Digital Commons Network^™

Elucidation Of Active Site And Mechanism Of Metal Catalysts Supported In Nu-1000, Hafeera Shabbir

All Dissertations

Advances in extraction of shale oil and gas has increased the production of geographically stranded natural gas (primarily consisting of methane (C1) and ethane (C2)) that is burned on site. A potential utilization strategy for shale gas is to convert it into fuel range hydrocarbons by catalytic dehydrogenation followed by oligomerization by direct efficient catalysts. This work focuses on understanding metal cation catalysts supported on metal-organic framework (MOF) NU-1000 that will actively and selectively do this transformation under mild reaction conditions, while remaining stable to deactivation (via metal agglomeration or sintering). I built computational models validated by experimental methods to …

Metabolic Engineering Of Yarrowia Lipolytica For Enhanced Peroxisomal Production Of Polyhydroxyalkanoates, Michael Spagnuolo

All Dissertations

Traditional chemical processes are made inefficient by the generation of side products and reactions that fail to reach completion. Bioprocesses, on the other hand, lose product potential due to the necessity of growing the organism required to produce the desired compounds. The field of metabolic engineering often seeks to alter this balance between product formation and cell growth to generate more product from the same quantity of feed (reagent). In addition to balance, such organisms may also be engineered to produce the desired products from nontraditional substrates, such as waste compounds. In resource-poor environments, the ability to produce a wanted …

Carbon Fibers From Bio-Based Precursors Derived From Renewable Sources, Sagar Kanhere

All Dissertations

Carbon fibers have the highest strength and modulus among all known fibers and are used as reinforcements in high-performance composites [1]. Carbon fibers also have a very low density relative to metals. Therefore, carbon fibers possess ultrahigh specific strength and modulus, which make them desirable for high-performance light-weight composites. A vast majority of commercial carbon fibers are produced from PAN precursors that are expensive, which limits the use of PAN-derived carbon fibers to aerospace applications (e.g., airplanes). However, for costsensitive applications, there is a need for low-cost, moderate performance carbon fibers. Lignin is a low-cost by-product of pulping and biorefining …

Development Of Enzyme-Responsive Polymersomes As A Drug Delivery System For Gm1 Gangliosidosis, Bipin Chakravarthy Paruchuri

All Dissertations

GM1 gangliosidosis is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by deficiency of β-galactosidase (βgal) and subsequent accumulation of GM1 ganglioside in lysosomes. The rare nature of this disorder presents challenges with prognosis and treatment. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) can effectively treat systemic deficiencies, but the intravenously administered enzyme cannot cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to treat the central nervous system. A delivery system to encapsulate and deliver the enzyme can facilitate enzyme transport across the BBB with suitable surface modifications. One of the pathological aspects of GM1-affected cells is the upregulation of the lysosomal enzyme hexosaminidase A (HexA). In this dissertation, …

Water-Soluble Saponins Accumulate In Drought-Stressed Switchgrass And May Inhibit Yeast Growth During Bioethanol Production, Sarvada Hemant Chipkar, Katherine Smith, Elizabeth M. Whelan, Derek J. Debrauske, Annie Jen, Katherine A. Overmyer, Andrea Senyk, Larkin Hooker-Moericke, Marissa Gallmeyer, Joshua J. Coon, A. Daniel Jones, Trey K. Sato, Rebecca G. Ong

Michigan Tech Publications

Background: Developing economically viable pathways to produce renewable energy has become an important research theme in recent years. Lignocellulosic biomass is a promising feedstock that can be converted into second-generation biofuels and bioproducts. Global warming has adversely affected climate change causing many environmental changes that have impacted earth surface temperature and rainfall patterns. Recent research has shown that environmental growth conditions altered the composition of drought-stressed switchgrass and directly influenced the extent of biomass conversion to fuels by completely inhibiting yeast growth during fermentation. Our goal in this project was to find a way to overcome the microbial inhibition and …

Study Of Sustainable Development In Paper, Printing And Packaging Material Applications To Support Circular Economy, Prashant Ramesh Kotkar

Dissertations

To support circular economy and sustainability, the use of suitable material in paper, printing, and packaging industries, for several types of industrial printing material and printed product applications, plays a significant role for end user applications. Several types of packaging printing materials, specifically those finished with different printing technologies and exposed to different environmental conditions are targeted.

