A V-Blender, Allison Crouter
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
The pharmaceutical manufacturing process consists of a number of batch steps; each step must be monitored and controlled to ensure quality standards are met. The development of process analytical technologies (PAT) can improve product monitoring with the aim of increasing efficiency, product quality and consistency and creating a better understanding of the manufacturing process.
This work investigates the feasibility of using passive acoustic emissions (PAE) to monitor particulates in a V-blender. An accelerometer was attached to the lid of a V-blender to measure vibrations from the tumbling solids. A wavelet filter removed the oscillations in the signals from the motion …
Carbon Nanoadditives To Enhance Latent Energy Storage Of Phase Change Materials, 2016 University of Dayton
Carbon Nanoadditives To Enhance Latent Energy Storage Of Phase Change Materials, Shadab Shaikh, Khalid Lafdi, Kevin P. Hallinan
Kevin Hallinan
Latent energy storage capacity was analyzed for a system consisting of carbon nanoparticlesdopedphase changematerials (PCMs). Three types of samples were prepared by doping shell wax with single wall carbon nanotubes(SWCNTs), multiwall CNTs, and carbon nanofibers. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to measure the latent heat of fusion. The measured values of latent heat for all the samples showed a good enhancement over the latent heat of pure wax. A maximum enhancement of approximately 13% was observed for the wax/SWCNT composite corresponding to 1% loading of SWCNT. The change in latent heat was modeled by using an approximation for the intermolecular …
Micro Debris Generator, 2016 California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Micro Debris Generator, Gordan Bradaric, Ross Byers, Stephen Quanci
Mechanical Engineering
This senior project team at Cal Poly consisting of Stephen Quanci, Gordan Bradaric, and Ross Byers has been commissioned by Erik Brown of Lawrence Livermore National Labs to create a way to reliably and consistently entrain microscopic particles into the hot HTTU flow. These particles will be used to compare the loading rates of new HEPA filters by measuring the pressure drop across the filter. The generated particles would simulate typical conditions in which these HEPA filters are expected to operate, namely fine ash. The particles used for loading the filter are intended to simulate the particulate reaching the LLNL …
Bed Agglomeration Behavior In A Bubbling Fluidized-Bed Combustor, 2016 The University of Western Ontario
Bed Agglomeration Behavior In A Bubbling Fluidized-Bed Combustor, Ehsan Ghiasi
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Agglomeration is a major operational problem during the combustion of biomass containing a high amount of alkali compounds. The agglomerate formation is mainly due to the presence of alkali elements in biomass ashes that form low-melting compounds in the combustion.
In the first part of this project, the critical amount of liquid that would lead to a severe agglomeration/de-fluidization was studied and determined in a lab scale bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) heated at elevated temperatures. To simulate the biomass ashes, various percentages of KCl and KCl-K2SO4 compounds at eutectic composition were mixed with silica sand as the …
A Characterization Study On Catalyst Layers In Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells, 2016 The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
A Characterization Study On Catalyst Layers In Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells, Luyue Li
Doctoral Dissertations
This thesis describes the work for the catalyst layer (CL) characterization study of proton exchange membranes (PEM) for fuel cells. In particular, both the structure and performance of catalyst layers with alternative ionomers were studied. Structure wise, the morphology, surface area and pore size distribution studies were accomplished with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and nitrogen adsorption processed through Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) theory. Water uptake isotherms of the CLs have been developed under well controlled relative humidity (RH) levels. The performance characterization focuses on polarization study, catalyst layer proton conductivity measurement and estimation of the …
Nanofiltration Rejection Of Contaminants Of Emerging Concern From Municipal Water Resource Recovery Facility Secondary Effluents For Potable Reuse Applications, 2016 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Nanofiltration Rejection Of Contaminants Of Emerging Concern From Municipal Water Resource Recovery Facility Secondary Effluents For Potable Reuse Applications, Steven Michael Jones
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
As reuse of municipal water resource recovery facility (WRRF) effluent becomes vital to augment diminishing fresh drinking water resources, concern exists that conventional barriers may prove deficient and the upcycling of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) could prove harmful to human health and aquatic species if more effective and robust treatment barriers are not in place.