The purpose of this research study is to improve design and evaluation for paper, printing, and packaging material sustainability in end-user applications, to deal with the addressed sustainability issues brought by the paper, printing and packaging products end user groups. As the impacts …

Investigations Of Prokaryotic Defense Systems, Hannah Domgaard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bacteria are constantly threatened with infection by mobile genetic elements (MGE) such as bacteriophage and plasmids. Bacteriophage and plasmids require the bacteria's cellular infrastructure to replicate their genomes. Rampant replication can lead to cell death which is one reason why bacteria have developed a diverse array of immune systems to prevent or limit infection. This thesis studies three types of bacterial immune systems, type IV-A CRISPR-Cas (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat –CRISPR associated), type V-A2 CRISPR-Cas systems, and Wadjet systems.

The type IV-A system lies adjacent to a dinG-like helicase gene. Research has shown that this system can target …

Quantification Of Flows Emerging From Small Pores In Plane Walls, Matia Peter Edwards

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Current membrane separation processes are limited in high production and high purity settings due to a trade-off between selectivity and permeance. Methods of creating nanoscale geometries in 2D materials are emerging and present an opportunity for fast, size selective mass transport that can be tailored to a wide array of applications. This thesis develops a method for quantifying flow through small pores in plane walls based on the behaviour of a solute dispersed in a downstream reservoir. This method is validated for a range of micropore diameters, for which flow rates can be calculated with confidence, and is shown to …

Performance Comparison Of Several Control Algorithms For Tracking Control Of Pantograph Mechanism, Laylaa Mahmoud Eng, Mohamed Shamseldin Dr, Mohamed Sallam Dr, Abdelghany Mohamed Prof

Future Engineering Journal

A sort of parallel manipulator known as a pantograph robot mechanism was created primarily for industrial requests that required high precision and satisfied speed. While tracking a chosen trajectory profile requires a powerful controller. Because it has four active robot links and one robot passive link in place of just two links like the open chain does, it can carry more loads than the open chain robot mechanism while maintaining accuracy and stability. The calculated model for a closed chain pantograph robot mechanism presented in this paper takes into account the boundary conditions. For the purpose of simulating the dynamics …

Relative Rate Observer Self-Tuning Of Fuzzy Pid Virtual Inertia Control For An Islanded Microgrid, Ahmed H. Mohamed, Helmy M. El Zoghby, Mohiy Bahgat, A. M. Abdel Ghany

Future Engineering Journal

Expanding the usage of renewable energy in islanded microgrids leads to a reduction in its total inertia. Low inertia microgrids have difficulties in voltage and frequency control. That affected saving its stability and preventing a blackout. To improve low inertia islanded microgrids' dynamic response and save their stability, this paper presented relative rate observer self-tuning fuzzy PID (RROSTF-PID) based on virtual inertia control (VIC) for an islanded microgrid with a high renewable energy sources (RESs) contribution. RROSTF-PID based on VIC's success in showing remarkable improvement in the microgrid's dynamic response and enhancement of its stability. Moreover, it handles different contingency …

Cybersecurity And Dynamic Operation In Practice: Equipment Impacts And Safety Guarantees, Kip Nieman, Dominic Messina, Matthew Wegener, Helen Durand

Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Faculty Research Publications

Though dynamic operation of chemical processes has been extensively explored theoretically in contexts such as economic model predictive control or even considering the potential for cyberattacks on control systems creating non-standard operating policies, important practical questions remain regarding dynamic operation. In this work, we look at two of these with particular relevance to process safety: (1) evaluating dynamic operating policies with respect to process equipment fidelity and (2) evaluating procedures for determining the parameters of an advanced control law that can promote both dynamic operation as well as safety if appropriately designed. Regarding the first topic, we utilize computational fluid …

Insight Into The Effects Of Cation Disorder And Surface Chemical Residues On The Initial Coulombic Efficiency Of Layered Oxide Cathode, Jin-Li Liu, Han-Feng Wu, Zhi-Bei Liu, Ying-Qiang Wu, Li Wang, Feng-Li Bei, Xiang-Ming He

Journal of Electrochemistry

Lithium layered oxide LiNi_0.6Co_0.2Mn_0.2O₂ (NCM622) is one of the most promising cathode materials in high-energy lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. However, one drawback for NCM622 is that its initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) is only about 87%, which is at least 6% lower than that of LiCoO₂ or LiFePO₄. In this work, we investigated the effects of surface chemical residues (e.g., LiOH and Li₂CO₃) and Li/Ni cation disorder resulted during the sintering on the ICE. We found that the ICE of the as-prepared samples could be boosted …

The Hole Sealing Technology Of Solid-Liquid Materials With Three Pluggings And Two Injections For Gas Extraction Hole In The Coal Mine, Shiyao Yu, Xianbo Su, Jinxing Song, Qian Wang, Zhenjiang You

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The sealing quality of the gas extraction holes determines the extracted gas concentration. Based on this, the paper reveals the basic principle of hole sealing by analyzing the gas leakage mechanism of the borehole. The hole sealing technology of solid-liquid materials with three pluggings and two injections for the gas extraction hole is proposed, and the hole sealing device and material are developed. Through testing the granularity distribution of the solid material, as well as the surface tension and contact angle of the slurry, the hole sealing material that can meet the requirements of accessible, sticky, and anti-deformation is selected. …

In Vitro Models For The Study Of Liver Biology And Diseases: Advances And Limitations, Savneet Kaur, Srivatsan Kidambi, Martí Ortega-Ribera, Le Thi Thanh Thuy, Natalia Nieto, Victoria C. Cogger, Wei-Fen Xie, Frank Tacke, Jordi Gracia-Sancho

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

In vitro models of liver (patho)physiology, new technologies, and experimental approaches are progressing rapidly. Based on cell lines, induced pluripotent stem cells or primary cells derived from mouse or human liver as well as whole tissue (slices), such in vitro single- and multicellular models, including complex microfluidic organ-on-a-chip systems, provide tools to functionally understand mechanisms of liver health and disease. The International Society of Hepatic Sinusoidal Research (ISHSR) commissioned this working group to review the currently available in vitro liver models and describe the advantages and disadvantages of each in the context of evaluating their use for the study of …

Genetic Code Expansion In Pseudomonas Putida Kt2440, Xinyuan He, Tian Gao, Yan Chen, Kun Liu, Jiantao Guo, Wei Niu

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Pseudomonas putida KT2440 is an emerging microbial chassis for bio-based chemical production from renewable feedstocks and environmental bioremediation. However, tools for studying, engineering, and modulating protein complexes and biosynthetic enzymes in this organism are largely underdeveloped. Genetic code expansion for the incorporation of unnatural amino acids (unAAs) into proteins can advance such efforts and, furthermore, enable additional controls of biological processes of the strain. In this work, we established the orthogonality of two widely used archaeal tRNA synthetase and tRNA pairs in KT2440. Following the optimization of decoding systems, four unAAs were incorporated into proteins in response to a UAG …

Production Of Cellulose-Based Superabsorbent Polymers For Soil Water Retention, Rosa Maria Arredondo Ramirez

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) have attracted tremendous attention, with researchers noting that their high water absorption capacity (AC) is valuable for various applications, especially in agricultural contexts. Two types of materials can be used to produce SAPs: fossil-based (which are harmful to the environment) and bio-based (which are significantly more environmentally friendly, given their biodegradability and minimal toxic side effects). Although bio-based SAPs (Bio-SAPs) are preferable due to their environmental merits, their preparation tends to be time consuming and labour intensive, and their AC is still far below expectations. To address these problems, a novel, eco-friendly, cellulose-based superabsorbent polymer (Cellulo-SAP) was …

Histone Deacetylase 4 And 5 Translocation Elicited By Microsecond Pulsed Electric Field Exposure Is Mediated By Kinase Activity, Zahra Safaei, Gary L. Thompson Iii

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Faculty Scholarship

Electroporation-based technologies using microsecond pulsed electric field (µsPEF) exposures are established as laboratory and clinical tools that permeabilize cell membranes. We demonstrate a µsPEF bioeffect on nucleocytoplasmic import and export of enzymes that regulate genetic expression, histone deacetylases (HDAC) -4 and -5. Their μsPEF-induced nucleocytoplasmic transport depends on presence and absence of extracellular calcium ions (Ca2+) for both MCF7 and CHO-K1 cells. Exposure to 1, 10, 30 and 50 consecutive square wave pulses at 1 Hz and of 100 µs duration with 1.45 kV/cm magnitude leads to translocation of endogenous HDAC4 and HDAC5. We posit that by eliciting a rise …

Sustainable Material For Urea Delivery Based On Chitosan Cross-Linked By Glutaraldehyde Saturated Toluene: Characterization And Determination Of The Release Rate Mathematical Model, Jayanudin Jayanudin, Retno S. D. Lestari, Indar Kustiningsih, Dandi Irawanto, Rozak Rozak, Reyonaldo L. A. Wardana, Fakhri Muhammad

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The aims of this study were to characterize the urea-loaded chitosan microspheres and determine the release kinetic constants and diffusion coefficients. An emulsion cross-linking method was used to prepare the urea-loaded chitosan microspheres. Urea was dissolved in a solution of chitosan then put into vegetable oil and stirred to form an emulsion. Glutaraldehyde saturated toluene (GST) was added into the emulsion dropwise while continuously stirring for the solidification process. Chitosan microspheres filled with urea were washed, dried, and then analyzed. Characterization of the urea-loaded chitosan microspheres was conducted using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and particle …