There are no federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) regulations in place specifically for direct potable reuse (DPR) of WRRF effluent. Out of necessity, some states are developing their own DPR reuse regulations. Currently, reverse osmosis (RO) is the default full advanced treatment (FAT) …
Asset Management Model For An Industrial Process Automations System In The Chemical Engineering Unit Operations Laboratory At Rose-Hulman Institute Of Technology, 2016 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Asset Management Model For An Industrial Process Automations System In The Chemical Engineering Unit Operations Laboratory At Rose-Hulman Institute Of Technology, Megan Elaine Liebman
Graduate Theses - Chemical Engineering
In the Chemical Engineering curriculum, the Unit Operations (UO) Laboratory is recognized as the place where hands-on exposure to industrial practices occurs. Students not only examine fundamental engineering principles, but also gain knowledge of the intricacies of modern control technology. The UO Laboratory at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology houses an industrial state-of-the-art distributed control system, which operates eleven large-scale experiments and interfaces with approximately two hundred process instruments. The size and complexity of the distributed control system and its associated equipment have grown over the past ten years and have reached a point where a systematic asset management approach is …
Direct Band Gap Gallium Antimonide Phosphide (Gasbxp1-X) For Solar Fuels., 2016 University of Louisville
Direct Band Gap Gallium Antimonide Phosphide (Gasbxp1-X) For Solar Fuels., Harry Benjamin Russell
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Photoelectrochemical water splitting has been identified as a promising route for achieving sustainable energy future. However, semiconductor materials with the appropriate optical, electrical and electrochemical properties have yet to be discovered. In search of an appropriate semiconductor to fill this gap, GaSbP, a semiconductor never tested for PEC performance is proposed here and investigated. Density functional theory (DFT+U) techniques were utilized to predict band gap and band edge energetics for GaSbP alloys with low amount of antimony. The overall objective of this dissertation is to understand the suitability of GaSbxP1-x alloys for photoelectrochemical water splitting application. Specifically, …
Werc Task #1 - Open: Efficiency And Particulate Matter Emissions Testing Of Wood Burning Heating Units, 2016 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Werc Task #1 - Open: Efficiency And Particulate Matter Emissions Testing Of Wood Burning Heating Units, Teni R. Butler
Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses
Wood burning has significant environmental and health impacts. This research focused on creating low-cost, reliable test methods for identifying particulate matter emissions to the atmosphere, while obtaining essential data for efficiency calculations of wood combustion.
Wastewater Reuse, 2016 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Wastewater Reuse, Zachary J. Bare
Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses
Approximately 1.2 billion people around the world live in areas of physical water scarcity. This could increase to half of the world’s population by 2030 and could displace 24 to 700 million people unless steps are taken to ensure adequate water supply. Water scarcity is an escalating issue within the United States, specifically in Western inland states with arid climates. This scarcity is encouraging communities to investigate tertiary level municipal wastewater treatment, allowing for reuse of wastewater. Unfortunately, wastewater contains numerous contaminants that are not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Many …
Removal Of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds From Secondary Municipal Wastewater, 2016 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Removal Of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds From Secondary Municipal Wastewater, Dustin R. Resz
Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses
Approximately 1.2 billion people around the world live in areas of physical water scarcity. This could increase to half of the world’s population by 2030 and could displace 24 to 700 million people unless steps are taken to ensure adequate water supply.1 Water scarcity is an escalating issue within the United States, specifically in Western inland states with arid climates. This scarcity is encouraging communities to investigate tertiary level municipal wastewater treatment, allowing for reuse of wastewater. Unfortunately, wastewater contains numerous contaminants that are not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Many …
Haul Truck Tires Recycling, 2016 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Haul Truck Tires Recycling, Marina E. Lee
Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses
The Ball Hogs competed in Task 2 - Haul Truck Tires in the 2016 Waste-Management Education and Research Consortium (WERC) International Environmental Design Contest. This task required designing a solution to recycle discarded haul truck tires from mining sites. Our solution was to use the treads of these haul truck tires to construct liners for ball mills. Recycling haul truck tires in this manner would save the mining companies a substantial amount of money and would result in a decrease of carbon emissions.