Machine Learning With Gradient-Based Optimization Of Nuclear Waste Vitrification With Uncertainties And Constraints, Lagrande Gunnell, Kyle Manwaring, Xiaonan Lu, Jacob Reynolds, John Vienna, John Hedengren

Faculty Publications

Gekko is an optimization suite in Python that solves optimization problems involving mixed-integer, nonlinear, and differential equations. The purpose of this study is to integrate common Machine Learning (ML) algorithms such as Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), support vector regression (SVR), and artificial neural network (ANN) models into Gekko to solve data based optimization problems. Uncertainty quantification (UQ) is used alongside ML for better decision making. These methods include ensemble methods, model-specific methods, conformal predictions, and the delta method. An optimization problem involving nuclear waste vitrification is presented to demonstrate the benefit of ML in this field. ML models are compared …

Characterizations And Potential Recovery Pathways Of Phosphate Mines Waste Rocks, Amine El Mahdi Safhi, Hicham Amar, Yahya El Berdai, Mustapha El Ghorfi, Yassine Taha, Rachid Hakkou, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan, Mostafa Benzaazoua

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Phosphate Ore Production is Steadily Increasing Due to its High Demand for Agriculture, Medicine, and Others. Ore Extraction Generates a Considerable Quantity of Waste Rocks that Are Generally Stocked in Piles. the Current Research Aims to Investigate the Characterization of Phosphate Mine Waste Rocks (PMWR) Generated in Benguerir, Morocco Mine Site. as a Part of a Wide Project Aiming to Recycle Those Stockpiles, Sensor-Based Ore Sorting Will Be Employed to Separate the Different Lithologies. as a Prior Investigation Before Implementing This Technology, Two Samples of 25 Tons from the Destoning and Screening PMWR Piles Were Sampled and Submitted to …

Ab Initio Insight Into The Electrolysis Of Water On Basal And Edge (Fullerene C20) Surfaces Of 4 Å Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes, Zhen Jiang, Nadia N. Intan, Qiong Yang

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

The extreme surface reactivity of 4 Å single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) makes for a very promising catalytic material, however, controlling it experimentally has been found to be challenging. Here, we employ ab initio calculations to investigate the extent of surface reactivity and functionalization of 4 Å SWCNTs. We study the kinetics of water dissociation and adsorption on the surface of 4 Å SWCNTs with three different configurations: armchair (3,3), chiral (4,2) and zigzag (5,0). We reveal that out of three different configurations of 4 Å SWCNTs, the surface of tube (5,0) is the most reactive due to its small HOMO–LUMO …

Fractal Pore And Its Impact On Gas Adsorption Capacity Of Outburst Coal: Geological Significance To Coalbed Gas Occurrence And Outburst, Guangjun Feng, Xinzhuo Zhao, Meng Wang, Yu Song, Sijian Zheng, Ye He, Zhenjiang You

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Pore structure and methane adsorption of coal reservoir are closely correlated to the coalbed gas occurrence and outburst. Full-scale pore structure and its fractal heterogeneity of coal samples were quantitatively characterized using low-pressure N2 gas adsorption (LP-N₂GA) and high-pressure mercury intrusion porosimetry (HP-MIP). Fractal pore structure and adsorption capacities between outburst and nonoutburst coals were compared, and their geological significance to gas occurrence and outburst was discussed. The results show that pore volume (PV) is mainly contributed by macropores ( > 1000 nm) and mesopores (100-1000 nm), while specific surface area (SSA) is dominated by micropores ( < 10 nm) and transition pores (10 - 100 nm). On average, the PV and SSA of outburst coal samples are 4.56 times and 5.77 times those of nonoutburst coal samples, respectively, which provide sufficient place for gas adsorption and storage. The pore shape is dominated by semiclosed pores in the nonoutburst coal, whereas open pores and inkbottle pores are prevailing in the outburst coal. The pore size is widely distributed in the outburst coal, in which not only micropores are dominant, but also, transition pores and mesopores are developed to a certain extent. Based on the data from HP-MIP and LP-N₂GA, …

Scale Modeling Of An Appearance Of Downwash Pattern Of Hot Smoke Ejected From Chimney In The Turbulent Cross Flow, Xangpheuak Inthavideth, Nobumasa Sekishita, Sounthisack Phommachanh, Yuji Nakamura

Progress in Scale Modeling, an International Journal

This study aims to elucidate the scaling law to provide the critical condition on appearance of the downwash pattern of the hot smoke ejected from a chimney in a turbulent cross flow. A specially designed wind tunnel with an active turbulence generator developed by Makita was adopted to offer a quasi-isotropic turbulence field in a lab-scale test facility. A heated jet with smoke is issued into the cross flow from the vertically oriented chimney placed in the test section of the wind tunnel. In this study, the experimental parameters considered are temperature of the heated jet (smoke), jet ejected velocity, …

Exploring The Biomedical Applications Of Polyurethane-Based Foams, Films, And Hydrogels, Anand Utpal Vakil

Dissertations - ALL

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are a class of smart materials that can be temporarily stored in a deformed shape and can actively recover their original shape upon exposure to an external stimulus, such as heat, magnetic field, moisture, pH, light, or electric field. The ability of SMPs to change shape when required can be used for a wide range of applications, especially in the case of minimally invasive biomedical applications. In this work, polyurethane-based SMPs were explored for their use in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and wound healing applications.

In the second chapter, low density porous foams with tunable degradability …

Synthesis Of A Phosphorus-Based Epoxy Reactive Flame Retardant Analog To Diglycidyl Ether Of Bisphenol A (Dgeba) And Its Behavior As A Matrix In A Carbon Fiber Composite, Mustafa Mukhtar

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper describes the synthesis of a phosphorus-based flame retardant that is a chemical analog of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), as well as its incorporation as a matrix into carbon fiber laminates. Carbon fiber composites, if used for structural applications in mass transport vehicles (aircraft, trains), will require some aspects of improved fire performance to be used safely in those applications. The first phase of work involved the development of two separate synthesis routes to produce the flame retardant monomer, referred to as Phosphorus-DGEBA or simply P-DGEBA. The second step was to determine the viability of the compound's …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Nanocomposites For Environmental Remediation, Nethaji S

Technical Collection

My current work deals with the preparation and characterization of nanocomposites for effluent treatment applications. The expertise lies on the preparation of carbonaceous nanocomposites including graphitic materials. The prepared materials are characterized thoroughly by different methods like FE-SEM, TEM, FT-IR, XRD, VSM, surface area and porosity. The composite materials are used for the removal of conventional and emerging contaminants like antibiotics, pesticide residues, endocrine disruptors etc. In addition to the batch studies, fabrication of microcolumns to aid the scale-up of the process is also carried out. I have published 14 research publications with around 1000 citations and h-index of 11. …

Correlating The Macrostructural Variations Of An Ion Gel With Its Carbon Dioxide Sorption Capacity, Tung Nguyen,, Mona Bavarian, Siamak Nejati

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

We report on a direct correlation between the macroscale structural variations and the gas sorption capacities of an ion gel. Here, we chose 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl sulfonyl)imide ([Emim][TF₂N]) and poly(vinylidene fluoride)-co-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP) as the ionic liquid and host polymer, respectively. The CO₂ sorption in the thin films of the IL-polymer was measured using the gravimetric method. The results of our experiment showed that the trend in CO₂ uptake of these mixtures was nonlinearly correlated with the content of IL. Here, we highlight that the variations in the molecular structure of the polymers were the main reason behind …

Comparison Of Two Capital Cost Assessment Methods For A Styrene Process Design, Marian K. Luzier

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Utilizing Date Pits In Microencapsulation: Effect Of Different Variations On Probiotic Survivability Under In Vitro Digestion, Asmaa Samir Al Hamayda

Theses

This work deals with the medicinal use of date pit powder, which turns it from a waste product to a useful stabilizer for the release of beneficial probiotics in the human intestine. The main objective of this work is to encapsulate probiotics with date pit beads and their subsequent release in the human intestine. The beads were formed using gravitational dripping technique, while INFOGEST protocol was used to test the digested beads and the release of viable probiotic cells. For the three date varieties Raziz, Naghal and Khadrawy, it was found that 0.1 g of date pit powder per 0.2 …

Techno-Economic Sensitivity Analysis For Combined Design And Operation Of A Small Modular Reactor Hybrid Energy System, Daniel Hill, Adam Martin, Nathanael Martin-Nelson, Charles Granger, Kody Powell, John Hedengren

Faculty Publications

With increasing grid-penetration of renewable energy resources and a rising need for carbon-free dispatchable power generation, nuclear-hybrid energy systems (NHES), consisting of small modular reactors, are an increasingly attractive option for maintaining grid stability. NHES can accomplish this with a minimal carbon footprint but there are significant uncertainties that are not fully understood. This work describes and demonstrates methods for analyzing the uncertainties of potential NHES designs, including uncertain design parameters and time series as well as variations in dispatch horizon length. The proposed methods are demonstrated on a sample system with 16 design parameters, 3 uncertain time series, and …