Development Of A Simple Handheld Biosensor For Waterborne Pathogens, 2016 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Development Of A Simple Handheld Biosensor For Waterborne Pathogens, Bryce C. Jones
Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses
Current methods of detecting waterborne pathogens involve testing strips which take 24-48 hours to yield results, or require expensive equipment in order to function. In minimalist environments, these two technologies are not always applicable to test water quality. With the emergence of a new method of PCR, named LAMP PCR, it is possible to quickly and accurately detect pathogen DNA in a water sample. In order to scale this technique into a simple device, the aspects of the reaction must be accommodated, and a visual detection method chosen. A handheld device which keeps the isothermal LAMP PCR stable for the …
Werc Task #1 - Efficiency And Particulate Matter Emissions Testing Of Wood Burning Heating Units, 2016 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Werc Task #1 - Efficiency And Particulate Matter Emissions Testing Of Wood Burning Heating Units, Jonathan A. Shumaker
Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses
A design of a method for calculating the efficiency and particulate matter emission rates was developed for use on wood stoves. The project was completed for the WERC competition which is an international design contest. The prevalence of wood burning as a form of heating, current EPA regulations, and current market conditions were major factors in forming the necessity of this testing method. Design was not limited to outlining the design specifications, the apparatus was built and run. Optimization of the method continued until completion of the project. If the method would continue to be improved then it would be …
Efficiency And Particulate Matter Emissions Testing Of Wood Burning Heating Units, 2016 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Efficiency And Particulate Matter Emissions Testing Of Wood Burning Heating Units, Lindsey Mayo
Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses
The performance and use of wood-burning stoves as a heating source is carefully regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA requires a rigorous and exhaustive testing protocol be conducted on each unit before it can be sold commercially in order to ensure that the stove in question will not have a detrimental effect on the surrounding environment. However, this testing routine is incredibly time intensive and costly, resulting in a 90% decrease in the number of stove manufacturers since 1988. This decreased competition has ultimately fostered an industry free from competition and motivation to produce clean and efficient …
Visible Light Driven Photocatalysis For Degradation Of Diclofenac, 2016 The University of Western Ontario
Visible Light Driven Photocatalysis For Degradation Of Diclofenac, Noshin Hashim
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Diclofenac (DCF), a widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is a commonly detected substance that readily accumulates in tissues of aquatic fish and poses a threat to wildlife and freshwater quality. Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) have been explored as an alternative method for complete mineralization of DCF as conventional treatment methods are inadequate for treatment of trace contaminants.
This study employs a semi-batch, swirl-flow, monolithic type photocatalytic reactor to determine intrinsic kinetic parameters of DCF mineralization, in an immobilized system under both UV and visible radiation. The goal of this work to determine true kinetics of DCF, after correcting for …
Modeling Product Cooling For Baked And Snack Crackers, 2016 Western Michigan University
Modeling Product Cooling For Baked And Snack Crackers, Jenna Hagenloch
Honors Theses
The cooling of snack crackers, after the baking process is an important step prior to packaging. A model was developed for cooling the crackers. The model allows for the adjustment of multiple operating conditions, such as temperature, depth of the crackers, and the speed of the line. The completed model provides the user with the ability to predict cooling requirements and to validate pre-existing equipment operating conditions. The model will aid in the design of new equipment as well as modifications to improve existing installations to operate within the desired specifications for each process.